If you’ve ever wanted to rub elbows with your favourite Toronto chefs, bartenders and servers then you’ll likely find them at 416 Snack Bar, a known industry favourite. The menu reads like the ultimate international passport to gastropub (read, elevated bar food) fare. It is as it says on their website “all over the map.”

Holed up on an off-the-radar strip of Ossington, this contemporary Canadian restaurant turns out eye-opening fare. The level of respect chef-owner Justin Cournoyer has for the land, for the seasons and for the climate is palpable in every dish. All is local and seasonal, at Actinolite and the ethos permeates every aspect of the business.

Toronto's first tempura donburi restaurant, also known as Shitamachi Tendon Akimitsu, sits above the new downtown location of Michelin-starred Konjiki Ramen. The global chain specializes in tempura-battered shrimp and seafood over rice.

Meet Salon: Alo’s first space dedicated to private dining. An intimate room that’s conveniently located in Yorkville, Salon will offer multi-course dinners in the style of Alo Bar, its adjacent neighbour, under the culinary direction of chef/owner Patrick Kriss, chef de cuisine Nick Bentley and chef de cuisine Tim Yun — Alo’s former sous chef.

Alobar Yorkville, the restaurant by chef and famed restaurateur Patrick Kriss, is an oasis of elegance tucked into an alley off of Cumberland Street in Toronto. The small 75-seat restaurant is a setting that is part lounge, part dining room, part bar — and all class.

Baby sis to Alo, this downstairs diner is the cool sibling — the more approachable one you want to be friends with (and actually stand a chance with). Walls are clad in sleek wood panelling, servers look jaunty in bow ties, and the food is comforting but never sloppy. Aloette’s menu isn’t so much greasy

Alo Food Group is back yet again with another neighbourhood hit—and, this time, you can bring it home. From the group behind Yokville’s Alobar and Alo comes a pandemic-inspired restaurant almost exclusively dedicated to takeout and delivery. Aloette  Go serves all the favourites from the French bistro, including the fried chicken and namesake Beaufort-cheese-topped Aloette

Bang Sue is a cozy 50-seat bar on the second floor above Khao San Road restaurant. The bar’s moniker is a nod to Bangkok’s main train station. If you had ever driven past the restaurant’s former location on Adelaide, you will have seen the line-ups out the door. That's why Bang Sue is a great waiting area where people can nibble on Thai-inspired bar snacks and sip on cocktails before they make their way down to the main event.

Bar Biltmore is the historic Paradise Theatre’s upstairs cocktail bar. Conceptualized by bar director Robin Goodfellow, this cocktail haven is named after the Biltmore Theatre, where owner Moray Tawse spent his formative years. The bar is built around the cocktail program which Goodfellow has created on a schematic bitterness scale. Meant for guests with a

Reflecting on the Bar Hop ethos — and the beer selection in particular — Pingitore describes the concept as “a craft ale house with mostly local microbrews on tap, and then a wide selection of bottles that range from consignment, imported bottles and hard-to-get stuff, stuff you don’t get at the LCBO.”

For their second home on Peter Street, Bar Hop Brewco. put Mark Cutrara (Cowbell) in charge of the kitchen. The first floor is open for business, and the vibe is warm and welcoming. There are 36 beers on tap, with draught selections updated weekly, and 1,200 litres of Amsterdam’s saison available for vertical tastings.

Bar Koukla is the newest member of the Mamakas Food Group and the most recent resto to take its place on the Ossington strip. In 2015 Thanos Tripi opened Mamakas Taverna and took the west end by storm with his unique collection of Greek wines, traditional yet elevated Greek fare and chic Mediterranean atmosphere. Bar

Chef Craig Wong invites guests into an oceanic oasis at Bar Mignonette. The Chinese-Jamaican chef applies his experience working at Michelin-starred restaurants with his heritage to work wonders at his newest venture. He first opened Patois Toronto in 2014, which paired traditional Chinese family-style dining with bold Caribbean flavours. Now at Bar Mignonette, the chef

The group behind Mahjong Bar brings Dundas West another immersive bar concept with Bar Mordecai. Those familiar with Mahjong Bar’s moody, retro vibes will recognize some familiar elements in the Bar Mordecai space, including low, glowy lighting and a design-forward theme. But with Bar Mordecai, co-owners Emily Blake, Joshua LeBlanc, Andrew Perry and Kyle Wong

Greek cuisine gets an Instagram-worthy setting at Bar Neon, which comes complete with a heated back patio. Decorated with bold colours that compliment the traditional blue and white associated with Greek culture, the restaurant also has a private dining space that can accommodate partial or full buyouts. The fare is traditional, with mezes and huge

There are steak houses, and then there’s Barberian’s. There’s no selfie wall or wannabe-witty hashtag associated with this joint — just a couple of Group of Seven paintings (no big deal). This is a proper old-timey dining experience and an institution in Toronto’s food scene. Now in the second generation, the family business reaches back

Some restaurateurs get into business for the money, for others it’s a passionate affair and a way of life. Michelle and Herbert Barnsteiner fall safely into the latter category and have recently opened the next chapter of that love story at Yonge and Balmoral Avenue.

The newest sibling in the growing Oliver & Bonacini family opened yesterday. Beaumont Kitchen matches restaurant with retail at its location inside the brand new Saks Fifth Avenue in Sherway Gardens.

Liberty Entertainment Group’s answer is Blue Blood, a steakhouse which includes a stunning bar and lounge (in Casa Loma's Oak Room & Smoking Lounge) and lavish dining room (in the Billiard Room).

It’s a royal affair at the elite and oh-so luxurious Blueblood Steakhouse. Located inside Toronto’s lone castle on a hill, this restaurant is serving up only the most noble fare in a restaurant fit for a king. The exterior of Castle Loma is enough to get you excited for a night of wining and dining