If you're a foodie, you'll definitely want to check out the recently-announced best restaurants in Canada to add to your culinary bucket list.
After a two-year hiatus, Canada's 100 Best is back and for 2022, their list of top restaurants in the country was compiled by only judging how great the food is.
In previous years, other factors like service, décor, and even the depth of the cellar were considered, but this time the spotlight is just on the meal, so you know you're in for some seriously yummy stuff!
While most of the listed restaurants are in Toronto and Vancouver, some other locations across the country made it onto the list.
Take a look at the top ten best places to eat in Canada for 2022 and try not to drool. Dare you.
Published on Main
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 3593 Main St Vancouver, BC
Why You Need To Go: This swanky spot only serves evening meals and features a stunning 20-plus course feast.
"In addition to nine mains, there are typically eight to ten snacks in the show-stopping opening number," Canada's 100 Best notes. "Then, the grand finale features three desserts, usually detailed miniatures from the à la carte menu."
As well, the chef incorporates his Manitboan German heritage into the menu with dishes like schnitzel and uses Asian flavours like dashi.
Alo
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 163 Spadina Ave. 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON
Why You Need To Go: This modern "culinary oasis" dabbles in Japanese, French and North American cuisine.
"Techniques are cutting-edge, but the kitchen prefers to seduce with luxurious ingredients rather than daring combinations," says the outlet.
To achieve that, they import fancy ingredients like asparagus from Provence, caviar from Venice and scallops and uni from Hokkaido.
If you're feeling extra bougie you can order course-by-course wine pairings, designed by a sommelier, that come at two different price points.
St. Lawrence
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 269 Powell Street Vancouver, BC
Why You Need To Go: If you're looking for classic Quebec and French food in B.C., this East Vancouver spot with food by J-C Poirier has you covered.
"A recent Brasserie Parisienne menu offered diners the likes of escargots in puff pastry, bison tartare and braised pork in blanquette sauce," says Canada's 100 Best.
"Future themes will include Basque Country, Provence, Lyon and, last but not least, a menu focused on Poirier’s debut cookbook, Where the River Narrows, due in November."
Sounds délicieux!
Restaurant Pearl Morissette
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 3953 Jordan Rd., Jordan Station, ON
Why You Need To Go: With experienced chefs at the helm, this Niagara-based restaurant features seasonal ingredients paired with "very contemporary European sensibility."
"Think plump oysters lightly smoked over pine and dressed with fermented radish, or raw scallop with cantaloupe juice and sassafras, or chargrilled mustard greens with powdered seaweed and cured scallop roe, or roast carrots with cured ham and spruce," reads the description for the restaurant. Yum!
Langdon Hall
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 1 Langdon Dr, Cambridge, ON
Why You Need To Go: For some seasonal, regional food, you'll want to enjoy the ingredients grown and harvested on the estate's kitchen gardens.
"Classically rooted cooking transforms even the humblest vegetables into items of desire," noted Canada's 100 Best. "Soups in particular are beautifully judged."
As well, there's a large wine cellar if you want to enjoy a glass with your delicious meal.
Menu
Mon Lapin
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 150 Saint Zotique Est, Montreal, QC
Why You Need To Go: This Montreal spot features "abundant charm," as well as "bright and fresh" ingredients that rely heavily on interesting food combinations.
"Most of the minimalist menu descriptions are easy to imagine on the plate (say, razor clams and white asparagus, Gaspé halibut and sea spinach)," says the outlet.
"Those that sound most incongruous (such as 'beefsteak tomatoes, beef-fat sauce Choron,' or 'cotechino, calamari, navy beans') are, often, even more memorably delicious."
Edulis
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 169 Niagara St, Toronto, ON
Why You Need To Go: According to Canada's 100 Best, the husband and wife team (who are both owners and chefs) strive to make everything they serve from scratch, or to get what they need from the best possible sources with a focus on flavours from Western Europe.
"Sometimes the focus falls on France, as with their exquisite special-order canard à la presse. More often, though, inspiration comes from Spain — say, with charcoal-grilled clams accompanied by artichokes, jamón Ibérico and ajo blanco."
Canoe
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 66 Wellington St W 54th floor, Toronto, ON
Why You Need To Go: This Toronto staple comes with a view of the city as it's located on the 54th floor of the TD Tower.
"More luxurious dishes lean on old-school techniques that few restaurants can manage this capably, like, for example, winter’s recurring beef Wellington with sauce Périgueux," they note. "Desserts are imaginative and just as polished."
They also have an extensive wine menu and tasting menus that are frequently updated, if you're looking for something a little different.
Boulevard
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 845 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC
Why You Need To Go: If you're visiting in the summer, Canada's 100 Best recommends you order the "elaborate seafood boil" and they also note that the seagood food tower is perfect for any season and is also great value.
If you want something a little fancier, you can call ahead and pre-order clay-baked salmon that's wrapped in seaweed and served tableside, which sounds absolutely delicious.
River Cafe
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 25 Prince's Island Park, SW, Calgary, AB
Why You Need To Go: This Alberta resto is committed to the "exclusive use of Canadian and preferably Albertan ingredients — from Highwood Crossing’s grains and canola oil to Broek pork and beef from Black Diamond Land & Cattle."
It marries seasonal foods with "urban finesse" and offers takeout meals for those who want to grab their food and wander the park that the establishment is nestled in — or you can stay and enjoy the patio!
