1031 Best Restaurants in Canada

This gastropub is located in a three-story heritage building with an interior of exposed stone and stair railings built from wood recovered from a Russian dacha (country house). The wood-fire grill creates a warm and aromatic experience. With several floors open for dining, you have your choice of the lively ground level or the more intimate atmosphere upstairs.  

Just outside the Jasper National Park gates, this gourmet farm-to-table restaurant is a hidden gem with wonderful mountain views. The menu changes often, but the food is always made from locally sourced, seasonal ingredients (try the bison burger) and everything, including the desserts, is prepared fresh on-site; there are also about two dozen beer choices including an extensive locally made craft beer list and a fun cocktail and martini menu. The restaurant received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence several years running and the carefully curated wine list features over 300 well-priced wines—some served by the glass and some by the bottle. There are two seatings for dinner—one between 5 and 6 pm and a second after 7:30 pm.

Yorkville is filled with ice cream and gelato shops, but Summer's is the most beloved. A family-run shop since the '80s, this ice cream parlor doesn't do anything fancy or trendy but excels with the classic, made-in-house flavors. There are always at least 26 of them, with favorites like chocolate fudge brownie, pralines 'n' cream, and Toronto Pothole (a little bit of everything) often seen on cones throughout the village. 

Near the top of Whistlers Mountain, spectacular views and casual dining are the big draws at this restaurant that is operated by the Jasper SkyTram. It's a good spot for breakfast, lunch, or possibly an early dinner—depending on the season—as casual Canadian-style sandwiches, burgers, wraps, soups, and salads are served with beer, wine, coolers and soft drinks.

This bustling Cantonese restaurant is best known for its excellent dim sum (served 10:30 to 3 weekdays and 10 to 3 weekends), which ranges from traditional handmade dumplings to some adventurous fare. Dinner specialties include roasted squab marinated in the restaurant's secret spice blend and king crab plucked live from the tanks, then steamed with garlic. If you can, come with a group, so you can sample more dishes. There's an additional location in Richmond.

If you want a taste of Australian café culture, this is the place, with six types of coffee, a variety of organic teas, kombucha, and healthy smoothies. The food menu includes breakfast sandwiches and bowls, sausage rolls, apple-cider loaf, and other nibbles. The view is lovely from the sunny second-floor terrace.

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.

The aroma of freshly made waffle cones makes it hard to walk on by this little store selling delicious homemade ice cream and fudge. 

At this intimate, 15-table, downtown dining room, chef Jason Munn's menus change regularly but always feature entrées made with fresh Alberta bison, Angus beef, and British Columbian seafood and creative sides like handmade potato gnocchi or white-cheddar poutine. The restaurant's name is inspired by the Syrah (Shiraz) grape varietal, so you'll find a nice selection of wines (as well as craft beers) to pair with your meal. The menu also has many gluten-free options—and at least one vegetarian entree nightly—and everything is made in house, from the biscuits and infused butter that start the meal to the desserts that finish it. On that note, save room for the wonderful white-chocolate goat-cheese cake. Reservations are essential, but there is bar seating if you just want just a glass of wine or a light meal.

White tablecloth service and an up-close-and-personal view of the rushing Horseshoe Falls rapids amount to a stunning dining experience. Prix-fixe dinners are recommended to take advantage of the hearty seasonal menus.

This modest restaurant with a colorful atmosphere—ornamental parrots rule in the dining room—is a slice of home for the former Guatemalan refugees, now proud Canadian citizens, who run it as a worker's co-op. On a menu that ranges from vegetarian quesadillas to Tequila Cactus Pork to Paella, Guatemalan, Mexican, and Spanish recipes are authentically seasoned with garlic, mint, coriander, and cilantro; the pepian (beef stew) and the garlic shrimp are standout options.

Heading to the beach? Follow the surfers to this orange catering truck at Outside Break, a cluster of driftwood- and cedar-sided shops just south of town. Dubbed “slow food fast,” the quick, cheap, and wholesome eats here include burritos, gringas (flour tortillas stuffed with meat or beans), and Baja-style fish tacos. Everything, including the salsa, is made from scratch. This is the original; there are now outposts in Vancouver and Victoria. Open until 6 pm.

