21 Dec 2023
Tags: Michelin, toronto, ontario, Canada, Fine Dining, Restaurants
A selection of 15 exceptional restaurants in Toronto have been awarded a MICHELIN Star, including Sushi Masaki Saito, which received two MICHELIN Stars.
In total, 82 Toronto restaurants have been recognized by MICHELIN, including 21 Bib Gourmand restaurants, two new Green Star restaurants and more recommended restaurants.
What is the MICHELIN Guide?
The MICHELIN Guide was first published in 1900 by brothers and car tire manufacturers Édouard and André Michelin as ‘Le Guide MICHELIN’, an information guide for motorists. They hoped it would encourage more French people to use cars and purchase MICHELIN brand tires. The MICHELIN Guide was a huge success, and as its reach expanded to other countries and continents, so too did its prestige.
The Guide evolved to include information about restaurants and awarded ‘stars’ to restaurants they considered fine dining establishments. Criteria includes quality ingredients, elevated flavour combinations, masterful cooking techniques, the chef’s individual personality expressed in the dishes and a consistency in excellence.
Today, the MICHELIN Star Guide has become a worldwide iconic symbol of culinary excellence.
Toronto restaurants with MICHELIN stars
Here are the amazing restaurants in Toronto that have been awarded MICHELIN Stars.
Kappo Sato is owned by distinguished Chef Takeshi Sato, a qualified sommelier and international sake master who previously worked at a MICHELIN Star restaurant in Tokyo.
In Japanese, “Kappo” means to cut and to cook. This highly skilled style of culinary art involves a multi-course meal designed by the chef, who prepares the food in front of the patrons.
The menu at Kappo Sato changes depending on the season, with flavourful courses such as Wagyu beef, sushi, sashimi, tempura, Japanese fruits and homemade ice cream. Meals are served on traditional dishes commissioned from Japan and paired with sake chosen by the chef.
Owned and operated by Chef Julie Hyde, Restaurant 20 Victoria is an intimate dining room in a quiet spot between the busy King and Adelaide Streets with a rotating menu that focuses on quality seafood and shellfish.
In addition to a MICHELIN Star, Restaurant 20 Victoria also received a MICHELIN Outstanding Service Award. Experience a personalized seven-course meal with a set menu on weekends and a four-course menu on weeknights. Pair with the perfect drink from the restaurant’s well-curated wine list. Bar reservations are also available for groups of one to three guests, where you can enjoy the restaurant’s à la carte menu and wines by the bottle.
Enjoy a modern Kyo-Kaiseki (a Kyoto-style course menu) dining experience at Aburi Hana. Led by Executive Chef Ryusuke Nakagawa, Aburi Hana’s menu uses the finest Japanese ingredients from the land and sea, as well as local produce from Ontario, to create harmonious, multi-course tasting menus that reflect the changing seasons.
Flame-seared dishes are served on handmade Arita plateware: Japanese porcelain that can trace its origins back to 1616. Guests can be seated in kakurega, private dining rooms that can accommodate up to 6 people and provide an intimate culinary experience.
Located atop a Victorian heritage building in downtown Toronto, Alo serves contemporary French cuisine in a cozy, atmospheric dining room. Its adjacent barroom features an à la carte menu and a perfectly curated collection of cocktails. Alo’s team prides themselves on their hospitality and you’ll be greeted with a warm welcome upon arrival at this fine dining establishment. For your meal, Chef Patrick Kriss and his kitchen team prepare the finest seasonal ingredients in their European and Asian fusion tasting menu.
Hidden inside an alley in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood, you’ll find the treasure that is Alobar Yorkville: a mix of cocktail bar and high-end restaurant that is owned by the same chef as Alo, Patrick Kriss.
Its main attraction is seafood, and the dinner menu includes a variety of such delicacies, from fish and lobsters to oysters and scallops. All are perfectly prepared and cooked by Chef Kriss and Chef de Cuisine Rebekah Bruce. Ask their friendly staff for the best pairing wine for your meal from their comprehensive list.
Don Alfonso 1890 overlooks the Toronto Harbour from its location atop the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, giving patrons a picturesque view of the bay and city skyline while enjoying the restaurant’s modern Mediterranean fare. Chefs Ernesto and Alfonso Iaccarino bring the fresh flavours of the Amalfi Coast to their restaurant, serving up dishes using classic, high-quality Italian ingredients like eel and mushrooms paired with signature Canadian foods such as Ontario beef and Nova Scotia lobster.
Enjoy an authentic and hospitable culinary experience at Edulis. This cozy restaurant, owned and operated by husband-wife duo Michael Caballo and Tobey Nemeth, specializes in seafood, vegetables, wild mushrooms and other foraged foods. Edulis, which comes from the Latin botanical name for porcini mushroom, features a seasonal multi-course menu inspired by Mediterranean cuisine that uses locally sourced ingredients.
