Toronto’s best restaurants are in a constant state of flux. No two years look alike in this city’s ever evolving food scene where new Toronto restaurants open and close every day. In a fickle place where diners oscillate between lining up for the flashiest, most Instagramable trend of the moment and desiring a down-to-earth neighbourhood haunt, running a restaurant that stands the test of time is an incredible feat.
There’s a lot more to reeling in repeat diners than just serving great food or having one of the most romantic atmospheres in Toronto. In order to deviate from the abundance of cheap eats in the city, in favour of a lights-out meal, we need a lot more. The best restaurants in Toronto also have to stand toe-to-toe with the best bars in the city and the best wine bars in the city. They need to have impeccable service, and offer guests an experience that goes beyond what’s on the plate. And the best restaurants in Toronto need to be consistent in their excellence — something Toronto restaurants have always struggled with. It’s a tall order to fill.
In the past, the top echelon was dominated by French and Italian restaurants in Toronto, but the city’s beautiful diversity is showing more and more in its high-end food scene. Japanese flavours, Chinese food and Korean restaurants in Toronto are having a moment. Mexican fine-dining options are expanding, and Toronto’s vegan restaurants have evolved past fast-casual salad spots these days. And the dining scene is sprawling — the best restaurants in Toronto go far beyond downtown Toronto restaurants.
On this list, we’ve rounded up the best restaurants in Toronto that have really impressed us with their food, drinks, service and atmosphere. Some of them are Toronto institutions that have been around for a lifetime in restaurant years. They continue to rank among the best, and every Toronto foodie should make it their goal to dine at them at least once. Others are newcomers that wowed us straight out of the gate with their ingenuity, creativity and their ability to offer something unrivalled in a city that already has everything. These are the best restaurants in Toronto to add to your hit list in 2025. Forks up.
The 25 best restaurants in Toronto for 2025
25. Stefano’s Diner
1265 Dundas St. W.
This petite, unfussy and newly opened diner is all the best parts of its sister spot and neighbour, Gia, packed between two house-made focaccia buns. Stefano’s sandwiches are the draw; think eggplant, sugo, mozzarella, muffaletta and whipped garlic on ciabatta; and mortadella, provolone, roasted red pepper and olive tapenade on focaccia. Don’t sleep on standouts like the brie on a seasonal fruit compote, or the flaky, melt-in-your-mouth New/School Foods salmon with beurre blanc and sea caviar. We wouldn’t blame you for duelling over who gets to dunk the last crispy, gooey mozzarella stick in mouthwatering sauce. Oh, and did we mention everything is completely vegan?
Owner Jenny Coburn realized her dream of making her popular sandwich pop-up (which was lauded by none other than national treasure, Dan Levy) into a full-fledged restaurant in 2024. There’s limited seating, so snag a reservation or opt for takeout.
24. Belle Isle
1455 Gerrard St. E.
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The self-dubbed “weird sibling bar” of Lake Inez opened up towards the end of 2024 and quickly became a fan favourite for both east siders and food fans willing to schlep across the city on a Friday night. With just a wooden door and a sign bearing the word “restaurant,” Belle Isle can be tricky to spot, but the minute you slip inside its hosts will wrap you up into a cocoon of warm hospitality. The bar snacks don’t take themselves too seriously, but every plate we sampled — from the muffuletta sandwich to the Smart Food Shrimp Sandwich — was a smash. The cocktails are equally as cheeky, like the The Soccer Mom’s Water Bottle Full of Secrets, a tasty riff on a margarita, and the pét-nats are flowing, as you would expect.
23. Taverne Bernhardt's
202 Dovercourt Rd.
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Describing Taverne Bernhardt as just a chicken restaurant would seriously overlook what the team is doing at this gorgeous Dovercourt haunt. The charming spot for rotisserie chicken and other “rotating birds” from the team behind Dreyfus also serves Ontario vegetable dishes (think sunchokes, maitake mushrooms, endives) with enough colour and flavour to make even the staunchest of carnivores swoon. The owners’ Montreal DNA is across everything, from the tone, which feels more dinner party than restaurant, to the cozy dining room and wonderful wine list. Sadly, you’ll have to leave eventually, but a scoop of soft serve is the perfect way to say goodbye.
22. Linny’s
176 Ossington Ave.
Last year was a big one for Toronto steakhouses, but David Schwartz’s latest offering mixes things up with a restaurant that blends an upscale chophouse with an homage to his late mother. At Linny’s, you’ll find all the fine dining trappings you’d expect of a white tablecloth spot, like caviar, tiger prawns and porterhouse, but there’s also a deli element that makes this steakhouse anything but ordinary.
