315 Best Restaurants in Canada

This cozy cafe set up to look like a farmhouse is famous for gooey caramel sticky buns, crusty sourdough wheels and to-die-for breakfast sandwiches using locally sourced grains and produce grown on the farm of their international powerhouse of a big brother, Restaurant Pearl Morissette. The wraparound patio on Jordan Station's Main Street makes for perfect people-watching.

Locally run 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters sources and roasts their own coffees, which they feature at their flagship café on Main Street. It's always packed with neighborhood residents and shoppers enjoying the top-notch brews and the house-made Lucky's Doughnuts, which come in flavors from simple vanilla-glazed to salted caramel to decadent triple chocolate. Centered on a wood-framed counter, this large airy space has walls of windows on two sides. Its three other locations help keep the rest of the city caffeinated.

This hip new eatery serves up outstanding sandwiches and baked goods—but only from until 3 pm on weekdays.

Granville Island has several coffee places, but only the Blue Parrot provides sweeping views of False Creek. If you haven't eaten your fill elsewhere in the market, accompany your espresso with a sticky hot strudel or gooey cinnamon bun. Early birds, take note: you can perch at the Parrot starting at 7 am, before the rest of the market stalls open. There's a second location at Hillcrest Centre, near Queen Elizabeth Park.

Located along the Songhees Westsong Walkway, adjacent to the new Victoria International Marina, the views match the food at this waterfront restaurant. Its bakery-café offers sweet and savory treats for walkers and coffee aficionados, and the restaurant menu is a combination of charcuterie boards and terrines for sharing, wood-fired-oven pizzas, raw options like scallop with pickled beet citrus vinaigrette, marinated octopus and ceviches, as well as pastas and imaginative takes on classics such as duck Bolognese. The entire space is bold and modern with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Inner Harbour from an outer harbor vantage—provided there isn't a multimillion-dollar yacht in the sightline. Late night munchies? This is the spot. Picnicking? Then order a Boom Box (for delivery or pick up) filled with culinary delights.

The mastermind behind this photogenic bakery had been making bread for Montréal's best restaurants for years before he decided to open up his own place. His own shop is a favorite with locals, who line up every weekend for fresh baguettes. In addition to serving a delicious rye-and-caraway-seed loaf and chocolate babka, Hof Kelsten also makes sandwiches—like homemade gravlax with seasoned cream cheese or chopped liver with crispy onions—that make for an excellent lunch or early evening meal (the shop closes at 5). The bakery serves brunch on weekends.

Since 2002, the popular bakery has taken pride in making its products from scratch, using locally sourced, high-quality ingredients and no added preservatives. If the smell of freshly baked bread and buttery croissants doesn’t lure you into this charming spot, the decadent sweets on display—such as cinnamon buns, butter tarts, or scones—certainly will. For heartier appetites, options include pulled pork and vegetarian sandwiches, as well as steak-and-stout pie.

Heavenly is a word that describes this new bakery, from the aroma that hits you when you enter to the perfectly prepared and freshly baked treats that you'll find it hard to choose between. 

Ranked one of the world's best cafés by the United Kingdom's Telegraph, this unpretentious 1970s-style café is popular with locals for Italian pastries like cannoli and pistachio bomboloni and, of course, great espresso made from a secret blend of six different coffee beans. It's also a good place to get a feel for authentic Montréal. Families and suits alike head to Café Olimpico in the morning to kick-start their day, and the patio is overflowing with hipsters on sunny days. Baristas here know their craft, and the grinding of the espresso machine is a welcome melody to serious coffee drinkers.

Expect the usual crowd of students, freelancers, and others toting laptops at this third-wave café that has thoughtfully selected beans roasted on-site. Even so, the contemporary, all-white café is a welcome respite from the cold in wintertime—and the doughnuts alone are worth a visit.

Step inside Caffettiera and you just might be convinced you've entered an Italian café circa 1994. Here in this faux-wood-paneled space with its stand-up espresso bar, beige and blue banquettes, and block-color formica tabletops, you're likely to hear native Italians speaking together—just like in Italy. You'll drink flavorful coffee made from arabica coffee beans that are sourced from 11 plantations, roasted in Rome by Fantini, and brewed from Vittorio Arduini Lever machines and classic aluminum Bialettis. At the bar, you'll choose from an assortment of panini and Italian dolci (desserts) such as brioches, crostate (jam tarts with a lattice pastry top), cornetti (croissants), 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, Vecchia Romagna, and Amaro Nonino behind the bar. There's no detail Italian Canadian owner Andreas Vecchio, an Italian bar aficionado with a strong sense of nostalgia for the 1990s, 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.

This large, bright coffee shop in a beautiful historic building is a great place to sit and chill with a perfect cappuccino or latte and enjoy a cinnamon bun. This hugely popular and successful social enterprise supports a local men's shelter. 

Specializing in superb breakfasts and upscale comfort foods for lunch, this fun and quirky spot is worth lining up for on weekends. 

Housed in a converted stone church complete with stained glass windows, Church Brewing produces tasty beers and has a fabulous menu of upscale pub grub with a farm-to-table focus. There's a huge patio out front that overlooks the hustle and bustle of Main Street, and there's often live music in the evenings and on the weekends. 

Undoubtedly the most strikingly beautiful café in Montréal, perhaps even in North America, Crew Collective and Café is housed inside a former 1920s-era bank that's fitted with 50-foot-high vaulted ceilings, intricate tiling, and bronze chandeliers. It's no wonder Forbes named it one of the five most beautiful coworking spaces in the world. The café doubles as a coworking space for Web start-ups, so it’s only fitting that patrons be able to order their coffee and nibbles directly online, in real time, without ever having to queue. Expect barista-approved brews, gourmet sandwiches, and an appetizing range of baked goods, including vegan, soy-free, and nut-free options. The café closes at 4 on weekdays and 5 on weekends. 

