venues

menus

Exclusive Guides

The Best of Toronto 2011

For the first time ever, Dine.TO asked our users to vote on who they thought was the best in Toronto across 36 popular categories. With an overwhelming response from our users it was a tight race this year, especially in the most popular categories - Wings, Sushi and Brunch.
The results are in and Dine.TO would like to congratulate all of the winners for the 2011 Best Of Awards!

Best Ambiance

The Sultan's Tent & Café Moroc

Type: Moroccan Restaurant

Neighbourhood: St. Lawrence Market / Old Town

Moroccan nibblies meet belly dancers meet exotic dining digs at this unique restaurant. Ghosts of indigenous Berbers, Arabians, Spaniards, English and French mingle among the gyrating mid-sections of the in-house entertainment at this, Toronto's only extant historic cast iron building. Score yourself a plush, semi-private dining salon and watch the gyrations while feasting on hummus and zaalouk.

Last year's winner: 180 Panorama

2009 year's winner: Le Select Bistro

Best Bar & Pub

Stout Irish Pub

Type: Canadian Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Cabbagetown

Go all Celtic on your next bar run at this rustic, two-level tribute to the auld country. Sunday afternoons thrum with dancing and the 20 on-tap craft beers and imports always keep time with the tunes. Traditional pub food gets an upgrade with original fare like Yorkie Sliders and Caffrey's Shepherd's Pie, the inspired creations of Chef Amanda Finkle manning the grill.

Last year's winner: Spacco Restaurant and Bar

2009 year's winner: The Roy

Best Bistro

Table 17

Type: Bistro Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Riverdale / Leslieville

Smack in the belly of Leslieville/Riverside, this casual wine bar/bistro with a French farmhouse feel (the smack-centre harvest table is a giveaway) offers a warm and receptive setting for locals and visitors alike. The dinner menu is a deliciously moving target that draws on the seasons and combines classic European cooking techniques with locally sourced goodies. Almost two dozen wines are available by the glass, but the offerings are expanded on Tuesday and Wednesday with themed wine nights.

Last year's winner: Le Select Bistro

2009 year's winner: Le Paradis Brasserie Bistro

Best Brunch

Lady Marmalade

Type: Comfort Food Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Riverdale / Leslieville

This elegant Leslieville missâan export from Victoria where the Lady's been a staple since siblings Carla and David Cherry opened in 2005-serves up an environmentally sensitive all-day breakfast celebrated particularly for its Mexican fusion dishes (huevos rancheritos, anyone?) and eggs benny (made with free-run eggs and organic St. John's bread). Portions are generous and options run the gamut from the reasonably healthy to the patently not.

Last year's winner: Niche Coffee & Tea Company

2009 year's winner: Aunties and Uncles

Best Burgers

Allen's

Type: Contemporary / Eclectic Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Danforth / Greektown

There's much to recommend this Danforth Avenue charmer with its back-garden weeping willow and its braised-in-Guinness Dublin lamb shanks, but overlook the humble hamburger at your peril. "The very best hamburgers in town," crowed journalist Jacob Richler in a recent National Post tribute. Sourced from high-quality steers from a Blackstock, Ont., farm, juicy as anything, cooked to exquisite order and served in the company of chunky Yukon gold fries, these burgers are the bomb.

Last year's winner: Big Smoke Burger - King St. W.

2009 year's winner: Big Smoke Burger - King St. W.

Best Chinese

Pearl Harbourfront Restaurant

Type: Chinese Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Harbourfront / Islands

Singled out for the last decade by enRoute magazine as one of the top 100 restaurants in the country, the Pearl is a multi-sensual treat. In addition to the succulent menu offerings (the pan-fried Taro cake, fluffy BBQ pork buns and fried spicy bean curd are standouts), the Pearl's a treat for its view. Floor-to-ceiling windows facing the harbourfront fill the vast, dim-sum-steamed dining room with sunlight and to-die-for vistas.

Last year's winner: Ambassador Chinese Cuisine

2009 year's winner: New Ho King Restaurant

Best Family Restaurant

Olde Yorke Fish & Chips

Type: Fish & Chip Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Leaside

Grab the crew and head for Olde Yorke Fish & Chips, a homey Leaside haunt whose casual environs (the heated patio's a marvel on coolish autumn days), attentive service and delicately battered sea treats are a draw for all ages. Dishes are a bit on the pricey side, and lineups can snake at dinnertime, but portions are generous and the requisite "chips" are worthy companions to the featured player.