Challah service, with fresh cheese, jam and house pickles, plus dishes like chicken liver toast, pastrami and tripe schnitzel allows Schwartz to share his heritage and give what he believes are the most soul-satisfying ingredients centre stage. Even the cocktail menu is a nod to his grandparents, with drinks like the Borscht Milk Punch and The Dilly Dally, a non-alcoholic dill pickle sour, bringing his Eastern European into delicious focus.
21. Porzia’s
319A Oakwood Ave.
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Since opening in 2022, this friendly neighbourhood spot on St. Clair has been serving some of the city’s best Italian food — most notably, its iconic lasagna. If the name sounds a little familiar, that’s because it is: Porzia’s first launched in Parkdale in 2014, when chef Basilio Pesce only served his famous lasagna on Sundays. After a long hiatus, the beloved lasagnas reemerged during the pandemic, when Pesce began a pop-up selling lasagnas through his Instagram account and eventually Osteria Rialto. Today, guests can enjoy lasagna for lunch and dinner at the 26-seat restaurant and levelled-up comfort classics like calamari and eggplant parm.
20. General Public
201 Geary Ave.
Jen Agg’s grandest project is perhaps her best. The serial restauranteur has done it again with General Public, a gorgeous spot on Geary Avenue offering an English-inspired brasserie menu and some of the city's best cocktails. Once you’ve picked yourself off the floor and stopped swooning at the pink pastel corners, mismatched lamps lighting up the bar area and stunning wooden bar that flanks the left side of the restaurant, it’s time to order.
Chef James Santon deftly executes the mandate across the large menu, from the tartare — curried lamb, not beef — served with a poppadom for shovelling; to the Baked Oyster Rarebit, which smothers malpeques in Worcestershire sauce, Guinness and cheddar. This is the first time Agg has worked with a pastry chef and it was worth the wait: The Eton Mess is a millennial pink dream in a tall glass, taking its inspiration from the traditional English dessert which combines strawberries with broken meringue and whipped cream for a delightfully messy treat. Cap it all off with exceptional cocktails from David Greig and "post-natural" wine from Jake Skakun.
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Read more19. Actinolite
971 Ossington Ave.
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Four nights a week, Actinolite lights up the unassuming corner of Ossington Avenue and Hallam Street with warm, glowing lights and an intimate dining experience unlike any other in the city. Here, refined dishes are not inspired by faraway lands, but by the near and often overlooked.
Many of the ingredients used in the multi-course tasting menu have been grown right in the restaurant's backyard garden (where you can also dine beside an open fire in warmer months) or found foraging around the rural Ontario town of Actinolite where chef Justin Cournoyer is from.
The menu changes intentionally and constantly (they don't even write it down) to reflect the best of what's in season, but it always shines with Ontario gems. Home has never tasted so good.
18. The Rosebud
498 King St. E.
It took over a decade for the space at 498 King Street East to reopen, but it was worth the wait. The Rosebud, an adorably romantic and intimate 28-seat wine bar, was born at the end of 2023.
Once you’ve taken in the local art by Julia Monson, the cute furnishings, checkerboard floors and the generally adorable ambience, dive into the unique roster of wines from around the world and the menu of familiar dishes with a twist. Picture a French bistro, with the occasional global influence, courtesy of the culinary ingenuity of Scaramouche alumni, The Rosebud’s chef de cuisine, Jeffrey Yap.
Dishes and wines by the glass will change often, so enjoy as many of the generously portioned plates as you can fit, then head back for more deliciousness, tout suite.
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Read more17. MIMI Chinese
265 Davenport Rd.
When we close our eyes, our lips still smack of the tongue-tinglingly spicy sauces and deep flavours from our last visit to Mimi Chinese. From the same team behind the hugely successful Sunnys Chinese, Mimi is the more polished, mature big sister, without being stuffy at all.
The ink-black space with pops of ostentatious red is unapologetically gorgeous, and instantly demands your attention. Your eyes will boggle from the moment you're greeted by a maître d' in a pressed, black bowtie to when the show-stopping four-foot long belt noodle arrives at your table and is cut with gold scissors.
Mimi is a celebration of China's diverse culinary history gently cared for by young, talented hands you can watch working away from a window cut into the dining room's back wall. Psst — it's a one-way mirror. The kitchen can't see you digging into cooling scallops sitting in a ginger oil, or snacking on the city's best shrimp toast. But you’ll see daydreams of the caramelized house char siu long after your epic meal is over.
