Toronto is typically ranked among the most diverse and food-obsessed cities on the planet, but The Six just got snubbed from a major “best food cities” list, and it stings a little, especially since two other major Canadian spots made the cut.
The ranking comes from Condé Nast Traveler’s 38th annual Readers’ Choice Awards, a massive survey in which 757,109 readers voted on their favourite places around the world. Readers chose Kyoto, Japan, as the world’s best place to eat. No surprise here — the city is praised for its tofu hot pot, soba, matcha desserts and traditional kaiseki at temples and legendary restaurants (like the three-Michelin-starred Kikunoi).
Montreal landed in second place, celebrated for its immigrant-driven food culture that brings fresh energy to the community. The city is filled with classics like wood-fired bagels, poutine and big-deal institutions like Au Pied de Cochon and Schwartz’s.
Vancouver came in third, spotlighted for having “some of the best East Asian cooking outside of East Asia,” so think great sushi, dim sum, West Coast seafood and iconic food trucks like Japadog!
Tokyo, Florence, Cape Town, Singapore, Paris, Mexico City, Madrid, Rome, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Athens round out the list.
And before anyone says that Toronto’s food scene is overrated, it’s worth noting that another recent Condé Nast Traveler article highlighted the world’s top dining spots, and a Toronto restaurant made the cut in the North American category: Leslieville’s favourite pastel-hued hangout, Avling!
According to the write-up, the Nordic-style brewery specializes in seasonal barrel-aged infusions and innovative, Chinese-influenced modern Canadian cuisine. The menu changes frequently, but you can indulge in tasty dishes like duck confit poutine (think slow-cooked and pulled five-spice duck leg, complemented with farmhouse gravy, cheddar cheese curds and chunky fries), or steak tartare with shallot, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, smoked egg yolk, gherkins and grilled sourdough.
Meanwhile, Toronto keeps racking up other accolades, with an impressive lineup of Michelin-starred, Bib Gourmand and recommended restaurants. OpenTable recently released its 2025 list of the Top 100 Restaurants in Canada, based on more than 1.3 million diner reviews. Out of 100 restaurants, 27 are in Toronto, with heavy-hitters like Alo Restaurant and Bar Isabel, as well as newcomers like The Lunch Lady, which opened its doors this past summer.
If you’re looking for more Toronto restaurant faves, there’s more good news: Three Toronto steakhouses just landed on a list of the 50 Best Steak Restaurants in North America, proving you don’t need to fly to Chicago or New York for a world-class steak dinner. And for barbecue lovers: two Toronto smokehouses were just ranked among the best BBQ joints in the world.
