After much anticipation, Michelin announced their updated 2023 Michelin Guide Toronto most coveted stars list, and 16 restaurant in the Greater Toronto Area have received the award. Which includes 2 newly awarded Michelin Green-Stars, a returning single two-star, 2 new one-star additions and 14 re-awarded one-star restaurants. Luckily, none of the previously awarded Michelin Star restaurants lost their star this year, as it could definitely happen…
The evening was hosted by the co-host of CBC’s The Great Canadian Baking Show, Alan Shane Lewis, at HISTORY on the city’s East end. Where all recipients were called up to the stage to receive their prestigious awards, including all bib gourmand new distinctions and returning recipients too.
These are the 16 restaurants in Toronto near you to receive Michelin Guide Stars in 2023:
Without further delay, here’s the highly anticipated newly updated 2023 list of Michelin Star restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area, to make it into the Michelin Guide Toronto.
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For the first time since the inaugural release of the coveted Michelin Guide Toronto list, Toronto has received not one, but two Green Michelin Stars. One of which was already a one-star recipient, and the other getting their ‘flowers’ in addition to having a bib gourmand distinction.
Green Michelin Star recipIents (NEW):
The Michelin Green Star is an yearly accolade that spotlights restaurants leading the way in the field of sustainability. These establishments take responsibility for their ethical and environmental standards and collaborate with sustainable producers and suppliers to minimize waste and eliminate plastic and other non-recyclable materials from their supply chains.
These restaurants provide exceptional culinary experiences while demonstrating exceptional dedication to eco-friendly practices. They serve as a source of inspiration not only for food enthusiasts but also for the entire hospitality industry.
FRILU
Type of cuisine: Contemporary
Chef: John-Vincent Troiano
Neighbourhood: Thornhill (7713 Yonge Street)
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Editor’s note: They were the only Toronto restaurant to be awarded both a new Green star and returning as a standard one-Michelin Star as well.
What the Michelin inspectors said: “Owner-established Willowolf Farm uses no-till methods to grow fruits and vegetables for Frilu to use throughout the seasons. Chef John-Vincent Troiano hand-picks produce every morning to ensure a truly sustainable farm-to-table experience. A composting program uses all kitchen waste to enrichen the farm’s soil. Canadian ingredients, bought from local markets and farmers, are used throughout the year.”
White Lily Diner
Type of cuisine: Creative Cuisine
Chef: Ben Denham
Neighbourhood: Riverside (678 Queen St E)
Editor’s note: They were the only Toronto restaurant from the inaugural Michelin Guide Toronto that received a bib gourmand distinction to not only once again receive the distinction again, but also be awarded a Green Michelin Star as well. Hope your ready because their lines and wait times are about to get even longer…
What the Michelin inspectors said: “Their organic, no-till farm and greenhouses supply the diner (and more than 15 other restaurants) with produce. They raise chickens to supply the diner with eggs. Only hand tools are used on the farm. Insect netting and greenhouses mitigate insects and disease. An orchard was recently planted and is being cultivated.”
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Michelin Star Recipients:
Two Michelin Stars
Sushi Masaki Saito
Type of cuisine: Japanese
Chef: Masaki Saito
Neighbourhood: Yorkville (88 Avenue Rd)
What the Michelin inspectors said: “Only here will you find shirako boldly skewered and grilled over binchotan, and only here will you eat melting slabs of chutoro buried under a blizzard of white truffles. Fish comes exclusively from Japan, and for the nigiri, assistants are quick to bring [chef Masaki Saito] his prized rice from Niigata prefecture, warm and tinged with his special blend of vinegars, after every round.”
