Guidebook for Toronto

Food Scene

Tim Hortons

Coffee/Breakfast

143 locals recommend

Tim Hortons

1500 O'Connor Dr

143 locals recommend

Coffee/Breakfast

The George Street Diner

Great for quick breakfast and brunch

67 locals recommend

The George Street Diner

129 George St

67 locals recommend

Great for quick breakfast and brunch

Starbucks

9 locals recommend

Starbucks

132 Front Street East

9 locals recommend

Starbucks

Fusaro's East

Great Pasta and Pizza

18 locals recommend

Fusaro's East

294 Richmond St E

18 locals recommend

Great Pasta and Pizza

St. Lawrence Market

1398 locals recommend

St. Lawrence Market

93 Front St E

1398 locals recommend

The Chase

The city’s flashiest seafood spot is The Chase, one of two restaurants in a refurbished 19th-century downtown office building. The ground floor is nice for a lunch of oysters (they typically have a dozen varieties on hand), garlicky snails on toast and an overflowing, buttery lobster roll with a side of house-made dill chips. The menu at the more formal upstairs restaurant, The Chase, includes sharing platters such as caviar and cured salmon, harissa-spiced grilled octopus and a whole halibut as big as the table, served with a brown butter sauce.

41 locals recommend

The Chase

10 Temperance St

41 locals recommend

The city’s flashiest seafood spot is The Chase, one of two restaurants in a refurbished 19th-century downtown office building. The ground floor is nice for a lunch of oysters (they typically have a dozen varieties on hand), garlicky snails on toast and an overflowing, buttery lobster roll with a side of house-made dill chips. The menu at the more formal upstairs restaurant, The Chase, includes sharing platters such as caviar and cured salmon, harissa-spiced grilled octopus and a whole halibut as big as the table, served with a brown butter sauce.

Miku Toronto

From the moment it debuted, Miku’s 180-seat dining room has been overrun—an advantage of being in the heart of the new office district south of the Gardiner. The kitchen is overseen by chef Kazuya Matsuoka, who also runs the company’s three B.C. locations, known for using sustainable fish and for popularizing aburi sushi. Miku’s kaiseki menu is a clever combination of random exotica. One night, its star course was a tiered plate of sushi: ocean trout with jalapeño and pink grapefruit, toro with funky black truffle, golden-eye snapper with a kumquat compote, and shima-aji (mackerel) with okra and dashi jelly.

64 locals recommend

Miku Toronto

10 Bay St.

64 locals recommend

From the moment it debuted, Miku’s 180-seat dining room has been overrun—an advantage of being in the heart of the new office district south of the Gardiner. The kitchen is overseen by chef Kazuya Matsuoka, who also runs the company’s three B.C. locations, known for using sustainable fish and for popularizing aburi sushi. Miku’s kaiseki menu is a clever combination of random exotica. One night, its star course was a tiered plate of sushi: ocean trout with jalapeño and pink grapefruit, toro with funky black truffle, golden-eye snapper with a kumquat compote, and shima-aji (mackerel) with okra and dashi jelly.

Canoe

On the 54th floor of the TD Centre, chef John Horne emphasizes Canoe’s Canadiana theme through provenance: creamy Thunder Oak gouda coats a wondrously rich soup of three-day-caramelized Holland Marsh onions and bone marrow; the gnocchi that accompany a buttery wedge of Great Lakes walleye are made of specially sourced potatoes from Alliston. Desserts can be overwrought, like a tribute to Niagara peaches in which the fruit is lost amid all the add-ons, including a pile of Pop Rocks. Servers are as polished as at any O&B restaurant, and are experts in the treasure-filled wine list.

131 locals recommend

Canoe

66 Wellington St W

131 locals recommend

On the 54th floor of the TD Centre, chef John Horne emphasizes Canoe’s Canadiana theme through provenance: creamy Thunder Oak gouda coats a wondrously rich soup of three-day-caramelized Holland Marsh onions and bone marrow; the gnocchi that accompany a buttery wedge of Great Lakes walleye are made of specially sourced potatoes from Alliston. Desserts can be overwrought, like a tribute to Niagara peaches in which the fruit is lost amid all the add-ons, including a pile of Pop Rocks. Servers are as polished as at any O&B restaurant, and are experts in the treasure-filled wine list.

Bymark

Mark McEwan’s plush downtown steak house is precisely calibrated to pamper the wolves of Bay Street. Highlights of the menu are the luscious Béarnaise-sauced lobster poutine and the selection of finely marbled beef, which includes a 32-ounce bone-in rib-eye, charred but pink within and oozing with buttery fat (suggested for two but easily shared by four, which makes the $138 price tag less of a shock).

8 locals recommend

Bymark

66 Wellington St W

8 locals recommend

Mark McEwan’s plush downtown steak house is precisely calibrated to pamper the wolves of Bay Street. Highlights of the menu are the luscious Béarnaise-sauced lobster poutine and the selection of finely marbled beef, which includes a 32-ounce bone-in rib-eye, charred but pink within and oozing with buttery fat (suggested for two but easily shared by four, which makes the $138 price tag less of a shock).

