The selected restaurants have been grouped into five categories: Gourmet, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.
In 2001 the city council passed a by-law requiring that all restaurants must be smoke-free. The exceptions to this somewhat contentious rule are eating establishments that define themselves as ‘bars’.
Restaurant prices are subject to a provincial sales tax (PST) of 8% (10% on alcohol) and
a federal goods and services tax (GST) of 6%. All taxes are usually added to the bill at the end of the meal. In addition, it is customary to tip at least 15% for good service.
The restaurants below have been divided into four different pricing categories:
$$$$ (over C$100)
$$$ (C$70 to C$100)
$$ (C$35 to C$70)
$ (up to C$25)
These prices are for an average three-course meal for one person and for a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they do not include service charge, tax or tip.
GourmetChiadoLocated smack in the middle of Little Portugal, Toronto’s sizeable Portuguese community could not ask for a better ambassador. The simple, elegant decor is accentuated by the paintings that adorn Chiado’s walls. Seafood dominates, with fresh fish flown in daily - anything with tentacles finds a worthy end on the grill. Those partial to land-bound critters will find solace in the braised rabbit, pheasant or veal.
864 College Street, Little Portugal
Tel: (416) 538 1910.
Website:
www.chiadorestaurant.ca Price: $$$
North 44Named after Toronto’s latitude,
North 44’s location in Toronto’s safe and franchise-ridden uptown has not stopped this internationally acclaimed restaurant from being the city’s most posh eating place for over a decade. Cold and steely from the outside but with a warm and tasteful interior, the restaurant features a menu that changes with the seasons but everything (such as charred tuna sashimi, grilled quail and roasted venison rack) will be prepared to perfection.
2537 Yonge Street, Eglinton
Tel: (416) 487 4897.
Website:
www.north44restaurant.comPrice: $$$
OpusA meal at
Opus, in an unassuming townhouse on a quaint, leafy street, is much like dinner at a friend’s house - only with waiters and an outstanding chef. Waiters are attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. The menu changes monthly and reflects the seasons - traditional French fare, such as smoked duck and rack of lamb, made with regional ingredients, often makes an appearance.
37 Prince Arthur Avenue, Yorkville/Annex
Tel: (416) 921 3105.
Website:
www.opusrestaurant.comPrice: $$$
Splendido RestaurantSplendido is among the foremost restaurants in Toronto, and it keeps getting better. Chef David Lee works wonders with the best seasonal ingredients he can find, and the result is an exciting and extremely flavorsome kind of eclectic and modern Mediterranean cuisine. Guests can choose between the a la carte menu, a vegetarian alternative or the tasting menu. Wine pairing is also available. There is a large international wine list with New and Old World selections.
88 Harbord Street, Annex
Tel: (416) 929 7788.
Website:
www.splendido.ca Price: $$$$
TrufflesThe award-winning restaurant of the
Four Seasons’ flagship hotel (see
Hotels) and Toronto’s only CAA/AAA Five Diamond restaurant (it has won the accolade for 12 years running),
Truffles is, as its name suggests, a celebration of the gourmet. Every detail (from the Uffizi boar sculptures to the exotically sculpted starters) has been seen to. Fish, fowl and meat are prepared with equal aplomb, with a fresh, light and aromatic cooking style rooted in authentic French flavors. The long wine list reaches deep into the wallet but includes an impressive selection by the glass.
Four Seasons Hotel, 21 Avenue Road, Yorkville
Tel: (416) 964 0411.
Website:
www.fourseasons.com/torontoPrice: $$$$
BusinessCanoe Restaurant and BarIf there is one truly Canadian restaurant in Toronto, this is it.
Canoe takes ingredients typical to Canada and creates contemporary gourmet dishes. Maple sugar, Saskatoon berry compote and partridgeberry jus are accessories to such daring and delicious offerings as venison and caribou.
Canoe’s warm, woody tones adds to the whole experience, although the view of Toronto Harbour tends to capture one’s attention more. Prices cater to expense accounts and the wine list leans towards New World selections. Reservations are essential. Closed weekends.
