The rooms worth a reservation in Toronto, from neighbourhood bistros to the new classics.
The restaurants worth the trip in Toronto. bistros, neo-classics, neighbourhood favourites, and the rooms locals book first.
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.
Signature: Contemporary tasting menu, Seasonal Canadian-French plates
Order: The full tasting menu; the kitchen drives the night.
Tip: Reservations open 90 days out at 10:00 EST on the website. Set a calendar alarm; Friday and Saturday seats clear within minutes.
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.
Signature: Seafood tasting, Wild mushroom dishes
Order: Whatever the kitchen sends out; the menu is set per booking.
Tip: Book at exploretock.com/edulis well ahead. The room is small and the menu is tailored, so dietary notes go in your booking.
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.
Signature: Wood-fired Mexican plates, Agave cocktails
Order: The wood-fired sharing plates and a flight of mezcal at the counter.
Tip: Wednesday and Sunday seats book the fastest. Walk-ins from 18:00 at the bar window if you arrive on time.
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.
Signature: Canadian regional tasting, Wood-fired bison
Order: The full Canadian tasting menu with the wine pairing.
Tip: Closed weekends and statutory holidays. Lunch at 11:30 is the cheapest way into the room; full dinner runs $200+ per head.
Bar Raval on College Street opened 2015 as Grant van Gameren's pintxos counter, Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2022 with mahogany-carved Partisans interior.
Signature: Pintxos, Conservas, Sherry pours
Order: A round of pintxos at the counter with a glass of vermouth.
Tip: Walk-ins only. Arrive before 17:30 for an easy stool; weekend nights run two hours deep on the lineup outside.
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.
Signature: Whole grilled octopus, Spanish tapas
Order: The whole grilled octopus and a bottle from the 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.
Lee Restaurant on Richmond West is chef Susur Lee's reborn fusion kitchen since 2023, French technique on Hong Kong-Singaporean lines, the room that wrote.
Signature: Singaporean slaw, Lee's chicken
Order: The 19-ingredient Singaporean slaw and the crispy chicken.
Tip: Susur ran the King Street original 20 years; the Richmond location is two blocks south. Tasting menu Tuesdays cheapest entry.
Buca King West has run modern Italian on the King strip since 2009, chef Rob Gentile's pastas and house-cured salumi in a converted laneway warehouse.
Signature: Whole roasted Ontario suckling pig, House-cured salumi
Order: The salumi board and a long pasta from the seasonal list.
Tip: Sister Bar Buca next door at 604 King is the walk-in spritz counter. The full dining room books well ahead Friday and Saturday.
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.
Signature: All-day breakfast sandwich, Family-style dinner
Order: The breakfast sandwich at 09:00 or the family-style dinner plates after 17:00.
Tip: Phone or email reservations. Breakfast 09:00-11:00 is the easy seat; lunch and dinner fill the rest of the day.
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.
Signature: Burger, Lemon meringue pie
Order: The Aloette burger and a slice of lemon meringue pie.
Tip: Walk-ins only at the counter; the booths book on OpenTable. Easier weekday lunch than weekend brunch.
Patois on Dundas West is chef Craig Wong's Jamaican-Chinese fusion kitchen since 2014, fine-dining French training applied to Caribbean home cooking.
Signature: Double Down patty sandwich, Juicy jerk chicken
Order: The Double Down sandwich, jerk chicken between two Jamaican patties.
Tip: JunePlum by Patois next door at 796 Dundas is the patty-and-drink offshoot. Closed Mondays.
DaiLo on College is chef Nick Liu's modern Chinese kitchen since 2014, big-flavour Cantonese-meets-Sichuan plates with a strong cocktail bar program.
Signature: Truffle fried rice, Hakka tasting
Order: The truffle fried rice and the Hakka tasting menu.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The upstairs bar takes walk-ins; main room books on OpenTable.
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.
Signature: Black risotto, Grilled prawns
Order: The black risotto with squid and the grilled prawns with garlic butter.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The painting on Drake's Take Care album hangs upstairs; book a Saturday table for the full room.
Byblos Downtown on Duncan Street is Charles Khabouth's Eastern Mediterranean room since 2014, family-style plates across the historic Storys Building.
Signature: Eastern Mediterranean small plates, Wood-grilled mains
Order: The mezze board to start and a wood-grilled main from the menu.
Tip: The first-floor bar runs spritzes from 16:00 and accepts walk-ins. Second floor needs a reservation.
