1031 Best Restaurants in Canada

Just off King Street, this swanky restaurant with abstract industrial brass tube lighting, wood floors, and subdued teal banquettes offers a delightful French-themed menu. Start with fried artichokes or roasted mushrooms for the table; add a serving of buttery roasted scallops or a smoke-saturated blackened trout; and pair with a bottle of white wine from their extensive French, Italian, and Californian wine list.

This aptly named restaurant has an enormous glass-enclosed patio overlooking Maligne Lake, the largest lake in Jasper National Park. Locally sourced gourmet cuisine like the Alberta beef burger or the soy-marinated bison short ribs complement the breathtaking views; save room for the Banoffee tart. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free menu items are clearly marked and there's a reasonably priced kids menu.  Meals are complimented with a good selection of local craft beers, craft cocktails, and Canadian wines. You can also purchase packages that include the Maligne Lake cruise.

If you think that Oak Bay is all British tweeds and shepherd's pies, pull up a stool at the long, polished-wood bar in this thoroughly modern storefront bistro. The imaginative small-plates menu emphasizes fresh, local ingredients and regional purveyors in a long menu of charcuterie selections as well as updated comfort foods like braised short rib and onion tortiere, Parmesan frites, mouthwatering soups such as Dungeness crab bisque, and salads. The beers are mostly locally crafted and the wines—from BC and farther afield—come in 1-, 5-, or 8-ounce pours, making it easy to pair different wines with the various tapas. You might top off your meal with a small something-sweet: macarons or a selection of bite-size chocolate treats.

This is the place to start your day with a sweet or savory treat or to reward yourself after a day of hiking or paddling near Maligne Lake. You'll find everything from classic cinnamon sugar waffles to smoked salmon waffles, and there's a good coffee and tea menu.

For something fun and a little different, try this restaurant's three-course Château Experience, consisting of a mushroom-and-shallot cheese fondue to start, an 8-ounce beef tenderloin with farm vegetables and whipped potatoes for the main course, and chocolate fondue with banana bread and fresh fruit for dessert. If fondue isn't for you, other classic Swiss, German, and alpine dishes are served à la carte. The comprehensive wine list roams the globe but favors vintages from Canada and California.

The Walrus brings life, and a hodgepodge of quirks, to the typically buttoned-up Financial District, giving young cubicle tycoons a space to blow off steam amid loud music, funky lighting, and stone-sculpted bar tables. Health-oriented gluten-free options like quinoa bowls topped with buttery grilled avocado even out the surf, turf, and Asian fusion--styled menu.

The kind of laid-back place every neighborhood should have, this bistro and wine bar concentrates on small—and larger—plates paired with local wines. Appetizers range from wagyu tartare to grilled broccoli and broccolini salad. If you're in the mood for something heartier, you might try the duck breast with ricotta gnocchi or the tender flat iron steak.

This charming little coffee shop in downtown Penticton, named after the owners' grandparents, serves everything from your standard cup of java to smoothies, breakfast sandwiches, healthy veggie-packed bowls, and more. The perfect spot for a morning cup of coffee to-go, a quick afternoon bite, or a longer day of catching up on emails or reading a book.

Considered by many locals to serve the best coffee in the city, this is an excellent spot to grab a cortado, espresso, or flat white to go—there are only a few stools to sit on in the window. 

This local hangout sells specialty fizzy drinks; guests choose their favorite soda and add flavored syrups. Hot dogs, cookies, ice cream, frozen yogurt, milkshakes, ice cream floats, and seasoned popcorn are also on the menu.

Toronto's oldest bar, established in 1849, has upscaled its traditional sports bar menu to gastronomic proportions. Grab a patio perch in warmer months to take the pulse of the bustling King and Bathurst, while dining on offerings like XL-sized marinara meatballs, thick and crispy battered fish-and-chips with requisite mushy peas, or a juicy prime-rib sando washed down with a local beer. The evening cocktail game mimics the revamped food options, with suggestions for both classics and playful modern twists. 

There's a fantastic view from this chef-owned waterfront spot, especially if you choose to sit out on the deck, and the food is attractively presented, too, featuring plenty of the bounty from the ocean—think seared scallop and lobster risotto, an amazing seafood tasting board, or seafood and chorizo pasta—but plenty of land-based dishes and interesting vegetarian options. 

Everything, including the jam, is homemade with exceptional creativity for the Scottish-style teas served in the White Heather Tea Room, a lovely place with big windows. Go for the gusto with its Signature Muckle (C$60). Teas are served from 10 am to 3 pm, Thursday through Sunday. Gluten-free selections are available as are take-out boxed teas.

This fun, lively counter-service joint serves up Southern California–style Mexican street food like burritos and tacos. It's more than the average fast-food joint, though, and patrons like to linger with friends over beers.