54th Floor, Toronto Dominion Bank Tower, 66 Wellington Street West, Financial District
Tel: (416) 364 0054.
Website:
www.canoerestaurant.comPrice: $$$
Courthouse Market GrilleAlthough the
Courthouse once held trials and housed a jail, chandeliers now hang from its grand high ceilings and the food is anything but jailhouse rations. Businesspeople and other diners who frequent the Courthouse will be able to delight their palate with fresh market cuisine, the selection of grilled meats and rotisserie chicken is certain to please. Reservations required.
57 Adelaide Street East, Financial District
Tel: (416) 214 9379.
Website:
www.libertygroup.com/restaurants.htmlPrice: $$
Indian Rice FactoryThe Punjabi-influenced dishes here will appeal to vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. Regular selections include
pakoras (deep-fried fritters) and dishes such as chicken
khashabad - a chicken breast stuffed with almonds, cashews and raisins in coconut milk-cream. Antiques and mahogany furnishings contribute to the fine dining experience. Reservations recommended.
414 Dupont Street, Annex
Tel: (416) 961 3472.
Website:
www.indianricefactory.com Price: $$
Jump Café and BarThis place can be festive, loud and ebullient, although its tucked-away tables allow for a tête-à-tête as well. Since its inception, it has been a favorite of Toronto’s brokers and traders, so it should come as no surprise that
Jump serves up meals so delicious they alone might secure any deal. Dishes might include sirloin steak with Yukon-gold potato frites, roast chicken or lemon risotto. Fish dishes and other, lighter choices also grace the menu - but if calories are really a concern, the decadent desserts are best seen and not tasted. Reservations required. Closed Sunday. No lunch Saturday.
18 Wellington Street West, Commerce Court East
Tel: (416) 363 3400.
Website:
www.oliverbonacini.com Price: $$$
TrendyLolita’s LustIn an increasingly franchised part of Greektown,
Lolita’s Lust remains a funky favorite. Bohemian in atmosphere, this upscale eatery features a delightful range of meat and fish dishes from around the globe. Tucked away like a best-kept secret the intimate
Lolita’s Lust is a dimly-lit hotspot frequented by celebrities when they are in town. Reservations are essential.
513 Danforth Avenue, Greektown
Tel: (416) 465 1751.
Website:
www.lolitaslust.ca Price: $$
BudgetBar ItaliaBeyond the bar, choked with well-dressed, good-looking types downing Martinis and pints of beer, there is a warm yet minimalist restaurant that serves superb Italian fare. The salads, panini and daily pasta specials are all excellent. The wine selection is mostly Italian and French with a decent domestic beer menu. In the summer, a patio seat cannot be beaten for watching the world go by. Brunch weekends. No lunch winter weekdays.
582 College Street, Little Italy
Tel: (416) 535 3621.
Website:
www.bar-italia.ca Price: $$
Fresh on BloorAnybody who wants to eat at this packed health-food restaurant (decorated in relaxing greens and blues) must be prepared to queue. Still, the gastronomic experience on offer is definitely worth the wait. With over 40 different juices from the fruity to the bizarre, there is definitely something to tempt everybody’s palate without any guilt. Fresh, flavorsome organic food is the point here, and portions are plentiful. Reservations are not accepted. There are two sister restaurants and juice bars:
Fresh on Crawford, 894 Queen Street West, and
Fresh on Spadina, 147 Spadina Avenue.
326 Bloor Street West, Annex
Tel: (416) 531 2635.
Website:
www.juiceforlife.comPrice: $
7 West CaféOpen 24 hours, this place retains a casual café feel over all three floors. Tasty pizzas, delicious sandwiches and fresh salads are all good choices. As well as a decent wine and beer list, teas and specialty coffees are also house favorites. A cosy and nice place to unwind.
7 Charles Street West, Yonge and Bloor
Tel: (416) 928 9041.
