Gold Winner The Canteen
Silver Winner Rinaldo’s
Bronze Winner Riot Snack Bar
So The Canteen technically opened in 2014, but The Canteen that re-launched last year on Portland Street is a different beast entirely. “This Canteen, as it is now, isn’t anything I ever planned on doing,” says chef Renée Lavallée, who runs the buzzing spot with her husband Doug Townsend. The evolution from sandwich counter to sit-down family restaurant was an answer to the needs and wants of its adoring fans, and the result of wanting to create an unpretentious place that felt like home. Home with really good food. “That’s the key for us, we have staff that are like family and it makes everyone feel very at home,” says Lavallée. “I thank my lucky stars every day I get to work in a place I enjoy with people that I love.”