Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine - Steveston

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Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine - Steveston Royal Thai Fine Dining in Richmond, BC. Ranked #12 on North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list and named The Best Restaurant in West Canada 2025.

Winner of Canada’s 100 Best Destination Restaurant Award 2025. Reserve your Royal Thai experience ↓ Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine in Richmond, BC, invites you to experience authentic Royal Thai fine dining along the picturesque waterfront of Steveston Village. Recognized as #12 in North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 ranking and named Best Restaurant in Western Canada, Baan Lao has also received Canada's 100 Best Destination Restaurant Award 2025. Guests can enjoy Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng's seasonal tasting menu, the world's first sommelier-led Afternoon Thai Tea and a variety of diverse beverage pairings that include alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. The name Baan Lao translates as ‘our home’, a meaning that shapes every moment of your dining experience with us. We look forward to welcoming you to our home at Baan Lao soon!

10/17/2026

We are bringing more of Baan Lao and more of Thailand closer to you, with two new restaurants opening on Vancouver’s iconic Granville Island next summer.

Following the recent opening of Makaam - Modern Artisan Thai Cusine at Time Out Market Vancouver at Oakridge Park and Baan Lao being named North America’s Best Restaurant 2026 at the World Culinary Awards yesterday, we are excited to introduce Baan Baan, Thai Farmer’s Table & Bar, and Le KaNom, Thai Desserts & Caffe, opening side by side in the Chain & Forge building.

Baan Baan will specialize in Isaan cuisine, serving charcoal-grilled seafood and meats, Isaan flavours, b**r, w**e and cocktails. Chef Nutcha grew up in Khon Kaen, in the heart of northeastern Thailand, in a region known as Isaan. Isaan covers nearly a third of Thailand, yet it is probably the part of the country that tourists visit least, and its cuisine is quite distinct from what you might find in a Thai restaurant abroad.

Isaan food is Chef Nutcha’s favourite, and she grew up eating fermented sausages, charcoal-grilled chicken, dried meats, sticky rice and all those spicy, fermented flavours. With refrigeration not always available, people in the region traditionally preserved food through fermentation and sun-drying. But beyond that, eating Isaan-style means gathering with friends, drinking, sharing food and having fun, which is exactly the feeling Chef Nutcha wants Baan Baan to have.

Baan Baan will be a lively, late-night gathering place with a bar, private dining room and expansive patio. The menu will offer both prix-fixe and à la carte options, with à la carte dishes starting at $20, so it feels accessible and casual while still premium. Le KaNom will be Baan Baan’s daytime neighbour, a concept focused on gluten-free and dairy-free Thai desserts and sweets.

Choosing Granville Island was intentional. As one of Vancouver’s most visited destinations, it brings people from many different places together, and for Chef Nutcha, that’s what food is about: culture and bringing people together. Baan Baan means a village or community, and she hopes to introduce more people to Isaan food in a more casual setting, closer to downtown Vancouver.

Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine has been named North America’s Best Restaurant 2026 at the World Culinary Awards — the first ...
10/15/2026

Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine has been named North America’s Best Restaurant 2026 at the World Culinary Awards — the first Canadian restaurant to win the title! We’ve also been named Canada’s Best Restaurant for the third year in a row.

Five years ago, we set out to become the best Thai restaurant in North America. To be recognized as the best restaurant overall, among 40 nominees from across Canada and the United States, is beyond anything we could have imagined.

From the beginning, Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng wanted to share a different side of Thai cuisine with the world. Through our Royal Thai tasting menus, intricate techniques and thoughtful, personal service, she has brought Thailand’s rich culinary heritage to the table in a way that’s uniquely Baan Lao. Today, that vision has earned international recognition.

To our team, our guests and everyone who voted for us: thank you for helping us reach this extraordinary milestone.

We look forward to welcoming you to Our Home in Steveston.

10/14/2026

An eight-hour reduction for a single course on the chef’s tasting menu.

Since opening Baan Lao in 2021, Chef Nutcha’s vision has been clear: to elevate Thai cuisine in Canada and introduce the art of Royal Thai cuisine to the world.

This Lobster Tom Yum brings that vision to life as she takes Thailand’s most iconic soup and reinterprets it through the fundamental principles of Royal Thai cuisine: the freshest ingredients, intricate technique, perfect balance of flavours and immaculate presentation.

The result is a luxurious reinvention achieved through eight continuous hours of rich lobster essence reduction. Served with Japanese tiger prawn, vibrant Wolffia pearls and seaweed caviar, it becomes one of the main courses on Baan Lao’s From Thailand With Love menu.

Miang kham is a traditional Thai bite that brings together a combination of ingredients in a single wild pepper leaf, kn...
10/10/2026

Miang kham is a traditional Thai bite that brings together a combination of ingredients in a single wild pepper leaf, known as chaphlu.

