Last night, all eyes were on Toronto for the unveiling of the Michelin Guide Toronto & Region’s 4th edition. The ceremony felt electric with the air inside the Liberty Grand buzzing with the kind of energy you only get when chefs, restaurateurs, and food lovers hold their breath waiting for those big announcements.
This year felt different: a new venue moving from HISTORY to Liberty Grand but, more importantly, the second year of Toronto & Region after the surprise inaugural expansion beyond Toronto last year.
It felt like our food scene was really growing up and branching out, with Michelin’s anonymous inspectors finally taking a road trip and recognizing that incredible food exists well beyond the city limits.
The biggest news of the night had everyone cheering. After achieving one star last year, a Niagara powerhouse made the leap to the top tier.
The new two-star king
After being crowned No. 1 in Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants earlier this year, Restaurant Pearl Morissette is officially the newest and only two-star restaurant in Toronto & Region. Co-chefs Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson have created a true destination in Jordan Station, where their seasonal tasting menu is a masterclass in French-inspired cooking that celebrates the absolute best of Canadian ingredients, many grown on their own 42-acre farm and following Green Star practices.
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A new star is born
Toronto welcomed a new star to the family. aKin is the newest one-star restaurant, where Chef Eric Chong, the first winner of MasterChef Canada, draws inspiration from across Asia for a modern tasting menu that reimagines traditional flavours with top-shelf Canadian ingredients.
The other one star restaurants
- Aburi Hana – Toronto
- Alo – Toronto
- DaNico – Toronto
- Don Alfonso 1890 – Toronto
- Edulis – Toronto
- Enigma Yorkville – Toronto
- Hexagon – Oakville
- Kaiseki Yu0zen Hashimoto – Toronto
- Kappo Sato – Toronto
- Osteria Giulia – Toronto
- Quetzal – Toronto
- Restaurant 20 Victoria – Toronto
- Shoushin – Toronto
- Sushi Masaki Saito – Toronto
- The Pine – Creemore
A bright green future
Michelin also shone a light on sustainability, awarding a new Green Star to a restaurant that truly lives and breathes its farm-to-table philosophy.
Sundays Restaurant in Uxbridge is the newest recipient of the prestigious Green Star, joining a very exclusive club in Ontario. From the people behind White Lily Diner in Toronto, another Green Star restaurant, farmer-chefs Ben Denham and Ashley Lloyd craft a creative and ever-changing menu with ingredients they grow on their nearby 10-acre organic farm, proving that sustainable practices can lead to seriously delicious food.
Your new affordable Bib Gourmand restaurants
The Bib Gourmand announcements are always one to look out for. These are the spots Michelin recognizes for offering amazing food at a great value, and this year’s list is packed with personality and flavour.
We were given six new Bibs for an affordable night out.
- In Oakville, 7 Enoteca serves authentic Italian dishes specializing in Neapolitan-style pizzas from a wood-burning oven that provides a bit of dinner theatre for guests.
- Barrel Heart Brewing in Dundas is a unique collaboration between a brewer and a chef, offering complex, oak-aged beers alongside a creative food menu in a restored historic post office.
- Proving their excellence on top of the Green Star, Sundays in Uxbridge also picked up a Bib Gourmand for its accessible and creative menu that brings the best of their farm directly to your plate.
- Back in Toronto, Mhel is an intimate spot from husband-and-wife team Hoon Ji and Min Yi, who serve a daily-changing menu of exquisite Korean-Japanese small plates that highlight seasonal ingredients.
- Formidable duo chefs Ricky Casipe and Olivia Simpson of Ricky & Olivia are having the most fun with food, creating playful and sophisticated farm-to-fork dishes inspired by nostalgic Millennial snacks and fast-food favourites.
- Finally, The Cottage Cheese in Kensington Market is where Chef Vikash Chhetri offers his modern “Urban Indian” cuisine, using local ingredients to put a fresh spin on the diverse regional flavours of India.
The other Bib Gourmand restaurants
- The Ace – Toronto
- Alma – Toronto
- Bar Raval – Toronto
- BB’s – Toronto
- Campechano – Toronto
- Cherry Street Bar-B-Que – Toronto
- Chica’s Chicken – Toronto
- Conejo Negro – Toronto
- Enoteca Sociale – Toronto
- Favorites Thai – Toronto
- Grey Gardens – Toronto
- Guru Lakshmi – Mississauga
- Indian Street Food Company – Toronto
- Puerto Bravo – Toronto
- R&D – Toronto
- Rasa – Toronto
- SumiLicious Smoked Meat & Deli – Toronto
- Sunnys Chinese – Toronto
- Tiflisi – Toronto
- White Lily Diner – Toronto
Your new recommended restaurants
- Arbequina – Toronto
- Linny’s – Toronto
- LSL – Toronto
- Odd Duck – Kitchener
- Okeya Kyujiro – Toronto
- Sammarco – Toronto
The other recommended restaurants
- Aanch – Toronto
- Actinolite – Toronto
- Adrak Yorkville – Toronto
- Alder – Toronto
- Alobar Yorkville – Toronto
- Aloette – Toronto
- Amal – Toronto
- Antler – Toronto
- Ardo – Toronto
- Azura – Toronto
- Bar Chica – Toronto
- Bar Goa – Toronto
- Bar Isabel – Toronto
- Bar Vendetta – Toronto
- CÀ PHÊ RANG – Toronto
- Canoe – Toronto
- Chunny’s Jamaican Kitchen – Toronto
- Dil Se – Toronto
- Down Home – Markdale
- Dreyfus – Toronto
- Famiglia Baldassarre – Toronto
- Fat Rabbit – St. Catharines
- FK – Toronto
- George – Toronto
- Gia – Toronto
- Giulietta – Toronto
- Henry’s – Toronto
- Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse – Toronto
- Kiin – Toronto
- Koh Lipe Thai Kitchen – Toronto
- La Banane – Toronto
- Langdon Hall – Cambridge
- Lucie – Toronto
- Madrina Bar y Tapas – Toronto
- Maha’s – Toronto
- Mama Fatma – Mississauga
- Mimi Chinese – Toronto
- Mother’s Dumplings – Toronto
- Musoshin Ramen – Toronto
- Northern Smokes – Toronto
- PAI – Toronto
- Parquet – Toronto
- Pho Thien Thanh – Toronto
- Prime Seafood Palace – Toronto
- Quatrefoil – Hamilton
- SARA – Toronto
- Scaramouche – Toronto
- Som Tum Jinde – Toronto
- Taline – Toronto
- Tamarind Modern Indian Bistro – Mississauga
- Trius Winery & Restaurant – Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Union – Toronto
- Vela – Toronto
- Viaggio – Toronto
- The Wood Owl – Toronto
- Yukashi – Toronto
- Zen – Toronto
As attendees left the ceremony, they couldn’t help but feel excited for what’s next. The guide is confirming what many of us already knew, that Southern Ontario is a sprawling, diverse, and absolutely delicious place to eat. A culinary destination!
Now, who’s up for a food trip?
