Best Restaurants In Toronto

I’ve been living in Toronto for over 2 years and I have had the chance to try many amazing restaurants in different parts of the city. I often get asked what my favourite spots are so I put together a list of the places I love to go to.

Here are my top 20 in the city (in no particular order):

1. Dai Lo is a Cantonese-inspired fusion restaurant. It has an amazing tasting menu that changes daily featuring seasonal ingredients. This is my favourite restaurant in the city! It never disappoints and I love how they always introduce new dishes to the rotation.

2. Lao Lao Bar is a Laotian restaurant. Everything here is super flavourful and the restaurant has a nice vibe. When reserving I’d recommend asking to sit in the back room if you want a quieter, more intimate spot for dinner. My favourite dish on the menu is the tapioca dumplings.

3. Byblos is a Mediterranean restaurant. When reserving, I’d recommend asking to sit upstairs. The manti dumplings, jewelled rice and lentil pide are my favorite dishes but you can’t really go wrong with any dish on the menu.

4. Miku is a Japanese restaurant. This is a Vancouver restaurant that has a Toronto location. If you go here, you have to have the aburi oshi sushi which are the torched sushi. It’s a great dinner spot but you can also go for lunch and get great sushi sets that feature a lot of their best rolls.

5. Minami is a Japanese restaurant. Minami is Miku’s sister restaurant but is slightly more upbeat and vibey. The restaurant itself is beautiful and I love coming here for date night or special occasions. They also have great bento boxes for lunch.

6. Manita is a cute restaurant with some Spanish influence. This is a recent addition to my list. I love the Ossington location’s vibe, it’s perfect for a cozy date night. I’d recommend getting the ham croquettes and the crostini and the steak.

7. Martines is a cute French and Mediterranean inspired restaurant. It’s such a cute and cozy spot. Their dishes rotate every few months and feature seasonal ingredients. I love their roasted chicken.

8. Azhar is a Lebanese restaurant. They do an amazing brunch but I also love it for dinner. They freshly bake their pita and it’s delicious so I’d highly recommend ordering any dishes that come with that.

9. Emmer is a bakery/cafe. It’s one of the best bakeries in Toronto. Everything I’ve tried here is excellent. There’s always a bit of a line so I recommend not going during peak hours. Their sandwiches are all great and so are their pastries. They consistently introduce new pastries or seasonal items to their menu.

10. Gusto 501 is an Italian restaurant with a Canadian twist. The restaurant is huge on 3 floors and every area has a different vibe. The floors upstairs are particularly cute and cozy. I really like their pizza.

11. Mizzica is a gelato and pastry shop. It has the best gelato ever, as good as the gelato you’d get in Italy.

12. Gus Tacos is a taco spot. I like their Kensington location but all of them are really good.

13. Pai is a Thai spot. It’s probably the most iconic Thai spot in Toronto and it’s for good reason, their food is wonderful. They don’t take reservations but the wait is not usually too long if you don’t go at peak hours.

14. Spaccio East is Italian bakery and restaurant. I love all their pastries and bread.  You can sit in the downstairs area and have their pastries and baked goods or you can sit upstairs and eat at their restaurant. They also have a small grocery store downstairs.

15. Gia is a vegetarian Italian restaurant. This is solid Italian food adapted to the Canadian palette. They have some staples like the meatballs (which don’t taste like veggie meatballs at all) but have seasonal items too. It’s a cute cozy date night spot.

16. Rasa is a Canadian fusion restaurant. They have wonderful tasting menus that change up seasonally. I love their warm sticky toffee bun for dessert.

17. Oroshi is a Japanese takeout spot. Their fish quality is great, it’s one of the best takeout spots.

18. Eataly is an Italian supermarket with restaurants and bakery. I love coming here when I’m in Yorkville for some pastries or a great Italian meal.

19. Bernhardt’s is a cozy Canadian restaurant. They have seasonal dishes but some staples like the roast chicken or beef.

20. Bar Isabel is a Spanish restaurant. The food here is amazing. I love their croquettes and their steak.

If you’re trying to figure out where to go for a certain occasion, here are some suggestions (some restaurants are in multiple categories):

Best for Date Night

• Manita

• Martine’s

• Minami

• Gia

• Byblos

• Bar Isabel

Best for Special Occasions

• Dai Lo

• Bar Isabel

• Minami

• Miku

• Byblos

• Rasa

Best for Brunch

• Azhar

• Emmer

• Spaccio East

• Manita

• Eataly

Best with Friends

• Lao Lao Bar

• Azhar

• Spaccio East

• Gusto 501

• Byblos

• Pai

Best for Quick Bites

• Spaccio East

• Mizzica

• Eataly

• Gus Tacos

• Oroshi

• Emmer