Top restaurants in Ontario's foodie destinations

Toronto

From Chinatown to Greektown, Little India to Little Italy and Kensington Market to St. Lawrence Market, Toronto is a multicultural city with a smorgasbord of flavours.

Restaurants in Toronto frequently feature in the top ten list of Canada’s 100 Best, the definitive guide to everything food-related from across the country. And with the first edition of the esteemed MICHELIN Guide in Toronto recently released, this city’s foodie scene just got even more exciting. 

A few suggestions to start off with are:

Alo

Alo is a sleek MICHELIN-starred, downtown French restaurant and cocktail bar with a refined tasting menu. From on-point décor to each carefully crafted dish and drink, this is a foodie’s must.

Location: 163 Spadina Avenue, Toronto

Giulietta

Located in Toronto’s much-loved Little Italy neighbourhood on College Street, Giulietta has a lot to celebrate. Top Chef Canada runner-up Rob Rossi’s simple and authentic Italian menu also ranked number five in En Route Magazine’s best new restaurants list.

Location: 972 College Street, Toronto

Buca

A member of the Buca family of upscale eateries, Buca Osteria & Bar made the cut for their signature coastal Italian cuisine. Tucked away in the Four Seasons Courtyard in the swanky Yorkville neighbourhood, this is a bucket-list spot for seafood lovers.

Location: 53 Scollard Street, Toronto

Edulis

This intimate bistro in the city’s Fashion District takes an unpretentious approach to upscale Canadian fare, using seasonal, wild and foraged ingredients to prepare five or seven-course chef’s tasting menus. 

It only takes one bite to see why the accolades keep pouring in, including a MICHELIN Guide star. 

Location: 169 Niagara Street, Toronto

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Discover more of the vast culinary landscape and hottest food, drink and nightlife spots at Destination Toronto.

There is a wide variety of stylish and inviting places to stay in downtown Toronto. Check out The Annex Hotel, Kimpton Saint George and Anndore House.

Also, the MICHELIN Guide to Toronto Hotels is a great resource to find the perfect place to stay while you sample the city’s best restaurants and food experiences.

Ottawa Region

Iconic charm, top national museums and abundant urban nature characterize Canada’s capital, as does its vibrant culinary scene. 

Get started with:

Stofa Restaurant

Delightful contemporary Canadian cuisine and a well curated wine list match the ambiance and service at this popular Wellington West eatery that’s both upscale and unpretentious.

Location: 1356 Wellington Street West, Ottawa

Social Restaurant + Lounge

Located in the heart of historic Byward Market downtown, this restaurant-meets-cocktail lounge is a great spot to discover innovative craft cocktails paired with a main, shared oysters or cheese board ‘sociables’.

Location: 537 Sussex Drive, Ottawa

Whalesbone Restaurant

Make your way to Whalesbone Restaurant on Elgin Street for some of the best oysters in town. And if you can’t get enough of shucking and exploring the city, enjoy the other locations in town.

Location: 231 Elgin Street, Ottawa

Beckta Dining & Wine

Along with sister restaurants Play and Gezellig, Beckta is one of Ottawa’s finest and most fashionable places for seasonal New Canadian fare and exceptional wine.

Location: 150 Elgin Street, Ottawa

Atelier

Another high-end Canadian eatery, Atelier invites you to sample the 12-course French fusion tasting menu, plated with eye-catching presentation.

Location: 540 Rochester Street, Ottawa

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From local brunch hangouts to favourite international cuisines, Ottawa Tourism showcases the best of the city’s food and drink highlights.

Ottawa has no shortage of great places to stay, but the hands-down best view is the sweeping cityscape from the rooftop Copper Spirits and Sights cocktail bar at the upscale Andaz Ottawa Byward Market.

Niagara Region

One of Canada’s finest winemaking regions is also a culinary hotspot where the complementary relationship between winemakers, sommeliers and chefs results in a spectacular taste of place.

