12 Toronto Restaurants That Canadian Athletes Went To In 2023 & Some Are Their Go-To Spots
From Italian to Thai and French cuisine, there is no shortage of amazing food and restaurants in Toronto.
Among those who love to go out in the city are Canadian athletes who have either lived, trained or competed in Toronto at some point in their careers.
Narcity interviewed several professional athletes in 2023 and we made sure to ask them about their go-to spots in the city.
From Olympic skater Tessa Virtue to Toronto Maple Leaf Morgan Rielly and tennis olympian Bianca Andreescu, all of these athletes have their favourite restaurants to dine at in Toronto.
Here are 12 Toronto restaurants that got some love from athletes in 2023.
Union Restaurant
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: French
Address: 72 Ossington Ave, Toronto
Why You Need To Go: Union restaurant is a French-Canadian bistro loved by skating champion Tessa Virtue.
The former Olympic skater gave the restaurant a shout-out during an interview with Narcity and said it's one of hers and her fiancé Toronto Maple Leaf Morgan Rielly's go-to spots for date night.
The restaurant updates its menu daily as it works with fresh local and seasonal ingredients.
Some of the more recent items featured on the menu include rotisserie cornish hen, king salmon tartare and elk sliders.
Jacob's & Co. Steakhouse
Price: 💸💸💸💸
Cuisine: American
Address: 12 Brant St, Toronto
Why You Need To Go: Jacob's & Co. is a classic steakhouse that offers dishes like a seafood tower and 60-day dry aged rib eye.
The restaurant, which has been featured in Toronto's Michelin Guide, is loved by several athletes who live in Toronto.
Tessa Virtue says the spot is another date-night spot for her and Morgan Rielly.
Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes also gave the place a shoutout in a Narcity interview saying he likes to take friends to Jacobs to show them the "best steak" in the city.
Buca
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Italian
Address: Multiple locations
Why You Need To Go: Italian restaurant Buca offers a variety of pasta and pizza dishes.
It's also one that's recommended by both Virtue and Rielly.
Rielly spoke to Narcity in June during a pop-up ball hockey game and he named Buca as his favourite date night spot in Toronto.
"I like going to Buca on Portland. I like Italian food and, you know, that's where I like to go. But I mean, we like to mix it up as well," Rielly said.
Sotto Sotto
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Italian
Address: 120 Avenue Rd, Toronto, ON
Why You Need To Go: This popular Italian restaurant in Yorkville is an athlete and celebrity favourite in Toronto.
Tennis Olympic medallist Bianca Andreescu told Narcity she enjoys going there when she's back in the city and especially loves the carbonara.
It looks like fellow Canadian athletes, Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews and Max Domi have also dined there in 2023 and the restaurant even shared a photo from that dinner on Instagram.
DJ Khaled has also raved about the food and Drake once called Sotto Sotto his second home.
North of Brooklyn Pizzeria
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Italian
Address: There are six locations in Toronto
Why You Need To Go: Aside from Sotto Sotto, Andreescu also likes to go out for pizza when she's in Toronto and gave us one of her go-to spots for a slice: North of Brooklyn Pizzeria.
"I love pizza so I'll probably go for a nice pepperoni pizza [...] a pizza with garlic sauce," Andreescu said about her ideal cheat day meal in between training.
This pizza joint is filled with various drool-worth pies including the Killer Bee pizza which comes with Calabrese sausage and jalapeños.
Lambo's Deli
Price: 💸
Cuisine: Italian
Address: 176 Bellwoods Ave, Toronto
Why You Need To Go: Swimming champion Penny Oleksiak is a big fan of Lambo's Deli anytime she's in Toronto.
"I love Lambo's Deli. I think they're the best sandwiches," she told Narcity. "I usually order subs for my whole family and I [get] one of everything. Everything's good."
The Toronto sandwich joint is known for its premium subs, from roast beef to mortadella and Italian trio.
Bar Chica
Price: 💸💸-💸💸💸
Cuisine: Spanish
Address: 75 Portland St, Toronto
Why You Need To Go: Bar Chica is another favourite of Oleksiak's and she says she orders several tapas dishes anytime she's there.
"It's really nice. I've gone there with friends too. It's a really cute restaurant," Oleksiak said.
Bar Chica's website says the restaurant serves elevated tapas, crafted cocktails and is a late night hangout spot.
Pizzeria Badiali
Price: 💸
Cuisine: Italian
Address: 181 Dovercourt Rd, Toronto
Why You Need To Go: Oleksiak also loves pizza and says Pizzeria Badiali is one of her top choices.
"Best Pizza in Toronto obviously. My go-to order is one slice of every pizza that they have. I'm not even kidding. It's so good," the Olympic athlete said.
The pizza spot serves fresh slices that come in a variety of flavours and toppings. Some of the pizzas you can get there include Vodka Pie, the classic Margherita and Mushroom Bianco.
Pai
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Thai
Address: 18 Duncan St., Toronto
Why You Need To Go: Pai is a popular Toronto restaurant, especially with Toronto Raptor Gradey Dick.
The team rookie told Narcity he took his parents there when they were in town in 2023.
"That's been one of my favourites so far. And just getting to meet the owner (Jeff Regular) and his wife (Chef Nuit Regular), I think that was super special," he said.
He loves the restaurant so much he even celebrated his birthday there with the entire team in November.
The restaurant serves various authentic Thai dishes, including a Northern Thai platter, Gai Satay, Pad Thai, and various curries.
Silent H
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Mexican
Address: 361 King Street
Why You Need To Go: This Mexican restaurant on King West has an elevated cocktail list and a wide range of Mexican dishes.
One athlete who can't get enough of the place is Toronto Raptor Scottie Barnes.
"I eat there a lot," Barnes said in an interview with Narcity.
Harbour 60
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Address: 60 Harbour St.
Why You Need To Go: Another favourite steakhouse restaurant in Toronto is Harbour 60.
Barnes also mentioned this spot when speaking to Narcity and we can see why.
This eatery offers guests the options of some fancy dishes like the Harbour 60 Seafood Tower or the 44-oz Tomahawk steak.
It's also one that's been visited by other celebs like Drake, and LeBron James.
Harbour 60 Menu
Mademoiselle Raw Bar + Grill
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Seafood
Address: 563 King St W, Toronto
Why You Need To Go: Mademoiselle Raw Bar + Grill is a swanky restaurant in downtown Toronto.
Toronto runner Andre De Grasse said he visited the spot last time he was in the city.
The seafood restaurant offers a variety of seafood dishes like Lobster bisque, sushi rolls and whole Atlantic Lobster as well as stunning cocktails.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
