Quite several head scratcher on this list …
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So … NA “best” doesn’t really mean best then … if restaurants are being excluded because they had won world’s best before …
They should rename the title. LOL.
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The inclusion of “taste makers” and media influencers IMHO has skewed many lists. But so far I’ve been happy sticking to Michelin (educated taste vocabulary) and lists with predominantly chef voters (e.g. the best chef awards)
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While I also ignore taste makers, I similarly avoid chef recommendations.
First, chefs are rarely incognito so receive ‘special treatment’ from some places, which are not representative of what a ‘paying customer’ would experience. Secondly, they can be colleagues of the staff at newer places and give positive reviews to their friends. Thirdly, how are they able to visit other restaurants when their working hours would usually require them to be working in their own places ‘at the same time’?
I recall instances of new places reaching relatively high rankings on lists within a few months of opening (lists usually take a while to compile), only to shutter within weeks of those lists being published.
At least Michelin has a set of ‘standards and qualifications’ so some consistency (at least for ‘stars’) - but I’m also mystified by the Bibs (at least locally).
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Generally speaking, I find that if Michelin recommends a restaurant, it is usually at least very good. I may disagree with the relative ranking (e.g., star vs. no star) and the category (e.g., Bib vs. recommendation). And certainly lots of good places may get passed over. But Michelin is at least fairly reliable for places I will enjoy, particularly for finer dining. It is not the place where I go looking for the best purveyor of a street food classic, etc.
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Check out the just announced 2025 list. I find myself more aligned with the knives rating than Michelin lately. e,g. Arbequina was star-worthy but no comment on Saito as I’ve never been
I don’t dismiss Michelin altogether. However, theyre incapable of representing what Toronto is any depth. They are also no replacement for knowledgable local restaurant critics who live and breath our world.
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Who are the current critics?
Some local food writers are hype people. I know at least 2 of them are also mooches, for lack of a better word, fwiw. LOL
A few other freelance writers are influenced by whoever is paying for their writing. I don’t think they check their bias blind spots.
I don’t see anyone under 60 following the James Chatto path. Understandably. It doesn’t pay.
I trust the pro bono chatty posters here on HO more than I trust the freelancers getting published right now.
It’s kind of funny. The people writing, getting published, are often 10 days to 3 weeks behind some of the posters on HO.
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I think Suresh does a good job highlighting the multicultural landscape of the GTA.
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Agree that he’s more in touch. But do you follow his recommendations?
IMO he seems to be more impressed by quantity and price - not necessarily ‘quality’. I ‘used to’ follow his recommendations (CBC radio) but after too many disappointments (essentially large portions of mediocre food), I stopped following him - but your mileage may differ!
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Suresh is not a critic.
He does boost a lot of restaurants. Which is great.
He also boosted a lot of restaurants, when he ran Spotlight Toronto and posted on Chowhound.
There’s a need for both critics and cheerleaders / marketers.
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I clearly do not have the same palate of any restaurant critics to agree with them. LOL
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I hear you. LOL
Note that Suresh’s new CBC TV show debuts tonight (Sunday 5 October), spotlighting Nigerian Food.
My guess (hope?) is that Afrobeat Kitchen will be featured - I recommended it here a couple of years ago - the food is good (better than the ambiance and service), but have to admit not exciting enough for me to have returned (food brings me back; service keeps me away). For me, the Jollof was ‘meh’ - I preferred the Egusi and the Yaaji CAULI-mari.
But I’ll be watching to (hopefully) discover something even more exciting.
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Yes hit and miss for me as well, but I appreciate the effort.
Well said. It’s a good starting point as a tourist, then boards like this can help too.
For the GTA I haven’t followed Michelin at all and rely on this board and my network.
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I like Suresh Doss’s focus on smaller, often family-run places. While his taste may not always match mine, his recommendations have at least led us to places we haven’t heard of and thus would not have tried otherwise.
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I don’t think that is the job/intent of the Michelin guide in any city. Michelin is a quite good source of restaurants in any city if you look for places that have a certain level of quality of ingredients, experienced chefs and a relative focus on French/western cooking background - though over the last 5-10 years they gave started to include more “Asian” influences (mainly Japanese with a sprinkle of “Chinese” and Thai). There is hardly any city where (and people complaining) there are many more interesting “ethnic” restaurants which are not captured by Michelin - Toronto isn’t a unique situation. Just look for example at the Michelin guide in LA which might be arguably the leading North American culinary city especially covering the breath and depth of many countries but hardly anything is captured in the Michelin guide
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