1031 Best Restaurants in Canada

Discover Café Olive, a charming hole-in-the-wall on Avenue Cartier, beloved for its dedicated service and exquisite Scandinavian pastries. Grab a coffee to go and savor these delights while enjoying a stroll on the nearby Plains of Abraham.

There's no better place for a quick espresso or another pick-me-up than at the poured-concrete walls of this uber-hip meeting spot, complete with front and back patios. Show up by night for a full-length bar menu of local and imported craft beers and an apothecary of spirits.

What was once a fur showroom in the 1970s now hosts Café Parvis, a stylish, bohemian eatery with floor-to-ceiling windows, faded peach and half-stripped mint-green walls, mismatched chairs, and luxuriant plants hanging from the ceiling. If morning visits are for artisanal coffee and pâtisserie du jour, dinner is for ordering shareable wood-oven-baked pizzas enhanced by fresh salads and the on-point selection of organic wines.

Students, freelancers, and local hipsters flock to this understated Turkish café for two reasons: the gourmet coffee and the food. Between the Nutella-and-sea-salt cookie, the feta-and-sausage omelet, and the borek (a traditional flaky pastry sprinkled with sesame seeds), it’s hard to pick just one thing off Replika’s menu. But what really keeps people coming back is the genuine friendliness of the owners, a Turkish couple that’s always eager to chat.

Some of Vancouver's best coffee is served at the several locations of Caffè Artigiano, where the baristas have won prizes for their latte art. Come for the java, and satisfy your hunger with a pastry or sandwich, too. In addition to locations further afield, other Downtown locales are at 763 Hornby St., 666 Burrard St., and 429 Howe St.

A favorite with locals for their hearty pub fare and craft beers, it is also one of South Granville's best places for brunch or a late-night snack.

In the heart of Little Italy, this non-descript historic caffè filled with regulars chatting away in Italian is one of the city's best non-hipster, non-design places to get some excellent brew, be it an espresso, latte, or cappuccino. There also are a few pastries available. Visit a few times and you won't even have to order; the experienced baristas will prepare your drink when they see you walk in. It opens at 6 am every day of the week.  Try the signature smooth Malibu—a lukewarm drink shorter than a cappuccino but longer than a macchiato, made by combining a short shot of espresso with frothed milk.

Tempting aromas fill this inviting vegetarian restaurant, emanating from the world of flavors offered on the menu. Specialties include Oaxaca deep dish (black beans, grilled veggies, and spicy tomato sauce, baked with cheese), a classic vegetarian lasagna, and vegan desserts.

One of the newer additions to the St-Jean-Baptiste neighborhood, Cantook is a micro-roaster that is more traditional than trendy, but no less excellent. Visit for a cappuccino, a good conversation with the owner, or maybe even both.

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. 

It’s hard to say whether the Cask & Barrel is a pub or a restaurant, but it’s definitely the best of both worlds. Recently refurbished, this cozy and comfortable place serves upscale food and a wonderful selection of beer, wine, and Scotch. Just make sure you say hello to Susan, the owner, when you get there.

This simple, busy café-style restaurant serves crepes in generous proportions with a variety of options---from a menu of more than 20 fillings, pick your own chocolate or fruit combinations or design a larger meal with cheese, ham, and vegetables. Tables surround four round griddles at which you watch your creations being made. Crepes made with two to five fillings cost less than C$12.

This women-owned bakery across the street from Québec City Town Hall serves some of the best French macarons this side of the pond. In addition, every single one of Catherine's pastries is a delicate experience combining refined flavors and architectural marvel—try the swan-shaped religieuse pastry or the passionfruit mille-feuille.

This edge-of-town spot with a chic and stylish interior and strong French influence is well worth seeking out. The mother-and-daughter team who run it are very friendly and efficient, and the steak, seafood, and ribs are succulent; the food utilizes imported spices and fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Celebrating fresh, local ingredients, you should absolutely try their chowder—packed with scallops, prawns, and smoked salmon—but the burgers, pizzas, and steak frites are all fantastic. There's a great selection of local beers on tap, and a fun cocktail menu.

