860 THE QUEENSWAY, TORONTO, ONTARIO SUSHIKAJI.COM 416-252-2166 Every rule has its exceptions, and when it comes to that old restaurant saw “location, location, location” this Japanese food-lovers haven comes readily to mind. Mitsuhiro Kaji has thrived quietly on this grim…
ONE BENVENUTO PLACE, TORONTO, ONTARIO SCARAMOUCHERESTAURANT.COM 416-961-8011 In Toronto restaurant terms, this one is a senior citizen—and come evening you see plenty of those here, many of them wheeled down from apartments upstairs in the Benvenuto. But you also see…
81 HARBORD STREET, TORONTO, ONTARIO YASU-SUSHIBAR.COM 416-477-2361 Sushi enthusiasts with a serious taste for refinement have been waiting for a place like this for a long time: A small sushi bar focussed on nothing but sushi. Where the fish is…
190 UNIVERSITY AVENUE, THIRD FLOOR, TORONTO, ONTARIO SHOTO.MOMOFUKU.COM 647-253-8000 In 2012, Momofuku Toronto opened with three restaurants, (Noodle Bar, Daishō, Shōtō), one bar, (Nikai), and Milk Bar. They are collectively housed in a grand glass complex tucked behind a massive…
75 PORTLAND STREET, TORONTO, ONTARIO BARBUCA.COM 416-599-2822 Only Buca Executive Chef Rob Gentile would notice that the Toronto food scene had a major gap to fill in the form of a small Italian bar that had no pizza or pasta—but…
66 WELLINGTON STREET WEST, 54TH FLOOR TD BANK TOWER, TORONTO, ONTARIO OLIVERBONACINI.COM/CANOE.ASPX 416-364-0054
180 QUEEN STREET WEST, TORONTO, ONTARIO NOTABENERESTAURANT.COM 416-977-6400 The year of 2015—on which this ranking is based—was one of transition for nota bene. For early that year chef-patron David Lee bought out his longtime business partners to run his own…
60 YORKVILLE AVENUE, TORONTO, ONTARIO CAFEBOULUD.COM 416-963-6000 Few restaurants anywhere in the country have ever undergone a relaunch quite so successfully as did this one last year. The new look from London-based design superstar restaurant designer Martin Brudnizki (The Ivy,…
503 COLLEGE STREET, TORONTO, ONTARIO DAILOTO.COM 647-341-8882 Chef Nick Liu and his business partner, front of house manager and sommelier Anton Potvin, have invested impressive scads of cash and a lot of great taste in their new restaurant. A busy,…
604 KING STREET WEST, TORONTO, ONTARIO BUCA.CA/KING 416-865-1600 No Italian restaurant of recent memory has come close to matching the culinary impact of this original Buca, named for the former boiler room it now occupies. When it opened in 2009…
797 COLLEGE STREET, TORONTO, ONTARIO BARISABEL.COM 416-532-2222 This happening restaurant on the western end of the College Street strip has its bar up front, and a small, noisy nest of a dining room at the rear. It looks like a…
505 COLLEGE STREET, TORONTO, ONTARIO THISISBARRAVAL.COM A visit to this standing room-only Spanish-themed bar is an education. It is a study first in how an inspired, smart design firm (Partisans) and a good batch of African mahogany can transform an…