Elisa
Elisa is a contemporary farm-to-table steakhouse in Vancouver's Yaletown district, known for wood-fired cooking, premium steaks, seafood, and an extensive wine program.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Elisa is a Vancouver restaurant brand operated by Toptable Group. The restaurant opened in 2018 in Yaletown, occupying a space formerly used by Milestones Grill and Bar. It presents itself as a contemporary, farm-to-table steakhouse with a menu built around premium meat, seafood, and live-fire cooking. The restaurant occupies approximately 6,800 square feet and uses a Grillworks Infierno wood-fired grill as a central piece of its culinary operation. Its interior combines a contemporary dining-room atmosphere with ceiling millwork, veneer wall panels, hostess and wine-decanting stations, and a dedicated wine cellar. The design was created by New York's Rockwell Group, with woodwork by Acorn Wood Designs. Andrew Richardson serves as executive chef, while Franco Michienzi has overseen Elisa's wine program. Bartender Katie Ingram was part of the opening team. The restaurant's menu has included steakhouse staples and more elaborate preparations, including wagyu, Holstein striploin, tomahawk steak, beef Wellington, bison tartare, truffle-roasted chicken, Dungeness crab spring rolls, and coniglio brasato. Its beverage offering includes an extensive wine selection and cocktails such as Charring the Cosmos. Elisa developed a strong reputation in Vancouver's restaurant scene after opening. Reviewers and local publications have recognized it as a destination for special-occasion dining and premium steaks, although early criticism also described the room as imposing and less welcoming than some other Toptable Group restaurants. Vancouver Magazine gave the restaurant an honourable mention in its Best New Restaurant category and later awarded it silver status among Vancouver steakhouses. The restaurant has also received Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence for its wine program. The business temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as did many restaurants. In 2021, Vancouver Coastal Health temporarily closed Elisa because of a communicable-disease matter. The restaurant later continued operating and expanded its broader meat-focused presence when members of its team opened Luigi & Sons, a butcher shop offering cuts associated with Elisa's menu, in 2022. Elisa has attracted attention beyond Vancouver's local dining coverage. Franco Michienzi was named Sommelier of the Year by Vancouver Magazine in 2023, and Elisa was listed as a recommended restaurant in the Michelin Guide that year. The restaurant has also appeared in roundups of Vancouver's best steakhouses, fine-dining venues, romantic restaurants, patios, and lavish dishes. Its positioning is that of a high-end, design-led Vancouver steakhouse that combines premium ingredients, live-fire technique, formal wine service, and a contemporary urban setting.
History
Elisa was opened in 2018 by Toptable Group in Vancouver's Yaletown neighbourhood. The restaurant took over a location previously occupied by Milestones Grill and Bar and was conceived as a large, contemporary steakhouse with a farm-to-table orientation. Its culinary identity centers on premium meat, seafood, and cooking over a Grillworks Infierno wood-fired grill. The approximately 6,800-square-foot restaurant was designed to combine upscale dining with a visually distinctive interior. New York-based Rockwell Group designed the space, while Acorn Wood Designs completed the woodwork. Interior features include ceiling millwork, veneer wall panels, hostess and wine-decanting stations, and a wine cellar. These elements support Elisa's positioning as a design-led destination for celebratory and high-value dining rather than a casual neighbourhood grill. Andrew Richardson was identified as executive chef, and Franco Michienzi oversaw the wine program. Katie Ingram was part of the opening bartending team. The menu has developed around steakhouse cuts and preparations while also including seafood and non-steak dishes. Reported offerings have included wagyu, Holstein striploin, tomahawk steak, beef Wellington, bison tartare, truffle-roasted chicken, spring rolls with Dungeness crab, and coniglio brasato. The cocktail list has included Charring the Cosmos, while the wine program has been significant enough to earn Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence. Elisa received early attention from Vancouver food media. The Globe and Mail described it as suitable for a splurge occasion, while also criticizing the restaurant's atmosphere as relatively imposing compared with other Toptable Group venues. Vancouver Magazine gave Elisa an honourable mention in its Best New Restaurant category. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant temporarily closed, later appearing in local coverage for takeout; its Holstein striploin was included in Vancouver Magazine's pandemic takeout honour roll. In 2021, Elisa was temporarily closed by Vancouver Coastal Health because of a communicable-disease matter. The available reference does not provide further details about the closure or its outcome. The business subsequently remained part of Vancouver's premium restaurant scene. Vancouver Magazine awarded Elisa silver status in its 2022 Best Steakhouses category and described its appeal in terms of a modern atmosphere and broad choice of steaks and tartares. The Elisa team broadened its meat retail activity in 2022 by opening Luigi & Sons, a butcher shop offering cuts associated with the restaurant's menu. In 2023, Franco Michienzi was named Sommelier of the Year by Vancouver Magazine. Elisa was also included as a recommended restaurant in the Michelin Guide in 2023. Other local publications have featured the restaurant in selections covering Yaletown restaurants, downtown dining, fine dining, romantic restaurants, steakhouses, patios, and expensive or celebratory menu items. Elisa's documented development is therefore defined by a clear progression: launch as a high-end Toptable Group steakhouse, establishment of a recognizable live-fire and wine-led identity, adaptation during the pandemic, expansion into a related butcher-shop concept, and growing recognition from Vancouver critics, Wine Spectator, and the Michelin Guide. It remains positioned as a premium Vancouver restaurant rather than an international consumer brand.
- 2023
Michelin Guide recommendation
[1]Elisa becomes a recommended restaurant in the Michelin Guide.
- 2023
Wine-program recognition
[1]Franco Michienzi is named Sommelier of the Year by Vancouver Magazine.
- 2022
Related butcher shop opens
[1]The team behind Elisa opens Luigi & Sons, offering meat cuts associated with Elisa's menu.
- 2022
Vancouver steakhouse recognition
[1]Vancouver Magazine awards Elisa silver status in its Best Steakhouses category.
- 2021
Pandemic takeout recognition and health-related closure
[1]Elisa's Holstein striploin appears in Vancouver Magazine's pandemic takeout coverage, and Vancouver Coastal Health temporarily closes the restaurant because of a communicable-disease matter.
- 2019
Early critical recognition
[1]Vancouver Magazine gives Elisa an honourable mention in its Best New Restaurant category, while The Globe and Mail reviews the restaurant as a splurge-oriented destination.
- 2018
Elisa opens in Yaletown
[1]Toptable Group opens Elisa in a former Milestones Grill and Bar location in Vancouver's Yaletown district.
Products and positioning
A contemporary, upscale farm-to-table steakhouse focused on premium beef, seafood, wood-fired cooking, wine service, and special-occasion dining.
Main courses · 2018
Wood-fired steaks
Steak is central to Elisa's identity. The restaurant uses a Grillworks Infierno wood-fired grill and has served premium cuts including Holstein striploin, wagyu, and tomahawk steak. The offering places live-fire cooking and high-quality beef at the center of the dining experience.
Appetizers and main courses · 2018
Seafood dishes
Although Elisa is primarily identified as a steakhouse, its menu also includes seafood. Reported dishes include spring rolls prepared with Dungeness crab, giving the menu a broader farm-to-table and coastal Vancouver character.
Appetizers · 2018
Tartares
Tartare is part of Elisa's premium raw-preparation offering. Bison tartare has appeared among the restaurant's reported dishes, and local coverage has highlighted the restaurant's selection of steaks and tartares.
Main courses
Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington has been included among Elisa's reported menu offerings, extending the restaurant's steakhouse repertoire into a more elaborate, occasion-oriented preparation.
Main courses
Truffle-roasted chicken
Truffle-roasted chicken is one of the non-steak dishes reported as part of Elisa's menu, providing an alternative premium entrée within the restaurant's contemporary farm-to-table format.
