6 Best Restaurants in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Side Trips from Toronto

Frequently cited as the best restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake—an impressive feat in a town with so many excellent restaurants—Peller Estates manages refinement without arrogance. The stately colonial revival dining room is anchored by a huge fireplace at one end and has windows running the length of the room overlooking a large patio and the estate vineyards. A menu of ever-changing expertly prepared entrées often weaves the Peller Estates wine into modern Canadian cuisine.

This brainchild of chef-owner Stephen Treadwell (formerly of the prestigious Auberge du Pommier), his chef de cuisine Matthew Payne, and his son, wine sommelier James Treadwell, Treadwell embodies the farm-to-table philosophy. Sit down for dinner on the sidewalk patio or in the sleek dining room and indulge in some of the best that southern Ontario has to offer.

Niagara-on-the-Lake's first winery restaurant is still one of its best. After a complimentary winery tour and tasting, you can indulge in the spacious, light-filled dining room with big double doors framing vineyards almost as far as the eye can see. The menu of locally inspired cuisine changes every six weeks. Tasting menus are available to try such culinary masterpieces as wild Pacific halibut with local asparagus and morels.

You can request a Yorkshire pudding to accompany any meal at this tavern just off Queen Street, which should tip you off to its British leanings, played out further in the decor: a warren of rooms with creaky floors and well-used wooden tables and chairs, low ceilings and exposed beams, and convivial chatter throughout. Ontario's oldest operating inn sets out pub fare such as shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, and steak-and-kidney pie. Entrées change periodically but always include the house specialty, prime rib of beef au jus.

Niagara-on-the-Lake's only waterfront restaurant, the regal Tiara sits beside a marina with a view of the Niagara River beyond the sailboat masts. The elegant, amber-hue Georgian-meets-contemporary dining room is buttoned up but accented by a pretty stained-glass ceiling and near-panoramic windows that give nearly every table a water view. The outdoor tables next to the marina, however, are the ones to request to go with the exquisite French-influenced menu. Round out the meal with homemade ice cream topped with seasonal berries.

For alfresco dining, it's hard to beat Zees Grill for its huge wraparound patio with heat lamps across from the Shaw Festival Theatre. More informal than most similarly priced restaurants in town, its seasonal menu brings panache to homegrown comfort foods such as grilled swordfish with purple potato hash and buttered baby bok choy or beef ribs with shallot, garlic, and fingerling potato hash. Appetizers follow a similarly elegant, yet whimsical, philosophy.