Lake Inez is an asian fusion restaurant in Little India, Toronto.
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 dishes: Pan-Asian small plates, Ontario craft beer flight
Must 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.
Address: 1471 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4L 2A1
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.
