EnRoute magazine just released its annual list of best new restaurants in Canada with Edulis at No. 1. A few weeks ago, Macleans also released a nationwide list of their favourite places to eat, and let’s not forget Zagat’s results earlier this year that saw readers put Spring Rolls at top. People, naturally, voiced their outrage as certain restaurants were/weren’t mentioned (though the only list that would satisfy everyone is a telephone directory). With so many publications releasing lists of top restaurants in Canada, it can get confusing, so here’s a handy look at the ones released so far:
Publication: Zagat
Tagline: 2012 Toronto Restaurants Survey
Context: 315 restaurants reviewed by 2,266 Toronto diners. Establishments ranked in categories like popularity, food, service, and décor.
Results released: February
Notable honours: Spring Rolls (most popular), Scaramouche (best food), Canoe (best décor, second most-popular), Burger’s Priest (third-best food), Campagnolo (fourth-best service)
Publication: Toronto Life
Tagline: Best New Restaurants 2012
Context: Toronto restaurants that have opened in the past year, as selected by the magazine’s critics.
Results released: March
Notable honours: Yours Truly (first), Acadia (second), Keriwa Café (fourth), Barque Smokehouse (sixth)
Publication: Vacay.ca
Tagline: Top 50 Restaurants in Canada
Context: New and established restaurants are included. List is compiled through a combination of public votes and selected regional judges.
Results released: April
Notable honours: The Black Hoof (fourth), Canoe (eighth), Guu (18th), Scaramouche (28th), Acadia (37th).
How T.O. scores: 13/50
Publication: Post City
Tagline: Joanne Kates’ Top 100 Restaurants in Toronto 2012
Context: Resident restaurant critic Joanne Kates ranks the top 100 restaurants in the city.
Results released: May
Notable honours: Scaramouche (first, as well as in 2011), Acadia (second), Hopgood’s Foodliner (third), Yours Truly (seventh), Grand Electric (eighth), Campagnolo (ninth), The Black Hoof (11th), Keriwa Café (23rd), The Burger’s Priest (28th), Barque Smokehouse (40th), Catch (52nd)
Publication: Maclean’s
Tagline: The 50 best restaurants in Canada
Context: New and established restaurants are included. List compiled by food columnist and critic Jacob Richler.
Results released: September
How T.O. scores: 10/50
Notable honours: The Grove (best new restaurant). Also mentioned but not ranked: Campagnolo, Edulis, Chantecler, Scaramouche, The Stockyards, Catch
Publication: enRoute
Tagline: Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2012
Context: Restaurants that opened between June 2011 and July 2012 are eligible. Writer Sarah Musgrave travels to restaurants recommended by panelists and the list is narrowed down from there.
Results released: October
How T.O. scores: 6/10
Notable honours: Edulis (first), Ursa (third), Acadia (fourth), Hopgood’s Foodliner (sixth), Grand Electric (seventh), Keriwa Café (eighth),
So from those lists, here are the places with the most mentions:
Four mentions: Acadia, Scaramouche
Three mentions: Campagnolo, Canoe, Keriwa Café
Two mentions: Aria, Auberge du Pommier, Barque Smokehouse, Buca, The Burger’s Priest, The Black Hoof, Catch, Chiado, Edulis, Estiatorio Volos, F’Amelia, George, Grand Electric, Guu Izakaya, Hopgood’s Foodliner, Ici Bistro, Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto, Mideastro, Modus Ristorante, Nota Bene, Origin, Ortolan, The Stockyards, Sushi Kaji, Ursa, Yours Truly
Now, if someone can turn this lists of lists into another list, then we’ll be onto something.—Karon Liu