At Baan Lao, the Wild Pepper Leaf Wrap with Carved Carrot is part of the amuse bouche in Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng’s From Thailand with Love tasting menu. The carved carrot offers a distinctive presentation of the leaf-wrapped bite, reflecting the attention to detail that extends throughout the Baan Lao dining experience.

Inspired by Chef Nutcha’s most cherished memories of home, From Thailand with Love takes guests through Thailand’s four regions, exploring the ingredients, culinary traditions and personal memories that continue to shape her culinary approach.

For those who have yet to experience it, there’s still a little time before we introduce our new tasting menu.

A look back at Chef Nutcha visiting her family’s rice farm and reuniting with her water buffalo in Nhong Waeng earlier t...
10/06/2026

A look back at Chef Nutcha visiting her family’s rice farm and reuniting with her water buffalo in Nhong Waeng earlier this winter.

Water buffalo, known in Thai as kwai, have been an important part of life in rural Thailand for centuries. Essential to rice farming, they were more than working animals; they were considered part of the household and formed strong bonds with the people who cared for them.

Growing up in Nhong Waeng, Chef Nutcha would walk her buffalo from home to the rice farm, a journey that could take 45 minutes to an hour. When asked what she would do for such a long walk, Chef Nutcha describes it simply: you enjoy the scenery, talk to your water buffalo, sing songs and mee other farmers making their way to the fields.

Water buffalo are known for their remarkable memory and ability to recognize people years later. So whenever Chef Nutcha returns to her family’s rice farm, she makes a point of visiting the farm to see her kwai again.

Why did Chef Nutcha choose Miyazaki A5 Wagyu for a dish inspired by the Northern Mountains of Thailand?Miyazaki A5 BMS 1...
09/28/2026

Why did Chef Nutcha choose Miyazaki A5 Wagyu for a dish inspired by the Northern Mountains of Thailand?

Miyazaki A5 BMS 12 Wagyu comes from Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan and is among the most highly regarded beef in the world. With a Beef Marbling Standard of 12 and more than 56% intramuscular fat, it has an exceptionally tender texture and rich depth of flavour.

Chef Nutcha prepares the Wagyu using a traditional Northern Thai method of charcoal roasting, bringing a gentle smokiness to the beef while preserving the delicate character it is known for.

Miyazaki A5 Wagyu may come from Japan, but its place on the menu reflects the principles of Royal Thai cuisine: sourcing the finest ingredients and elevating them through meticulous technique while maintaining a delicate balance of flavours without allowing any one element to overwhelm the dish.

This is one of 11 courses on Chef Nutcha’s From Thailand with Love menu, tracing her memories of Thailand through the Northern Mountains, Southern coastline, Bangkok and the villages of Isaan where she grew up.

For those who have yet to experience it, there’s still a little time before we share what Chef Nutcha has been preparing next.

09/24/2026

How have you experienced From Thailand with Love tasting menu?

With a w**e, sake, cocktail, mocktail or tea pairing? Or did you enjoy the menu on its own?

Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng has collaborated with a team of beverage experts to create pairings that complement the menu, including selections from the Baan Lao private cellar, sake, cocktails, mocktails, Gong Fu Cha and caffeine-free teas.

For the full experience, Baan Lao Heaven brings together selections from across the pairings.

There’s still a little more time to experience From Thailand with Love before we welcome what Chef Nutcha has been preparing next.

Before leading the kitchen at Baan Lao, Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng trained and worked as a registered nurse and later as ...
09/23/2026

Before leading the kitchen at Baan Lao, Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng trained and worked as a registered nurse and later as a cancer researcher in Thailand.

That experience continues to shape how she cares for others today, through hospitality, community and giving back.

Since opening Baan Lao in Steveston in 2021, Chef Nutcha has helped put Richmond on the culinary map. In 2024 and 2025, Baan Lao was named Best Restaurant in Canada at the World Culinary Awards, becoming the first Canadian restaurant to receive the honour in consecutive years.

But alongside the recognition, Chef Nutcha and Baan Lao have continued to support the Richmond community we are proud to call home, including through live auction experiences with Richmond Hospital Foundation that help raise funds for patients, families and care teams.

We’re grateful to Richmond Hospital Foundation for sharing her story.

Read the full feature in Richmond Hospital Foundation's Joyful Giving Newsletter.

Address

4100 Bayview Street
Richmond, BC
V7E6S8

Opening Hours

Wednesday 5pm - 10pm
Thursday 5pm - 10pm
Friday 5pm - 10pm
Saturday 5pm - 10pm
Sunday 5pm - 10pm

Telephone

+17788395711

Website

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