Beverages · 2018
Wine program
Elisa maintains a substantial wine program supported by wine-decanting facilities and a cellar. The program has received Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence, and Franco Michienzi was recognized as Vancouver Magazine's Sommelier of the Year in 2023.
Beverages · 2018
Cocktail program
The bar program complements the steakhouse menu with contemporary cocktails. Charring the Cosmos is among the drinks reported on Elisa's beverage menu.
Brand decisions
2022
Expansion into meat retailStrategyBackground
The team associated with Elisa extended its meat-focused proposition beyond the dining room.
Action taken
Members of the Elisa team opened Luigi & Sons, a butcher shop offering cuts associated with Elisa's menu.
Aftermath
The move created a related retail outlet for the restaurant's meat proposition, although the available reference provides no financial or operational results.
2020
Temporary pandemic closure and takeout adaptationStrategyBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted restaurant operations and led Elisa to close temporarily.
Action taken
The restaurant later offered takeout, including steakhouse items such as Holstein striploin.
Aftermath
The takeout offering received local editorial attention, with the Holstein striploin included in Vancouver Magazine's pandemic takeout coverage.
2018
Launch as a design-led contemporary steakhouseStrategyBackground
Toptable Group developed Elisa as a large, upscale restaurant in Vancouver's Yaletown district, using premium meat, seafood, live-fire cooking, and a substantial wine program as its core proposition.
Action taken
The group opened the restaurant in a former Milestones Grill and Bar location and invested in a purpose-designed interior, a Grillworks Infierno wood-fired grill, wine-decanting stations, and a cellar.
Aftermath
Elisa established a reputation as one of Vancouver's prominent steakhouses and received recognition from local publications, Wine Spectator, and the Michelin Guide.
Recent events
- 2023
Franco Michienzi named Sommelier of the Year[1]
Other
Vancouver Magazine named Elisa wine-program leader Franco Michienzi its Sommelier of the Year.
- 2023
Elisa becomes a Michelin Guide recommended restaurant[1]
Other
The Michelin Guide listed Elisa as a recommended restaurant, adding an international dining-guide distinction to its local reputation.
- 2023
Topi Manner appointed Elisa President and CEO[2]
Leadership change
Elisa announced that Topi Manner would succeed Veli-Matti Mattila as president and chief executive officer, with the change taking effect in 2024.
- 2022
Elisa receives silver status among Vancouver steakhouses[1]
Other
Vancouver Magazine awarded Elisa silver status in its Best Steakhouses category and highlighted its modern atmosphere and selection of steaks and tartares.
- 2022
Elisa team opens Luigi & Sons butcher shop[1]
Other
Members of the team behind Elisa opened Luigi & Sons, a butcher shop offering cuts of meat associated with Elisa's menu.
- 2021
Elisa appears in Vancouver's pandemic takeout coverage[1]
Other
The restaurant's Holstein striploin was included in Vancouver Magazine's COVID-era takeout honour roll, reflecting Elisa's adaptation of a premium steakhouse offering for takeout service.
- 2021
Vancouver Coastal Health temporarily closes Elisa[1]
Regulation
Elisa was temporarily closed by Vancouver Coastal Health because of a communicable-disease matter. The available reference does not specify additional details about the incident or its resolution.
- 2019
Elisa receives local recognition as a new Vancouver restaurant[1]
Other
Vancouver Magazine gave Elisa an honourable mention in its Best New Restaurant category, while The Globe and Mail reviewed it as a destination worthy of a splurge.
- 2018
Elisa opens in Vancouver's Yaletown[1]
Other
Toptable Group opened Elisa in a former Milestones Grill and Bar location, introducing a large contemporary steakhouse centered on wood-fired cooking, premium meat, seafood, and wine.
Elisa receives Wine Spectator recognition[1]
Other
Elisa received Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence for its wine program.
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