Last year's winner: Olde Yorke Fish & Chips

2009 year's winner: Camarra Pizzeria & Ristorante

Best Fine Dining

Carisma

Type: Italian Restaurant

Neighbourhood: King Street East

"For me," swooned celebrated food writer James Chatto of Carisma, "they epitomize the concept of accoglienza, the warm, welcoming hospitality that Italians may have invented and still do so well." Taste it for yourself at this posh, black-is-the-new-black dining space via such high-end staples as foie gras, gnocchi and raviolini alla salvia, a $24 conconction of pumpkin raviolini stuffed with veal, roasted pistachio, sage, brown butter and white truffle oil.

Last year's winner: One Restaurant (Hazelton Hotel)

2009 year's winner: Auberge du Pommier

Best First Date

Insomnia Restaurant Bar Lounge

Type: Bar

Neighbourhood: Annex

Make a wide-eyed impression at this well-loved Annex joint known for its consistently tasty food (Mediterranean, French and international flavours preside), wide-ranging cocktail selection (there are more than 50 martinis) and reliable soundtrack. Share googly eyes and tapas tasties such as grilled calamari and a mountain of mussels, or go for a weekend brunch and feed each other forkfuls of fresh waffles.

Last year's winner: Pravda Vodka House

2009 year's winner: Grace Restaurant

Best French (Classic)

Marcel's Bistro & Lounge

Type: French Restaurant

Neighbourhood: King West

Smack in the iridescent heart of the theatre district, Toronto's only two-storey French restaurant serves up what the natives actually cook and eat. Unpretentious regulars pick steak frites, Toulouse sausage and textbook-heavenly creme brulee from a moderately priced menu augmented by mirrored boards trumpeting daily chef specials. The dishes are always comforting and accessible, and their authenticity (Chef Fabien's the real McCoy) is undeniable.

Last year's winner: Le Paradis Brasserie Bistro

2009 year's winner: Amuse Bouche Restaurant (Closed)

Best Greek

Colossus Greek Taverna (Port Credit)

Type: Greek Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Port Credit

Go Greek at this authentic taverna serviced by attentive staff who ferry your ouzos and lamb souvlakis tableside to a bouzouki soundtrack. Portions here are as big as the atmosphere, resplendent in empty vino bottles, black-and-whites of the homeland, and trailing ferns.

Last year's winner: Colossus Greek Taverna (Port Credit)

2009 year's winner: Mezes Restaurant

Best Group Functions

Type:

Neighbourhood:

Get your group on at this sprawling and sophisticated north-of-Toronto restaurant that features a funky, fresh-market California menu and an award-winning selection of vinos. From engagement parties through golden anniversaries, Brix can host your crowded function in bright, elegant rooms that accommodate groups from two to 40.

Last year's winner: La Castile Steak House

2009 year's winner: The Drake Hotel

Best Indian

309 Dhaba Indian Excellence

Type: Indian Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Entertainment District

Now Magazine's pick for the "best all-you-can-eat buffet" never disappoints with its inventive, flavourful cuisine. Dhaba's 50-item lunchtime spreadâhighlights of which include blistered naan and the indubitable butter chicken-run its enthusiastic devotees just $11.95. Four- and six-course menus featuring Hellenic staples like rack of lamb appetizers and chicken breast tikka mains do the selecting for you.

Last year's winner: Maroli Restaurant

2009 year's winner: Jaipur Grille

Best Italian

La Vecchia Ristorante

Type: Italian Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Yonge and Eglinton

This Yonge-and-Eglinton charmer, operated by a trio of real-thing brothers, channels the old country with its stone and stucco walls, Italian artwork and culinary emphasis on fresh, authentic cuisine. The minestrone is choked with veggies and accompanied by homemade herb-topped focaccio. In a nod to their roots, pasta dishes are available as appetizers or mains. The space is cozy and romantic, the servers don't hassle and the prices are reasonable.

Last year's winner: Noce Restaurant

2009 year's winner: Via Allegro Ristorante

Best Japanese

Benihana - The Fairmont Royal York

Type: Japanese Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Entertainment District

Want a show with your dinner? Try this almost 50-year-old standby where the preparation of food, in the fabulously ostentatious teppanyaki style, is as much a delight as the consumption of same. From butchered-on-site steak to sponge-worthy seafood, the edibles here rank among the finest Japanese fare you'll find in the city. Watching it prepared before your eyes only makes it taste better.

