8 Best Restaurants in Side Trips from Toronto, Ontario

The unassuming basement dining room holds a true culinary gem for farm-to-table fanatics. The menu changes frequently, but expect innovative cocktails like a refreshing ice wine martini with vanilla vodka, subtle white grape juice, and a maple sugar rim; and apps like Caesar-inspired asparagus salad sprinkled with salted duck yolk to mimic Parmesan. Main courses may incorporate local game meat like venison bolognese and grilled quail sauced with a fig marmalade. The prix-fixe "date night" specials are a steal.

A meal at this breathtaking hexagonal restaurant in the heart of Algonquin Provincial Park is the highlight of many visits. A view of the lake is a great accompaniment to the food, as is the towering stone fireplace in the center of the log-walled dining room. Menus change daily, but you can expect hearty Canadian dishes with local and seasonal ingredients. Bring your own wine for no corkage fee.

Exquisite progressive Canadian food and venerable wines are served by an enthusiastic staff on this bucolic property with three 19th-century Mennonite stone buildings. Sit on the large outdoor patio overlooking vineyards and Lake Ontario beyond or in the glassed-in restaurant, where many of the tables have a similar panoramic view. The menu is locally sourced and seasonal: think venison haunch with heirloom beets, torchon, smoked cauliflower purée, and blackberry reduction. Desserts, like spiced pumpkin cheesecake served with mascarpone gelato, are the perfect demonstration of simplicity and innovation.

This buzzy spot run by a pair of hip Toronto expats expertly conjures both coziness and versatility. By night, enjoy delightful light bites like sweet pea and pistachio dips; elevated bar snacks like spicy Jamaican beef patties and sticky hoisin wings; or more substantial mains like cheesy shrimp-and-grits and locally caught seared pickerel. Later on (and on Mondays), there's a more limited "Essentials" menu. It's also the perfect spot to unwind with a post-theater nightcap chosen from an extensive wine and cocktail list featuring homegrown producers. There are no bad times to pay a visit.

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, the famed restaurant 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.

In the original 1917 lodge building, this small lakeside pine dining room offers an ever-changing prix-fixe menu of contemporary Canadian cuisine, which might kick off with fennel and mustard-rubbed pork belly and move on to pistachio and cherry-crusted Australian rack of lamb or the house specialty, beef tenderloin. Fish and vegetarian options, such as sweet-potato gnocchi with shaved Gruyère, are always available. Desserts, included with the meal, always include some variation of crème brûlée (perhaps a chocolate-chili version), and homemade pie.

The well-stocked bar at this casual sports pub with booth and patio seating divides the room into two equal halves, with the locals converging on the east side. The pub fare includes quintessentials such as fish-and-chips, grilled steak and fries, burgers, and finger food. Salads, pasta, and sandwiches are also available. Upstairs you'll find a handful of loft-style suites to rent by the night.

Chef Bryan Steele, who is also senior cookery instructor at Stratford Chefs School, coaxes fresh local ingredients into innovative dishes with the best of what's available globally. Dishes change with the harvest, but have included Lake Huron whitefish meunière with asparagus and cinnamon cap mushrooms; and spring risotto with Parmesan, crispy egg, and wild leek pesto. The owners proudly source their meat from small family-owned farms.