28 Best Restaurants in Toronto, Ontario

Opened in July 2024, this vibrant new restaurant has quickly established itself as a neighborhood hot spot, serving elevated Mediterranean and international fare alongside a curated, Italian-centric selection of wines and inventive cocktails. The spacious dining room has soaring ceilings, original exposed brick, and 1800s wood beams, creating a warm, inviting space for couples and groups. A sleek white baby grand anchors the piano bar up front, where live music plays nightly. The seasonal menu showcases expertly grilled meats, seafood, and housemade pasta. Many ingredients come from nearby St. Lawrence Market, adding a fresh, local touch to every dish.

With a 5,000-square-foot, year-round patio and striking floor-to-ceiling murals, this is one of the most popular spots in the Distillery District. Highlights include traditional tacos al pastor with shaved pork and pineapple salsa, ceviche, a 24-hour-braised short rib in mole sauce, and guacamole prepared tableside. End the evening on a sweet note with churros rolled in sugar and served with a trio of chocolate, strawberry, and dulce de leche dipping sauces.

Wake up with a Willy Wonka–world style brunch experience surrounded by disco balls, graffiti-covered walls, and fluorescent globe lighting, but you can't make reservations on busy weekends or holidays when it's all brunch all the time, so prepare to wait. Traditional omelettes and waffles are on the menu, but decadent dishes like French toast encrusted with Dubai chocolate, and salmon eggs bennie with ultra-bright pink Hollandaise (beet juice is the secret) really steal the show. Shareable fishbowl-sized smoothies are practically a meal in a bowl, and pistachio lattes with a nutty green edible rim will make sure you're awake and not dreaming.

Known as one of the city's tried-and-true French bistros, this brightly decorated spot lives up to expectations with a menu full of excellent standards, including steak frites, a venison chop, and mussels in white wine. The long bar at the front of the restaurant is a great spot for drinks or solo dining. It's one of the rare restaurants in Toronto that serves horse meat.

A Leslieville staple, this brunch spot occupies an airy two-floor space with huge windows in a converted old home just north of the main Queen East drag. It's a lovely spot for hearty, homey dishes like cheddar jalapeño waffles, washed down with coffee in vintage Corningware mugs.

Bringing people together around the table, this charming two-level eatery is fully accessible and blends rich Palestinian flavors with the freshest seasonal fare from Ontario. The menu draws on centuries-old techniques and a mix of Indigenous, Palestinian, and locally sourced ingredients—think za’atar, scallops, squash, and house-made bread—each plate telling its own story rooted in land, memory, and tradition. The weekend-only brunch is just as noteworthy, with satisfying dishes like labaneh and hummus that are perfect for sharing. Created by Chef Fadi Kattan and Nicole Mankinen the restaurant offers meals that feel like a joyful celebration.

From the falafel-wrapped Scotch eggs to the Pharaoh's po' boy with fried shrimp, it's hard to go wrong at this cheerful, intimate family-run Egyptian brunch joint, located at Little India's eastern edge. A grab-and-go sister café serves Leslieville at 978 Queen East.

Downtown Toronto's quintessential dim sum eatery overlooks all of Chinatown from its secret rooftop perch at the Dragon City Mall. Carts with towers of bamboo steamer baskets containing shrimp dumplings or black-bean-sauce chicken feet ("phoenix claws" in Chinese), banquet-sized platters of noodles, and traditional delicacies like black or yellow curried cuttlefish are pushed around the hall by gregarious servers who tick off boxes from your order list as they are served. There's also an extensive à la carte menu.

Like the art gallery in which it's located, this bistro was designed by starchitect Frank Gehry, whose touches are seen in the minimalist decor and geometric ceilings. The dishes themselves—including tenderloin steak and eggs with brandy peppercorn sauce, and crispy Italian artichokes on braised cannelini beans—are plated like works of art.

Nearly every menu item here is kissed by the flames of the wood-fired oven that makes up the hearth---aka, the heart of the kitchen. Gigantic shareable cuts of porterhouse steak, creamy grilled horseradish beets, and house-made pull-apart brioche buns are some of the heartiest dishes on order. Executive chef Patrick Kriss is known for catching diners off guard with seemingly modest but stunning experimental dishes like a grilled habañero sea bream or a hydrating cucumber and fennel slaw that merges stringent vinegar, salty and crumbly feta cheese with earthy and crunch hazelnuts. 

Slide into a well-worn wooden booth or sit at a checkered table at this low-key steak house, complete with oak bar and pressed-tin ceiling. The steaks and Guinness-braised lamb shanks get rave reviews, but the hamburgers—from meat that is ground in-house—might be this spot's secret weapon.

Serving up bold, homey Filipino flavors, this cozy Parkdale spot is a favorite from brunch to dinner. Mornings bring silogs (a classic Filipino breakfast dish served with a protein, fried eggs, and garlic fried rice), ube pancakes, and calamansi mimosas, while dinner shifts into heartier Filipino food with a modern twist, like adobo fried chicken. Pair it with mango juice or San Miguel beer and settle in—this is comfort food at its best.

