Highlights from Toronto Life’s ninth annual Best Restaurants event

On Monday night, more than 20 of Toronto’s foremost culinary teams gathered in the Evergreen Brick Works for Toronto Life’s ninth annual Best Restaurants event, presented by Uber Eats. Over 1,100 foodies joined the sold-out party, held to celebrate the magazine’s Best New Restaurants of 2025 issue and Toronto Life’s fresh new redesign.

Among the delectable delicacies were curried lamb tartare from cover star Jen Agg’s new Geary Avenue restaurant, General Public; agnolotti pasta from Occhiolino, made on-site; and tangy tamarind glass noodles from Pii Nong Thai—complete with an actual Thai massage.

For a perfect pairing, guests could select from 11 Wines of the World, including four from Henry of Pelham: Old Vines Baco Noir, Three Hills Chardonnay, Three of Hearts Rosé and Cuvée Catharine Brut VQA. Guests could also cheers with pints of Stella Artois or custom cocktails featuring Ren Ultra Premium Vodka and Sheringham Seaside Gin.

Here’s a taste of the night’s all-you-can-eat food menu:

Arbequina: Lamb mandi with karakish—smoked lamb, eggplant purée, crispy shallots, herbs salad, honey-scented yogurt and pomegranate—or smoked eggplant with karakish, baba ghanouj, crispy lentils and shallots, herbs salad, curry leaves, tahini, and pomegranate.

Ayla: Master stock duck liver mousse with rhubarb and crispy arare.

Bar Clams: Razor clams with wild leek dressing, served on a half shell on ice.

Bonito’s: Llapingacho taiyaki, a spiced cheese and potato cake with hot salsa.

Dopamina: Foie gras and chicken liver parfait on toasted brioche with rhubarb gel, candied hazelnut and jamón ibérico.

General Public: Curried lamb tartare with Kashmiri chili, curry mayo and pappadum.

Jamil’s Chaat House: Dahi puri—a semolina puff filled with potato and chickpea—served with tamarind and cilantro yogurt chutneys and dusted with Kashmiri chili.

Louf: Za’atar bread with labneh, blood sorrel, grape molasses reduction and sumach.

Maven: Barbecued all-beef salami with apricot preserves and Kozlik’s mustard or cheesecake with cream cheese, graham cracker and sour cream.

Martine’s Wine Bar: Scallop tartare with tosazu beurre blanc, shishito oil and trout roe.

Occhiolino: Pea agnolotti with Ontario peas, mascarpone, mint and ricotta salata.

Pii Nong Thai: Tossed glass noodle salad with tiger shrimp, ground chicken breast, tomato, green and red onion, cilantro and chili in a refreshing, tangy tamarind dressing.

Yan Dining Room: Ginger-scallion focaccia with chili crisp and whipped buttermilk.

And/Ore: Short rib with lobster and caviar.

Conejo Negro: Ham hock terrine on toasted coco bread with house-made aïoli and Oaxaca cheese, served with a Haitian spicy slaw.

Daphne: Octopus skewers with cannellini bean purée and Sicilian caper dressing or short-rib skewers with barbacoa barbecue sauce and lime.

Curryish Tavern: Seafood balchão with fermented red chilies, butter, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic pav.

Good Behaviour: S’mores ice cream and mango mojito sorbet.

The Old York Tavern: Onion dip with yogurt, scallions, chives, crispy shallots and pommes gaufrettes.

Savor Thai: Satay curry-skewered chicken with peanut sauce and cucumber salad or fresh mango with coconut glutinous rice, chocolate shell and coconut mousse.

Ultra: Black pepper tenderloin with merlot, black pepper sauce and scallions or ahi tuna tart with avocado, truffle crema and shiso onion salsa.

The night kicked off with an exclusive VIP event, the Perfect Serve Awards, presented by Stella Artois. Top bartenders from across Canada went head-to-head in a showdown to see who could pour the perfect Stella. Audrey Quesnel, a bartender at St. Hubert in Granby, Quebec, earned that honour and will now represent Canada at the global finals at Wimbledon in London, England.

To commemorate the occasion, attendees had the chance to get a free Stella chalice, engraved with a message of their choice, and could also get a one-on-one tutorial on how to perfect their own Stella Artois pours.

Here’s a taste of what went down:

Full list of sponsors:

Uber Eats Stella Artois Henry of Pelham Old Vines Baco Noir Henry of Pelham Three Hills Chardonnay Three of Hearts Rosé Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Brut VQA Laurent Miquel Père et Fils Chardonnay Lurton Piedra Negra Pinot Grigio Organic King Maui Sauvignon Blanc Cigar Box Pinot Noir Red Knot Cabernet Sauvignon Mucho Mas White Carmen Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Ren Ultra Premium Vodka Sheringham Seaside Gin Lot No. 40 Single Copper Pot Still Canadian Whisky Mi CAMPO Blanco Tequila Goslings Bermuda Black Seal Rum Absolut Ocean Spray Cranberry Tricon Residential A Level Above Construction Flow Water Barocco Coffee