30 restaurants worth the trip across Canada, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Canada guides.
Alo ★ 4.9 · Toronto
queen-west · 163 Spadina Avenue, 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 2L6
Alo on the third floor of 163 Spadina has run Toronto's reference contemporary tasting room since 2015, a Michelin one-star kitchen under chef Patrick Kriss.
Tip: Reservations open 90 days out at 10:00 EST on the website. Set a calendar alarm; Friday and Saturday seats clear within minutes.
Vij's ★ 4.9 · Vancouver
south-granville · 3106 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2W2
Vij's on Cambie Street has been Vancouver's reference modern Indian kitchen since 1994 under Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala, walk-in only and full-flavour.
Tip: Walk-in only, no reservations. Show up before 17:30 or after 21:00 to avoid the queue, or sit at the bar in My Shanti.
Edulis ★ 4.8 · Toronto
queen-west · 169 Niagara Street, Toronto, ON M5V 1C9
Edulis on Niagara Street has been chefs Tobey Nemeth and Michael Caballo's truffle-and-game tasting kitchen since 2011, Michelin one-star since 2022.
Tip: Book at exploretock.com/edulis well ahead. The room is small and the menu is tailored, so dietary notes go in your booking.
AnnaLena ★ 4.8 · Vancouver
kitsilano · 1809 West 1st Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 5B8
AnnaLena in Kitsilano runs chef Michael Robbins's tasting menu on West 1st Avenue, named Canada's Best Restaurant in 2020 and Michelin recommended.
Tip: Reservations open 60 days out on Tock; Friday and Saturday seats clear within hours. The bar walks in earlier in the evening.
St Lawrence ★ 4.8 · Vancouver
gastown · 269 Powell Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1G3
St Lawrence on Powell Street is chef J-C Poirier's Quebecois bistro since 2017, Michelin-starred from the inaugural 2022 BC guide and EnRoute Best New.
Tip: Reservations open 60 days out on Tock; the bar walks in from 17:00 for the tourtiere and a glass of Quebec cider.
Published on Main ★ 4.8 · Vancouver
mount-pleasant · 3593 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5V 3N5
Published on Main from 2020 is chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson's wood-fire tasting room on Main, Canada's Best Restaurant 2022 and Michelin-starred 2022.
Tip: Tock reservations open 30 days out and book within hours; the chef's counter takes a separate higher-priced menu.
Phnom Penh ★ 4.8 · Vancouver
chinatown · 244 East Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z7
Phnom Penh on East Georgia Street since 1985 runs the Cambodian and Vietnamese kitchen the city sets its bar by, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022.
Tip: No reservations; arrive before 18:00 or after 20:30 to skip the line. Cash takes a discount.
Sushi Masuda ★ 4.8 · Vancouver
south-granville · 1849 West 1st Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 5B8
Sushi Masuda on West 1st Avenue is chef Hirofumi Masuda's small edomae counter since 2018, Michelin-starred in the inaugural 2022 Vancouver guide.
Tip: Reservations on Tock open 60 days out and book within minutes; one omakase price point.
Masayoshi ★ 4.8 · Vancouver
punjabi-market · 4376 Fraser Street, Vancouver, BC V5V 4G3
Masayoshi on Fraser Street is chef Masayoshi Baba's small edomae sushi counter since 2014, Michelin one-star from the inaugural 2022 BC guide.
Tip: Reservations open 30 days out on Tock and book within minutes; counter only.
Quetzal ★ 4.7 · Toronto
little-italy · 419 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1T1
Quetzal on College at Bathurst earned Toronto's first Mexican Michelin star in 2024, a wood-fire kitchen under chef Steven Molnar with an agave-driven bar.
Tip: Wednesday and Sunday seats book the fastest. Walk-ins from 18:00 at the bar window if you arrive on time.
Bar Raval ★ 4.7 · Toronto
little-italy · 505 College Street, Toronto, ON M6G 1A5
Bar Raval on College Street opened 2015 as Grant van Gameren's pintxos counter, Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2022 with mahogany-carved Partisans interior.
Tip: Walk-ins only. Arrive before 17:30 for an easy stool; weekend nights run two hours deep on the lineup outside.
Bar Isabel ★ 4.7 · Toronto
little-italy · 797 College Street, Toronto, ON M6G 1C7
Bar Isabel on College Street has been Grant van Gameren's Spanish-influenced tavern since 2013, Michelin Plate the last three guides and an Iberian wine list.
Tip: Reservations on the website, but the bar takes walk-ins from 17:00 weekdays. The kitchen runs late on Friday and Saturday.
Botanist ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
downtown · 1038 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 0B9
Botanist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim runs chef Hector Laguna's contemporary kitchen, Michelin recommended and World's 50 Best Discovery 2024.
Tip: Book through OpenTable 30 days out. The Botanist Bar takes walk-ins for cocktails and a tighter snack menu.
Hawksworth Restaurant ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
downtown · 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1P7
Hawksworth at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia under chef David Hawksworth has run as Vancouver's high-cover contemporary kitchen since 2011, Michelin recommended.
Tip: Open at 06:30 for breakfast and breakfast-meeting bookings; the bar runs through to 23:00 with cocktails and the burger.
Burdock & Co ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
mount-pleasant · 2702 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5T 3E8
Burdock & Co on Main Street since 2013 is chef Andrea Carlson's foraged-and-fermented kitchen, Michelin-starred in the 2022 BC guide, EnRoute Best New 2014.
Tip: Reservations on Tock open 30 days out; tasting menu sittings book first.
Kissa Tanto ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
chinatown · 263 East Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1T8
Kissa Tanto on East Pender from chef Joel Watanabe and Tannis Ling is a Japanese-Italian room with a 1960s Tokyo jazz cafe feel, Michelin-starred 2022.
Tip: Reservations open 30 days out on Resy; Tuesday is the harder seat. The bar takes walk-ins for spaghettini and a Negroni.
Bao Bei ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
chinatown · 163 Keefer Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1X3
Bao Bei on Keefer Street since 2010 is Tannis Ling's modern Chinese brasserie, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022, the city's reference natural-wine Chinese.
Tip: No reservations; the bar walks in from 17:30. Sunday evening is the easier seat.
Maenam ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
kitsilano · 1938 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 1M5
Maenam on West 4th since 2009 is chef Angus An's modern Thai room, Michelin recommended 2022, the city's reference Bangkok-meets-BC kitchen.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable open 30 days out; the bar walks in for pad Thai and a Tiger beer.
Tojo's ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
south-granville · 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 1G1
Tojo's on West Broadway runs chef Hidekazu Tojo's omakase since 1988, the kitchen credited with inventing the California roll and the BC roll.
Tip: The omakase counter books two weeks out on OpenTable; the dining room takes shorter notice.
Blue Water Cafe ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
yaletown · 1095 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5T4
Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown under chef Frank Pabst since 2000 is Vancouver's reference seafood room, Ocean Wise certified and an Unsung Heroes host.
Tip: The raw bar walks in early evening; the dining room books a week out on OpenTable. February's Unsung Heroes menu is the calendar event.
Anh and Chi ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
mount-pleasant · 3388 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5V 3M9
Anh and Chi on Main Street is the sibling-run modern Vietnamese kitchen since 2016, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022, Vancouver's reference banh xeo and pho.
Tip: No reservations; walk-in line for dinner from 17:00. Weekday lunch is the easier seat.
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.
Joso's ★ 4.6 · Toronto
yorkville · 202 Davenport Road, Toronto, ON M5R 1J2
Joso's on Davenport has run Dalmatian Adriatic seafood in Yorkville since 1967, founded by Joso Spralja and now operated by Leo and Shirley Spralja.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The painting on Drake's Take Care album hangs upstairs; book a Saturday table for the full room.
Pai Northern Thai Kitchen ★ 4.6 · Toronto
king-west · 18 Duncan Street, Toronto, ON M5H 3G8
Pai on Duncan is chef Nuit Regular's northern Thai kitchen since 2014, the khao soi from Chiang Mai that set Toronto's modern Thai standard.
Tip: No reservations; expect 45 minutes at 19:00. Lunch 11:30 and 14:30 the easier window; uptown sister at 2335 Yonge.
Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar ★ 4.6 · Vancouver
downtown · 845 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K6
Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar at the Sutton Place Hotel under executive chef Roger Ma runs Vancouver's reference oyster bar plus a wood-fired Pacific menu.
Tip: The oyster bar walks in nightly; the dining room books two weeks out through OpenTable.
L'Abattoir ★ 4.6 · Vancouver
gastown · 217 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2J3
L'Abattoir on Carrall Street in Gastown since 2010 has run chef Lee Cooper's French-leaning kitchen and a reference cocktail program, Michelin recommended.
Tip: The bar takes walk-ins for the cocktail menu and snacks; the dining room books on OpenTable two weeks out.
Kingyo Izakaya ★ 4.6 · Vancouver
west-end · 871 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC V6G 2L8
Kingyo Izakaya on Denman is Vancouver's reference modern izakaya since 2008, named one of Canada's best Japanese rooms by Air Canada's enRoute in 2014.
Tip: Lunch walks in. Dinner books on OpenTable a week out; the chef's counter takes the omakase.
Dachi ★ 4.6 · Vancouver
strathcona · 2455 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V5K 1Z2
Dachi on East Hastings is a counter-style izakaya since 2018 with a deep sake list and seasonal fish, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022 and a Vancouver Magazine top.
Tip: Tock reservations open 30 days out; the counter walks in for the early seating.
Ask for Luigi ★ 4.6 · Vancouver
strathcona · 305 Alexander Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1C4
Ask for Luigi in Railtown since 2013 is J-C Poirier's Italian handmade-pasta room, the same kitchen behind St Lawrence, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022.
Tip: No reservations; walk-in line from 17:00. The bar opens 30 minutes earlier.
Savio Volpe ★ 4.6 · Vancouver
mount-pleasant · 615 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5T 3K5
Savio Volpe on Kingsway from chefs Mark Perrier and Paul Grunberg since 2016 is a Roman trattoria with a wood-fired grill, Michelin recommended 2022.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable open 30 days out; the bar walks in for grilled antipasti.