The venerable Duke of Duckworth in St. John’s has been named No. 10 out of 50 Canadian eateries in a survey by website Vacay.ca.
The No. 1 restaurant was Vij’s in Vancouver, which features contemporary Indian cuisine.
The Duke — a pub renowned for its fish and chips and its prominence on CBC-TV’s “Republic of Doyle” — was among the surprises on the Vacay.ca list. It ranked 10th overall, but did earn one first-place vote.
“Although many other local restaurants tout themselves to be the best fish ’n’ chips joint around, most folks from St. John’s will tell you that the Duke is the place to hit up,” says the story about the Duke on Vacay.ca.
Three other restaurants from the province also made the Top 50 list: Basho in St. John’s, Lighthouse Picnics in Ferryland and Java Jack’s in Rocky Harbour.
Ottawa’s Atelier, headed by chef Marc Lepine — the winner of this year’s Canadian Culinary Championships — received the nod for People’s Choice.
“Atelier received the most votes from Vacay.ca readers, Twitter followers and Facebook friends,” Vacay.ca managing editor Adrian Brijbassi said in a release.
Vij’s has come far from its beginnings in 1994. It was put up for sale during its early days after the first landlord complained about the smell of the cooking, and it nearly shut down after only two months because of poor patronage.
Now, customers line up for 90 minutes at the South Granville neighbourhood establishment to get a seat.
And the owner’s latest cookbook, “Vij’s at Home: Relax Honey,” written with his wife, Meeru Dhalwala, tied for a silver award among English language cookbooks in last year’s Canadian Culinary Book Awards.
Also on the inaugural Vacay.ca Top 50 Restaurants in Canada List was Toronto’s fourth-ranked The Black Hoof, known for its charcuterie plates that can include such fare as lamb’s brains ravioli and horse’s heart.
Toronto led all cities with 13 restaurants on the list, while Vij’s led Vancouver’s 11 entries.
“We created the Top 50 Restaurants in Canada List because we felt Canadian cuisine deserves to be celebrated,” said Brijbassi.
“Plus, travellers need an authoritative source to make decisions on their dining choices when visiting different regions of the country.”
He noted that the list covers everything from fine dining to neighbourhood lower-budget options.
Judges included food writers, industry insiders and culinary aficionados from across the country. Votes from the public were also included. The list was announced Thursday with a countdown on Twitter.
Here are the Top 10 winners out of 50, plus the other winning eateries from Newfoundland.
For the complete list and to learn how the list was determined, visit vacay.ca.
1. Vij’s, Vancouver
2. Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ont.
3. Joe Beef, Montreal
4. The Black Hoof, Toronto
5. Atelier, Ottawa
6. Les 400 Coups, Montreal
7. L’Abattoir, Vancouver
8. Canoe, Toronto
9. Rouge, Calgary
10. Duke of Duckworth, St. John’s
20. Basho, St. John’s
30. Lighthouse Picnics, Ferryland
35. Java Jack’s, Rocky Harbour
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Frank, can you tell me 10 better restaurants in Canada to visit while traveling? I have eaten at many places across Canada as I travel a fair amount for work. The Duke is the best fi n' chi I have visited. Considering it is located in St. John's where fi n' chi is king, I think it deserves a shout out. The purpose of the list is not to examine the most expensive places, its the best places to visit while traveling. Your crab in the bucket mentality is what is embarassing.