Last year's winner: Guu Izakaya - Church St.

2009 year's winner: NAMI Japanese Restaurant

Best Jazz / Blues

Whistler's Grille and The McNeil Room

Type: Grill Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Danforth / Greektown

This newly remodeled east-end boulevard hangout features a gourmet kitchen (open till midnight daily), a whack of sports-spewing flatscreens and platter-spinning weekend DJs. But its best featured has to be the live jazz performances it hosts on its summertime patios four nights a week. Nothing says a successful night out better than the combo of soulful tunes and (Tuesday) two-for-one wings.

Last year's winner: The Rex Jazz and Blues Bar

2009 year's winner: The Rex Jazz and Blues Bar

Best Late Munchies

The Markham Station

Type: Diner Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Scarborough

Greasy spoons are a special club, and the ones that serve into the wee hours are more special still. Markham Station holds a prominent post in this rarified air thanks to its 24-hour offerings of the usual diner fare, including a 16-oz T-bone and the reassuring promise of an all-day breakfast. Still in doubt? Drop by before dawn cracks and score a plate of over-easy proof for $3.99.

Last year's winner: 7 West Cafe

2009 year's winner: 7 West Cafe

Best Live Entertainment

Rodeo Brazilian Steakhouse Rodizio

Type: Brazilian Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Danforth / Greektown

Bypass one more ho-hum dinner out in favour of a spectacle at this unique South American restaurant. A fixed price here buys you all you can eat from the vast meat-heavy buffet of salads, seafood and barbecue (the meat-on-sword-wielding servers advise on how to eat the stuff in traditional Brazilian style). But the Danforth Ave. eatery-formerly Red Violin-is special for its lively Friday and Saturday night Brazilian shows.

Last year's winner: Embrujo Flamenco Tapas Restaurant

2009 year's winner: Lula Lounge

Best Lunches

Great Cooks on Eight

Type: Fusion Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Financial District

Explore another lunchtime option at Great Cooks, an eco-friendly cooking school whose on-staff chefs are top notch. The midday menu concentrates on fresh, local dishes, many of the ingredients for which are available for purchase after the fact. There's also a thoughtful emphasis on Ontario wines and tea blends (more than 60 populate the menu). Sign up for a class (All About Braising and Traditional Moroccan are among recent offerings) while you're paying for your take-home bottle of organic Tuscan olive oil

Last year's winner: Gallery Grill at Hart House

2009 year's winner: Mercatto - Bay St.

Best Martinis

Pravda Vodka House

Type: Bar

Neighbourhood: St. Lawrence Market / Old Town

Billing itself as "the only place in Toronto with 70+ vodkas," Pravda endorses a Russian-inspired, red velvet-lined approach to educating urbanites on this ancient elixir. Weekday happy hours sing with $6.15 martinis-Blueberry Muffin and Moscow Mojito among them-and complementary Russian-themed appetizers like vodka cream perogies and Atlantic smoked salmon.

Last year's winner: BarChef

2009 year's winner: Pantages Martini Bar & Lounge

Best Mediterranean

7 Numbers

Type: Italian Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Danforth / Greektown

Eat the meatballs your Mama might have made (if she was Italian and given to foodservice) at this rustic Italian throwback that's as homey as it is eclectic. Diners pick Italian specialties like Leoncini Parma Prosciutto and Insalata Di Spinaci from iPad menus at the restaurant's two locations. Go as off road as you want with these reasonably priced options, but don't forget the meatballs.

Last year's winner: Politica Resto Bar

2009 year's winner: Vittorio's On Avenue Restaurant

Best Mexican

El Rincon Mexicano Restaurant

Type: Mexican Restaurant

Neighbourhood: St. Clair West

This family-run Mexican sweetheart is tiny, and easy to overlook on a flight across St. Clair. But making a stop in its lively, brightly lit midst is worth it for a taste of the traditional south-of-theborder menu that emphasizes specialties like marinated seafood ceviche and the always dependable fajitas. Enjoyment is enhanced on the summer back patio when the pork tacos steam and the white sangria flows under canopy of sky.