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Read more16. Alobar
Multiple locations
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Offering a much more accessible entry point into the high-end world of Alo, this sister spot is easily one of the best restaurants in Toronto. Two locations — one tucked away in a ritzy Yorkville laneway and one nestled among the towering office buildings of the Financial District — bring guests into a sleek, beautiful dining room that balances the elegance and exceptional service of fine dining with a more relaxed atmosphere.
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Alobar’s easy-to-read menu skews towards crowd-pleasing — a far departure from Alo’s out-of-the-box offerings. But you’ll find similarity in the creativity. Familiar plates are made into swoon-worthy dishes that you’ll keep dreaming about with the addition of slurp-able sauces, unexpected ingredients and pure cooking prowess. The steak, seafood and pasta won’t break new ground, but it will definitely be delicious. This is the kind of restaurant where you could bring anyone, from a family dinner to a date to a business lunch.
15. La Bartola
588 College St.
A meal at La Bartola, the best plant-based restaurant in the city, will redefine vegan food for you.
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The comfortable spot in Little Italy dishes brilliant interpretations of traditional Mexican food that stand toe-to-toe with (if not surpass) its meat-slinging colleagues. That’s thanks to Mexico City-native, chef-owner Iván Castro’s attention to detail and culinary curiosity. It shines through in his layered, complex moles, like the pistachio, poblano and anise pipian that’s served with a bean-stuffed Oaxacan tetela. Castro also grinds masa fresh, in-house, then shapes it into toasted cakes — memelas — topped with refried black beans, meaty maitake mushrooms and three different types of salsa.
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If all that spice has you parched, there’s a lengthy list of cocktails to help douse the heat. The Pachita is a creamy concoction made with popcorn milk (yes, you read that right), corn rum and cacao liqueur. There’s a solid selection of mezcals to sip, and about 15 tequilas, too.
Castro developed his love for cooking alongside his mother and grandmother, and dedicates La Bartola to the women of Mexico who, he affirms, have been responsible for a “revolution in the kitchen.” Traces of that adoration and respect are everywhere, from portraits of Frieda Kahlo to an art installation of Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, wearing a typical Oaxacan dress.
La Bartola isn’t trying to be the most glamorous spot in the city (a big "tacos" sign in all caps above the bar is a reminder of the restaurant’s humble origins as a taqueria pop-up and supper club in Castro’s apartment). Instead, it wins your heart with new flavours and unabashed ambition on the plate.
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Read more14. Henry’s Restaurant
922 Queen St. W.
Capturing that cool, relaxed, but somehow always in-the-know vibe of West Queen West, Henry’s Restaurant oozes effortless charm. We would say it’s fine dining adjacent — with all the care, attention to detail and excellent service and none of the stuffiness or pretention. And the food is served in decent-sized portions.
Playful plates like the sinfully crispy and savoury shrimp toast appear on the seasonal menu of unusual but damn delicious dishes. The wine list is extensive, and the friendly, expert staff will walk you through all of the lengthy descriptions and terminology that will make your head spin — or maybe that’s the wine? This is the place to linger over a bottle, sharing bites, deep conversation and unwavering eye contact.
The sleek, modern dining room leaves everything up to what’s on the table, while the back garden patio is a beautiful escape in the city. We would come here any day of the week, just for a sip and a snack or for a full meal.
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Read more13. George Restaurant
111C Queen St. E.
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It may be smack dab in the middle of the city, but once you step into George Restaurant, you'll be whisked away into an elegant atmosphere where hushed voices only reach a quiet murmur and the courteous staff wait on you hand and foot.
The real magic happens on the back patio: Cocooned by the surrounding buildings, the lush outdoor oasis is sheltered from the noise of the city. Here, a cozy backyard meets white linens and fine dining — look around and it's all twinkling lights and stars above.
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The signature tasting menu comes in five, seven or 10 courses and each option can be made vegetarian. The dishes can be ordered à la carte instead, but the tasting menu is the real experience. Executive chef Lorenzo Loseto has been surprising and delighting diners at George for over two decades, and his menu of seasonal, innovative fare is an adventure in flavour and texture.
The menu changes to feature the best seasonal ingredients, and there could be up to 20 original dishes at any time. Guests have the opportunity to provide their personal preferences for a customized tasting experience. Plus, if your dining companion is open to sharing, you can each ask for a different menu to maximize all the flavours you can taste. Optional wine pairings take the experience to the next level.