Some not-to-miss spots are:

Restaurant Pearl Morissette

A sculptured red cardinal welcomes you to this arresting winery and restaurant off a back road outside the village of Jordan. While there’s no traditional tasting room, their acclaimed wines are paired in the restaurant, which also bucks tradition. In the absence of a menu, guests are treated to an ever-changing, blind-tasting, multi-course meal.

Reservations are required, and wine purchases need to be ordered online (you can arrange to pick up on site).

Location: 3953 Jordan Road, Jordan Station

The Winery Restaurant at Peller Estates

From the twinkling chandeliers above to the sweeping vineyard views, the setting at Peller Estates is magical, while the menu celebrity Chef Jason Parsons presents each season is out of this world.

For something extra special, check out the unique private dining options at sister property Trius Winery that include the winemaker’s lookout, the vineyard pavilion or, for groups of twelve and up, dine among the aging wine barrels in the Trius Red Barrel Cellar.

Location: 290 John Street East, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Treadwell Restaurant

Renowned for its farm-to-table philosophy, Treadwell Restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake has been setting the bar for fresh, creative, local and seasonally inspired culinary excellence since 2006.

Location: 114 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake

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Find more of the region’s best spots to eat and drink at Visit Niagara Canada.

Choose from well-appointed boutique properties like the Oban Inn, 124 on Queen Hotel & Spa, or The Charles Hotel.

Hamilton, Halton and Brant

Just an hour southwest of Toronto, Hamilton has become a culinary powerhouse and should be on every foodie’s radar. As Canada’s national newspaper The Globe & Mail put it, food is fueling Hamilton’s gentrification. 

Delicious dining options include:

Quatrefoil

One of the city’s finest dining experiences, Quatrefoil is located in Hamilton’s hamlet of Dundas. Cooking power couple Fraser Macfarlane and Georgia Mitropoulos create contemporary French-inspired fare in a handsomely restored heritage house that redefines date night.

Location: 16 Sydenham Street, Dundas

Born and Raised

Hamilton local Vittorio Colacitti is the driving force behind this aptly named eatery along James Street North’s restaurant row. Harking to his Italian roots, pasta and bread are crafted in-house, the olive oil comes direct from a family friend’s farm in Abruzzo, Italy, and the woodfired oven was transported from Bologna.

Location: 224 James Street North, Hamilton

The French

The French in downtown Hamilton is an elegant, cosmopolitan little eatery that delivers big on taste, both in flare and food. Located in a heritage building, the marble bar, open style kitchen, Parisian bistro-style patio and impeccable service add to the old-world ambiance.

Location: 37 King William Street, Hamilton

Rapscallion & Co.

From brunch to the late night menu, sharables is the name of the game at this downtown tapas bar and restaurant. Feed your food curiosity with multiple exciting sharable dishes or let the chef guide your group with the “true rapscallion experience”.

Location: 178 James Street North, Hamilton

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Tourism Hamilton will help you find great restaurants, eateries and food experiences for your foodie itinerary.

Accommodations in the city include a handful of comfortable chain hotels in the downtown core or venture just west of the city centre to Best Western Premier C Hotel by Carmen’s, Hamilton’s first boutique hotel. East of Hamilton, The Pearle Hotel and Spa is an upscale waterfront property in Burlington.

Stratford

Ontario’s revered thespian town (thanks to the Stratford Festival, North America’s largest Shakespearean theatre event) also pours endless creativity into (and out of) its kitchens. 

Bring your appetite to:

The Restaurant at the Bruce

Perfect for pre- or post-theatre, this luxury hotel invites you to enjoy formal dining in the restaurant or a more relaxed meal in the Lounge, with impeccable service.

Location: 89 Parkview Drive, Stratford

The Common

"Eat without borders" at this eclectic spot that will take you around the world with its cross-cultural fusion menu and back home with locally sourced ingredients.

Location: 80 Wellington Street, Stratford

Bijou Restaurant

Just a short walk from the Avon Theatre, Bijou is famous for its farm-to-table Blackboard Prix Fixe menu, shareable food flight platters and tasting menus.

Location: 74 Wellington Street, Stratford

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From foodie tours to more great spots to eat, plan your culinary adventure at Visit Stratford.

