But that's much easier said than done because eating at Michelin-starred restaurants is not cheap. The food is always great but the price tag will put a serious dent in your bank account, especially if you're paying for your date, too.
So if you've already decided to take that special someone out for a Michelin-starred meal, how much does that mean you'll have to spend?
It all depends, but we've done the hard work for you and ranked each restaurant by price as of September 2023. Here's what you need to know before you make that reservation.
Sushi Masaki Saito
Price: $680 per person
Address: 88 Avenue Rd., Toronto
Cuisine: Japanese
Why You Need To Go: This is the only restaurant that got awarded 2-stars at the Michelin ceremony in 2022. With a hefty price you can expect excellent food.
For starters, the fish comes exclusively from Japan. This omakase dining experience is one that cannot be overlooked.
Omakase is a Japanese dining experience where all the food is prepared in front of you, and it's something you can enjoy at a few of the spots on this list.
Sushi Masaki Saito Reservations
Aburi Hana
Price: $380 per person
Address: 102 Yorkville Ave., Toronto
Cuisine: Japanese
Why You Need To Go: Aburi Hana has one star and offers guests a dining experience you will never forget. Michelin Star Chef Ryusuke Nakagawa curates and delivers a menu with ingredients from the land and sea, incorporating produce to reflect the season.
Michelin critics mentioned that Chef Nakagawa's "cooking is personal and intricate, weaving multiple techniques and colours into every dish."
Aburi Hana Reservations
Alo
Price: $375 per guest
Address: 163 Spadina Ave., Toronto
Cuisine: French
Why You Need To Go: Alo is a contemporary French restaurant with a menu curated by none other than the famous Chef Patrick Kriss.
Here, you can expect to eat European and Asian foods that "seamlessly" merge on a single tasting menu, according to the Michelin Guide. The guide's inspectors really appreciated "dishes like creamy Koshihikari risotto boosted with porcini emulsion or rack of lamb with Thai green curry."
The Michelin Guide also mentions that "Alo is the rare high achiever that never takes itself too seriously."
Alo Reservations
Kappo Sato
Price: $360 per person*
Address: 575 Mount Pleasant Rd., Toronto
Cuisine: Japanese
Why You Need To Go: At this Japanese restaurant, you can expect a 12-dish omakase meal that includes wagyu beef, sushi, sashimi, grilled dish, tempura and rice.
Unlike the quiet experience you might expect from an omakase dinner, this is the complete opposite, and "the room is a constant blur of motion," the Michelin Guide points out.
Kappo Sato Reservations
Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto
Price: $350 per person
Address: 6 Garamond Ct., Toronto
Cuisine: Japanese
Why You Need To Go: This restaurant has an eight-course menu where guests can experience authentic Kaiseki cuisine, a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner.
Also, it's worth noting that this menu does not include any sushi.
Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto Reservations
Shoushin
Price: $330 to $480 or more
Address: 3328 Yonge St., Toronto
Cuisine: Sushi
Why You Need To Go: At Shoushin, you can expect an omakase experience with a prix fixe menu starting at $330, but if you're looking for the chef specialty, you're looking at spending at least $480.
Shoushin Reservations
Frilu
Price: $260 per person
Address: 7713 Yonge St., Toronto
Cuisine: Contemporary
Why You Need To Go: At Frilu, you can expect to be wowed by the quality of food. The Michelin food critic said the restaurant is "a tiny space packed with talent."
Both meats and vegetables were given a shoutout and the restaurant experience itself is somewhat unique because "this honest restaurant is one of the few places where you can watch chefs cook, plate and even wash dishes," Michelin shares.
Frilu Reservations
Yukashi
Price: $250 per person
Address: 643 Mount Pleasant Rd., Toronto
Cuisine: Japanese
Why You Need To Go: You will enjoy a nine-course seasonal tasting menu in an intimate 15-person dining room at this restaurant.
The Michelin Guide says "this kaiseki-style menu is highly original and personal. Some of the dishes are intricate, while others lean humble."
So grab a reservation while you can!
Yukashi Reservations
Enigma Yorkville
Price: $185 - $230 per person
Address: 23 St. Thomas St., Toronto
Cuisine: Contemporary
Why You Need To Go: Chef Quinton Bennett has placed his mark in London, Copenhagen and Johannesburg and you can expect to see his worldly view on your plate at Enigma Yorkville.
You can choose between a six-course or eight-course menu with a whole bunch of foods that will make you fall in love with culinary art.
Enigma Yorkville Reservations
Osteria Giulia
Price: $120 per person
Address: 134 Avenue Rd., Toronto
Cuisine: Italian
Why You Need To Go: This Italian restaurant specializes in seafood dishes that are traditions of Liguria, a region in Italy.
You will not be disappointed, from flatbread to squid ink spaghetti with Nova Scotia lobsters and more.
Osteria Giulia Reservations
Quetzal
Price: $110 per person
Address: 419 College St., Toronto
Cuisine: Mexican
Why You Need To Go: This Mexican restaurant received a star for its quality of cooking. Almost everything on the menu goes through the kitchen's 26-foot-long wood-burning grill, making the dishes taste smoky and delicious.
From empanadas to octopus, seabream and lamb rack, the menu is impressive.
Quetzal Reservations
Edulis
Price: $100 to $200 per person
Address: 169 Niagara St., Toronto
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Why You Need To Go: Edulis is a Mediterranean restaurant tucked away in Toronto's Niagara Street. You can go to dinner for $200 per person or visit during lunch and enjoy a multi-course meal for $100.
The menu changes according to the season and the restaurant does not accept any tips.
Edulis Reservations
Restaurant 20 Victoria
Price: $96 - $175 per person
Address: 20 Victoria St., Toronto
Cuisine: Contemporary, Seafood
Why You Need To Go: This Toronto restaurant offers a 7-course set menu and a weeknight 4-course menu. You can expect to enjoy a menu with a "change at whim, focused largely on seafood from both coasts and our Great Lakes."
For a cheaper meal, make sure to book Restaurant 20 Victoria's 4-course meal for $96 that's only offered on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Restaurant 20 Victoria Reservations
Alobar Yorkville
Price: $20 - $115 per dish
Address: 162 Cumberland St., Toronto
Cuisine: French and Seafood
Why You Need To Go: If you were hoping to have food by Chef Patrick Kriss but don't want the price tag associated with the other Michelin-star restaurant, Alo, this might be a great alternative.
You can enjoy Salmon Crudo for $26, Ricotta Agnolotti for $42 and Braised Short Rib for $58. But with the way this food tastes, you probably won't stop at one dish.
Alobar Yorkville Reservations
*Note that prices for the newly Michelin-starred restaurants are based on their menus before the stars were unveiled.
