Sustainable Dining with Style: Published on Main

Hot off the press! Published on Main is turning up the heat on the local sustainable food scene. With its vibrant seasonal offerings, this ingredient-driven restaurant has changed the game when it comes to elevated meals that spotlight farm-fresh and locally foraged foods.

Located in the heart of Mount Pleasant on Main Street, also known as Vancouver’s MICHELIN Mile, Published on Main has consistently earned praise and accolades for its innovative approach to dining since they first opened their doors in 2019.

In case you think we’re exaggerating, check out these stats. Under the leadership of Executive Chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, the restaurant has received a star in every single MICHELIN Guide for Vancouver since the first guide was released in 2022. Plus, they were ranked #28 in the inaugural North America's 50 Best Restaurants list, and they also topped the annual Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list in 2022, becoming the first restaurant in B.C. to do so.

Even with these huge successes, Published on Main remains at its core a deeply down-to-earth restaurant. There’s no better example of this ethos in action than Chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson’s approach to foraging in his top secret mushroom picking spot, located on the Sea to Sky located just an hour north of Vancouver.

Here, Chef Stieffenhofer-Brandson finds mushrooms like chanterelles, lobster mushrooms, porcini and matsutake to bring back to the kitchen. Since the restaurant operates at such a high level in the city, the little moments of silence spent searching for fresh huckleberries, thimbleberries, sweet woodruff, elderberries, and elderflower in what he calls “nature’s grocery store” become all the more precious.

To complement their locally foraged ingredients and stellar sustainable wine menu, Published on Main has built long-lasting relationships with about a dozen different local farms, including Vive Le Veg Farm in Delta and North Arm Farm in Pemberton.

With a menu that shifts alongside the seasons, anytime of the year is a good time to bask in their front “solarium” under suspended plant canopies and green vines, or share a plate of gnocchi in the more intimate rear dining room.

If you go in the fall, for example, you’ll be sure to find a variation of their roasted squash dish on the menu. Pumpkin seed miso is made from the seeds of the squash, then it’s saved and used to glaze the next year’s squash. Chef Stieffenhofer-Brandson calls this a “full circle dish,” which we think is pretty cool.

This holistic approach to using all parts of an ingredient is all over the menu. For instance, take their world-famous smoked and candied steelhead belly. Whether it’s being repurposed in smoked fish oil made from the bones or in steelhead skin chicharrón, none of the fish goes to waste.

As for the restaurant’s unique name, we have traditional English coffeehouses from the 18th century to thank for the inspiration. These public houses acted as social hubs for their local communities, and we can totally see how Published on Main embodies the same energy.

Whether you’re coming to sample 28 servings from the tasting menu, planning to go Dim Sum style and share everything with your friends on the table, or just grabbing a few snacks at the bar, this sustainable restaurant’s food tells a story. And it’s a story you’ll want to share.