Reserve a table on Thursdays to Saturdays for dinner from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., as well as Sundays for lunch from noon to 2:00 p.m. Note that Edulis is a no-tipping restaurant and all bookings are prepaid.
Glittering hanging lights and ceiling mosaic tiles decorate the luxurious interior of Enigma Yorkville, a contemporary European restaurant located in the heart of Toronto’s trendy Yorkville neighbourhood. Chef Quinton Bennett employs the latest molecular gastronomy techniques to present patrons with creative and delicious dishes that use high-quality seasonal ingredients from local farmers and overseas suppliers. Top wine, cocktail and non-alcoholic juice pairings complement the set tasting menu to its highest degree.
Located in Thornhill, FRILU is led by owner and Executive Chef John-Vincent Troiano and Chef So Sakata. Their food mixes contemporary Canadian cuisine with Asian-influenced techniques, producing a 10-12 course tasting menu that promotes the best seasonal ingredients.
In addition to the MICHELIN star, FRILU’s sustainability practices have been recognized with a Green Star. They use fresh produce sourced from their own Willowolf Farm and waste is returned to the soil as compost for a true farm-to-table restaurant experience.
At Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto in North York, you’ll partake in a formal ‘kaiseki’ dining experience: an artistic cooking style that has been preserved and passed on for five centuries.
The kaiseki menu typically includes tempura, cooked seasonal fish, vegetables and occasionally A5 Wagyu beef. Emphasis is placed on the presentation and visual celebration of the dishes’ ingredients from nature, incorporating the tranquillity of the traditional tea ceremony. Chef Masaki Hashimoto prepares each course of this exquisite eight-course menu, lending all his expertise to authentic kaiseki art and seasonal flora and fauna preparation.
Three tables can be found inside this restaurant, tucked into private rooms to offer an intimate experience. Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto is open for reservations on Thursdays to Mondays.
Seafood is the main highlight at the popular Osteria Giulia. Cod, bass, shrimp, lobster, squid and prawns are just some of the ingredients featured on their menu, along with a comprehensive Italian wine and cocktail list. Find a seat in their spacious, candlelit main dining room for a traditional and delicious dinner or sit at the chef’s bar to watch Chef Rob Rossi in action.
Quetzal
The sleek, stylish décor of Quetzal is paired with the imposing 28-foot-long (8.5 metres) wood-burning grill that gently roars and smokes in the kitchen. Heirloom corn is ground in-house to create tortillas, a staple featured in many of this restaurant’s regional Mexican dishes such as lamb barbacoa, grilled octopus and charred maitake mushrooms.
Both native Mexican ingredients and local Ontario produce are incorporated into its courses for a one-of-a-kind fine dining experience. Try the chef’s tasting menu or ask your server to build you a customized tasting menu.
Shoushin is in Toronto’s upscale Bedford Park neighbourhood, with a majestic light stone exterior that’s impossible to miss. Inside, the restaurant is brightly lit and minimalist in its aesthetic, featuring a sushi bar made with 200-year-old hinoki wood.
You’ll be served authentic, Edomae-style sushi made of wild-caught fish imported from Japan and crafted by Chef Jackie Lin, who has spent his life pursuing how individual flavours need to be adjusted to master creating perfect sushi. His specialty is customized ‘omokase’, where Lin will design a tailored tasting menu for you based on the season, your preferences and your budget.
Fresh, seasonal ingredients are displayed to their full potential at Yukashi. Located in Midtown Toronto, this restaurant serves fine Japanese cuisine made by well-known Chef Daisuke Izutsu, who has experience with cooking for royals, dignitaries and celebrities. With only 15 seats in the restaurant, you’re guaranteed an intimate dining experience while enjoying the exquisite nine-course, kaiseki-style tasting menu made with rich and savoury ingredients. Limited sake pairings to accompany the meal are available.
Last, but certainly not least, Sushi Masaki Saito is the only Toronto restaurant to have been awarded two MICHELIN Stars. This high-end, traditional sushi omakase restaurant is located inside a Victorian building north of the Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Traditional Japanese wood panelling and local Ontario marble decorate the interior of this beautiful restaurant. Bask in the ambient atmosphere as famous Chef Masaki Saito transforms the fish imported directly from Japan into a mouth-watering assortment of bold, creative sushi based on seasonal specialties.
If you’re lucky enough to secure a reservation, Sushi Masaki Saito is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays to Saturdays from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m.
These MICHELIN starred restaurants in Toronto are an exciting slice of the city’s globally recognized food scene. Explore the diverse places to eat in Toronto, many of which use local Ontario ingredients for a farm-to-table culinary experience. Also, use the MICHELIN Guide to Toronto Hotels to find the perfect place to stay in Toronto while you sample the city’s best restaurants and food experiences.
