Let’s start this now, so we can give the places we like some love while people are still shopping for the holidays!
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Thanks!
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Instead of top 10, I’ll give you our top 2:
We had Kappo Sato before their Michelin recognition and it was definitely the highlight of our year. However, they need some work before getting 2 stars.
Our most promising restaurant was brought to our attention by @THECHARLES: Lucie. Great on flavours, could do better on temperature, and definitely needs improvement on timing. But if they improve on this, it could get close to 1 star. However, if we were honest, there are no star international restaurants that are currently executing better than Lucie. But I’m still rooting for Lucie as they show promise compared to local competition.
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- Sorrel, Yonge Street. Consistently top-notch French-Ital. Tables are invariably booked, but seats at the lively bar are just as enjoyable. First-rate service.
- Cho Sun OK. On Yonge St. north of Steeles. Solid Korean. Usually packed with a young Asian crowd, but turnover is reasonably quick.
- Descendant Pizza, Queen Street East. I haven’t found a more accomplished pizza joint in Toronto. Interesting flavour combos. I do takeout, but there’s some inside seating.
- Chinese Halal, a resto in the all-Asian Finch-Leslie mall. The best hot-and-sour soup I’ve inhaled in years. There may be better such joints to the northeast - Charles Yu territory - but I can’t bring myself to do that tortuous drive from York Mills. No credit cards, but 10% off for cash.
- Shinobu Sushi. It helps that I live almost around the corner. I’ve been going for years for its solid, imaginative menu. Interesting specials, mid-level prices. It’s a smallish place, so a reserve is a must.
- Maison T. French nosh at Dupont and Shaw Street. Some dishes better than others, but mostly first-rate. Though I still can’t get my head around that - last I looked - $20 onion soup. (It’s very good, but, in my view, not $20 good.) Starter dishes are approaching main dish prices at many restos nowadays.
- Indian Street Food. On Bayview, south of Eglinton. Imaginative menu, good service.
- Enoteca Sociale. I only get there maybe twice a year - it’s a long shlep from York Mills - but I’ve been going for years, and it’s invariably a pleasure.
- The Pickle Barrel. If I must go to a chain resto, this is the one. I like the meat loaf, but most everything is respectably done. I go to the original Pickle Barrel on north Leslie Street, where the service is game, if not exactly smooth.
- I can’t think of a 10. Over and out.
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Chung Moi
Descendant Pizza
Slayer Burger
Little Sister(Yonge St)
Burger Shack
Circles & Squares(bakery)
Grandma Loves You
La Salumeria
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In no particular order:
Restaurants
Grey Gardens
Lapinou
Wynona
Dova
Don Alfonso
Bar Vendetta
Bar Piquette
Canoe
Lake Inez
Dumpling House
Bakeries, Cafes
Le Conci
Emmer
Bonjour Brioche
Patisserie La Cigogne
Rahier
Uncle Tetsu
Brick St.
St. John’s
Blackbird
Forno Cultura
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Dova is fantastic. I will add that as my Number 9. Thanks for reminding me. I also like Bar Vendetta a lot, but I’m keeping my Number 10 open for now.
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Restaurants
Quanta Basta
Mamakas
Kibo secret garden
MSSM
Sorrel
Mustafa
Badiali
North of Brooklyn
Raku
Silk road
To be fair I have ordered delivery mostly this year with a few dinners out so many options are pickup or delivery
Bakery
Laduree
Laduree
Laduree (not a typo)
Le Genie
St John’s
Nadege
Nugateau
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Me, too. I only had a handful of meals at the restaurants I mentioned.
This year, I dined on Dova’s patio, Mamakas’ patio, Fonda Balam’s patio , and Emmer’s patio during the summer. I dined on less patios this past summer than in the 3 previous summers.
I dine in on Union’s year-round patio.
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FYI, Kibo Secret Garden has announced they’re closing that location at the end of January., and apparently opening elsewhere mid-year. later.
I had a terrible meal from one of my previous Top 10 restaurants. I rewrote my list.
Housecoat Coffee (always great) closed this month. I will add another coffee shop or bakery before Dec 31st.
My current Top 10.
10 restaurants
- Union
- Enoteca Sociale
- Cafe Polonez
- Fonda Balam
- Le Baratin
- Man of Kent pub (the pies, the Scotch egg)
- Mattachioni
- Little Sister
- Beast Pizza
- TBD
Top 10 Bakeries and/or Coffee Shops
- Coco’s
- Emmer
- Noctua
- Fika
- Kitten & The Bear
- Bakery Pompette
- Bricolage
- Robinson Bread
- BaNoi
- TBD
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Adding to my previous Top 10 list, here are a few new additions for this year:
- LUCIE ( Downtown, King & Yonge ) - IMO, currently, best fine dining French restaurant in town, prime
for a 2024 Michelin star. - MOON PALACE ( Atrium on the Bay, Downtown ) - One of the top Chinese Dim Sum/Fine Dining
Cantonese restaurant, downtown. - ORIENT BISTRO ( Richmond Hill ) - Top 5 best Cantonese restaurant in Markham/Richmond Hill
- JIJU THAI HOT POT ( Markham ) - Interesting, funky new concept offering tasty food. Amazing
AYCE dessert buffet! - ZAO MEN KAN ( Markham ) - Northern Chinese BBQ skewers…good value and excellent products
- DU HSIAO YUEH ( Markham ) - North American branch of Taiwan’s iconic eatery offering authentic
Taiwanese fare. - WING TAI ( Richmond Hill ) - Authentic Hong Kong cafe style comfort food…uprooted from Hong Kong
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No more reservations this year - last one was Dec 24 th, so here’s my list:
- Lucie
- Alo
- Actinolite
- Enigma
- FK Kitchen
- Hexagon
- Lake Inez
- Affinity Fish
- Bistro 7501
- Le Baratin
And a shout-out to the place I visited MOST in 2023 (which doesn’t qualify for my list, as I restrict the list ONLY to places where I am served at a table). This is :
Burger Shack (Eglinton & Oriole Parkway) - just great ‘diner’ food, cooked to order.
