In Toronto, the average cost of a Michelin-starred meal was $262, with the highest price at $680 at Sushi Masaki Saito. The average cost was calculated based on the dollar figures included in the guide.
Sushi Masaki Saito was the only Toronto restaurant to earn two stars at home, while 12 restaurants received one star, designated by Michelin as high quality cooking and worth a stop.
The highest possible Michelin rating is three stars, which only 137 restaurants in the world have achieved. In the words of Michelin, these restaurants are worth planning an entire trip just to visit.
Of the 13 starred restaurants in Toronto, most collect hefty cheques, are run by male chefs, serve Japanese or Euro-centric food and are located in downtown Toronto – in keeping with the guide’s review of other cities.
In the past, Michelin has been criticized for favoring culinary prowess based on the “class system” along with Japanese and Eurocentric institutions.
Michelin’s inspection process, which began in Toronto in the spring, is subject to secrecy and has been in place since the list was conceived in 1920.
Tobey Nemeth and Michael Caballo, MICHELIN Guide Toronto Service Award 2022. Tobey Nemeth and Michael Caballo, chef-owners of One Star Edulis, on vegetables, love in the kitchen and how Edulis came to be.
— The MICHELIN Guide (@MichelinGuideUK) September 14, 2022
Two of the 13 restaurants selected in Toronto have head chefs who are women – and both sit alongside male counterparts. Head chef positions are held by men in all other establishments.
Five of the restaurants serve Japanese food, with the rest of the culinary selection spread across Italian, contemporary, French and Mediterranean establishments, with one offering Mexican food. Ten of the establishments have tasting menus.
The list was void of Chinese, Jamaican or Thai restaurants, along with the extensive list of diverse culinary options in Toronto, which has been a point of contention for some people who eat and live in the city.
In terms of location, five of the Michelin-starred restaurants are located in Yorkville, one of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods. The rest of the restaurants were all within the Toronto city limits – with an outlier in Thornhill.
Michelin says that “contrary to popular belief” their guides are not about “fine dining”. In 1997, the Bib Gourmand was created to reflect “good quality, good value” restaurants.
Seventeen Toronto restaurants were included in this ranking, with a wider range of price and food options presented in Spanish, barbecue and Middle Eastern menus.
