53 Best Restaurants in Canada

Step inside Caffettiera and you just might be convinced you've entered a caffè in Italy circa 1994. Here in this faux-wood-paneled space with its stand-up espresso bar, beige and blue banquettes, and formica tabletops, you'll drink flavorful coffee made from arabica coffee beans roasted in Rome by Fantini and brewed from Vittorio Arduini Lever machines or classic aluminum Bialettis. At the bar, you'll choose from an assortment of panini and Italian dolci, such as brioches, crostate (jam tarts with a lattice pastry top), and bomboloni (ball-shaped doughnuts filled with jam or Nutella). And, since Caffettiera is an authentic Italian bar, not just a café, you'll see bottles of Aperol, Campari, Fernet Branca, and Amaro Nonino behind the bar. There's no detail Italian-Canadian owner Andreas Vecchio and his partner and cousin Diego Lovino haven't thought of. Imported Italian chocolates and bonboni? Check. Italian chips and snacks for aperitivi? Check. Cheap-quality Fantini paper napkins (they also have higher-quality napkins) in Fantini dispensers? Check. Just like in Italy.

The best ingredients prepared simply and served in generous portions are what make this off-the-beaten-path restaurant such a find. Modern Amalfi Coast–inspired decor brings a seaside terrace indoors, and it feels miles, not 10 minutes, away from the city's tourist attractions.

The warmth of Italy surrounds you at this family-run trattoria near Fisherman's Wharf. The owner hails from Genoa so much of the menu features cuisine from that region as well as daily specials from other parts of the country. Traditional favorites include carpaccio, polpette in agrodolce (tender beef meatballs with a savory sweet and sour sauce of caramelized onions, dried cranberries and green olives, and toasted almonds), spaghetti allo scoglio (a seafood medley in a wine and marinara sauce), and gnocchi in various incarnations. The heritage building adds to the inviting ambience, as does the delightful patio rock garden where you can dine alfresco and from where the kitchen gets its herbs and edible flowers. Classic desserts like tiramisu and panna cotta also make their mark. Families will appreciate the menu for children. 

You won't find a warmer welcome or a more tender and delicious beef tenderloin anywhere in town, and chef Brian Foster offers an interesting menu that presents the finest local ingredients in very generous portions. In an inviting interior of bare brick, barn boards, and pale walls dotted with trendy accoutrements, you can feast on dishes such as a wonderful chicken fettuccine Alfredo, the rich Sunday pasta with three-beast meatballs, or rack of lamb, and all the tasty little extras.

Here you'll find house-made pasta, antipasto, and out-of-the-ordinary wood-fired pizzas with out-of-the-ordinary toppings such as burrata with prosciutto apple. Reservations aren't available. Instead you'll be asked to write your name in chalk on a blackboard. But the food is worth the wait. There are lots of gluten-free options, a good selection of craft beers, and a reasonable wine list. You'll also find Nook in Olympic Village, Kitsilano, and at North Vancouver's Shipyards.

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 southern Italian hideaway has been a magnet for visiting celebrities and well-heeled Yorkville locals since the early 1990s, and it's still one of the city's most popular posh restaurants. The dozen or so pastas, including freshly made gnocchi, are reliably excellent, but the grilled seafood options, spanning yellowfin tuna to tiger shrimp to calamari, are stellar.

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.

This upscale modern Italian eatery uses the freshest local ingredients to create hearty dishes like fettuccine with wild mushrooms; sweet onion, pancetta and Italian sausage; and perfect pizzas. The luxe, open-plan dining room with its peacock-blue velvet-lined booths and high-end finishes is a treat to dine in, and the place is buzzy and fun, especially on weekends. 

This second-floor restaurant in downtown Jasper has an open kitchen, a terrace, and plenty of windows with lovely mountain views. The decor isn't fancy, but the food is excellent, featuring crispy calamari, beef carpaccio, baked meatballs, and house-made pasta dishes served alongside beef, salmon, lamb, and duck entrées. There's a nice selection of wines by the glass or bottle, cocktails, and domestic and imported beers on the drinks menu.

Five minutes from the ski slopes and right on Lac Moore, this rustic restaurant, which opens onto a terrace during the summer months, looks a bit shabby from the outside but has garnered much praise for its Italian dishes. These include tried-and-true favorites such as veal marsala and veal fiorentina (cooked with spinach and cheese). Hosts Nino and Kay are reputed to be some of the friendliest folks you'll ever meet.

Casual, boisterous, and hugely popular, this place has a patio right on the waterfront—look for the "tree" of old bicycles stacked outside. The Italian-influenced menu features showstopping dishes such as old-school lobster Thermador with truffle spaghettini and asparagus, or pistachio honey-crusted Atlantic Salmon, and uses the best local ingredients.

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.

This small, family run restaurant cooks up traditional Italian fare as in calamari (served with truffle garlic mayo), scallop carpaccio, slow-braised lamb shank, and of course, pasta. House-made gnocchi and spinach ravioli are specialities. There's live music Friday and Saturday evenings (for a cover charge of C$2.50). 

