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Food & Drink

Here’s what to order at Toronto’s 20 best new restaurants

By Mark Pupo
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Best New Restaurants 2017

Toronto's best new restaurants 2017
Food & Drink

Toronto’s best new restaurants 2017

Toronto Life critic Mark Pupo’s annual ranking of the city’s best new places to eat is out now. Here, Pupo picks the most memorable dish—from salads to sausages—he encountered at each of the restaurants in the top 20. 

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Dave Gillespie
Brothers Food & Wine’s persimmon salad

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 1 With persimmon rounds, charred escarole and shavings of Ontario ewe’s milk cheese. 1240 Bay St., 416-804-6066, brotherstoronto.com

 

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Dave Gillespie
Doma’s duck course

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 2 A deft plating of duck two ways: slices of seared breast and confit-stuffed dumplings. 50C Clinton St., 416-551-1550, domatoronto.com

 

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Dave Gillespie
Piano Piano’s Bitters pizza

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 3 Perfectly blistered and topped with fior di latte, blackened kale and dandelion. 88 Harbord St., 416-929-7788, pianopianotherestaurant.com

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Rick O’Brien
La Banane’s roasted ananas

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 4 A dessert of supremely sweet roasted baby pineapple and a whipped tofu pudding. 227 Ossington Ave., 416-551-6263, labanane.ca

 

Canis’s cured trout

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 5 A layered appetizer of cured trout, cucumber and radish. 746 Queen St. W., 416-203-3317, canisrestaurant.com

 

Noorden’s ribs

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 6 Pork ribs glazed with sambal cobek, a five-alarm chili sauce. 2110 Yonge St., 416-488-2110, noordento.com

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Cindy La-3629
Cindy La
Leña’s churros

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 7 Airy churros dipped in a tea cup of dark Mexican chocolate. 176 Yonge St., 416-507-3378, lenarestaurante.com

 

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Dave Gillespie
Superpoint’s reginette

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 8 House-made pasta loaded with slow-cooked beef cheek and a heavy blanket of shaved parmesan. 184 Ossington Ave., 416-519-6996, superpoint.ca

 

Adamson Barbecue’s Andouille sausage

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 9 The plump, garlicky links are only one of the barbecue joint’s house-ground sausage varities. 176 Wicksteed Ave., 647-559-2080, adamsonbarbecue.com

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Dave Gillespie
Awai’s paella

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 10 A funky vegetable paella with oyster mushrooms, black truffle and huitlacoche. 2277 Bloor St. W., 647-643-3132, @awairestaurant

 

Whole Fish MLT
Maple Leaf Tavern
Maple Leaf Tavern’s sea bream

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 11 Whole sea bream grilled over a wood fire, served with beurre blanc; order with a side of truffle-buttered hassleback potatoes. 955 Gerrard St. E., 416-465-0955, mapleleaftavern.ca

 

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Dave Gillespie
Montgomery’s celeriac salad

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 12 A salad of quick-pickled celery, salt-roasted celeriac, Italian parsley and sunflower aïoli. 996 Queen St. W., 647-748-4416, montgomerysrestaurant.com

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Lasa’s halo-halo

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 13 A day-glo summer dessert of shaved ice, flan, coconut-flavoured jelly and a scoop of taro ice cream. 634 St. Clair Ave. W., 647-343-1110, lasabylamesa.com

 

Harry’s Charbroil’s Green Burger

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 14 A chorizo patty with tomatillo relish, spicy pickled onion and cheese on a Wonder Bread bun. 160 Springhurst Ave., 416-532-2908, @harryscharbroiled

 

Ardo’s anchovy crostini

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 15 Plump, white anchovies, roasted red pepper and a scattering of fennel fronds on crostini. 243 King St. E., 647-347-8930, ardorestaurant.com

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Dave Gillespie
Baro’s arroz chaufa

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 16 A Korean-Peruvian mashup, served in a heated stone bibimbap bowl with duck confit, edamame, tobiko and chili peppers. 485 King St. W., 416-363-8388, barotoronto.com

 

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Dave Gillespie
El Rey’s shrimp tostada

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 17 A tostada of cuke, avocado and tiny, sweet Nordic shrimp marinated in a chili cocktail sauce. 2A Kensington Ave., no phone, elreybar.com

 

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Dave Gillespie
Jackpot Chicken’s ramen

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 18 The deliciously greasy Hi-Rolla Ramen with chili, jumbo shrimp, Chinese sausage and soy-pickled egg. 318 Spadina Ave., 416-792-8628, jackpotchickenrice.com

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Dave Gillespie
MeNami’s cold udon

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 19 Udon noodles in a cold kake broth of mirin, dashi and ginger. 5469 Yonge St., 416-229-6191, menami.ca

 

Bar Begonia’s mussels

Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: No. 20 A deep bowl of white wine-steamed P.E.I. mussels. 252 Dupont St., 647-352-3337, barbegonia.com

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