Price: $
TeatroDecorated in olive green with a red trim,
Teatro is a lively but intimate (the small bistro tables are very close together) restaurant in Little Italy. It is also as popular as they come, because it offers excellent food. The French/Mediterranean bistro menu includes several delicious pasta dishes as well as classics like wild mushroom risotto and moules marinieres.
505 College Street, Little Italy
Tel: (416) 972 1475.
Website:
www.teatrotoronto.caPrice: $$
Personal RecommendationsBrownes BistroPrized by the well-heeled residents of Rosedale, this long-lived neighborhood bistro might be lacking in culinary adventurousness and is equally unpretentious in décor, but its longevity and continued popularity speak for its quality. Some of the dishes come with a nice Gallic touch, and the meat dishes are deliciously tasty. The pastas and pizzas are lovely.
4 Woodlawn Avenue East, Summerhill
Tel: (416) 924 8132.
Price: $$-$$$
JOV BistroSituated uptown, this New York-style neighborhood restaurant offers a lovely dining experience. Since early 2005, the kitchen has been headed by chef Masayuki Tamaru, and, although a master of fusion food, his specialty is classic French cuisine, which he does with aplomb. Bistro food of high sophistication is on offer at
JOV Bistro nowadays, and it has proved popular with the regulars, so reservations are recommended.
1701 Bayview Avenue, Uptown
Tel: (416) 322 0530.
Website:
www.jovbistro.com Price: $$-$$$
Rol SanRol San is easy to overlook amid the hundred or so Chinese restaurants that line Spadina Avenue between College Street and the Lakeshore, especially as it has the same large round tables, plastic tablecloths and bright cardboard signs announcing specials in Chinese. However, this restaurant serves delicious dim sum (such as deep fried shrimp and chive cake) by day and crave-worthy portions of fried rice, Szechwan shrimp and crispy chicken until the wee hours (0400).
323 Spadina Avenue, Chinatown
Tel: (416) 977 1128.
Price: $$
360 The Restaurant at the TowerFloor-to-ceiling windows, 114 storys above the lakeshore, with a view as good as it gets - blue lake as far as the eye can see to the south and Toronto spreading out in every other direction. And because
360 is the world’s largest revolving restaurant, none of the view will be missed. The food is not quite as memorable, but it is still pretty good. In recent years, 360 has won awards for its cuisine and wine as well as its ambience. A reservation at this restaurant also includes a post-dinner walk on the glass-floored lookout - for those who can stomach it.
CN Tower, 301 Front Street West, Downtown
Tel: (416) 362 5411.
Website:
www.cntower.caPrice: $$$
Nightlife:Toronto’s nightlife is yet another aspect of urban life that defies the city’s staid reputation. Drinking hours run until 0200 and nightclubs and after-hours clubs often stay open until dawn. Mixed drinks and pints tend to come in around the C$5 mark and admission is often charged at nightclubs but never at normal bars unless a band is playing. A few self-consciously trendy nightclubs may have no-jeans, no-trainers policies at the door. Since it is illegal in the Province of Ontario to serve alcohol and not serve food, bars can often be considered places to eat as much as to drink. The legal drinking age in Toronto is 19.
The free, alternative weeklies,
eye (website:
www.eye.net) and
NOW (website:
www.nowtoronto.com), provide the latest information on club nights and gig listings, while
Xtra (website:
www.xtra.ca) covers the gay scene.
The most common nights for locals to spend on the town are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, although enthusiastic crowds can usually be found on most other nights. The most popular area for bars and clubs is in the heart of the city center, slightly west of the Financial District, around the Theater District on King and Queen Streets. For a more ethnic feel, Little Italy offers Italian-flavored bars and clubs that tend to attract a cooler, more refined crowd in search of pasta, properly mixed drinks and better music. Greektown offers a slew of Greek restaurants and bars that import something of a Mediterranean festive feel even on the darkest of winter nights. Local pubs and bars playing a hockey or baseball game on TV can be found almost anywhere and are great spots for a plate of chicken wings and a beer.