The space is fun and funky—a mix of early-1900s architectural details, modern furnishings, and oversize pop art—and the seasonally changing menu of updated Italian fare is creative and delicious. The lengthy wine list emphasizes Italian labels, but British Columbia is well represented. To start, consider the grilled octopus, or, for more adventurous tastes, the roasted bone marrow. For a meat/fish course, how about seabass with a chickpea saffron stew and pistachios? For a light bite, join the local crowd at Uva Wine Bar inside the same hotel, which stays open till the wee hours.

Located on a quiet side street in Old Montréal, you can't miss the bright tangerine doors and windows of this small, new, retro-style panini joint. If simple Italian sandwiches are your jam, Ciccio's is your place. From the primo (mortadella, tomato, mozzarella) and the tacchino (smoked turkey, mozzarella, bacon, tomato, red onion) to the caprese (with or without prosciutto) with pesto, the parmigiana (breaded eggplant, mozzarella, tomato confit, pesto), and the capo (capocollo stagionato, spicy gabagool, burrata, marinated peppers, basil), Ciccio's makes it all. They also make salads and prepare antipasto and charcuterie platters, in addition to a few desserts.

This lively restaurant is a favorite among locals and visitors alike for its rustic Italian food and charming ambience. Set right on the harbor, the lovely views complement the warm, cozy interior. Drop in for a great mocha milk shake, or go for nibbling food like jumbo shrimp cocktails or garlicky crostini appetizers served on homemade bread. Entrées include everything from grilled tenderloin to copious pasta dishes like seafood linguine or spicy spaghetti marinara. Desserts are not to be missed.

The cellar of what used to be Montréal's first women's prison hardly sounds like the ideal setting for an Italian eatery, but Nonna Emma's cuisine shushes any bad vibes from the 1800s. Nonna Emma recently retired, at the age of 80, but today her daughter, Olga Aureli, and her grandson, Luca, the sixth generation of restaurateurs in the family, now helm the well-known institution. Stone walls and heavy beams serve as a backdrop for Roman dishes like roasted lamb, fettuccine con funghi porcini and salmone alla griglia, which have all forgone fussy presentation to focus on superior fixings. Repeat customers, including Hollywood A-listers, enjoy the privacy of the secluded garden.  Reservations are recommended Thursday through Saturday.

This Northern Italian restaurant is a classic big-night-out choice. Subdued lighting, elegant furnishings, fresh flowers: all the details have been attended to, and ditto the food, which is impressive and satisfying. Excellent seared scallops are always on the menu, as is veal scaloppine sautéed with mushrooms and topped with a creamy garlic-and-cognac sauce. Prices on the specialty wine list go as high as C$600, but there are also fine bottles for under C$50.

Locals line up outside the window of this shoebox-sized take out joint, sandwiched between ice-cream shop Kem CoBa and Fairmount Bagel, to get their fix of Nonna Caterina Gattuso's gnocchi topped with her famous Calabrian tomato sauce. It's served in a little cardboard take-out container and costs only C$5. If you ask for parmesan it's C$6. With extra spice C$6.50. Diehards can purchase 750-milliliter jars of Salsa della Nonna for C$10 or a one-liter jar of Gnocchi della Nonna, also for C$10. Olive oil and a few other sauces are also available for sale.

Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the restaurant is known for locally sourced ingredients that are used in their delicious wood-fired pizzas and house-made pasta, creative salads, seafood and chicken dishes, and Alberta beef steaks; there's also an excellent breakfast buffet. The dining area includes a long bar, an open kitchen, and expansive windows with gorgeous mountain views along one side of the restaurant. A few vegetarian and gluten-free options are available and children under six eat free.

Traditional Italian food gets a modern revamp at this intimate eatery offering a wide, delicious variety of dishes. Pastas and pizzas are both excellent, but there's standout seafoods and meats—like a showstopping strip loin for two—mixed in among the numerous veg-forward options.

A cute redbrick terrace edged with potted greenery, and warmed by fireplaces and overhead heaters, makes Il Terrazzo—tucked away off Waddington Alley near Market Square and not visible from the street—the locals' choice for romantic alfresco dining. Starters might include steamed mussels with sun-dried tomatoes and spicy banana peppers, while mains range from such traditional Northern Italian favorites as breaded scaloppini of pork tenderloin to a more local-leaning red snapper with blackberries. Thin-crust pizzas come piping hot from the restaurant's open-flame stone oven.

Fresh contemporary Italian cuisine in a farmhouse-style atmosphere is the specialty of this restaurant. The menu has classic Italian appetizers like bruschetta, calamari, and beef carpaccio along with house-made pizzas and pasta, and there are meat dishes like salmon, chicken, veal, and bison short ribs. Desserts include such specialties as gelato, limoncello cheesecake, and tiramisu. The restaurant is family-friendly and there is a children's menu. There's also a nice patio area.