A trip to Wild Blue is a real treat. The fine-dining restaurant's speciality is sustainable seafood dishes, alongside an extensive wine and cocktail list. Appetizer options include oysters, caviar and chilled seafood towers. As for the entree menu, look for the sablefish with turnip, radish, sesame crisp and roasted fish bone sauce or the halibut T-bone with porcini spice, morel mushrooms, and onion brodo.

At breakfast, enjoy a regular coffee or espresso, hot chocolate, or tea from the local Banff Tea Company with your breakfast panini, toast, or house-made granola. Lunchtime soups, sandwiches, and salads are often innovative; consider trying the buddha bowls with fresh veggies, falafel, quinoa, and tangy tahini lemon dressing. Kale salad with fresh apples and toasted nuts is a typical vegan offering.

This bright and friendly locals' favorite serves up the freshest local, seasonal ingredients in a range of seafood classics ranging from seared scallops and fish and chips to upscale delights like confit duck. The menu changes often, but always hits the mark. Located in Tusket, outside of Yarmouth, this place feels like a true hidden gem. Save room for one of their delicious desserts. 

Just steps away from the popular Tacofino truck is another take-out shack, Wildside Grill, where a commercial fisherman and a chef have joined forces to keep Tofitians and visitors supplied with straight-from-the-dock, panko-crusted fish-and-chips, plus juicy fish and beef burgers. Gather a beach picnic, or enjoy a meal under the shade of Wildside's driftwood gazebo. Advance orders are taken by phone. Open until 9 pm.

Focusing on fresh, local seafood, this superb restaurant housed in a small, family-run B&B offers an intimate dining experience just steps from the ocean. Opt for rich, seafood-packed pastas such as lobster mac and cheese, a perfectly cooked steak au poivre, or amazing chowder, but be sure to save room for dessert.

The chef is a baker-turned-butcher, so the resulting menu is laden with freshly baked breads like caraway sourdough, house-cranked sausages, and deliciously seasoned tender cuts that all exude the island's "eat local" lore. Selections change weekly. Most dishes are smaller, tapas-style options like oysters, beef tartare, pork belly, and octopus stew, alongside a duo of lamb and sesame-crusted albacore tuna, as well as the "Can't Decide" multi-plate chef's adventure for your taste buds (C$79). Simple veggies take on new grace, as in roasted carrots with ginger yogurt, walnuts, and raisins. The setting is a cozy, laid-back oasis in the heart of tourist-central. Choose to sit at the bar, an intimate corner table, or in the summer, a table in the inner outdoor-courtyard. A gourmet munchies menu runs 11 pm to 1 am making it an ideal post-concert hangout.

This little coffee shop is attached to the Waterton Lakes Opera House and is a great spot to grab a nibble and re-caffeinate. Excellent breakfast sandwiches, bagels, and hearty lunch sandwiches can be picked up before heading out on a hike. A wide variety of coffees---from your basic cup of joe to fancy options like caramel macchiato and Vietnamese---are on offer. There are also a variety of teas, cold drinks, baked goods, and snacks on the menu.

This upscale steak house has long been a Moncton favorite, offering a memorable, pampering dining experience without being stuffy. Menus feature seasonal ingredients from land and sea, and some vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers come from the hotel's roof garden, which also supplies honey from its working beehives.

This fun, funky spot attracts health-conscious diners with its macrobiotic and organic food, locally brewed beer and wines, and fair-trade coffee. Aside from being good for you, though, the food here is also just plain good. Menu mainstays (the lentil burger, grass-fed braised beef, and line-caught haddock) are bound to win over skeptics. There's a second branch in Dartmouth.

Opened in 1997, World Food Market is a local landmark that operates 365 days a year. With more than 17 food vendors, this outdoor market offers a chance to experience the cultural diversity Toronto is known for—all at an affordable price. From the Caribbean to Nepal, India to Lebanon, and beyond, visitors can take a global culinary tour. Fresh food is served daily and enjoyed on a covered, heated patio. Reflecting the city’s inclusive spirit, all vendors are halal, with menus free of pork and alcohol.

You don't need to wait around until Oktoberfest to drink great German beer and indulge in delicious bratwurst; just walk into WVRST, a modern beer hall on King West. Choose amid the selection of sausages, from the traditional pork to vegetarian, or get a little wild with selections such as pheasant, duck, or bison.

With only 20 seats, this colorful family-run neighborhood spot showcases the delicious nuances of classic Mexican cuisine. Dishes here are rich in flavor and composed with care, from duck confit and grilled octopus to a mole that's been slow-simmered over eight hours.

The substantial lunches and dinners served at this merry, low-key pub are a hit with locals who appreciate the good homemade fare, including the always excellent apple crisp. Diners sometimes spill out of the 1884 brick building and onto the patio, which is adjacent to a square where the farmers' market takes place. In a town short on nightlife, it's also a good place for postdinner lounging, with occasional live music and DJ nights.

This award-winning restaurant offers creative riffs on bistro favorites in a bright, airy space. Breakfast is served every day, with an excellent brunch buffet on the weekend, and you won’t regret the chef’s five-course dinner special.