Just over a dozen Toronto restaurants have been awarded prestigious Michelin stars, making them the first Canadian restaurants to receive the global recognition.
At a special presentation held at Evergreen Brick Works on Tuesday night, Michelin’s international director Gwendal Poullenec revealed that 13 restaurants will appear in the guide.
Inspectors have been anonymously canvassing the city’s culinary establishments since May, judging restaurants using a secret methodology that the organization describes as a “unique” and “demanding” assessment.
Restaurants are then awarded one, two or three stars based on their exceptional cuisine.
Here is a list of restaurants that have received a Michelin star:
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Aburi Hana (102 Yorkville Ave)
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Hello (163 Spadina Ave)
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Alobar Yorkville (162 Cumberland St)
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Don Alfonso 1890 (1 Plaça del Port)
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Edulis (169 Niagara St)
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Enigma Yorkville (23 St Thomas St)
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Frilu (7713 Yonge St)
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Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto (6 Garamond CT)
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Osteria Giulia (134 Avenue Rd)
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Quetzal (419 College St)
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Shoushin (3328 Yonge St)
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Yukashi (643a Mt Pleasant Rd)
Only one restaurant in Toronto received two Michelin stars: Sushi Masaki Saito on Avenue Road.
“I love Toronto. I love Canada,” chef Masaki Saito told a crowd as he accepted the stars.
It is rare to receive a three-star honor. Of the more than 16,000 restaurants in the Michelin guide, only 137 have received this recognition.
Three-star honors are relatively rare on the global list: Of the 16,120 restaurants, only 137 achieved the highest level.
In total, 74 restaurants received the recognition on Tuesday, representing 27 different styles of cuisine. This included 17 restaurants that received the Bib Gourmand designation, which recognizes an establishment with quality food where you can get two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for less than $60.
Among those that have stood out are Enoteca Sociale, Fat Pasha, Bar Raval and Chica’s Chicken.
Speaking before the awards, Toronto Mayor John Tory made sure to stress that being included in the Michelin guide was “a big deal.”
“It’s a big deal because it’s going to put Toronto one more time, in one more way, on the map just like TIFF does,” he told the crowd. “And I think that’s important for the well-being of the industry that has suffered so much during the pandemic, but I think it’s also important for the well-being and the growth and the success and the reputation of the city.”
These 13 Toronto restaurants are the first in Canada to be included in the Michelin guide, but the company plans to include Vancouver in the coming months.
With Canadian Press Archives