Make the most of the harvest season with 10 Toronto restaurants and bars where you can sample the flavours of Ontario in seasonal, locavore and field-to-table menus.
Farm-to-table dining continues to tantalize sustainability-focused foodies, with a number of Toronto restaurants serving up locally grown and sourced food and drink.
From chic breweries to upscale dining in the sky, here are 10 Toronto restaurants where you can eat locally grown and sourced ingredients from Ontario.
TIP: To sample the most dedicated locavore cuisine, look for the FeastON symbol, which designates restaurants recognized for their commitment to sourcing and serving from within the province.
Prime Seafood Palace
From the mind of celebrity chef Matty Matheson, Queen Street West’s Prime Seafood Palace mixes ingredients sourced from across Canada. Carnivores will want to try their prime rib roast or bone-in striploin featuring Guelph-raised cattle. Pescatarians should order East Coast halibut served with locally sourced Mimosa Springs trout roe and Blue Goose Farm creamed greens for a field-to-sea-to-table meal.
Brickworks Cider House Restaurant
This Leslieville outpost serves some of the city’s best hard cider (all of it made from local apples), paired with a seasonal, locally sourced menu. Brickworks Cider House Restaurant works with several small and mid-size producers, including Three Forks Farm, Monforte Dairy and The Butcher Shoppe, for an eclectic pub-style menu.
For a lighter lunch, try the Ciderhouse Salad with dressing made with free-run eggs from Burnbrae Farms with Brockworks Queen Street 501 cider.
360 Restaurant
Known as the rotating restaurant at the top of the CN Tower, 360 Restaurant is also a great place to eat Canadian-grown food. Dine on dishes sourced from 100km Food Inc. while taking in jaw-dropping city and lake views from 350 m (1151 ft) above street level.
Standout dishes featuring regional ingredients include the Basil Pesto Cavatelli and Ontario Burrata and the Local Sunchoke and Potato Soup. Your drink choice is practically guaranteed local, as the entire wine, beer and cider menu (with the exception of Port) comes from Ontario.
Avling Brewery
This east-end brewery has made a name for itself with unique beers and a brewpub menu showcasing local ingredients. Incorporating the field-to-table ethos in their beverages and plates, Avling Brewery updates its menu based on what is in season or available through suppliers like 100km Foods Inc.
Local favourites are the Beverly Creek lamb burger, fire-grilled Ontario water buffalo or a smörgåsbord of Canadian cheeses.
Richmond Station
Richmond Station is an upscale FeastON-certified restaurant in Toronto’s bustling Financial District. You’ll understand what the hype is about when you try their roasted suckling pig (sourced from southern Ontario’s Perth Pork) paired with a small-batch beer from Muskoka Brewery.
If you’re hungry (and adventurous), opt for the chef-curated tasting menu, inspired by local and seasonal ingredients, which changes every two weeks. Many of the restaurant’s veggies, herbs and flowers are grown at the restaurant’s own regenerative-organic garden in Creemore, Ontario.
Maple Leaf Tavern
Named after Canada’s national tree, the Maple Leaf Tavern is a cozy spot in Toronto’s east end where you can dine on dry-aged Ontario meats and sip on local wine, beer and spirits. Each dish is swapped seasonally to showcase the best flavours of Ontario, like a cavatelli dish made with arugula from Clear Water Farms (Willow Beach, Ontario) or a caper and mustard sauced pork chop plate featuring meat from Linton Pasture (Walton, Ontario).
DaiLo
When it comes to cool restaurants in Toronto, College Street’s DaiLo is one of the first that comes to mind. Chef Nick Liu’s gem fuses small-plates Chinese fare and flavours with French culinary traditions to become one of the most sought-after restaurants in the city.
The restaurant has received a FeastON designation for its reliance on local suppliers like The Butcher Shoppe, Monforte Dairy, 100km Foods Inc. and King Cole Ducks—as featured in their flavour bomb Smoked Duck Bokkeum.
Antler Kitchen & Bar
A carnivore’s paradise in Little Portugal, Antler Kitchen & Bar has built its reputation on serving local game paired with local produce. Chef Michael Hunter is an avid outdoorsman with the stated aim of bringing the flavours of the near north to Toronto.
Try deer cavatelli on homemade pasta, or chow down on a wild-boar-bison-and-deer burger with fries. Pescatarians can dig into wild-caught Ontario pickerel with prairie grains, cherry tomatoes, romesco and rapini pesto, while vegetarians can indulge in a roasted hen of the woods mushroom salad.
Aburi Hana
The multi-course tasting menu at Yorkville’s 1 Star MICHELIN Aburi Hana is a culinary experience that includes seasonal Ontario-grown ingredients with the Japanese Kyōto-style Kaiseki concept. Here you’ll find crisp Ontario Granny Smith apples, seasonal strawberries or other seasonal produce alongside seafood and other delicacies seared on the restaurant’s signature Aburi flame.
Also see: 24 Hours with Chef Ryusuke Nakagawa of Aburi Hana
Quetzal
Another MICHELIN Star–recognized restaurant, Quetzal crafts traditional Mexican dishes out of locally grown and sourced ingredients. Creative Mexican dishes and craft cocktails will satisfy locavores with ingredients from nearby spots like Sanagan’s Meat Locker and 100km Foods Inc.
For a truly local bite, order the mushroom and shishito peppers made with Trinity Farm oyster mushrooms from Ancaster, Ontario, or a flat iron steak in black garlic mole negro, featuring AAA Hereford from Ontario.
