Quetzal (restaurant)

Quetzal
Interactive map of Quetzal
Restaurant information
Established	August 8, 2018 (2018-08-08) [1]
Owner	Grant van Gameren [2]
Head chef	Steven Molnar [3]
Food type	Mexican
Rating	(Michelin Guide)
Location	419 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1T1, Canada
Coordinates	43°39′23.3″N79°24′24.9″W / 43.656472°N 79.406917°W / 43.656472; -79.406917
Website	www.quetzaltoronto.com

Quetzal is a Mexican restaurant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ^{[4] [5]}

History

The restaurant initially opened in August 2018, before temporarily closing six months later following a dispute between the restaurant owner and the then-chefs. ^[1] At its opening, the restaurant was initially headed by co-chefs Julio Guajardo and Kate Chomyshyn. ^[1]

The restaurant re-opened in March 2019, with its kitchen being headed by owner Grant van Gameren. ^[2] Steve Molnar took over the head chef role in March 2020.

Concept

Quetzal cooks its food solely over open flame, and does not have any traditional stoves or ovens. ^[3]

Recognition

The restaurant first received a Michelin star in 2022, and retained it in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 editions of the Michelin Guide. ^{[6] [7] [8]} It is the first, and so far only, Mexican restaurant in the city to receive a star. ^[3]

In 2025, Quetzal was ranked #11 in the inaugural North America's 50 Best Restaurants list, one of two Toronto restaurants making the ranking alongside Mhel. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

Canada's 100 Best Restaurants Ranking

Quetzal ranked #8 in Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list in 2025, up from its previous ranking of #12 in 2024. ^[12]

Quetzal [13]
Year	Rank	Change
2019	23	new
2020	68	45
2021	No List
2022	76	8
2023	26	50
2024	12	14
2025	8	4

See also

• List of Mexican restaurants
• List of Michelin starred restaurants in Toronto

References

1. Kopun, Francine (18 January 2019). "Hot new Toronto resto Quetzal closes after falling out among partners". The Toronto Star. TorStar. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
2. Kates, Joanne. "Grant van Gameren's very bad day at Quetzal". Streets of Toronto. Streets of Toronto. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
3. Narciso, Kaitlin. "The Michelin star journey of Quetzal chef Steven Molnar". Streets of Toronto. Streets of Toronto. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
4. "Quetzal Review - Toronto". The Infatuation. 2022-11-01. Archived from the original on 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
5. Pataki, Amy (2018-10-12). "Bold ideas fail to take flight at Quetzal". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
6. "2022 Toronto MICHELIN Stars". MICHELIN Guide. Archived from the original on 2023-07-16. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
7. "Quetzal – Toronto - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". MICHELIN Guide. Archived from the original on 2023-03-05. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
8. "All The Stars From The MICHELIN Guide Toronto 2024". Michelin Guide. Michelin North America. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
9. Lavery, Irelyne (26 September 2025). "2 Toronto restaurants were just named among the 50 best in North America". toronto.com. Metroland Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
10. Knight, Phoebe (26 September 2025). "Three Ontario restaurants were just ranked some of the best in North America". Daily Hive Toronto. ZoomerMedia. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
11. "Quetzal - Toronto". North America's 50 Best Restaurants. World's 50 Best. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
12. McLean, Hanna (13 May 2024). "Canada's 100 Best Restaurants of 2024 were just revealed". Dished. Daily Hive. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
13. "Canada's 100 Best Restaurants Lists". Canada's 100 Best Restaurants. Canada's 100 Best. Retrieved 8 December 2024.