skip to Main Content
The Menu

Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants 2020

BY RANK

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

2. St. Lawrence

Cailles en sarcophage isn’t always on the menu at Jean-Christophe Poirier’s cozy, open-kitchen tribute to…

Joe Beef Interior

3. Joe Beef

Joe Beef is on the wagon, but its personality remains oversized and intoxicating. The humble,…

Langdon Hall - Red Fruits

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…

Giulietta Interior

8. Giulietta

It’s been two years since Top Chef Canada runner-up Rob Rossi partnered with David Minicucci…

Edulis Food

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…

NEXT
Buca - Medaglioni DoppI

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…

Shokunin - Shiitake Yakitori

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…

Le Mousso Decor

16. Le Mousso

The decor is spare, verging on austere. The floor is cold stone, and the walls…

The Restaurant At Pearl Morissette Food

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…

Hawksworth

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,…

PREVIOUS NEXT

21. Mon Lapin

Mon Lapin (“my rabbit”) is a cheeky French term of affection, and the rabbit theme…

Pastel - Halibut And Asparagus

22. Pastel

Pastel was undeniably conceived as a restaurant made for the Instagram age, offering intricate and…

Le Vin Papillon

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…

Inn At Bay Fortune - Taco Pit Station

31. The Inn at Bay Fortune

It’s every bit as spectacular as its name. FireWorks Feast is part performance, lecture and…

PREVIOUS NEXT

32. Atelier

Atelier has bucked trends since opening in 2008. At a time when so many other…

La Quercia - Dungeness Crab, Tomato, Basil

33. La Quercia

Simple but canonical Italian is La Quercia’s soul: dishes authentic, gracefully executed and memorable enough…

Mallard Cottage Dining

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…

PREVIOUS NEXT

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…

PREVIOUS NEXT
Back To Top
Close search
Search