What do you get when you blend a Top Chef finalist (Connie DeSousa) with aged Alberta beef and a custom-made Argentinian wood-fired grill? You get the excellent charbar, located in the East Village’s historic Simmons Building, which has quickly become one of Canada's best restaurants. The beef tenderloin is a favorite, as are the fugazza pizzas, which are also available on the roof-top patio with expansive views over the city.

On the fifth floor of the historic Dineen Building, overlooking the Financial District, the Chase's marvelous lighting fixtures, solarium dining room, and floor-to-ceiling windows are a glamorous setting for the surf-and-turf-focused menu. Dishes like Siberian caviar-topped buratta or a chanterelle-topped veal chop are meant for sharing, as are opulent seafood platters layered with shrimp, lobster, and bluefin otoro tuna.

This restaurant has been serving fish-and-chips to a steady stream of customers since the 1950s. They come from all walks of life to sample the flaky fish fried in a batter whose recipe the owner keeps under lock and key (literally). The decor is strictly laminated tabletops and plastic chairs, but the fish is hot, fresh, and delicious.

As far as fast food goes, nothing is more Québécois than poutine, that rough-and-ready dish made of fries, cheese curds, and gravy. In Québec City, this regional chain, founded in 1969, is the local favorite for hurried lunchers and late-night snackers. Also well worth trying here is a hot dog du lac, a "steamie" (steamed hot dog) with mayo, cabbage, and a few fries on top. It's nothing fancy, but after a late night out or before a long walk, there's nothing more filling than poutine.

Simple preparations mean the flavor of seafood shines. Broiled lobster is the main attraction. Get it on its own or on a seafood combination platter. Fish and shellfish might get a quick sauté in butter, and steamed shrimp are cooked just until they turn pink and tender. Dessert brings a local specialty: cloudberry pie. The amber-color fruit, native to the area’s boreal forests, is similar to raspberries. The no-frills dining room supplies booth and table seating.

Within the museum-like and luxurious Auberge St-Antoine, equally opulent Chez Muffy offers an exquisite dining experience focused on seasonal, local ingredients. Dishes change with the seasons, featuring fresh produce from their own organic farm on Île d'Orléans, visible from the windows—a mission central to their exclusively prix-fixe offerings. There is no à la carte menu here, but rather a choice of two tasting menus: C$$190for\; sevencourses\; orC\$$130 for five courses, each with a vegetarian alternative. The space itself is stunning, boasting original stone walls, attractive wooden floors, and exposed beams from the building's early 1800s warehouse days. The wine list, drawing from a 12,000-bottle cellar, features well-chosen cuvées from across the globe.

Open since 1920, this iconic eatery bordering the western edge of Downtown is popular with locals for its old-school diner ambience, friendly staff, and consistent quality of its food.

This is the place to go for the freshest flavors of Canadian cuisine (think seafood, terroir vegetables, game meat) without the white-tablecloth fuss. Chez Rioux & Pettigrew is a casual dining experience in a convivial, inviting venue with exposed brick. Back in 1860, Narcisse Rioux ran a general store here and supplied local restaurants, inns, and hospitals; it only makes sense that the gourmet mission carries on today (complete with trinkets from that former life). For a bit of everything, opt for the secretive tasting menu. Aficionados will find a modest yet curated wine list with an interesting selection of orange/maceration wines.

A beacon of the French (from France) cultural diaspora in Montréal, Chez Victoire is the epitome of Plateau Mont-Royal’s warmth and joie de vivre. Fittingly, the creative menu features French-inspired seasonal market cuisine. Take a seat at the long bar and order one of the shareable plates such as the oysters or the fried artichoke heart with black garlic mayo, or opt for a booth to share the classic tomato and mozzarella di bufala salad or the famous burger Chez Victoire. 

This cozy burger joint with brick-and-stone walls has a wide range of topping combinations, daily special burgers, and French fries are served with a dollop of homemade mayonnaise (there are five varieties available) and poppy seeds. Salads, sandwiches, and a daily dessert made fresh by the pastry chef are also available. This original location was so successful that it spawned several other branches, notably in the Vieux-Port area of the Lower Town.

Old-school service meets modernized Portuguese cuisine at this long-standing spot, where waiters bustle past polished wood furnishings and impasto paintings. The menu is built upon exquisitely prepared seafood, including selections sourced from Portugal and the Azores. But there's much for meat eaters, too—like a signature roasted rack of lamb with Douro wine sauce.

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.