This fabulous bakery opens at 7:30 am for breakfast, great coffee, and tasty treats. Their sandwiches and soups are excellent, and stocking up on cookies and oatcakes to take with you is highly advised. At peak times there can be long lines, but it is worth the wait. 

It's rare for a coffee place to be a destination, but folks on the Avalon say this little coffee place with an ocean view is worth the drive. The brews are roasted in-house and served with fresh pies and pastries. The interior has a contemporary industrial feel with communal tables, and the rear deck overlooks the water.

These award-winning cakey brioche donuts are fried fresh in the wee hours of the morning, dipped, and then ready to fly off the shelves by the time the converted storefront opens at 8:30 am. From the milky London Fog with an Earl Grey glaze to mini salted-caramel Boston creme bombs, you just can't go wrong.

Located within the excellent Dunes Studio Gallery, this café has wood ceilings that soar above the indoor dining room and a deck overlooking the dunes and marshlands of Covehead Bay. Like the view, the food offered by chef Norman Day is amazing, showcasing local ingredients with an international twist and some inspired combinations. Your main at dinner, for example, might be halibut coated with banana bread crumbs, with a sweet curried apple cream sauce or chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, sautéed apples, and bacon, with a cranberry cream sauce. Lunches are no less inventive, and meals can be taken in the lounge or on a patio overlooking the vibrant gardens. Reservations are only accepted for dinner.

If you're a brunch lover, this is your place. You'll be hard-pressed to choose from items like the breaky roll made with thick-sliced bacon, tomato chutney, egg frittata, and potato rosti on a house-made brioche bun or the Yuzu avocado toast on house sourdough with special ingredients like roasted edamame and furikake (fish-flavored rice seasoning). It's also a great place to go for a coffee with your laptop.

This café/coffee shop/restaurant in a beautifully restored old building makes a great spot to grab coffee and a tasty baked treat or stay late on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night for dinner. Their menu celebrates seasonal and local produce and offers everything from brisket tacos and burgers to pork belly and seared salmon. 

If the weather's fine, head for this seafood stand on the seawall, overlooking the docks beside Granville Island. The menu is short—highlights include fish-and-chips, grilled salmon or tuna sandwiches, and fish tacos—but the quality is first-rate. It's hugely popular, and on sunny summer days the waits can be maddening both to order and to wait on its cooked-to-order delivery. So try to avoid the busiest times: noon to 2 pm and 5 pm to closing (usually around 7). Because there are just a few outdoor tables, be prepared to take your food to go.

Enjoy your coffee and a light meal on the deck while enjoying the view of the waters of Humber Arm. The rotating lunch menu offers comfort food options like soups and paninis. The freshly baked scones are not to be missed.

This small, on-trend restaurant and bar serves a seafood-heavy Spanish-inspired menu and delicious cocktails. There's a selection of oysters on ice, as well as other chilled and cured seafood and meats, classic Spanish tapas, and bar snacks that make for a perfect evening of grazing, but also a menu of hearty pasta and meat dishes should you require something more robust. 

Initially known for having the best ice cream around, this fun spot expanded into serving excellent sushi and Korean dishes. It has become an appealing option for lunch or dinner as well as dessert. 

The huge windows framing the Twenty Valley conservation area are reason enough to dine at this restaurant, regarded as one of the best around Toronto, on Jordan's boutique-lined Main Street. Regional specialties and local and organic produce are emphasized on a seasonal menu that has included Wellington County boneless rib-eye steak served with mushroom-and-onion fricassee and blue cheese butter. The dining room, reminiscent of the French and Italian countryside, is lovely, with a soaring ceiling, whitewashed beams, and a view of the gardens. Cave Spring Cellars, which has a shop next door, provides many of the wines.

The pleasures of this lively restaurant begin with a stroll past the meticulously kept organic garden. The dinner menu has many seafood options as well as wild game dishes and vegan and vegetarian selections. The wines are well chosen and reasonably priced. The restaurant also doubles as a gallery with works by Atlantic Canadian artists (all for sale). 

This iconic Montréal bistro hasn’t changed much since its opening in 1980, and it’s just as well—regulars would throw a fit if it did. Quintessential French fare is fairly priced and appetizing, outstanding even, with dishes like steak tartare with fries, salmon with sorrel, and calf's liver with tarragon. Tiny tables sometimes struggle to accommodate the ever-present crowds (including local chefs, who congregate here for dinner after hours), but the lively atmosphere is part of the charm. Kids are warmly welcomed.

Québec is notorious for poutine—French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy—and La Banquise has been the place for an authentic experience since 1968 with an extensive menu featuring 31 varieties. Neophytes might want to stick with La Classique, but mouthwatering novelties like La Taquise (guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes), L'Obélix (smoked meat), La Veggie Reggie (pickles, tomatoes, creamy coleslaw, and Banquise sauce), and La Véganomane (vegan sauce and cheese) are quite alluring. On the odd sunny day, have your poutine to go and enjoy it alfresco in nearby Parc Lafontaine.

La Boîte à Pain makes it a point of honor to serve fresh products prepared on site every day. In a convivial atmosphere, this European-inspired bakery has been making gourmet and artisanal products for more than 20 years. Breads, pizzas, sandwiches, pastries, and cakes are displayed on the large counter and are nothing short of convincing, if not plainly irresistible.