Madame Marie’s MICHELIN Guide Toronto Predictions

This fall marks a long-awaited milestone for the Canadian culinary community. On Sept. 13, the MICHELIN Guide Toronto will be revealed at an exclusive event at Evergreen Brickworks, making it the first Canadian destination for the selection.

Throughout the past several months, MICHELIN Inspectors have immersed themselves in the city’s diverse culinary scene. Not only can they award one, two or three MICHELIN stars for unparalleled cuisine, but they can also bestow Bib Gourmand ratings on restaurants that offer quality food at reasonable prices, as well as the MICHELIN Green Star to restaurants involved in sustainable gastronomy (which will not be covered in this blog post).

 Which restaurants will earn one, two or three coveted MICHELIN étoiles? Here are my predictions.

Listed in alphabetical order

• 20 Victoria is an intimate space with a wide-open kitchen as a focal point offering seasonal dishes that change on a whim.
• Alo is the city’s culinary crème de la crème. Ranked consistently as one of the country’s best, Alo’s blind tasting menu is transformative in every way.
• Alobar is swanky enough to fit into its Yorkville surroundings, and its shareable dishes are elevated and exceptional.
• Bar Isabel takes patrons on a journey to Spain and Italy with its consistent and quality offerings.
• Café Boulud is rooted in French tradition while boasting a vintage feel. Comforting dishes, such as rotisserie chicken, are on offer.
• Canoe is one of the city’s long-standing icons, not only for its Canadian-inspired menu but also the incredible city views from 54 stories above the sidewalks.
• Don Alfonso 1890 offers exquisite Mediterranean cuisine in a gorgeous venue overlooking Lake Ontario.
• Dreyfus is casual and understated, offering French-inspired plates and natural wines.
• Edulis’ seafood-forward, seasonal menu experienced in a quaint setting on Niagara Street will having you coming back for more.
• George offers a multi-course tasting menu with impeccable attention to detail.
• Giulietta is Little Italy’s sleek trattoria that serves wood-fired pizza, house-made pasta and shareable plates.
• Grey Gardens, situated in Kensington Market, has a stunning ambiance and playful, creative plates to match.
• Hexagon is Oakville’s contemporary French dining destination with an inventive menu of a la carte options or curated selections by the chef.
• Jacobs and Co. Steakhouse is elegant in every right with a vast selection of steaks and a piano bar.
• Joso’s is a destination in and of itself. Escape to Croatia for an evening with the freshest seafood in the city that’s displayed to patrons table-side.
• MIMI Chinese honours regional Chinese cuisine and its rich culture along with artistic cocktails and a moody vibe.
• Opus’ high-end dining experience is only accentuated by its vast wine cellar with over 2,500 labels.
• Osteria Giulia offers simple, yet beautifully executed Italian cuisine in a minimalist setting.
• Pompette fuses traditional French cuisine with modern flare, making its offerings as beautiful as they are delicious.
• Richmond Station is all about seasonality and its rotating menus show off the season’s finest ingredients.
• Scaramouche is iconic, offering French-inspired cuisine with epic skyline views.
• Shoushin procures rare seafood selections from Japan for its Edomae-style sushi menu.
• Sotto Sotto offers perfectly executed traditional dishes from south-central Italy.
• Sushi Masaki Saito is a place that people come far and wide to experience, and for an omakase menu that’s $680 per person, it’s nothing short of transcendent.
• Quetzal showcases upscale Mexican cuisine and craft cocktails in a contemporary setting.