Biff's Bistro

The reboot of O&B’s iconic bistro is every bit as polished as its former self, luring back loyal clientele for power lunches and prix fixes. The vibe is a little less fusty, as new British touches blend with the place’s Parisian traditions: burgundy leather banquettes, black-and-white photos, and London-born bar snacks (rarebit, fish and chips) that offer casual alternatives to duck confit and steak frites. Chef Amanda Ray turns each dish into an artful assemblage of bright veggies, Canadian-raised proteins and surprising hits of flavour. A tiny pitcher of green gazpacho arrives with a plate of delicate smoked sturgeon, asparagus, cucumber ribbons and lemony buttermilk curd for what may be

7 locals recommend

Biff's Bistro

4 Front St E

7 locals recommend

The reboot of O&B’s iconic bistro is every bit as polished as its former self, luring back loyal clientele for power lunches and prix fixes. The vibe is a little less fusty, as new British touches blend with the place’s Parisian traditions: burgundy leather banquettes, black-and-white photos, and London-born bar snacks (rarebit, fish and chips) that offer casual alternatives to duck confit and steak frites. Chef Amanda Ray turns each dish into an artful assemblage of bright veggies, Canadian-raised proteins and surprising hits of flavour. A tiny pitcher of green gazpacho arrives with a plate of delicate smoked sturgeon, asparagus, cucumber ribbons and lemony buttermilk curd for what may be

Bosk

After a slow start that saw the Shangri-La’s flagship restaurant change chefs and directions, the current incarnation under Damon Campbell is one of the city’s best hotel restaurants. And with tasting menus starting at just $70, it’s also a relative bargain. Glistening pearls of Northern Divine caviar bejewel a savoury doughnut, and a duo of bison (seared loin, braised rib) unexpectedly and deliciously invokes Southeast Asia with peanut, chili and tamarind. A dish of Spanish mackerel with grilled octopus, fermented chili and tiny gnocchi is the perfect balance of refined and relaxed—much like the restaurant’s sharp servers. Desserts, like the warm bread pudding with huckleberry, are overwork

7 locals recommend

Bosk

188 University Ave

7 locals recommend

After a slow start that saw the Shangri-La’s flagship restaurant change chefs and directions, the current incarnation under Damon Campbell is one of the city’s best hotel restaurants. And with tasting menus starting at just $70, it’s also a relative bargain. Glistening pearls of Northern Divine caviar bejewel a savoury doughnut, and a duo of bison (seared loin, braised rib) unexpectedly and deliciously invokes Southeast Asia with peanut, chili and tamarind. A dish of Spanish mackerel with grilled octopus, fermented chili and tiny gnocchi is the perfect balance of refined and relaxed—much like the restaurant’s sharp servers. Desserts, like the warm bread pudding with huckleberry, are overwork

Planta Queen

This Queen West go-to for pre-ballet dinners and Wagyu steak lunches has gotten a subtle but vital refresh. A new light installation casts a cool, blue glow on couples in suits and statement jewellery (plus the odd group of high-rolling millennials in designer sneakers). David Lee’s retooled menu is still crowd-pleasing, but more 2016: a gin list rivals the wine offerings, sashimi plates have joined charcuterie boards, and vegetables share equal billing with foie gras. A round of eight-hour-roasted celeriac, for example, tinged with Thai basil and ringed with crema and stewed rhubarb, is just as satisfying as the crispy duck salad with its tangles of fish sauce–soaked green papaya, cucumber

33 locals recommend

Planta Queen

180 Queen St W

33 locals recommend

This Queen West go-to for pre-ballet dinners and Wagyu steak lunches has gotten a subtle but vital refresh. A new light installation casts a cool, blue glow on couples in suits and statement jewellery (plus the odd group of high-rolling millennials in designer sneakers). David Lee’s retooled menu is still crowd-pleasing, but more 2016: a gin list rivals the wine offerings, sashimi plates have joined charcuterie boards, and vegetables share equal billing with foie gras. A round of eight-hour-roasted celeriac, for example, tinged with Thai basil and ringed with crema and stewed rhubarb, is just as satisfying as the crispy duck salad with its tangles of fish sauce–soaked green papaya, cucumber

Richmond Station

Chef Carl Heinrich has created the perfect Financial District antidote: a snug room with chummy service, fancified farm-to-table food and not a crantini in sight. His smoked rainbow trout salad tastes like the world’s best Jewish brunch food. Grilled veal sirloin rests on buttery puréed celery root, accompanied by bright salsa verde and creamy roasted potatoes; accoutrements are magic, but the veal is overcooked.

58 locals recommend

Richmond Station

1 Richmond St W

58 locals recommend

Chef Carl Heinrich has created the perfect Financial District antidote: a snug room with chummy service, fancified farm-to-table food and not a crantini in sight. His smoked rainbow trout salad tastes like the world’s best Jewish brunch food. Grilled veal sirloin rests on buttery puréed celery root, accompanied by bright salsa verde and creamy roasted potatoes; accoutrements are magic, but the veal is overcooked.

Drake One Fifty

The downtown extension of the Drake Hotel is an updated Parisian brasserie, with leather banquettes, an elaborate pergola and an oval bar. The menu lists showy dishes plainly targeted at meat-loving financiers, like an extravagant 34-ounce côte de boeuf, intensely mineral from the long aging process, and a plate of deliciously oily B.C. sardines. The house wine, fittingly named Fat Banker, is pretty damn good.

31 locals recommend

Drake One Fifty

150 York St

31 locals recommend

The downtown extension of the Drake Hotel is an updated Parisian brasserie, with leather banquettes, an elaborate pergola and an oval bar. The menu lists showy dishes plainly targeted at meat-loving financiers, like an extravagant 34-ounce côte de boeuf, intensely mineral from the long aging process, and a plate of deliciously oily B.C. sardines. The house wine, fittingly named Fat Banker, is pretty damn good.