Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants List 2023 paints a vibrant portrait of the Canadian culinary scene. The list offers Canadians a guide to the country’s top dining destinations as selected by a team of 135 culinary tastemakers across the country, with judges including Lauren Mozer, Franco Stalteri, Michael Smith, Mijune Pak, Élise Tastet, and Alexandra Gill.
“We always pride ourselves on the quality of our best restaurants lists – but all the same, this 2023 edition is a standout. We had more judges than ever before dining out with enthusiasm all across the country – and giving us their invaluable, thoughtful feedback,” said Jacob Richler, editor-in-chief of the annual publication.
“For the first time since 2019, the restaurants they ate at were operating at full stride, firing on all cylinders, their momentum uninterrupted. This list reflects that… It’s a great time to be dining out in Canada.”
Here then are top 20 for 2023:
1. Mon Lapin (Montreal)
2. Alo (Toronto)
3. Published on Main (Vancouver)
4. Edulis (Toronto)
5. The Restaurant at Pearl Morissette (Jordan Station, ON)
6. St. Lawrence (Vancouver)
7. Langdon Hall (Cambridge)
8. Beba (Verdun)
9. AnnaLena (Vancouver)
10. Kissa Tanto (Vancouver)
11. 20 Victoria (Toronto)
12. Bar Kismet (Halifax)
13. Major Tom (Calgary)
14. Giulia (Toronto)
15. Pichai (Montreal)
16. Monarque (Montreal)
17. Prime Seafood Palace (Toronto)
18. Canoe (Toronto)
19. Sushi Masaki Saito (Toronto)
20. Hawksworth (Vancouver)
Three restaurants – AnnaLena and Kissa Tanto (both in Vancouver) and Beba (in Verdun, QC) – are new to the top 10 this year.
Four others – led by 20 Victoria and 2023’s Best New Restaurant, Prime Seafood Palace – are new to the Top 20. Montreal’s Pichai was 45th last year, it is now 15th and Vancouver’s Hawksworth is up from 25th to 20th.
Ten restaurants have entered the Top 50 for the first time: 20 Victoria (Toronto), Prime Seafood Palace (Toronto), Salle Climatisée (Montreal), Gia Vin & Grill (Montreal), Cabaret l’Enfer (Montreal), Portage (St. John’s), Mott 32 (Vancouver), The Pine (Collingwood, Ont.), Paloma (Montreal) and Île Flottante (Montreal).
25 restaurants are new to the List this year.
Meanwhile, the top 10 New Best Restaurants are:
1. Prime Seafood Palace (Toronto)
2. Cabaret l’Enfer (Montreal)
3. Portage (St. John’s)
4. Wild Blue (Whistler, BC)
5. Café Lunette (Halifax)
6. Lupo (Banff)
7. Fawn (Halifax)
8. Sunnys Chinese (Toronto)
9. Peacock (Halifax)
10. The Royal Hotel (Picton, Ont.)
Other awards include:
• Best Sommelier: Véronique Dalle, Foxy, Montreal
• Best Pastry Chef: Kenta Takahashi, Boulevard, Vancouver
• Best Restaurant Bar: Major Tom, Calgary
• Best Destination Restaurant: Restaurant Pearl Morissette, Jordan Station, Ont.
• Best New Restaurant Design: Giannone Petricone Associates for The Royal Hotel, Picton, Ont.
Bars
Meanwhile, from swanky speakeasies to cheerful public houses, the Canada’s 50 Best Bars list offers insights on where to sip and savour across the nation, as voted on by a diverse, expert panel of 60-plus judges from across the country – bartenders, proprietors, distillers, brewmasters, educators, journalists, industry reps and discerning drinkers.
Their top 10 is:
1. Civil Liberties (Toronto)
2. The Cloakroom (Montreal)
3. The Atwater Cocktail Club (Montreal)
4. The Botanist (Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel, Vancouver)
5. Bar Pompette (Toronto)
6. Bar Raval (Toronto)
7. Mother Cocktail Bar (Toronto)
8. The Keefer Bar (Vancouver)
9. Milky Way (Montreal)
10. Laoway & Blind (Vancouver)
For the full lists, click HERE.