Bars: British visitors will feel at home in the many pubs that dot the city, showing up on street corners and in the more commercial neighborhood high streets. The
Madison Avenue Pub, 14 Madison Avenue, is something like a super-pub, taking up four floors within two converted Victorian houses. The
Rebel House, 1068 Yonge Street, a neighborhood favorite, serves a range of good beer and uncommonly good pub food. For a taste of the excellent lager and ale at the city’s best brew pubs, try the
Granite Brewery, 245 Eglinton Avenue East, or the
Steam Whistle Brewing Company, 255 Bremner Boulevard, directly south of the CN Tower.
Little Italy’s
Bar Italia, 582 College Street, is a stylish and trendy cocktail bar with reasonably priced and tasty pasta, which attracts the good-looking weekend crowd. The
Rivoli, 332 Queen Street West, draws a slightly more alternative crowd. One side of the bar serves fusion cuisine, the other cocktails, while concerts, club nights and spoken-word events take place in the back and there is a large pool hall upstairs. Further west is the
Gypsy Co-op, 817 Queen Street West, comfortable as a bar/lounge/restaurant earlier in the day or as a nightclub later on. One of the friendliest gay bars in Toronto is the boisterous
Woody’s, 465 Church Street.
A sense of the country’s ice hockey obsession can be experienced at
Wayne Gretzky’s, 99 Blue Jays Way, owned by one of the game’s greatest players ever and a monument to his success on the ice.
Clubs: Richmond Street is home to many of the city’s biggest and best-known clubs.
Joe, 250 Richmond Street West (website:
www.joeonline.ca), is one of the city’s longer-standing venues and offers a lounge and rooftop patio in addition to popular nights of house and retro hits. Not far away is
Roxy Blu, 12 Brant Street, known for modern R&B, garage and house, as well as high-profile DJs occasionally flown into town.
Muzik, 15 Saskatchewan Road, Exhibition Place
(website:
www.muzikclubs.com), is energetic, stylish and decadent. High energy levels also characterize
Lot 332, 332 Richmond Street. Chilled-out spots include
Ciao Edie, 489 College Street, filled with retro-funk furnishings, and
Fluid Lounge, 217 Richmond Street West. On the eastern edge of the city center is
The Guvernment, 132 Queen’s Quay East (website:
www.theguvernment.com), a massive warehouse rigged with an industrial-strength sound system that pumps out progressive house and trance Saturday nights until dawn. Gay clubs are scattered throughout the Church and Wellesley area; one of the biggest is the three-floor complex at 418 Church Street,
The Barn and its adjacent
Stables.
Comedy: Toronto is home to what is probably North America’s most famous comedy club chain,
The Second City. The Toronto branch, situated at 51 Mercer Street, at Blue Jays Way, next to Gretzky’s (website:
www.secondcity.com), however, is of particular pop-cultural significance; it witnessed the beginning of the careers of future Hollywood greats, such as Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers and Martin Short, in the late 1970s. Toronto’s other big venue is
Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Cabaret, 224 Richmond Street West (website:
www.yukyuks.com).
Live Music: The
Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen Street West (website:
www.horseshoetavern.com), a gritty down-home and historical venue and the first on the continent to receive
The Police, is a good place to hear local and international acts. Even better in terms of showcasing new, international talent is
The Mod Club Theater, 722 College Street (website:
www.themodclubtheater.com).
The Phoenix, 410 Sherbourne Street (website:
www.libertygroup.com/phoenix) is another nice venue for big and small names.
Massey Hall, 178 Victoria Street (website:
www.masseyhall.com), hosts everything from jazz, classical, rock and world music to international dance troupes. A more laid-back atmosphere can be found at the The
Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, 194 Queen Street West (website:
www.therex.ca), and the
Montreal Bistro and Jazz Club, 65 Sherbourne Street. For more jazz, check out the
Jazz In Toronto website (website:
www.jazzintoronto.com).
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