TORONTO — A total of 200 people attended last night’s launch of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants at the St. Regis Hotel in Toronto. Hosted by Jacob Richler, Editor-in-Chief, Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants, and chef Ivana Raca — partner at the all-female-run Ufficio restaurant — the evening saw the nation’s most renowned and respected chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and food lovers gather to celebrate the country’s vibrant culinary scene.
Setting a new record, Toronto’s Alo was named the best restaurant in Canada for the third year in a row. Alo’s chef and owner, Patrick Kriss — who also owns two other restaurants on this year’s list, Aloette (35) and Alobar (65) — took home the title of Canada’s Most Outstanding Chef.
This year, 24 restaurants on the list were not part of the list last year and 16 of those are new restaurants. Toronto tops the ranking with 26 restaurants landing on the prestigious roundup, followed by Montreal and Vancouver, with 25 and 14 inclusions, respectively. East-coast restaurants saw a stronger-than-ever representation with eight restaurant inclusions.
“We are celebrating Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants’ fifth anniversary with a meatier and juicier list than ever,” said Richler. “For the past five years we have promoted remarkable and incredibly talented chefs and restaurant teams from every corner of this country – and that’s evident with the number of new restaurants that have been included on the list. We look forward to continue recognizing the finest in food and drink for many years to come.”
Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants named the following Top 10 restaurants for 2019:
- Alo – Toronto
- Joe Beef – Montreal
- Toqué – Montreal
- Langdon Hall – Cambridge
- St. Lawrence – Vancouver
- Le Mousso – Montreal
- Buca Osteria & Bar – Toronto
- Montreal Plaza – Montreal
- Giulietta – Toronto
- Edulis – Toronto
Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants also recognizes excellence in the industry:
- Best Sommelier – Christopher Sealy, Alo (Toronto)
- Best in Business Leadership – Nick DiDonato, Liberty Entertainment Group (Toronto)
- Most Innovative Chef – Antonin Mousseau-Rivard, Le Mousso (Montreal)
- Most Eco-Friendly Restaurant – River Café (Calgary)
- Best Farm to Table Restaurant – Nightingale (Vancouver)
- Best Pastry Chef – Celeste Mah, Raymonds (St. John’s)
- One to Watch Young Chef – Massimo Piedimonte, Le Mousso (Montreal)
- Best New Restaurant – Giulietta (Toronto)
- Outstanding Chef – Patrick Kriss, Alo (Toronto)
- Best Restaurant Design – Partisans, Quetzal Restaurant (Toronto)
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Normand Laprise, Toqué! (Montreal)
Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants will donate on behalf of chef Ranca to Open Kitchen Toronto (OKTO) — a dinner series that puts female chefs front and centre to raise funds for a scholarship for female-identified students at George Brown College’s Culinary Arts program.
The ranking of leading restaurants is voted by 98 food critics, leading chefs, top-notch restaurateurs, elite diners, food aficionados and media (including Kostuch Media’s editor and publisher Rosanna Caira).
