A tiny Victoria restaurant with just 16 seats is receiving some major national recognition.
Lumache has been named a finalist for Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2026, making it the only restaurant on Vancouver Island to earn a place on this year’s list.
Located at 1001 Douglas Street, Lumache is the creation of chef James Frost and sommelier Heather Dosman.
The intimate restaurant specializes in modern Italian cooking, handmade pasta and seasonal Vancouver Island ingredients.
Its name means “snails” in Italian and reflects the pair’s connection to the Slow Food movement, which emphasizes local ingredients, traditional methods and a more thoughtful approach to preparing and enjoying food.
See also: New Italian restaurant opens in Hank’s former downtown Victoria location
With a kitchen barely larger than its dining counter, Lumache was designed to offer a highly personal experience. Guests seated at the bar can watch Frost prepare each course just a few feet away, while Dosman guides the restaurant’s carefully selected wine program.
Air Canada highlighted Lumache’s chef-driven tasting menu, describing dishes including scapece with fresh mint, seasonal peas with boquerones and a stuffed raviolo filled with house-made ricotta and a rich egg yolk.
The experience moves between lighter seasonal plates and richer Italian classics before ending with familiar favourites such as tiramisu and amaro.
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“Deeply Italian in spirit and intensely personal,” Air Canada wrote, calling Lumache the kind of restaurant “worth planning a trip to Victoria around.”
The restaurant’s pasta tasting menu is currently priced at $98 and includes a selection of antipasti and vegetable dishes, followed by four pasta courses and dessert.
An à la carte menu is also available. And just a note, reservations can be difficult to secure because of the restaurant’s limited capacity.
Lumache releases its bookings one month in advance, at noon on the first day of each month. Diners can also join an online notification list in case a table becomes available through a cancellation.
Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants program has been recognizing emerging Canadian restaurants and culinary talent since 2002.
To qualify for the 2026 list, restaurants had to be independently owned, open to the public and have launched between May 1st, 2025, and April 30th of this year.
The process begins with nominations from a national panel of chefs, journalists, restaurateurs and culinary storytellers. An anonymous culinary expert then travels across Canada, visiting the nominated restaurants as a regular guest.
The finalists are announced each September, with the list eventually narrowed down to a national Top 10 in November.
Lumache is open Friday through Monday from 5 p.m. until close. Reservations and additional information are available through the restaurant’s website.
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