Presenting the 100 Best Restaurants in Canada 2020
The ranking that we publish each spring begins with a poll of our judges, who are asked to rank their top 10 dining experiences of the previous year.
They are based all across the country, distributed across our regions according to population. But every year we fine-tune the balance and also bring new voices onboard. If you’d like to be a judge for 2021, please see page 110 of the magazine for details of our new contest.
This year we increased the size of the national panel to 103. That’s two more than last year, and—what with turnover—that includes 22 expert voices that are new to us. Among those we are especially pleased to welcome Sarah Musgrave, Peter Hum, Pay Chen and Pierre Jury in the food writer category, along with blogger Elise Tastet and, from Top Chef Canada, Mijune Pak. Likewise, Jessica Noël and Nathan Guggenheimer to our chefs’ panel. And to count Zita Cobb among our hoteliers.
Our data gathering also took a leap forward last year. The C100B survey is now conducted using SurveyMonkey, its data exported into Excel, which generates infallible results instantly. (Much as I’d love to take credit for this, it’s all due to one of my oldest, closest friends, David Jones, a 30-year veteran of Microsoft. Thanks again, David.)
We’ve presented our results differently this year, de-emphasizing ranking and reviews to allow space for a closer look at what our restaurants are doing during the Covid crisis, in their battle to survive. From all of us at Canada’s 100 Best, congratulations on making the list. We miss you, wish you the best, and—be assured—are desperately impatient to be your customers again.
View the 100 Best Restaurants by region.
LISTINGS BY RANK
1. Alo
A modern, elegant, softly lit culinary oasis tucked away on the third floor of a…
2. St. Lawrence
Cailles en sarcophage isn’t always on the menu at Jean-Christophe Poirier’s cozy, open-kitchen tribute to…
3. Joe Beef
Joe Beef is on the wagon, but its personality remains oversized and intoxicating. The humble,…
4. Langdon Hall
Seasonal, regional cooking doesn’t get much closer to the source than this. Many of the…
5. Raymonds
A stone’s throw from the landmark Cabot Tower on Signal Hill, Raymonds is connected to…
6. Toqué!
If you want to know the names of Quebec’s best suppliers of the moment, simply…
7. Montréal Plaza
Settle in here with a friend at a table or at the long, busy bar…
8. Giulietta
It’s been two years since Top Chef Canada runner-up Rob Rossi partnered with David Minicucci…
9. Edulis
Down a side street just off busy and hip King Street West lies Edulis, a…
10. Sushi Masaki Saito
Slip through the navy blue noren, pull open the grand wooden door, and you’ll find…
11. Buca Osteria & Bar
Chef Rob Gentile’s idea for this third iteration of Buca Osteria & Bar was to…
12. Kissa Tanto
Hidden away in a second-storey loft on the gritty side of Chinatown, this jazzy supper…
13. Bar Von Der Fels
The venue is tiny—just a handful of tables and seats along a strip of bar—and…
14. Shokunin
Culinary expertise and care with ingredients—not to mention his star turn on Netflix’s cooking competition…
15. Dreyfus
Barely a year old, this charming 30-seater in a converted townhouse on Harbord Street has…
16. Le Mousso
The decor is spare, verging on austere. The floor is cold stone, and the walls…
17. The Restaurant at Pearl Morissette
The Restaurant at Pearl Morissette’s thoughtful and inventive tasting menus keep hoisting the bar higher…
18. Skippa
In a residential neighbourhood in Toronto’s Harbord Village sits a modest Japanese restaurant with some…
19. Hawksworth
Hawksworth is the perfect spot for a posh business breakfast or casually elegant lunch or…
20. Bar Kismet
Bar Kismet is refined, relaxed and a little bit retro. Dark wood and white beadboard,…
21. Mon Lapin
Mon Lapin (“my rabbit”) is a cheeky French term of affection, and the rabbit theme…
22. Pastel
Pastel was undeniably conceived as a restaurant made for the Instagram age, offering intricate and…
23. Le Vin Papillon
When this wine bar opened seven years ago, its vegetable-focused cookery was a daring culinary…
24. Boulevard
For a coastal city, Vancouver’s lack of serious Western seafood restaurants (there is no shortage…
25. Beba
There is an affinity between Montreal and Buenos Aires. They are the two most European…
26. Riviera
Arguably the most stylish of Ottawa’s restaurants, Riviera is housed in a heritage bank building,…
28. Bar Isabel
Seven years in, Bar Isabel has made the transition from it girl to grand dame…
29. Alobar Yorkville
Alobar is located just off of Cumberland in a newly developed nook with slits of…
30. L’Express
To say that L’Express does not change much year to year is an understatement. You…
31. The Inn at Bay Fortune
It’s every bit as spectacular as its name. FireWorks Feast is part performance, lecture and…
32. Atelier
Atelier has bucked trends since opening in 2008. At a time when so many other…
33. La Quercia
Simple but canonical Italian is La Quercia’s soul: dishes authentic, gracefully executed and memorable enough…
34. Mallard Cottage
In the heart of Quidi Vidi Village, the historic fishing community in St. John’s, 300-yearold…
35. Bridgette Bar
This bar-restaurant hybrid plays up the exposed brick, wood beams and split-level layout with mid-century…
36. Don Alfonso 1890
Liberty Entertainment kingpin Nick Di Donato had long harboured a plan to deliver to Toronto…
37. Damas
Fuad Alnirabie’s big, beautiful space with colourful, modern decor to match the vibrant Syrian food,…
38. Chez St-Pierre
The village of Le Bic, perched on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River…
39. Botanist
Since bursting into bloom three years ago, the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s pretty-in-pink flagship restaurant has…
40. L’Abattoir
L’Abattoir was one of the first—and finest—restaurants to sprout up among the cobblestones of Vancouver’s…
41. Ten Foot Henry
In a city still closely associated with beef, the balanced flavours and strong execution of…
42. Monarque
This vast business district restaurant somehow feels comfortable and intimate, thanks to its 175 seats…
43. Dandylion
This modest 30-odd seat room’s decor of unfinished wood and brick is spare, the ever-changing…
44. Scaramouche
Scaramouche may be one of just a handful of “special occasion” restaurants left in Toronto.…
45. Moccione
Moccione created a welcome new niche in Montreal’s Italian dining scene when it opened at…
46. Canis – CLOSED
The beautiful presentation of sourdough, butter, ricotta and carrots sets the mood for the rest…
47. La Cabane PdC
Martin Picard’s sugar shack defines FOMO in Quebec—a decade in, it’s still a race to…
48. Arvi
Arvi shook up the local scene with some trendy recent ideas from afar. You don’t…
49. Le Petit Mousso
With the installation of a more casual counterpart next door to Le Mousso, Chef Antonin…
50. Bündok
The front of the restaurant has an airy feel, with soaring ceilings and a back…
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