Head to this colorful café for locally roasted espresso and reasonably priced Mediterranean brunch. Inspired by Greek kafeneio meeting places, it's a great spot to while away a few hours.

Fried dumplings stuffed with juicy shrimp and pork (or the more health-conscious steamed spinach and black mushroom wrappers) are the stars of the show, but ordering from the selection of northern Chinese staples is highly recommended, too. Top crowd-pleasing picks are the ultra-thinly sliced, semi-cooked potato threads cooked in a jolting spicy vinegar, and noodley tofu strips boiled and lightly stir-fried with pork and veggies.

Don't let the opulent interior at this busy breakfast spot fool you: the meals here are affordable (and yummy). It's one of the closest brunch restaurants to the Rogers Centre, making it a good place to grab a cup of coffee and some pancakes before an afternoon Jays game.

Located smack in the middle of Kensington Market, locals flock to this highly versatile cultural hub that effortlessly merges brunch restaurant, gelateria, and evening cabaret. The sprawling front and back patio make it an ideal location for soaking in local culture over an umami-rich Japanese omelet and pink sakura latte, or cocktails paired with late-night Latin-themed bites. The choices are truly endless. 

For generations, hungry Torontonians have ended up at this reliable diner for classic breakfasts and greasy-spoon dishes. Burgers and Benedicts are staples, but the menu makes room for a variety of comfort food crowd-pleasers like lasagna, meat loaf, and steak. Save room for rice pudding.

Le Sélect occupies a special place in the heart of Toronto's Parisian cuisine aficionados. The sprawling plush booths, zinc bar, and mosaic flooring create the ideal ambience for buttery escargots with pillowy pain au lait (milk buns), hearty bowls of saffron-tinged bouillabaisse, and an oversized apple tarte tatin for two, drizzled tableside with rich caramel sauce.

Luxurious takes on diner and brunch classics dominate the seasonally evolving menu at this cute corner eatery. Stop in early for eggs, grab the Angus burger or fish-and-chips at lunch, or dig into pastas and beef tartare at dinner.

The modern dining room inside the Hazelton Hotel is all rich woods, smoked glass, cowhide, and onyx—and thankfully the food lives up to all the razzle-dazzle. "Lobster spoons" with vermouth butter and miso-glazed black cod share space on a broad, varied menu with fresh pastas and exceptional house-aged steaks sourced from Prince Edward Island and Alberta.

Ride the Queens Quay Terminal escalator to one of the city's hidden fine dim sum experiences. The view overlooking Lake Ontario is nearly as delicious as the restaurant's menu of traditional Cantonese classics like har gao shrimp dumplings, broad snow pea leaves decorated with chunks of king mushroom, and various fresh seafoods from the tank prepared with homemade sauces.

This traditional pub will transport you straight to Dublin the moment you step inside. The lively, friendly atmosphere is a favorite among longtime customers who come to enjoy a pint or an authentic Irish meal, such as Kilkenny Ale-battered fish-and-chips, hearty beef-and-Guinness stew, or rich bread pudding soaked in whiskey and custard—just like gran used to make. Behind the first-floor bar, the Pat Quinn Lounge features a large projection TV, making it an ideal spot to watch sports or enjoy live music on weekends. The Fireplace Lounge, located on the second floor, offers a cozy and intimate space, perfect for unwinding with friends.

The upscale-yet-whimsical take on vegan food caused quite a stir when it opened in 2016, and the restaurant (now one of two in the city) is still a favorite of the Yorkville crowd. Menu standouts include satisfying thin-crust pizzas with plant-based mozzarella, an excellent veggie burger, and a spinach and artichoke dip that will fool even the pickiest cheese lover.

Chef Shawn Adler prepares dinner-plate-covering native "tacos" at his rustic 12-seater café and similarly sized front patio. Mains include piles of toppings for fusion brunch--focused dishes that incorporate everything from Indian curries, poached duck eggs, and edible flowers. If your main dish does not include fry bread, it can always be ordered on the side for the traditional experience.

In operation since 1948, this diner holds the distinction of being Toronto’s oldest continuously operating restaurant. It’s a go-to spot for the pre-theater crowd, families, mildly hungover locals, and everyone in between. The menu features classic staples such as Caesar salad, chicken pot pie, and freshly squeezed juices at brunch.

Time seems to slow down at the Skyline, a classic old-school diner that's become a neighborhood hangout for tattooed youngsters and longtime Parkdale characters alike. Club sandwiches, patty melt burgers, and homemade pies make you feel like you're in a 1960s time machine, but long lines for brunch re-root you in present-day Toronto. Since finding new ownership in 2016, it's also found life as a popular spot for pints of Canadian craft beer after dark, and weekly trivia nights.

If there is an equivalent to a fast-paced, casual Hong Kong–style diner in Chinatown, this would be it: the food is inexpensive and honest, and the setting is bright and spare. Diners enjoy heaping bowls of congee and customized noodle soups, including the best fish ball and shrimp dumpling bowls in town.

Swanky dining in a luxurious setting has come to Toronto at this elevated Italian restaurant that makes exclusive use of local ingredients. To really up the ante you can reserve seats at the chef's table, a private dining nook in the kitchen.