The second annual Toronto edition of the Michelin Guide is out, and a handful of new — mostly downtown — restaurants are joining the list.
At a ceremony on Wednesday evening at the entertainment venue History, it was announced that two restaurants have been added to the list of existing 12 one-starred restaurants: fine-dining spot Restaurant 20 Victoria (20 Victoria St.), which was included in Michelin’s inaugural list of recommended restaurants, and Kappo Sato (575 Mt. Pleasant Rd.).
It’s really exciting,” said chef Julie Hyde of 20 Victoria, which was awarded one Michelin star and an award for best service.
“Awards have never been the focus,” said Hyde. “The hope is just that the people who are coming to the restaurant spending their hard earned dollars really have a good time and we just do our best. The rest is a fun bonus.”
The Toronto restaurants were recognized at a lavish soirée hosted by comedian and actor Alan Shane Lewis. Champagne was plentiful, and guests enjoyed canapés including lobster rolls, oysters and caviar.
According to Michelin’s ranking system, a restaurant with one star means it’s worth a stop, two stars mean it’s worth a detour and three stars — the highest rating — means it’s worth a special trip. After all, the original purpose of the dining guide was to get customers of the tire company to hit the road.
Sushi Masaki-Saito, the Yorkville omakase restaurant that charges $680 per person, remains Michelin’s most rewarded restaurant in the city, holding on to the two stars it received last year. All the restaurants that were awarded stars last year held on to them for this year’s guide, which isn’t always the case in other cities.
Four new restaurants have also been given the Bib Gourmand designation, which indicates relatively affordable and casual places to eat. Parkdale’s Filipino-inspired diner BB’s (5 Brock Ave.), Kensington Market’s hidden regional Chinese restaurant Sunny’s Chinese (60 Kensington Ave.), The Beach’s Georgian eatery Tiflisi (1970 Queen St. E.) and Riverside breakfast spot White Lily Diner (678 Queen St. E.) joins the 17 other Bib Gourmand restaurants in Toronto.
White Lily Diner, along with previously one-starred Frilu, also received a Michelin Green Star designation in recognition of their sustainability practices. White Lily Diner’s owners, Ben Denham and Ashley Lloyd, grow some of the restaurant’s produce on their farm north of Uxbridge, for example.
An additional seven places were added to Michelin’s list of recommended restaurants, which recognizes quality ingredients in food that is above average, though not starred:
Chef Patrick Kriss, whose Alo and Alobar Yorkville already each have one-star, adds Alder (51 Camden St.) to his Michelin-approved list. This restaurant inside the Ace Hotel is known for cooking food over an open wood flame.
FK (770 St. Clair Ave. W.), formerly known as Frank’s Kitchen, is restaurant that offers a tasting menu as well as a la carte options from chef Frank Parhizgar and Shawn Cooper.
Kiin (326 Adelaide St. W.) is restaurateurs chef Nuit and Jeff Regular’s foray into Royal Thai cuisine (and a very good Thai weekend brunch, to boot).
A short walk away is Vela (90 Portland St.) serving raw seafood platters, steaks and house-made pastas.
Mimi Chinese (265 Davenport Ave.) is the more formal, sister restaurant to Sunny’s Chinese from executive chef David Schwartz.
Parquet (97 Harbord St.) brings French bistro dining to Harbord Village.
Wine bar The Wood Owl (1380 Danforth Ave.), known for an ever-changing menu focusing on seasonal and local ingredients, is the lone entry east of Yonge Street.
Update - October 3, 2023: This article was edited to include that FK restaurant also includes an a la carte menu.
Karon Liu is a Toronto-based food reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: