It’s time to celebrate Canadian restaurants for all they have to offer. The ninth annual Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list has finally been revealed, highlighting dining establishments that have maintained their excellence and earned success even after the pandemic.

A team of 135 judges have dined at restaurants from coast to coast and have cast their votes on top dining destinations in Canada. This is the first list since the pandemic where judges were voting on a full year of business. You’ll notice a few familiar names and some new contenders on Canada’s 100 Best.

Judges are asked to vote fairly, be opened minded, and vote for quality where they find it.

Curiocity had the chance to speak to Editor-in-Chief of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants, Jacob Richler who shared his thoughts on 2023’s list and how he sees Canada’s 100 Best evolving as culinary trends change.

“It’s a reflection of their quality,” said Richler when asked why the same restaurants remain in the top 10, year after year.

Judges always vote on a combination of new and old restaurants but they vote for exceptional quality wherever they find it. And that just so happens to be executed well by these fine dining establishments. The list features a number of winners from previous years such as Toronto’s Alo, Edulis, and Vancouver’s Published.

“There are not that many restaurants in the country even trying to make a fine dining effort the way Alo does. That’s a very dedicated, unusually finessed sort of team, putting that together. There are very few cities big enough to support that kind of thing,” said Richler.

Recent Posts:
Some Canadians will get money back for their groceries soon & here’s when to expect it
Canada launches new state-of-the-art passport design & to allow online renewals this year


“Edulis is a sort of different example. They are but more of a neighbourhood restaurant that exceeds its mandate by being very, very quality conscious.”

And although we’re seeing repeated names, heavy hitters like Vancouver’s AnnaLena managed to score a spot in the top 10 – something of which Richler was glad to see.

“There are restaurants like AnnaLena in the top 10 that people have been telling me all year for Vancouver, ‘you gotta go back to AnnaLena, they’ve really upped their game in a really major way,’ and I ate there recently and I completely agree, so I was very happy to see it soar up the list. Its last entry was quite low,” said Richler.

It’s a major win for these restaurants, including the new ones like Prime Seafood Palace in Toronto, Cabaret in Montreal, and Wild Blue in Whistler, to make the list. Considering the pandemic held a dark cloud over the restaurant industry for the last few years, these establishments managed to sustain themselves and produce quality experiences regardless of the issues faced.

“Last year, when I was dining out, it was great to see restaurants open again but everyone was trying to be super forgiving because the floor staff were not super knowledgeable because they were brand new and there were huge gaps and the wine cellars were half empty because they sold them all for take out during the pandemic,” said Richler. “There were all kinds of things that were not great but I don’t think that is at all the case right now.”

Though for some, that gap served as a reset, it also reevaluated how we, as diners, chose our restaurants and what we look for when dining. Montreal’s Mon Lapin came in first this year which, according to Richler, defines a new wave of culinary expectations.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mon Lapin (@vinmonlapin)


“It’s quite representative of a new, very – in a lovely sentiment, where ‘what’s on the plate talks the loudest’ – but it’s casual, it’s approachable, in mood it’s much like a bistro. The food goes way beyond that but that’s a positive thing,” said Richler.

“To see so many other restaurants being evaluated for all the proper reasons, for having fantastic food offerings, and providing such a great experience that doesn’t comply with those kinds of old fashion standards. I think that is a positive thing and that will continue to accelerate.”

Now without further ado, here are Canada’s 100 Best restaurants for 2023:

    1. Mon Lapin (Montreal)
    2. Alo (Toronto)
    3. Published (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)
    21. Montréal Plaza (Montreal)
    22. River Café (Calgary)
    23. D.O.P. (Calgary)
    24. Joe Beef (Montreal)
    25. Mimi Chinese (Toronto)
    26. Quetzal (Toronto)
    27. L’Abattoir (Vancouver)
    28. Moccione (Montreal)
    29. Dreyfus (Toronto)
    30. Salle Climatisé (Montreal)
    31. Alice (Ottawa)
    32. Giulietta (Toronto)
    33. Pluvio (Ucluelet, BC)
    34. Hexagon (Oakville)
    35. Don Alfonso 1890 (Toronto)
    36. Gia (Montreal)
    37. Eight (Calgary)
    38. Bernhardts (Toronto)
    39. Cabaret l’Enfer (Montreal)
    40. Shoushin (Toronto)
    41. Le Mousso (Montreal)
    42. Portage (St. John’s)
    43. Boulevard (Vancouver)
    44. Mott 32 (Vancouver)
    45. Toqué! (Montreal)
    46. Pompette (Toronto)
    47. The Pine (Collingwood, ON)
    48. Paloma (Montreal)
    49. Riviera (Ottawa)
    50. Île Flottante (Montreal)
    51. Oca Pastificio (Vancouver)
    52. Masayoshi (Vancouver)
    53. Nora Gray (Montreal)
    54. Bearfoot Bistro (Whistler)
    55. Mastard (Montreal)
    56. L’Express (Montreal)
    57. Drift (Halifax)
    58. Bouillon Bilk (Montreal)
    59. Deer and Almond (Winnipeg)
    60. La Cabane d’à Côté (St-Benoît de Mirabel, QC)
    61. Chez St. Pierre (Rimouski, QC)
    62. Arlo (Ottawa)
    63. Supply and Demand (Ottawa)
    64. The Bicycle Thief (Halifax)
    65. Café Boulud (Toronto)
    66. Wild Blue (Whistler, BC)
    67. Willow Inn (Hudson, QC)
    68. Le Vin Papillon (Montreal)
    69. Cioppino’s (Vancouver)
    70. Maison Publique (Montreal)
    71. Tojo (Vancouver)
    72. Otto (Montreal)
    73. Maenam (Vancouver)
    74. Café Lunette (Halifax)
    75. Lulu Bar (Calgary)
    76. The Inn at Bay Fortune (Bay Fortune, PEI)
    77. Lonely Mouth Bar (Calgary)
    78. Arvi (Quebec City)
    79. Burdoch and Co. (Vancouver)
    80. Parcelles (Austin, QC)
    81. Jun I (Montreal)
    82. Shokunin (Calgary)
    83. Place Carmin (Montreal)
    84. Biera (Edmonton)
    85. Perch (Ottawa)
    86. Tinc Set (Montreal)
    87. Milos (Montreal)
    88. Atelier (Ottawa)
    89. Rge Rd (Edmonton)
    90. La Tanière (Quebec City)
    91. Alma (Toronto)
    92. La Quercia (Vancouver)
    93. Le Serpent (Montreal)
    94. Okeya Kyujiro (Montreal)
    95. Lupo (Banff, AB)
    96. North & Navy (Ottawa)
    97. Gitanes (Ottawa)
    98. Maque (Winnipeg)
    99. Park (Montreal)
    100. Richmond Station (Toronto)

“I encourage the judges to vote for all kinds of considerations – the message I give again and again – that the food is paramount, I don’t really care in the end that much if you eat it on a park bench or whatever the setting is. If the food is absolutely sensational, vote for that place,” shared Richler.

At the end of the day, it’s all about the food.

Karen Doradea

Karen Doradea

Senior Staff Writer, Toronto – Karen is a multimedia journalist based in Toronto. With a strong knowledge of reporting and editing through all forms of media, she has a true passion for storytelling. She carries several years of journalistic experience and has covered the Toronto scene from local stories to national news. When Karen isn’t publishing fire content, you can find her binge-watching sitcoms on Netflix, at a must-try restaurant, or scrolling endlessly on TikTok looking for the next best thing – News never sleeps.

Read articles