For places to stay in the area, consider The Bruce, a gorgeous boutique hotel as well as a purveyor of fine dining. For a different pace, you can eat, drink and stay the night at Mercer Kitchen Beer Hall Hotel.

Southwestern Ontario

As Ontario’s southernmost region, the southwest enjoys the longest harvest season, fertile soil, and naturally a strong farming culture.

Tap into the region’s rich rural roots at one of its many celebrated farm-to-table restaurants, such as:

SixThirtyNine

Tucked away on a side street in Woodstock, the ever-changing menu here is a celebration of local flavour. This gem is a credit to chef/owner Eric Boyar (in partnership with his mother, Pauline Bucek) who source ingredients from their own family farm.

Location: 639 Peel Street, Woodstock

Twisted Lemon Restaurant

Head to the village of Cayuga for a lively and eclectic dining experience. Seasonal cuisine, cooking classes and special events have been attracting ‘flavour junkies’ since 2009.

Location: 3 Norton Street West, Cayuga

Yaya's Kitchen

Set out on a culinary adventure of global Black experience through food. Yaya’s Kitchen explores a fusion of cultures and flavours, focusing on seasonality and local ingredients.

Yaya's Kitchen’s Sahel to Soul is a Southwest Ontario signature experience you won’t want to miss.

Location: 630 Dundas Street, London

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Sip, savour, taste and tour more in Ontario’s Southwest.

Elm Hurst Inn & Spa is centrally located in the town of Ingersoll. Or for an urban option, stay at London’s sleek Metro Hotel.

Prince Edward County

Picturesque, rural-chic and just a two-hour drive from Toronto, this quaint little piece of heaven has been attracting Ontario’s trendiest urbanites for years for its thriving cuisine culture, craft wineries, cideries, distilleries and breweries. 

See what all the buzz is about at:

Bocado

From the tapas and cocktails to the service ambiance, enjoy a top-notch dining experience at this Spanish-inspired County restaurant.

Location: 252 Main Street, Picton

La Condesa

For those who love la cocina Mexicana, La Condesa’s authentic Mexican food brings colour, flavour and zest to The County.

Location: 298 Wellington Main Street, Wellington

Stella’s Eatery

Stella’s recently relocated from Picton to Waupoos and the chalk-board menu is updated daily with dishes focused on season, local and forged ingredients. Beverages are also locally supplied and happy hour and Sunday brunches are highly recommended.

Location: 470 County Road 8, Waupoos

The Drake Devonshire Restaurant

Perched on the water’s edge in Wellington, the intimate patio and dining room at the hip Drake Devonshire hotel offers amazing charcuterie and sea-cuterie board selections as well as the wine region’s finest reds and whites.

Location: 24 Wharf Street, Wellington

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Visit the County to get a taste of more amazing food and drink Prince Edward County has to offer.

The Drake Devonshire pulls off quirky-chic in an unparalleled fashion. Or get a flavor of comfortable farm life with a stay at The Wilfrid Boutique Farmhouse.

Kingston

With a rich live music history, there’s a veritable cool factor to this historic university town (and Canada’s original capital), that has also cultivated a hip epicurean culture. 

Plan to visit:

Woodenheads Gourmet Pizza

With their classic and creative woodfired pies, Woodenheads proves that pizza can indeed be gourmet.

Location: 192 Ontario Street, Kingston

Days on Front

For ritzy contemporary Canadian Cuisine, head to Days on Front in the city’s west end. It’s a popular go-to for local chefs which is always a good quality gauge.

Location: 730 Front Road, Kingston

Atomica

Take a dive into the tasty Mediterranean-inspired menu exploring bold flavours from Spain and the Middle East.

Location: 71 Brock Street, Kingston

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Visit Kingston invites you to discover more local places to eat and drink.

Find the perfect place to stay in Kingston, from waterfront hotels to boutique inns and cozy bed and breakfasts, including the Rosemount Inn & Spa, only a five minute walk from downtown.

Plan more edible adventures with Culinary Tourism Alliance, a field guide to Ontario's best food and drink.