36 Best Restaurants in Toronto, Ontario

Spearheaded by world-renowned restaurateur Daniel Boulud, Café Boulud occupies the coveted dining room of the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto and presents itself as a serene, airy French brasserie decked out with sage-green banquettes and gilded accents. The café does simple, well-executed classic and contemporary French fare, like mouthwatering rotisserie duck, a signature Frenchie burger, and cocktails like the French 55.

Huge dining-room windows frame breathtaking views of the Toronto Islands and the lake at this restaurant, on the 54th floor of the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower. Dishes like an appetizer of bison tartare with bannock bread and foie gras and entrées like crispy pork jowl roasted with chaga and an aged tournedos paired with truffled celeriac nod to both tradition and trend.  Book a table at the chef's rail for a close-range perspective on the kitchen's artistry.

These award-winning cakey brioche donuts are fried fresh in the wee hours of the morning, dipped, and then ready to fly off the shelves by the time the converted storefront opens at 8:30 am. From the milky London Fog with an Earl Grey glaze to mini salted-caramel Boston creme bombs, you just can't go wrong.

European bistro meets local forager in five- and seven-course tasting menus that are devoted to classic rustic dishes. Rough-hewn wood walls and burlap bread baskets evoke a farmhouse feel, and the soft lighting adds to the intimate atmosphere.

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.

Like the appealingly bare-bones aesthetic of its space (exposed brick, hardwoods, and candlelight), this creative contemporary Pan-Asian bistro offers unadorned dishes that are jammed with flavor. After traveling for a year, chef-owner Tom Thai returned to Toronto with inspiration from Asia, Latin America, and the Mediterranean to produce a menu featuring tapas-style offerings like arctic char ceviche, lamb and duck prosciutto dumplings, and grilled side ribs with a sticky shallot glaze.

Named for a street in Bangkok bursting with nightlife and excellent street eats, Khao San Road lives up to its moniker. The squash fritters are a head-turning crispy delight that you'll want to order when you see them show up at another table. For heartier dishes, try for the khao soi, a dish of egg noodles in a rich coconut milk sauce, or try the warming massaman, a tamarind-infused curry with peanuts, potatoes, and deep-fried shallots.

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.

This low-lit dining room—presided over by murals of Kate Bush and Virginia Woolf—is an east-end cult fave, thanks to its warm service and seasonal small plates. The compact seafood- and vegetable-heavy menu changes constantly, but you might find a seafood crudo or a sourdough slab heaped with seasonal produce alongside deconstructed tributes to childhood desserts.

Japanese perfectionism merges with French tradition at this minimalist coffee and pastry shop. The owners are always dreaming up new croissant creations like a flaky croissant cube (that needs to be seen to be believed), a giant ten-times-sized classic croissant (made to order 24 hours in advance) and others prepared in a half-dozen ways, from churro-caramel sweet to ham-and-pesto savory.

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.

It's hard not to feel a little giddy sitting in the opulent whiskey-barrel-inspired dining room on the 31st floor of the St. Regis. Upward gazes are met with a swirling painted ceiling with floral glass chandeliers to mimic melting ice cubes. The seasonal French-leaning menu has featured stunners like a fruit-speckled scallop ceviche served on ice in a half shell, rough-cut beef tartare accented by a fermented black garlic reduction to be devoured with taro chips, and a showstopping truffle butter, sous-vide whole organic chicken served both roasted and fried. Cocktails are dainty and balanced wizardry with elaborate details like dehydrated Aperol–salted rims and vegan egg white foam.

Duck out of a double-feature at the TIFF Bell Lightbox to grab a meal at this mini-oasis on the second floor of the bustling glass-paneled film venue. Even if you're not going to a film, it's a great restaurant, complete with a patio overlooking the lively Entertainment District and the CN Tower. Start with a whole charcoal-grilled branzino and finish things off with a gooey apple confit soaked in crème anglaise.

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.

The Danforth might be the epicenter of Greek food in Toronto, but across town on trendy Ossington, you'll find some of the city’s best Greek cooking—Aegean to be exact—right here. Diners snack on classic mezes like rich, creamy tzatziki and roasted eggplant before diving into more unusual dishes like lamb tartare or tea-brined chicken. After opening in 2014, it's now a mini-empire of four restaurants, including the nearby Bar Koukla.

Although it's a good drive away from Toronto's two Chinatowns on the edge of Yorkville, you'll have a memorable dining experience built on regional dishes from the Guangdong, Sichuan, and Hunan regions of China. The upscale yet unpretentious dining room has a dark red-and-black aesthetic, with waiters in black bow ties and one-way kitchen mirrors that give you a full view of bustling chefs plating dishes and slicing up glistening barbecue pork char siu (relax, they can't see you). The sharing-style menu, which had a cult following before the restaurant even opened, is split into sections including Raw & Cooling, Savoury & Warming, and Noodles & Rice, all meant to play off each other. The best bet is the Chef's Choice menu, but either way, you won't want to miss the social-media-famous Four Foot Belt Noodle, sliced up tableside with scissors. A playful drink list includes tea-inspired cocktails, and an extensive collection of sakes. 

The Asian-Jamaican mishmash you see at this hip Dundas West joint is unlike any other in town. The spot is fueled by dishes from chef Craig Wong's Jamaican-Chinese upbringing, with plenty of tropical cocktails to wash it all down.

On a quiet stretch of Harbord lies this low-lit modern trattoria, popular with couples and families alike. The menu spans from antipasti and fresh pastas to excellent blistered-crust pizzas and grilled seafood—but whatever you order is bound to be great.

This Michelin-starred restaurant serves refined European classics with a focus on seafood and vegetables, prepared with painstaking care and designed to delight the palate. Thoughtful staff greet guests inside the intimate space, which exudes old-world charm. The pace is relaxed, and the restaurant’s minimalist kitchen is on full display. Advanced reservations are required for the dining room, where guests enjoy a seasonal tasting menu that can be paired with carefully selected wines. Alternatively, you can dine in the small bar area at the front, which offers an à la carte menu—reservations are also required here. Reservations are released mid-month for the following month.

Indulge your dessert cravings at one of Toronto’s finest dessert shops. Founded in 2015 by Stephanie Duong and Bruce Lee, it has delighted locals with playful takes on classic flavors, all crafted using French techniques. While the shop offers take-out only, its focus on seasonality sets it apart and helps maintain its lasting popularity. Pavlova toppings change several times a year; the summer soft-serve ice cream is creamy and refreshing; and the rotating cake cup flavors are perfectly portioned treats. Year-round staples include the banana éclair and Earl Grey cake slices, along with a selection of cookies and caramels.

Taste bold ice cream and vegan sorbetto flavors like mango–passion fruit, cajeta-swirled goat cheese, and roses of paradise at this beloved Toronto standby. Dessert brand Demetres owns and operates this shop and has been crafting artisanal ice creams by hand here for more than 30 years. The team uses top-quality ingredients from around the world—including Belgian chocolate and Indonesian vanilla—to create a rotating menu of 20 rich, unforgettable flavors. Don’t miss your scoop (or two) in their signature waffle cone, made fresh in-store.