A five-seat sushi counter located inside another restaurant is the latest Vancouver eatery to receive a Michelin star.

Sushi Masuda was the only new restaurant in the city to receive the distinction at an annual ceremony Thursday, the third such event since the culinary kingmaker started issuing its famously elusive stars on Canada鈥檚 west coast.

Michelin鈥檚 anonymous inspector described Sushi Masuda as 鈥渁 pointed reminder not to judge a book by its cover.

鈥淭he plain, spare room is brought to life by the artfully simple, meticulous preparations of Chef Yoji Masuda, whose time spent in a top counter in Tokyo is amply apparent, though his own personality comes through,鈥� the inspector wrote of the eatery鈥檚 omakase sushi course.

With the addition of Sushi Masuda, there are now 10 restaurants in Vancouver with one Michelin star, an honour given to eateries with 鈥渉igh quality cooking鈥� that are deemed 鈥渨orth a stop.鈥�

The list also includes the French restaurant St. Lawrence, the contemporary eatery Published on Main, and the Chinese restaurant iDen & QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House.

There are, as of yet, no restaurants in the city with two stars 鈥� 鈥渆xcellent cooking, worth a detour鈥� 鈥� or the maximum three stars 鈥� 鈥渆xceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.鈥�

There鈥檚 also one new restaurant with a 鈥渂ib gourmand鈥� designation, which goes to establishments where customers can get bang for their buck: Gary鈥檚, which serves French food.

鈥淭o match the relaxed, friendly vibe, the cuisine is rustic and approachable, offering hearty dishes that draw inspiration from French country cooking,鈥� the inspector wrote.

Earlier additions to the list include Japanese restaurant Sushi Hil, brother-sister-owned Vietnamese joint Anh and Chi and Mexican eatery Chupito.

Michelin first entered Canada in 2022 with guides for Toronto and Vancouver, and has announced plans to expand into Quebec next year.

Last month, Michelin broadened the borders for its Toronto guide and awarded four more restaurants a single star.

The expanded region stretched as far as Collingwood, Hamilton, Cambridge and Niagara Falls, the anonymous chief inspector for Michelin North America said at the time, noting that just because the inspection team conducted field work in this area didn鈥檛 guarantee restaurants there would be under consideration.

Toronto and the region now have 15 restaurants with one Michelin star and one restaurant with two stars: Sushi Masaki Saito.