12. Bar Isabel
797 College St.
Few restaurants can swell the hearts of Torontonians with pride like Bar Isabel, Little Italy’s answer to Barcelona's moody-lit tavernas and tapas bars. Step underneath the neon sign and through the wooden facade of this casual Iberian icon, where a buzzy world of fun and flavour awaits you.
Music blasts and panache-filled dishes (hello, theatrically stabbed octopus) swirl around diners in such a fashion that it’s almost impossible to dine at Bar Isabel and not want to keep the party going. Order the roasted veal bone marrow, and once you’ve scooped out all of the savoury, fatty goodness, take a shot using the bone as a luge — if you’re feeling brave.
Let the good times roll and live out your European vacation dreams with cocktails like the Rambla Highball or the Spanish Fizz, and do not (we repeat, do not) skip the basque cake, slathered with piping hot sherry cream. One dollar from each cake sold is donated to charity, which makes it taste even sweeter.
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Read more11. Conejo Negro
838 College St.
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Not only did Conejo Negro (meaning ‘white rabbit’) on College Street earn a Bib Gourmand last year, but co-owner Lamine Martindale also picked up the Michelin Guide’s Outstanding Service Award for 2024. Martindale, alongside wife chef Alycia Wahn and best friend bartender Diego Diaz, has created a neighbourhood fave that’s often packed on weeknights. It’s easy to see why — the menu combines Creole, Caribbean and Latin influences, and generous plates of fiery shrimp, macaroni pie and curried lamb fly out of the kitchen towards beaming diners. When summer emerges, plan a trip to Conejo Negro’s leafy back patio and enjoy local brews, European wine and a rum and tequila-heavy list of signature cocktails.
10. Casa Paco
50c Clinton St.
When Rob Bragnolo’s beloved Labora closed in 2021, we shed a solitary tear — before realizing that his unique brand of Basque-style cooking and paellas weren’t leaving us forever. Tucked away on Clinton Street in Little Italy, Caso Paco is his latest project alongside the small but mighty team of seasoned hospitality professionals Caroline Chinery, Tommy Conrad and Ailbhe McMahon. No matter the time of year, we’re transported to Barcelona the moment we step inside this charming restaurant, filled with antique furnishings and sprinkled with personal mementos from the team. The food, cooked on a live coal grill, is immaculate, the wine program from Jay Carrington is dreamy, and the service is fun and unfussy. Another visit beckons.
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Read more9. AP
55 Bloor St. W., 51st Floor
Not everyone goes weak in the knees over a perfect piece of raw fish, but we do, and that’s why we’ve ranked AP so highly among the best restaurants in the city. Here, delicate, incredibly fresh fish is elevated to levels of unholy deliciousness with chef Antonio Park’s flavour-packed (but not overpowering) sauces.
Kissed by a gentle sear on the outside, raw on the inside, and swimming in a slurp-able ginger emulsion, the bluefin tuna tataki might well be the best thing we’ve ever had the pleasure of putting in our mouths. The wagyu skirt steak is so tender and flavourful that all conversation came to a halt when we tried the first bite. And the hamachi crudo had us swooning with every morsel.
Reflecting Park’s international background and culinary training, the menu is full of inventive pan-Asian dishes that marry Japanese flavours with Park’s signature Latin flair. The result is explosive flavour combinations and a unique concept that mirrors Toronto’s medley of multiculturalism. We recommend opting for the six-course Chef’s Tasting Experience ($95 pp) to sample four dishes of your choice from the prix fixe menu along with an amuse bouche and a palate cleanser.
The sake options are plentiful, with the list sectioned by different flavour profiles, and normally we’d argue that there’s nothing better to pair with sushi, but the craft cocktails knock it out of the park (no pun intended).
Set on the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre, AP’s dramatic view will have your eyes bouncing back and forth between the beautiful dishes laid in front of you and the sweeping cityscape beyond the restaurant’s large windows. Inside the sultry space, the dim lighting, dark floral banquettes and marbled tables ooze romance while charming patterned parasols hang overhead.
The service is more casual and less refined than one might expect with a price tag this high, but AP’s impeccable flavours and mesmerizing ambiance more than make up for it.
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Read more8. DaNico
440 College St.
A reservation at DaNico, Liberty Entertainment Group’s prestige Michelin-starred jewel, is something to sculpt your entire month — nay, your year — around. Schedule a babysitter, cancel that kickboxing class, get glammed up and dust off your nicest threads. You’ll want to fully enjoy this.