Head here for refreshing made-to-order lemonade and small-batch locally made ice cream. Yes, the owner Tom is very tall!

Located on the third floor of Grizzly Paw Brewery, this restaurant embraces craft beer culture with a seasonally inspired menu that pairs well with the beers made at the brewery. Each dish has a suggested pairing and the menu includes salads, a wide array of pub-style starters, oven-fired flatbreads, burgers, steaks, pasta, and other dishes. If beer's not your thing, wine, spirits, cider, and craft cocktails are also on the menu. The brewery is also known for its non-alcoholic craft soda and can prepare a flight of sodas instead of a flight of beer. If you sit near the window, you'll enjoy views of the Three Sisters, Ha Ling Peak, and Mount Rundle from the restaurant and the outdoor patio.

Chef-owner Danno Lee has re-created the fun and flavors of a Spanish tapas bar in this little pedestrian-only lane off Government Street. Small, flavorful dishes run from simple-but-tasty grilled vegetables to prawns in white wine, spicy mussels, thin-crust pizzas, pastas and a multitude of vegetarian options. One specialty is the Pollo Armanda: charbroiled boneless chicken with artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, lemon, and white wine. Almond-stuffed dates are a particular hit. Rich colors and lively artwork create a casual interior; the patio is a choice spot. Just need a snack? Tapas are served all afternoon and late into the evening. A wine bar next door is run by the same owners.

Bringing tapas uptown, this Spanish-inspired eatery is a chic yet casual place to drink imported wines and share a few small plates. The Tapeo version of the classic patatas bravas served with a spicy tomato sauce and aioli is always a good choice, as are the roasted vine tomatoes and the grilled chorizo. For an unforgettable meal, book the chef's table in the open kitchen, where you can watch the action and get special attention.

The gourmet hard ice creams and milk shakes made by this ice-cream shop are heavenly whether you opt for dreamy strawberry or vanilla, or go with a more adventurous flavor. Expect long lines in the summer, but from the first lick you'll know it was worth the wait. 

Toronto's longest-running indigenous restaurant puts staples like bison, fry bread, and arctic char front and center. If you want to get a sense of what indigenous Canadian food can be, this is a great place to start. It's a cozy, casual spot with little atmosphere but great food.

Afternoon teas (C$54), with fresh-baked scones and cream, mini-quiches, cucumber sandwiches, and seasonal treats featuring produce from the garden, are served in the living room of the Abkhazi Garden. Late-morning snacks (called "elevenses") and light lunches are also available at this romantic garden setting.

The former officers' mess at Ferguson Point in Stanley Park is a prime location for water views by day, and for watching sunsets at dusk. The Pacific Northwest menu is not especially innovative, but its broad appeal will please those looking for local fish, rack of lamb, steaks, and a host of other options, including gluten-free pasta. Various tasting boards—charcuterie, cheese, seafood, and vegetarian options—make for good grazing in the afternoon. In summer you can dine on the patio.

A local favorite for high dining, the elegant Teatro is in an old bank building on Olympic Plaza, where classical features blend with contemporary decor to create an exquisite setting for fine Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. Specialties include numerous antipasti, pizzas from a wood-burning oven, pastas, and risottos---try the lobster and scallop lasagna. Teatro’s wine cellar is in the former bank vault, which houses 10,000 bottles of the very best Bordeaux and Italian red wines.

Named after a 10-foot replica of the 1930s comic character, which you’ll meet on the way to the washroom, this fresh veggie-centric eatery offers family-style dining in an airy space enhanced by lush green plants. This is not your average salad shop as Chef Steve Smee’s talents in the kitchen have earned Ten Foot Henry’s a spot as one of the top 50 restaurants in Canada. Sit in front of the open kitchen and try the warmed tomatoes and herbs on sourdough toast and the vegetarian cacio e pepe pasta. Meat eaters can rest easy, as the menu includes numerous seafood options and, yes, a steak.

Open shelving lined with Italian provisions decorates this cool pizza joint, but it's the thin-crust pies, bubbled and blistered to perfection, that keep diners coming back. The menu suits all pizza lovers—from the simple Margherita to extravagant options like the Bruma, a white pizza with pancetta, egg, and black truffles. Daily pasta specials can be hit or miss, but desserts—like a warm, oozing round of flourless chocolate cake—are universally delicious.