These 12 Toronto Restaurants Just Made The Michelin Guide & They Could Be Up For A Star
Here's what to order 👇.
Food from Alder. Right: Pancakes from White Lily Diner.
The Michelin Guide is preparing to add a dozen Toronto restaurants to its 2023 list, and each one is definitely worth a visit before they're absolutely flooded with foodies in the fall.
The highly-respected Michelin Guide announced on Wednesday that it's adding 12 Toronto restaurants to the guide in 2023, although Michelin is waiting until September to announce which ones will get a coveted Michelin star.
"From neighbourhood gems to the hidden spots with haute leanings, the newest additions to Toronto's selection are brimming with flavour and individuality," they stated.
The Michelin Guide first entered Toronto in the fall of 2022, when it recognized 12 restaurants with a Michelin star and handed out a two-star rating to one other spot.
Toronto was also recognized with 17 Bib Gourmand restaurants, meaning Michelin considers those spots to be great restaurants where you can eat on a tighter budget.
The 2023 Michelin Guide drops on September 27, and that's when we'll see even more recognition for our local food scene.
Michelin has released the names of all 12 additions to its list, although we'll have to wait until September to find out which ones are Bib Gourmands and which ones are getting a Michelin star (or two).
In the meantime, you've got about two months to try some of these places and decide for yourself which ones are worthy of a star.
Here are the 12 Toronto restaurants that are being added to the Michelin Guide, along with a note about why the guide is so excited about each one.
Alder
Price: 💸💸
Address: 51 Camden St, Toronto
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Why You Need To Go: Alder is located on the ground floor of the trendy Ace Hotel, which is a very aesthetic place to be. Chef Patrick Kriss, also known for Alo, opened Alder in 2022.
"The restaurant is a cool mix of dark brick floors, sleek wood finishes and large windows that usher in radiant beams of sunlight," the Michelin Guide mentions. "Expect a serious kitchen brigade and equally serious cooking."
BB’s
Price: 💸💸
Address: 5 Brock Ave, Toronto
Cuisine: Filipino
Why You Need To Go: This Filipino spot in Parkdale features brunch on the weekends and dinner from Thursday to Saturday.
"Brunch is a treat, featuring puffy-fried Adobo-fried chicken paired with pineapple habanero hot sauce. Dinner is a different speed," the guide mentions,
Apparently, Michelin's undercover inspectors also enjoyed the cocktail bar that they said "comes alive," while "the kitchen trades in Japanese milkbread French Toast for classic pancit with chili oil, chicken liver mousse and calamansi pie with orange blossom meringue."
FK
Price: 💸💸
Address: 770 St Clair Ave W, Toronto
Cuisine: Contemporary
Why You Need To Go: Not only does this restaurant hold its head high because of its menu offerings but in 2022 and 2023, it also received a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.
"This neighbourhood gem is a reliable crowd-pleaser," the inspector wrote in their notes. "Colorful, market-driven cooking starts with excellent, crusty house bread made with garlic scapes, sundried tomatoes, olives or whatever else the chef has in mind."
The rest of the notes sound pretty delicious. But they're right, delicious bread is always a great way to start your experience.
Kappo Sato
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 575 Mt Pleasant Rd, Toronto
Cuisine: Japanese
Why You Need To Go: I've got one word for you: Omakase.
Omakase is a Japanese word that basically means I'll leave it up to you, so just like that, you'd sit in the restaurant and the chef would select your food items.
"Unlike the quiet ceremony of a sushi omakase or the formal structure of a kaiseki, this free-wheeling tasting is driven solely by Chef Takeshi Sato, who swims in familiar culinary waters on his own terms," the undercover critic said about their experience.
Most of the ingredients on the menu are imported from Japan, and the hustle within the restaurant is never ending as preparations take place to make sure everyone is happy.
Kiin
Price: 💸💸
Address: 326 Adelaide St W, Toronto
Cuisine: Thai
Why You Need To Go: The Michelin inspector describes this menu as a "one-of-a-kind vision of royal Thai cuisine."
Additionally, the "space is a prime setting for equally elegant dishes, which are presented with flair."
They've got dumplings, satay, curries and many more special dishes that look and read as though they could be mouthwatering.
Mimi Chinese
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 265 Davenport Rd, Toronto
Cuisine: Chinese
Why You Need To Go: Unlike the comfort Chinese food found at its sister restaurant, Sunny, Mimi Chinese offers a fancier take on traditional food.
From hand-pulled noodles to shrimp toast, there are a lot of flavours to explore.
"The shrimp toast, brilliantly made with fried bread and a hot mustard mayo, is worth a visit alone, but don't miss out on the scallop crudo with fried donut and that soulful soy broth," the inspector said and we couldn't agree more.
Parquet
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 97 Harbord St, Toronto
Cuisine: French
Why You Need To Go: From wines to oysters, steak tartare and more, this spot is described as having a "wonderfully refreshing approach."
Apparently, the design alone is fascinating, while the cooking "hits all the right marks, and feels unquestionably French in its richness and satisfaction."
Sunnys Chinese
Price: 💸💸
Address: 60 Kensington Ave Units 6-14, Toronto
Cuisine: Chinese
Why You Need To Go: Sunnys Chinese offers elevated comfort food in a hidden restaurant located at the back of a store in Kensington Market.
Once entering, you'll experience a completely different world full of rich flavours and colourful decor.
"Tripe and beef shank coated in chili oil is a good start before launching into the charred silver needle noodles. Best of all might be the grilled chicken thigh coated in cumin, chili and pepper," the inspector suggests before ending with "crispy Hong Kong French Toast with black sesame jam and oolong condensed milk short-circuits all manner of restraint."
The Wood Owl
Price: 💸💸
Address: 1380 Danforth Ave, Toronto
Cuisine: Contemporary
Why You Need To Go: With a small menu and a selection of wine, the place has gotten recognized for its simplicity.
"With or without a reservation, you should take a seat, order the fried polenta cakes with romesco and boquerones, and relish in the ease of a place that gets all the little details right," the inspector said.
Also, the beef and shoestring fries are another item that you should be ordering at The Wood Owl.
Tiflisi
Price: 💸💸
Address: 1970 Queen St E, Toronto
Cuisine: Central Asian
Why You Need To Go: Hidden in The Beaches, Tiflisi is known for its Georgian food.
From cold leek pkhali salad to lamb khinkali and more, this spot has "hearty food, seasoned beautifully, prepared with care and radiating with all the comforts of home, wherever that may be," the Michelin Guide says.
Vela
Price: 💸💸
Address: 90 Portland St, Toronto
Cuisine: American
Why You Need To Go: Vela has interior decor that's certain to make you say, "Wow." They offer brunch on the weekends and dinner too.
The menu features seafood, pasta, steaks, salads, vegetables and more, offering people many flavours to choose from.
The inspector's "highlights include cod with beurre blanc and chili crisp and, for dessert, a sugar-crusted profiterole filled with miso dulce de leche mousse and mascarpone cremeaux. Live music throughout the week will either attract or deter, depending on your mood."
White Lily Diner
Price: 💸💸
Address: 678 Queen St E, Toronto
Cuisine: Creative
Why You Need To Go: From all-day breakfast items like pancakes and an all-Southern feast to classic sandwiches, meatloaf and more, this diner offers a range of foods that will certainly satisfy your cravings.
"Old school diners are rare creatures these days, but ones that smoke their own bacon, make their own biscuits and donuts, bottle their own hot sauce and grow their own vegetables? Even rarer," the reviewer said.
They called this diner a "culinary unicorn."
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