The 5 Best Toronto Restaurants
Aug 4 , 2011
Toronto offers visitors a unique food scene, because it is an international city that remains proud of its local cuisines and food traditions. During your stay, have a meal at any of these 5 best Toronto restaurants, which offer world-class dining experiences combined with local flair.
Scaramouche
If you’re in Toronto for a special occasion or important business meeting, there’s no better place to eat than Scaramouche. Over the last 30 years, it has earned its reputation as one of the 5 best Toronto restaurants through its dedication to exemplary service and top French and Canadian food. The view at Scaramouche is excellent, and its hillside location overlooks the city’s downtown lights, making it a great spot for a romantic evening meal.
You’ll find that the clientele at Scaramouche is less pretentious than at other fine dining restaurants, since it is a popular spot amongst Toronto’s local elite, who are here for a meal, rather than to be seen. The menu changes every now and then, but standby favorites include crispy duck confit, handmade pasta, and roast squab.
BLD Restaurant
BLD is one of the 5 best Toronto restaurants because of its hip, trendy take on contemporary cooking, combining California’s nouveau techniques with New York’s classic refinement. BLD serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it seems to offer something for everyone. At breakfast, you’ll be able to order the standard fare, as well as specialties like chorizo hash and artisanal teas.
Lunch can be a little pricy, but that can be expected for foie gras burgers, tuna tartar, and a steak-frite that incorporates a ribeye cut from locally-raised cows. The dinner menu is a much better value, and you’ll find black cod, Cornish hens, and steaks at very reasonable prices, given the quality.
Rodney’s Oyster House
Rodney’s Oyster House is the best place in the city for seafood, earning it a spot amongst the 5 best Toronto restaurants. It has a very impressive selection of seafood options, and it famously serves 9 of its 26 daily oyster varieties from its own oyster beds. Aside from oysters, Rodney’s Oyster House famously imports a daily selection of fresh fish and shellfish.
Eigensinn Farm
Make your reservation now. That’s the best strategy to ensure you get a table at this restaurant, which only seats 18 people a night. Eigensinn Farm is so highly regarded that while it is a 2-hour drive outside the city, it is still regularly listed amongst the 5 best Toronto restaurants, as well as one of the best in the entire country. One of Canada’s top chefs decided to move his family to this farm, where he opened a restaurant and began serving extremely local, artisanal fare.
Each night, 18 people are treated to an eight-course meal, mostly using ingredients grown or raised on the farm itself. During the summer, it can take up to two months to get a table at Eigensinn Farm, so go ahead and grab your phone.
Chiado
Toronto has a significant Portuguese population, and Chiado is the best place to go for Portuguese food. This top 5 Toronto restaurant has the best selection of Portuguese wines on the continent, as well as a great list of ports and after-dinner drinks. Fresh fish reigns supreme at Chiado, and its number of offerings will leave you struggling to select just one.
After you’ve had an amazing meal, head out for a night on the town at one of the top 5 Toronto clubs, where you’ll mix with beautiful crowds in eclectic and swanky locations.