Set in a heritage bank building across the street from Sneaky Dees, there’s no question DaNico is one of the most beautiful restaurants in Toronto. We’re talking Italian mohair velvet booths, marble counters, eye-popping Versace ceramics and sultry dark-wood finishes. There’s a 30-foot tall wine cellar with over 3,000 bottles (and sommeliers to pick the right label for you). Stunning pieces by Salvador Dali, Damien Hirst and Mr. Brainwash are additional eye-candy.
Executive chef Daniele Corona, who led Don Alfonso 1890 to a Michelin star in 2022, is at the helm here. His signature tasting menu and à la carte offerings are inspired by the Amalfi coast, with modern Asian influences. The Il Manzo, for example, pairs premium wagyu tenderloin with baby bok choy and sesame and shishito pepper. Dinner at DaNico is an intimate affair that you’ll be raving about for weeks to come.
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Read more7. Mhel
276 Havelock St.
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Hoon Ji and Min Yi knew they wanted to open a restaurant serving the sort of food and drink they loved. What they might not have predicted, though, is what a smash hit their first Toronto restaurant turned out to be. Mhel opened in late 2023, but by early 2024 it was frequently popping up on best restaurant lists on the strength of its seasonally focused Korean snack plates and sake offerings. The couple leans heavily on local producers like Tamarack Farms and Affinity Fish to supply their ever-changing dishes, but there will always be kimchi and likely an anchovy (which “mhel” translates to in the Jeju dialect) or two on the menu.
6. DaiLo
503 College St.
Nick Liu is not a fan of the term ‘fusion,’ but what he’s doing with Asian cuisine on College Street is far from traditional (and we mean that in the best way possible).
A decade after opening, this relaxed Little Italy restaurant, outfitted with Chinese watercolour murals, exposed brick and eccentric decor, is a humble home for the anything-but-basic-cuisine. Liu, who grew up as the son of Hakka parents in Canada, frequently wows palates at DaiLo with his unique brand of Chinese food made with French cooking flair.
From the whimsical, famed Big Mac Bao (now only available on the secret menu) and the crispy octopus and braised pork belly taco to sophisticated tasting menus, Liu's cuisine has carved out a cultural blueprint for the city that others can only try to emulate.
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Read more5. Restaurant 20 Victoria
20 Victoria St.
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Not all restaurant casualties have a silver lining, but Restaurant 20 Victoria is a true phoenix-risen-from-the-ashes story. The team behind Brothers Food & Wine, the critically lauded but shuttered-by-covid eatery in Yorkville, didn’t waste much time plotting out their next venture. Chris White and Jonathan Nicolaou opened their new spot in the Financial District in the summer of 2021, and before long, the small, dimly lit dining room began serving innovative seafood dishes and a menu full of local flair to enormous fanfare. In 2023 and 2024, it became part of the exclusive group of Toronto restaurants with a Michelin star.
Restaurant 20 Victoria only has 20 seats inside, so you may need to book your tasting menu months in advance. It’ll all pay off once you grab a table and settle in for some of chef Julie Hyde’s seasonal, original cuisine in this white-tablecloth venue that never feels stuffy.
4. Alo
163 Spadina Ave.
Chef Patrick Kriss’s OG restaurant is often touted as the crème de la crème of Toronto’s restaurant scene, and for good reason. Alo has all of the polish, sophistication and exceptional service that you would expect from an old-school fine dining establishment, infused with chic modern design and a contemporary atmosphere.
The cool crowd is on the more mature side — $225 per person remains out of reach for a lot of folks — but as high-end as this experience is, it’s not pretentious or stuffy. Reservations open up a month in advance for a two-month time period, and booking a spot is a severely-sweaty-palms situation. But the result is a room full of diners who are genuinely grateful to be there and want to make the most of the evening by creating a memorable experience (rather than collecting Instagram content).
The tasting menu is a work of art. The 12 courses in the dining room or six courses in the bar room, at a slightly lower price point ($120 pp), is a masterclass in seasonality, flavour combinations and inventive execution. At the time of our visit, standouts included a delicate crudo and rich, buttery foie gras presented as a perfect slice of pie with a texture so smooth it could have got us into bed.
The savoury mushroom risotto was a flavour explosion unlike anything we’ve ever had before, and we nearly wept when it was finished. We opted for the wine pairings with every course which are expertly selected to add depth to every dish. The portions are small, but this is a tasting menu, not a stuff-your-gut menu. If you’re looking for a flavour experience that verges on the sensual, Alo is well worth the price tag.
