10 new american restaurants worth the trip across Canada, editor-ranked. All cuisines in Canada.
Canoe ★ 4.6 · Toronto
financial-district · 66 Wellington St W, TD Bank Tower, 54th Floor, Toronto, ON M5K 1H6
Canoe on the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower runs a Canadian-ingredient tasting menu since 1995, the city's reference business-lunch and skyline dinner.
Tip: Closed weekends and statutory holidays. Lunch at 11:30 is the cheapest way into the room; full dinner runs $200+ per head.
Donna's ★ 4.5 · Toronto
the-junction · 827 Lansdowne Avenue, Toronto, ON M6H 3Z2
Donna's on Lansdowne in the Junction is the Peter Jensen, Ann Kim and Jed Smith all-day cafe-bistro since 2018, French-leaning baking with natural wines.
Tip: Phone or email reservations. Breakfast 09:00-11:00 is the easy seat; lunch and dinner fill the rest of the day.
Aloette ★ 4.5 · Toronto
queen-west · 163 Spadina Ave, 1st Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 2L6
Aloette on Spadina is Patrick Kriss's all-day diner below Alo since 2017, the burger and rotisserie chicken the surviving favourites at lower price.
Tip: Walk-ins only at the counter; the booths book on OpenTable. Easier weekday lunch than weekend brunch.
Bymark ★ 4.4 · Toronto
financial-district · 66 Wellington St W, Toronto, ON M5K 1M6
Bymark on Wellington in the TD Towers atrium is Mark McEwan's downtown chophouse since 2002, floor-to-ceiling wine cellar and the city's reference business.
Tip: Lunch service the easiest reservation. Sunday closed; Saturday dinner only. The McEwan Group runs three other rooms in town.
Canoe ★ 4.3 · Toronto
financial-district · 66 Wellington St W, TD Bank Tower, 54th Floor, Toronto, ON M5K 1H6
Canoe on the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower runs a Canadian-ingredient tasting menu since 1995, the city's reference business-lunch and skyline dinner.
Save On Meats ★ 4.3 · Vancouver
gastown · 43 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1G4
Save On Meats on West Hastings is the Downtown Eastside diner since 1957, a butcher shop counter and the city's reference dive-diner since the 2011 reboot.
Tip: Buy a sandwich token at the counter to gift to someone outside; redeemed for a meal anytime.
The Flying Pig Yaletown ★ 4.3 · Vancouver
yaletown · 1168 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2S2
The Flying Pig in Yaletown on Hamilton since 2010 is an all-day farm-to-table brasserie with three Vancouver branches and a Yaletown patio anchor.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable; Sunday brunch books two weeks out. The Olympic Village branch is the patio default.
Chez Tousignant ★ 4.2 · Montreal
villeray · 6956 Rue Drolet, Montreal, QC H2S 2T3
Chez Tousignant is a retro snack bar in Villeray, Montreal, upgrading the casse-croute with a griddled cheeseburger, steamed hot dogs and hand-cut fries.
Tip: It nails the diner classics with better ingredients; the burger and a shake is the whole point.
Nouveau Palais ★ 4.2 · Montreal
mile-end · 281 Rue Bernard Ouest, Montreal, QC H2V 1T5
Nouveau Palais is a retro Mile-Ex diner in Montreal, a 1960s luncheonette reborn as a chef-driven room where comfort classics and burgers run late.
Tip: It keeps a genuine diner counter and runs late on weekends; the burger and a milkshake never miss.
Deville Dinerbar ★ 3.7 · Montreal
downtown · 1425 Rue Stanley, Montreal, QC H3A 1P4
Deville Dinerbar is a glossy downtown Montreal diner, plating truffle-butter popcorn shrimp and spiked milkshakes under retro neon on Rue Stanley.
Tip: It leans indulgent and photogenic; go for the milkshakes and fried starters, not restraint.