One Michelin Star
Kappo Sato (NEW)
Type of cuisine: Japanese
Chef: Takeshi Sato
Neighbourhood: Mt. Pleasant East (575 Mt Pleasant Rd)
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What the Michelin inspectors said: “Unlike the quiet ceremony of a sushi omakase or the formal structure of a kaiseki, this freewheeling tasting is driven solely by Chef Takeshi Sato, who swims in familiar culinary waters on his own terms. The room is a constant blur of motion thanks to a young team that hurries about preparing multiple courses at once. Sato is their seasoned guide, as he moves with intention, ever masterful with a knife, and works with an impressive bounty of ingredients, most of which are flown in from Japan. Soulful dashi broths weave in and out of view alongside clever courses like tempura fried mackerel with shiso or seared toro nigiri with Japanese green onions.”
20 Victoria (NEW)
Type of cuisine: Contemporary
Chef: Julie Hyde
Neighbourhood: Financial District (20 Victoria St)
What the Michelin inspectors said: “On a quiet stretch of downtown Toronto, Chef Julie Hyde is making her talents known in this tiny-but-mighty restaurant that captured the city’s heart the day it opened. Top-notch local produce, pristine seafood and refined sauce work make for a delicious trifecta on a seasonal tasting menu that boasts originality in spades. Recent highlights included smoked beets with oyster cream as well as grilled fish with beurre blanc and eel crumble. The dimly lit dining room is elegantly easy-going, as Hyde and her small team work with laser-like focus from a kitchen that’s simultaneously always in use and always pristine.”
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Returning, One Michelin Star
Aburi Hana
Type of cuisine: Japanese/Kaiseki
Chef: Ryusuke Nakagawa
Neighbourhood: Yorkville (102 Yorkville Ave.)
What the Michelin inspectors said: “Chef Ryusuke Nakagawa presents a modern take on the history-steeped Kyo-Kaiseki Menu. His cooking is deeply personal and intricate but never overwrought.”
Alo
Type of cuisine: Contemporary, European and Asian
Chef: Patrick Kriss (the Toronto chef with the most Michelin recognized restaurants)
Neighbourhood: Queen West (163 Spadina Ave.)
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What the Michelin inspectors said: “Everyone has a good time at Chef Patrick Kriss’s beloved Alo. The talented beverage team offers spot-on suggestions from the well-chosen wine list. The kitchen team seamlessly merges European and Asian sensibilities onto a single tasting menu with dishes like creamy Koshihikari risotto boosted with porcini emulsion or rack of lamb with Thai green curry.”
Alobar Yorkville
Type of cuisine: French
Chefs: Patrick Kriss and Rebekah Bruce
Neighbourhood: Yorkville (162 Cumberland St.)
What Michelin inspectors said: “Seafood figures prominently, and, as one might expect from Chef Patrick Kriss and Chef de Cuisine Rebekah Bruce, product is first-rate and technique exemplary. From chilled lobster with lime aioli to a rack of lamb with niçoise olive, the kitchen delivers a kind of refined approachability that suits all occasions. Desserts like mille-feuille with raspberry chantilly are show-stoppers.”
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Don Alfonso 1890 Toronto
Type of cuisine: Italian
Chef: Daniele Corona
Neighbourhood: Harbourfront (1 Harbour Square)
What Michelin inspectors said: “Chef Daniele Corona’s dishes echo the contemporary sophistication of the dining room. Eel gelato plated with a tangle of wild rose-scented tagliatelle, pulverized egg yolk and sturgeon caviar delivers a wonderful mix of flavours; tender and vibrant agnolotti are stuffed with Ontario lamb for a rich and meaty filling and doused in a decadent cheese sauce that packs a punch.”
Edulis
Type of cuisine: Contemporary, Mediterranean
Chef: Michael Caballo and Tobey Nemeth
Neighbourhood: King West (169 Niagara St.)
What Michelin inspectors said: “The pride and passion of the husband-and-wife owners and their staff is undeniably evident throughout this spot. Settle in for a set, multi-course menu inspired by the Mediterranean. The kitchen eschews fluff, focusing instead on creating harmonious (and delicious) dishes. Freshly carved Spanish ham, cheese and dessert are available as add-ons. The menu proudly hews to the season.”
