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Canada's 100 Best Restaurants is a list produced by Canadian media company and magazine Canada's 100 Best, owned and operated by veteran food writer and journalist Jacob Richler. [1]
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Canada's 100 Best Restaurants is a list produced by Canadian media company and magazine Canada's 100 Best, owned and operated by veteran food writer and journalist Jacob Richler. [1]
The list is published each spring as an annual ranking highlighting the top dining establishments across Canada. [2] [3] It was first published in 2015, curated by a panel of culinary experts, including chefs, restaurateurs, food critics, and industry professionals. [4] It is considered one of the more comprehensive guides to Canadian cuisine, recognizing a wide range of restaurants from coast to coast.
Since 2015, the rankings have been published annually, with the exception of 2021 when restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic kept most restaurants in Canada closed for dining during the preceding year. [5]
Alongside the best restaurants overall, Canada's 100 Best also publishes lists for the 50 Best Bars and 10 Best New Restaurants in the country. [6] The lists are published both online through the magazine's official website and in physical print editions. [7]
The ranking process involves votes from a national panel of experts, who evaluate restaurants primarily on food quality, but also on other criteria including service, ambiance, and overall dining experience. [4] To ensure the list captures Canada's geographic diversity, judges are required to vote for at least three restaurants outside of their home region. [4] For the 2024 list, the selection panel was made up 150 voting judges. [4]
According to Richler, the selection process for the list is slightly modified each year, with tweaks to improve the selection model and arriving at a consensus on rankings based on the judges votes. [6] In 2020, Richler stated the impacts of the pandemic on fine dining could result in further adjustments to the scoring model of the list, to focus more on food quality and less on the other criteria being evaluated. [7] By the 2024 publication, more restaurants outside of the traditional fine dining model and considered more "casual and approachable" were included in the list. [6]
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 [8] |  Toqué! |  Hawksworth Restaurant |  Buca Yorkville |
| 2016 [9] | Toqué! | Buca Yorkville | Hawksworth Restaurant |
| 2017 [10] | Alo | Toqué! | Joe Beef |
| 2018 [11] | Alo | Toqué! | Joe Beef |
| 2019 [12] | Alo | Joe Beef | Toqué! |
| 2020 [13] | Alo | St. Lawrence | Joe Beef |
| 2021 | No List | ||
| 2022 [14] | Published on Main | Alo | St. Lawrence |
| 2023 [15] | Mon Lapin | Alo | Published on Main |
| 2024 [16] | Mon Lapin | Edulis | Alo |
In 2018, Canada's 100 Best introduced a standalone annual ranking of the country's top 50 bars, published alongside the Best Restaurants list. [17]
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 [18] | Bar Raval | The Keefer Bar | The Coldroom |
| 2019 [19] | Bar Raval | The Keefer Bar | Civil Liberties |
| 2020 [20] | Bar Raval | The Keefer Bar | Atwater Cocktail Club |
| 2021 | No List | ||
| 2022 [21] | Civil Liberties | Botanist | The Keefer Bar |
| 2023 [22] | Civil Liberties | Cloakroom | Atwater Cocktail Club |
| 2024 [23] | Bar Pompette | Civil Liberties | Cloakroom |
Starting in 2022, the magazine also published a 'Best New Restaurants' list, ranking 10 restaurants in Canada which opened in the year prior. [24]
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 [24] |  Major Tom | Osteria Giulia | D.O.P. |
| 2023 [25] | Prime Seafood Palace | Cabaret L'Enfer |  Portage |
| 2024 [26] | Marilena | Casa Paco | Sushi Yūgen |
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