66 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.

Having been delighting locals with authentic Italian fare since 2018, this cozy, laid-back spot offers a taste of Naples, serving up classic dishes like freshly made pizzas and hand-crafted pastas. The star of the kitchen is its striking red Stefano Ferraro Forni pizza oven, which can reach a blistering 900ºC, baking pizzas to perfection in just 90 seconds. Standouts on the menu include the rich pappardelle osso buco, earthy rigatoni al fungi, and a crowd-pleasing pepperoni pizza that keeps guests coming back for more.

Inside a breathtaking room swathed in undulating waves of wood, you'll find Bar Raval, a tapas restaurant known for some marvelous food and drink. Stop by during the day and order a couple pintxos (a single-serving snack served on a skewer), feast on tins of smoked seafood and heartier tapas for a full meal, or stop in late for a nightcap.

In a quiet dining room tucked into the first floor of a house just off King West, this adventurous pizza parlor serves New York--style pies with topping combos like braised beef tongue and smoked bacon, or anchovies and crispy chicken skin. While there are pasta offerings on the menu, diners can also slurp cheesy bone marrow and order decadent house-made Twinkies for dessert.

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.

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.

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 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.

Follow the simple hand-written sandwich board arrow through the garish Kensington "mall" to find this low-key Hong Kong–style dining room with big wok energy. The menu is inspired by kitchens across China, featuring elevated dishes that show off the best of different provinces like tongue-tingling Sichuan pepper-spiced soft mapo tofu with dry-aged beef, and thick bone marrow; and smoky, stir-fried gnocchi-like, hand-rolled silver needle noodles. You'll also find a simple but highly satisfying orange chicken, an ode to Chinese food courts across North America.

Bold Middle Eastern flavors and spices are showcased at Tabülè, where traditional appetizers include baba ghanoush and hummus served with flatbread, and standout falafel fried to a deep golden brown and served with thick, rich tahini sauce. Grilled meats and seafood are also excellent.

The thin-crust pies at this airy family-run pizzeria are authentically Neapolitan and consistently earn top marks on local (and even global) critics' lists thanks to their fresh ingredients and use of traditional methods. Pasta mains (with gluten-free options) like a fiery Naples-style rigatoni and seafood linguini may take second place but are certainly worth a look.

No late-night craving goes unsatisfied at this longtime 24-hour spot. The menu’s packed with cozy classics—carbonara, ravioli, sloppy joes, and hearty sandwiches that hit the spot. Swing by on the weekend for a solid brunch line-up that’s just as satisfying.

This hidden Parkdale gem serves up West African dishes rooted in tradition and full of bold, spicy flavor. The jollof rice is rich and fragrant, the fried cauliflower is a party in your mouth, and the miso mafe stew—a plant-based peanut dish with jackfruit and coconut rice—is the perfect balance of creamy, hearty, and satisfying. Don’t forget to wash it all down with an effervescent palm wine.

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.

A culinary tribute to beer, the creative menu here incorporates its star ingredient in every dish, but in subtle and clever ways without causing a malted-flavor overload. Start the hoppy journey with a taster flight of three draft beers, and follow that with a gooey beer-braised beef poutine or a bowl of mussels in a beer-based broth.

Bindia serves mouthwatering North Indian cuisine that will delight your taste buds from the first bite of juicy meats and freshly baked naan straight from the tandoor oven. A beloved neighborhood staple, it’s conveniently located in the heart of St. Lawrence Market, offering casual, warm, and friendly service. Whether you choose to dine inside or enjoy a table on the patio during the warmer months, you’ll be able to people-watch and soak in the vibrant sights and sounds of the local community.

With espresso, baked goods, bar snacks, beers, and cocktails on offer, this colorful café/bar (look for the neon pegasus sign) serves as a reliable local hangout from morning 'til night.

This neighborhood watering hole offers year-round beach-town atmosphere. The kitchen mostly deals in pub food, but (as the name suggests) the thing to get here is the BBQ—brisket, moist pulled pork, chicken wings, and tender ribs, available in sandwiches or hefty platters. Breakwall stays open late—a rarity in this sleepy part of town—in case you’re looking for somewhere to grab a pitcher in the wee hours.

The Toronto flagship of a Vancouver-based casual fine-dining chain, this massive, modern Financial District spot is one of the district's trendiest dining destinations. Stellar dishes include butternut ravioli topped with sage, prawns, and truffle butter, and a 45-day dry-aged Angus ribeye drenched in a brandy-based sauce, sprinkled with juicy peppercorns.

Holding court over a central Little Italy corner since 1968, Diplomatico is popular for its big sidewalk patio, one of the best places in the city for people-watching. "The Dip," as it's locally known, serves reliable red-sauce Italian fare until late into the night.

The irresistible scent of smoky Texas-style barbecue from Carbon Bar’s wood firepit hits your nose the moment you walk in, instantly sparking your appetite. The spacious yet sophisticated and laid-back atmosphere sets the stage for a memorable meal. Ordering the Pitmaster barbecue platter is a must—it features five types of meat and is perfect for sharing with a group, or daring to tackle on your own. The friendly waitstaff are quick to recite the restaurant’s drinks menu, and they're proud to mention that Carbon Bar boasts one of the largest bourbon selections in Toronto, including a selection of Canadian whiskies. No wonder it's a popular hangout for after-work crowds and weekend diners alike.

Meals at this rare higher-end Mexican restaurant in Kensington Market start off with a basket of blue corn tortillas, grilled in-house, emerging like prehistoric mushroom caps paired with a trio of sauces. A strong selection of innovative starters marry classics with modern culinary trends like a pair of drippy brie and succulent chorizo empanadas, earthy mushroom sopes with just the right amount of crisp and raw shrimp aguachile in a lavalike red sauce. The lamb shank barbacoa steamed in a banana leaf is the real show-stopper, unwrapped table side by Chef Felipe. 

Transport yourself to an Old World, intimate Spanish wine cave while dining on highly creative tapas dishes. While the menu is frequently changing—like any tapas bar worth its salt—one can expect the flair of French choux a la crème filled with a salmon-like uni mousse; a scallop ceviche layered with green honeydew, topped with a floral crown; and mainstays like acorn-fed Iberico ham imported from Spain.