Best Middle Eastern

Jerusalem Restaurant - Eglinton

Type: Middle Eastern Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Forest Hill / Eglinton West

Both locations of this go-to spot for Middle Eastern foodies continue to thrive with tried-and-true dishes as well as a full buffet. Live nightly belly dancing (and music on the weekends) provides side entertainment to guests' gastronomical adventures. The fare's all flavourful and richly spiced. Don't leave without trying the hummus and-curiously-the onion rings.

Last year's winner: Tabülè Middle Eastern Cuisine

2009 year's winner: Jerusalem Restaurant - Eglinton

Best Nachos

Sneaky Dee's

Type: Bar

Neighbourhood: College Street / Little Italy

The search for Toronto's elusive "best" nachos makes happy landfall at this Toronto institution where uncombed students congregate into the wee hours to listen to tunes and feed cravings for this stacked and cheesy staple. A bevy of combinations, from Greek-style (with black olives, mozzarella and feta) to vegetarian tumble onto the large wooden tables in the constant company of sweating pitchers of beer.

Last year's winner: Sneaky Dee's

2009 year's winner: Sneaky Dee's

Best Newly Opened

TOCA by tom brodi

Type: Canadian Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Entertainment District

Be hip to the buzz with a visit to TOCA Bar, Toronto's trendiest newcomer. Situated in the hoi-poloi of the Ritz-Carlton, the hotel's signature restaurant beckons after-work exodees with an open-concept kitchen, free-standing bar, walk-through pastry corridor, glass cheese cave, raw bar and Canadiana-inspired tapas-style menu decked out with such homegrown and fresh-caught exotica as BC Dungeness crab with bone marrow, and East Coast scallops.

Last year's winner: Ruby Watchco

2009 year's winner: Frank at the AGO Restaurant

Best Patio

180 Panorama

Type: Contemporary / Eclectic Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Yorkville

This restaurant, celebrated as a provider of "eatertainment" is on the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre. Munch on jumbo black tiger shrimp and vegetarian spring rolls while enjoying one of Toronto's finest views from two of the country's highest patios. The award-winning cocktail and tapas-style menu, the product of executive chef Zack Jacobs' innovation, round out the affair.

Last year's winner: Woo Buffet Restaurant & Lounge

2009 year's winner: Skylounge

Best Pizza

Vesuvio's Pizzeria & Spaghetti House

Type: Italian Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Junction

The family safeguarding the recipes at this long-lived west-end pizzeria and spaghetti house have long been loyal to the dual pillars of tradition and taste, and today this Junction legend (which claims to have introduced pizza to Toronto in 1957) continues to please. Reviewers spill ink over the golden, olive-oil-infused crust that provides the base for the signature dish. In addition, the famous Calamari Fritti should never be overlooked.

Last year's winner: Caroline's

2009 year's winner: Terroni Restaurant

Best Private Dining

Rosewater

Type: Continental Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Financial District

Rising out of Toronto's financial and theatre districts, this elegant club promises a unique dining experience, whether it be in the intimate setting of the upper mezzanine level, or in the self-contained supper club below. For the best of private dining, scarf your Salt Marsh Lamb and Poached Skate Wing in the sky-spilling expanse of the magnificent main boardroom where floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the main dining room.

2009 year's winner: Rosewater

Best Ribs

Baton Rouge Restaurant (Eaton Centre)

Type: American Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Yonge Downtown

The tried-and-true concept that made BÃ¢ton Rouge's name with the opening of its first restaurant in Laval, endures, thanks to a long-term commitment to high quality and tasty food. Famous for its signature, slow-cooked back ribs, the place throws visitors all manner of bones, the lot of them basted with the restaurant's famous BBQ sauce. The menu also offers fish, pasta and the usual parade of salads for the less carnivorous among your group.

Last year's winner: Baton Rouge Restaurant (Eaton Centre)

2009 year's winner: Baton Rouge Restaurant (Eaton Centre)

Best Seafood

Joso's Restaurant

Type: Seafood Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Yorkville

You might find Robert De Niro and his celeb pals noshing on the seafood risotto at this Yorkville treasure. Or you might just find a selection of tasty fish dishes that have earned Joso's a berth among the cityâs premium seafood shops. Patrons have no doubt of their dinnerâs provenance thanks to an in-house ritual of delivering a plate of whole, raw fish to the table as a precursor to ordering. The calamari earns consistent raves and the amaretto tartufo at this Zagat-rated sweetspot is a crime. Expect double-cheek kisses from the owner as punctuation to the experience.