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Enigma Yorkville
Type of cuisine: Contemporary European
Chef: Quinton Bennett
Neighbourhood: Yorkville (23 St Thomas St.)
What Michelin inspectors said: “Chef Quinton Bennett’s resume is as varied and glittering as the tile mosaics that stretch across the ceiling of this Yorkville looker. Using molecular techniques, he puts his worldly view on the plate, playing on diverse textures and surprising combinations like brassicas with smoked foie gras and dehydrated parmesan or tuna with sheets of beetroot and fermented daikon.”
Frilu
Type of cuisine: Contemporary Canadian with Asian influences
Chef: John-Vincent Troiano
Neighbourhood: Thornhill (7713 Yonge St.)
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What Michelin inspectors said, last year: “There is a saying that we should dance like nobody’s watching. This adage feels true of Chef John-Vincent Troiano, who cooks to his own rhythm in Thornhill. Smoke, game and refined sauce-work figure prominently on what might be the only tasting menu for several kilometres. A tiny space packed with talent, the sparsely decorated nook leaves everything on the plate, with high-quality product from their own farm coupled with an intriguing Japanese element that feels natural.”
Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto
Type of cuisine: Japanese/Kaiseki
Chef: Masaki Hashimoto
Neighbourhood: Don Mills (6 Garamond Ct.)
What Michelin inspectors said: “Chef Masaki Hashimoto’s traditional kaiseki eight-course menu showcases the seasons while celebrating Japanese ingredients. It’s all about focus over flash with a refined intricate style and attention to detail that borders on reverence. Shii-zakana is a signature dish composed of fried soba noodle-wrapped shrimp, but it’s the stunning radish crane that you’ll remember.”
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Osteria Giulia
Type of cuisine: Italian
Chef: Rob Rossi
Neighbourhood: Yorkville (134 Avenue Rd.)
What Michelin inspectors said: “It seems nearly impossible to have a bad time at Chef Rob Rossi’s Italian stunner. Many Italian menus can look the same, but Rossi narrows in on the seafood-rich traditions of Liguria. A deep Italian wine list and an especially talented cocktail program round out an experience that is as accomplished as it is hospitable.”
Quetzal
Type of cuisine: Mexican
Chef: Steve Molnar
Neighbourhood: Little Italy (419 College St.)
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What the Michelin inspectors said: “Almost everything on this tight menu passes through the kitchen’s 26-foot-long wood-burning grill that actively roars and smokes. At the end of the line is a single chef at the earthenware comal, who prepares tortillas from heirloom corn that is nixtamalized and ground in-house. Lamb barbacoa packed into griddled, blue masa tortillas and charred maitake mushrooms set in a crema poblana highlight the transformative magic of fire, while dry-aged amberjack aguachile flexes the kitchen’s delicate side.”
Shoushin
Type of cuisine: Japanese/Sushi
Chef: Jackie Lin
Neighbourhood: Yonge and Lawrence (3328 Yonge St.)
What Michelin inspectors said: “Jackie Lin leads the young team with care. The seasonal sushi omakase is especially delightful. Grilled cutlassfish, rarely seen on many menus, is served hot and flaky. Striped jackfish with a kiss of green onion is flavourful; golden eye snapper is nicely aged. From lean bluefin tuna with mountain yam and tart kohada to excellent baby seabream with lime, it’s hit after hit.”
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Yukashi
Type of cuisine: Japanese/Kaiseki
Chef: Daisuke Izutsu
Neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant (643a Mt Pleasant Rd.)
What Michelin inspectors said: “Chef Daisuke Izutsu has cooked for royals, dignitaries, and you if you’re one of the lucky 15 who has secured a seat at the intimate Yukashi. Firmly rooted in seasonality, this kaiseki-style menu is highly original and personal. The otsukuri, with slices of shima aji with yuzu zest, toro with pickled turnip and hay-smoked hamachi delicately arranged atop a white marble base, is a work of art.”