Mamakas Taverna on Ossington is owner Thanos Tripi's 85-seat Aegean kitchen since 2015, traditional Greek taverna cooking from scratch each day.
Signature: Whole grilled fish, Saganaki
Order: The whole grilled fish, dressed Aegean style with lemon and olive oil.
Tip: Sister Bar Mordecai sits next door for a pre-dinner drink. Weekend lunch runs into early dinner without a break.
Khao San Road on Charlotte Street has run Bangkok-style street food downtown since 2011, the boat noodles and crispy pad see ew the city standard.
Signature: Boat noodles, Pad see ew
Order: The boat noodles with beef and the pad see ew with extra char.
Tip: Reservations the only way in for dinner; lunch walks in. Closed Sunday lunch.
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.
Signature: Khao soi, Pad see ew
Order: The khao soi, northern Thai egg noodles in coconut curry with crispy noodles on top.
Tip: No reservations; expect 45 minutes at 19:00. Lunch 11:30 and 14:30 the easier window; uptown sister at 2335 Yonge.
Mother's Dumplings on Spadina has run northern Chinese comfort food in Chinatown since 2005, Shenyang-born Zhen Feng pressing dumplings by hand.
Signature: Pork and chive dumplings, Green onion pancake
Order: The pan-fried pork and chive dumplings and a green onion pancake.
Tip: Walk-in only; frozen dumpling fridge by the door for takeaway. Cash and card accepted, but cash moves the line faster.
Lake Inez on Gerrard East is chef Robbie Hojilla's pan-Asian gastropub since 2016, Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean dishes with an Ontario beer list.
Signature: Pan-Asian small plates, Ontario craft beer flight
Order: Three or four small plates and a flight from the rotating beer list.
Tip: Walk-ins easy at the bar Tuesday through Thursday. Weekends book on Resy. The Byzantine mosaic on the wall is original.
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.
Signature: Dry-aged steak, Bymark burger
Order: The dry-aged ribeye, or the Bymark burger with truffle and brie at lunch.
Tip: Lunch service the easiest reservation. Sunday closed; Saturday dinner only. The McEwan Group runs three other rooms in town.
Cafe Boulud at the Four Seasons Yorkville is Daniel Boulud's Toronto brasserie since 2012, Lyon classics plus contemporary plates from the wider group.
Signature: Lyonnais brasserie classics, Seasonal tasting
Order: The seasonal tasting menu or the duck a la presse from the brasserie list.
Tip: The dRink terrace bar above runs cocktails from 16:00 with hotel views. Lunch the easier reservation than dinner.
Salt Wine Bar at the north end of Ossington is chef Dave Kemp's Iberian-Canadian tapas room since 2009, Portuguese and Spanish wines by the glass.
Signature: Iberian tapas, Portuguese wine flight
Order: A round of tapas at the bar with a Portuguese white from the cellar.
Tip: Closed Mondays. The wine list runs deeper Portuguese than Spanish; ask for the natural-wine section.
Buca Yorkville in the Four Seasons hotel is the King Street Food Co.'s northern outpost since 2014, chef Rob Gentile's pasta and crudo plus a wine bar.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Roman-style pizzas, Seafood
Order: A handmade pasta and a wood-fired Roman-style pizza.
Tip: Sister to Buca King West. Reservations on OpenTable; the courtyard entry on Yorkville Avenue.
Akira Back at the Bisha Hotel is chef Akira Back's first Canadian outpost since 2017, the 2nd-floor Japanese-Korean fusion room behind the hotel lobby.
Signature: Tuna pizza, Korean-Japanese plates
Order: The tuna pizza and the AB tacos with hamachi.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable. Sister Kost on the 44th-floor penthouse upstairs.
Lapinou on King West is a French neo-bistro since 2019, Michelin Guide listed, regional French dishes by chef Jamie Ullrich with a focused natural-wine list.
Signature: French neo-bistro plates, Natural wine
Order: The duck a l'orange and a glass from the Loire section.
Tip: Lapinou rabbit en cocotte the must-order; the bar pours French growers by the glass.
Allen's on the Danforth has run an Irish pub kitchen since 1987, 340 whiskies and 140 beers, the strip's longest pub two stops from Broadview station.
Signature: Irish pub fare, Irish whiskey flights
Order: A shepherd's pie or burger with a flight of Irish whiskey.
Tip: Walk-ins welcome. Live Irish music Tuesday and Friday nights; the back garden runs through summer.