Last year's winner: Joso's Restaurant

2009 year's winner: Rodney's Oyster House

Best See n' Be Seen

Sassafraz Restaurant

Type: Canadian Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Yorkville

Guests visit this charming yellow Yorkville house in pursuit of stories: both those that have been told before, and those that they will tell after. Enjoy the legacies of this historic restaurantâalong with vichyssoise with lobster and truffle essence, and creole-spiced Gulf shrimp on corn grit cakes with cayenne bell pepper sauceâat this pretty space where both levels promise nothing less than transcendence.

Last year's winner: The Drake Hotel

2009 year's winner: Ultra (Closed)

Best Spanish and Tapas

Embrujo Flamenco Tapas Restaurant

Type: Spanish Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Danforth / Greektown

Get your tapas on at this neighbourhood charmer where centuries of traditional cooking and hundreds of regional recipes come together in a fabulous homage to the allure of communal dining. The menuâs divided into paella, meat and poultry tapas, seafood tapas, vegetarian tapas and jamon iberico ($45 gets you a slab of this free-range pig raised mostly on acorns before its meat was cured for a full 36 months).

Last year's winner: Cava Restaurant

2009 year's winner: Embrujo Flamenco Tapas Restaurant

Best Steak

Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse

Type: Steaks / Steakhouse Restaurant

Neighbourhood: King West

Revisit Caponeâs day at this throwback steakhouse that enhances its dark-panelled, lush-carpeted, jazz-infused legacy with modern touches so that no oneâs left behind. Caesar salads, complete with raw eggs and Tabasco, are prepared tableside. Steaks, started in cast iron skillets and finished in the oven, are sold to their consumers complete with a story: the daily-changing menu covers each meatâs place of origin and breed of cattle, along with details on cut and aging.

Last year's winner: 1800 Degrees

2009 year's winner: Tulip Restaurant

Best Sushi

koko! Share Bar

Type: Korean Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Yorkville

Yorkville gets communist with this, the areaâs only modern Korean and Japanese dining spot, a small but cozy cold sake-infused marvel rising out of reclaimed woods. Choose from five house-brand Korean Soju Infusions to wash down lunch specials like the Silky Tofu Clay Hot Pot, Chicken Bibimbap and Fish Katsu. Presentation is flawless, service exemplary (on-line contributors rave) and portions (though tricky to nail down) ample.

Last year's winner: Benihana - The Fairmont Royal York

2009 year's winner: Sushi Kaji

Best Thai

Real Thailand Restaurant

Type: Thai Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Annex

Big portions and authentic decor (donât tumble a statue on the way to your table) recommend this sweet find. From U of T students to suit-clad businessfolk, diners feast on an affordable lunch menu above the clatter of Thai background music and servers speaking their native tongue to each other. The green mango salad and, natch, pad Thai, top the list of consistent favourites.

Last year's winner: Lemongrass - Bayview

2009 year's winner: Thai Basil Restaurant

Best Vegetarian

Vegetarian Haven

Type: Vegetarian Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Baldwin Village

Tucked in the folds of Baldwin Village and right next door to the Toronto Vegetarian Association HQ, Vegetarian Haven is not to be missed. A diverse menu draws deeply on Asian influences. Devotees come for the zen atmosphere, the Coconut Curry Seitan Bread Bowl and the mango smoothies. Its name notwithstanding, Vegetarian Haven serves only vegan fare.

Last year's winner: Vegetarian Haven

2009 year's winner: Camros Organic Eatery

Best Wings

AllStar Wings & Ribs - Vaughan

Type: American Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Vaughan

Wings are all the rage in Toronto right now, so the best-of honour for this Markham strip-mall standard really flies. Order a double so you can test two flavours, because, as one enthusiastic on-line reviewer raved, âThey have the most interesting varieties of wings that you will most likely never ever see anywhere else and I've yet to have one that hasn't been amazingly good.â All told, more than 150 flavours, categorized by level of spiciness, vie for consideration. Torn between Armageddon and Pandoraâs Box? Just ask. Waitstaff are quick with recommendations.

Last year's winner: AllStar Wings & Ribs - Vaughan

2009 year's winner: AllStar Wings & Ribs - Richmond Hill