3. Quetzal
419 College St.
This alluring College Street outpost has found its stride with chef Steven Molnar at the helm. Now, with a Michelin star (2022, 2023, 2024) and the Toronto Exceptional Cocktail Award (2023) under its belt, this upscale Mexican restaurant offers the city a night of dining unlike any other.
Once you pass through the brick-walled front, you're transported into a buzzy and inviting new world under the canopy of Quetzal's striking curved ceiling, designed to emulate the white tarps over outdoor Mexican markets — but make it modern art museum. Towards the back, the open-galley kitchen's wood-fire pit and grill spans a whopping 26 feet, providing both a challenge and an enticing kiss of char to vibrant dishes like a mouth-watering lamb barbacoa empanada and a whole grilled sea bream with salsa roja and cruda.
The cocktail menu is a fantastic place to start, with their wicked combination of mezcal and tequila, plus their house syrups and tonics. No Heather, It's Heather's Turn is a bright green concoction that's tart, refreshing and completely delicious. Though Mexican cuisine screams tequila and mezcal (and there's plenty of that, too), Quetzal pleasantly surprises in the wine department. The dossier-thick selection of sparkling, pink, skin contact and red offers diners options by the glass or bottle representing everywhere from Niagara to Chile.
Rick O'Brien
Rick O'Brien
Service is swift, friendly and attentive. If you're not fussy, take the stress out of the guessing game and let your server bring you plates based on your mood. Then sit back, and prepare your taste buds for a fiesta. For a taste of the sea, the scallop ceviche with leche negra is inventive and delicious, while the dry-aged amberjack aguachile with pickled watermelon rind is a refreshing thrill, just like a night at Quetzal.
The grilled Hokkaido scallops are sinfully satisfying gulps of herby, buttery goodness. Shoot them back and wait for your eyes to stop rolling around in your head before chasing them with any one of their colourful and confounding entradas. The head-spinning seasonal selection of Canadian produce and southern Mexican at times makes you wonder, "Where the heck am I?" before realizing after another outrageous bite that you don't actually care a jot.
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Read more2. Sushi Yugen
150 York St.
Tasting menus are becoming commonplace in the city, but Sushi Yugen earns its spot as one of the best restaurants in Toronto by offering more than just a (stellar) multi-course meal. The immersive restaurant gives guests a true taste of dining in Japan.
Unlike other “inspired” restaurants in Toronto that might sprinkle a few nods here and there, Sushi Yugen goes all out, honouring Japan in every detail. On the ground floor of an office tower, the shiny chrome foyer is interrupted by a beautiful, lightwood reception area that’s punctuated by glowing lamps and plant fixtures reminiscent of tiny zen gardens. At the start of service, hosts adorned in floral kimonos usher guests into the restaurant where a hidden world of Japanese architecture and art awaits.
Under the glow of ovular lighting that emulates the cosmos, the main counter is where chefs use premium ingredients from Japan like sea urchin and bluefin tuna to craft an omakase menu of mainly sushi for 12 diners at a time. While this is an exceptional offering, the real masterpiece is chef Kyohei Igarashi’s tasting menu.
Behind a sliding door, in the intimate, eight-seat backroom, 18 courses that evolve from intriguing, unknown flavours to bites of pure bliss are deftly prepared and served to diners by chef Igarashi himself. In every masterful dish, the ingredients shine while still blending harmoniously. The experience includes some delicious and rare pieces of sushi — like tuna slices cut from the leanest to the fattiest part, and fish seared with a smoldering piece of charcoal — the inventive, creative plates really blow our minds. It’s Japanese cuisine unlike anything you’ve experienced before.
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Read more1. Edulis Restaurant
169 Niagara St.
Snagging a reservation at Edulis is like trying to get a pair of coveted concert tickets: sweaty keyboard keys, heart racing and praying your credit card works. It's exhilarating and anxiety-inducing but so worth it — as long as you’re cool with paying for the whole meal upfront, including tip, when you book your table (not including alcohol or add-ons you get at the restaurant).
Look for the charming red house on Niagara Street, which has been converted into one of the city's top tasting menu restaurants specializing in seafood, although it still very much feels like you're dining in someone's eclectic home. And damn, can they ever cook.
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Michael Caballo and Tobey Nemeth serve seasonal treats from their rooftop garden and wine pairings so spot-on they have been known to cause people to blurt out a string of expletives. Any time is a good time to scoff fresh Canadian tuna, wild mushrooms and excellent cheese — but if we had to pick, black truffle season might be the best time to splurge on a lights-out meal here.
