Chef Briana Kim's Antheia Ranks 76th on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants

Ottawa chef Briana Kim is among the big winners on the 2026 Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list, with her new restaurant Antheia ranking 76th nationally — though the capital's overall standing slipped.

Antheia, which opened December 7, 2025, on Somerset Street West in Ottawa's Chinatown neighbourhood, is a cutting-edge vegetarian restaurant with just 12 seats at its chef's counter and four more at tables. Kim was also awarded the community leadership prize, a recognition that surprised many observers because she had other opportunities elsewhere.

"After closing Alice, she had so many opportunities elsewhere," said Jacob Richler, the list's editor-in-chief and publisher. "Nonetheless she decided to begin her next chapter at home in Ottawa, which we see as giving something back to your community."

The overall ranking of Ottawa's dining scene fell in this year's edition: just three Ottawa restaurants appear on the list, down from four last year. Richler said he expects Kim will perform even stronger next year and pledged the publication would "do everything we can to draw attention to the quality of what she's doing in the meantime."

On June 17, Kim is taking part in an exclusive Canada's 100 Best Restaurants collaborative dinner in Quebec City with the chefs of Restaurant Pearl Morissette — ranked first on this year's list — and Tanière3, ranked third. Those are the only two Canadian restaurants currently holding two Michelin stars.

Kim's path to Antheia was unconventional. Self-taught as a chef, she studied political science at the University of Ottawa and worked at Health Canada before opening Cafe My House on Bank Street in 2009. After that restaurant closed, she opened Alice in Little Italy in 2019, which reached 31st on the 2023 Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list before closing.