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Would be interested in your notes / review on this if you have any. TIA.
I strongly recommmend their tasting menu(~ 5 courses). Served only mid-week at 6:00 (precisely: - must reserve(by phone) and pay in advance; only 2 tables/evening. I’ve been 4 times and never served the same dish twice (OK they repeated a dessert)). Modern ‘continental’. I also choose their wine pairings. [ NOTE: They have a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, and they’ll pull ‘older’ bottles which haven’t sold to sprinkle within the accompanying wines: e.g.
1999 Chateau d’Agassac (Haut medoc)
1960 Krohn’s Port
2009 Ornellaia – Bolgheri
2009 Chateau d’Arche (Sauternes)
2011 Chardonnay, CuveeDix-Nuevie – Pearl Morrissette (Niagara)
1996 Chateau de Fargues (Sauternes)]
From my notes:
June:
Nova Scotia Scallop w Rhubarb Mignonette served with Ricotta Croquette & Strawberry Gazpacho
Frog leg/Celtuce (lettuce root)/Crispy chicken skin w Buttermilk Ranch dressing
Kobe Beef Short Rib/Summer Pea Friccassee & red pepper
July
Egg-yolk Raviolo w Morel and Perigord Truffle
Sockeye Salmon w Salt Spring Mussel , Nage (Orange saffron sauce and Sour Cherry smoked Maldon salt)
September
Sablefish w Citrus Miso butter
Oxtail tortellini w Chanterelle & perigord Truffle
Passion fruit Parfait w Lime curd and Passion fruit Caviar
November
Tuna Tataki w persimmon sauce, persian cucumber
Atlantic Bouillabaisse w Buddha’s Hand Citrus, Lobster, Shrimp
Hope that tickles your palate!
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I realize we have a smaller number of regular posters than we once had on Chowhound.
As far as I can tell, this is our collective Top 9 Restaurants of Toronto, as of Jan 5, 2024.
First Place (3 votes each)
Lucie
Enoteca Sociale
Second Place (2 votes each)
Dova
Sorrel
Bar Vendetta
Little Sister
Le Baratin
Lake Inez
Burger Shack
I am including estufarian’s Honourable Mention of Burger Shack, despite it not being a restaurant with table service, as other restaurants either have no table service, or posters such as myself and a few others, have included take-out meals in their Top 10. The only meals in my Top 10 restaurant list that were table service meals in 2023 were my meals at Union, Dova and Fonda Balam, which were on patios. Out of these 3, only Dova had polished service outdoors.
Correct me if I missed any other restaurants that had 2 votes.
Cast some more votes to round out your top 10 to find us 1 more restaurants with more than 1 vote.
So far, I believe there have been 58 restaurants mentioned.
Jan 31, 2024 will be the last day to add your input for this Top 10.
Restaurants mentioned, as of Jan 5, 2024.
Kappo Sato
Lucie
Sorrel
Cho Sun OK
Descendant
Chinese Halal
Shinobu
Maison T
Indian Street Food
Enoteca Sociale
Pickle Barrel
Quanta Basta
Mamakas
Kibo secret garden
MSSM
Mustafa
Badiali
North of Brooklyn
Raku
Chung Moi
Slayer Burger
Little Sister
Burger Shack
Grandma Loves You
La Salumeria
Silk road
Grey Gardens
Lapinou
Wynona
Dova
Don Alfonso
Bar Vendetta
Bar Piquette
Canoe
Lake Inez
Dumpling House
Union
Cafe Polonez
Fonda Balam
Man of Kent pub
Mattachioni
Beast Pizza
Moon Palace
Orient Bistro
Jiju Thai Hot Pot
Zao Men Kan
Wing Tai
Du Hsieu Yeuh
Alo
Actinolite
Enigma
FK Kitchen
Hexagon
Lake Inez
Affinity Fish
Bistro 7501
Le Baratin
La Bettola di Terroni
Carbon Bar
Jump
The Oxley
Prime Seafood Palace
Richmond Station
Treadwell Cuisine (NOTL)
One of these is NOTL, not Toronto … sorry
Alo
La Bettola di Terroni
Carbon Bar
Grey Gardens
Jump
Lucie
The Oxley
Prime Seafood Palace
Richmond Station
Treadwell Cuisine
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Your list puts Lucie in 1st place 
with your vote.
Descendent Pizza Grey Gardens and Alo each have a 2nd vote, giving us a Top 12 as of Jan 5, 2024 at 4:26 pm EST.
( I missed that Descendent had 2 votes my first tally)
I’ll compile another Top 10 or Top 11 at the end of the month.
