Anytime we put together a major list, the stakes are high. It’s a privilege to connect with you, our readers, and it’s also a responsibility that we take incredibly seriously. Everything these days, including eating out, is expensive. For the Top 100, we wanted to make sure we got the list right, and that we only showcased places that we felt completely confident recommending to you. You can eat at all the restaurants on our list without breaking the bank — but we chose them because they’re astonishingly tasty. As our project editor and chief reviewer Chris Nuttall-Smith put it, “Exactly none of the places on our list is ‘good for the price.’”

In January, the project’s 11 food-obsessed critics got together to get the ball rolling on a restaurant longlist. They reached out to trusted advisers in every corner of the GTA to suggest promising spots for the already ballooning list. They asked chefs and butchers, academics, aunties and bakers, authors, cooking instructors, food writers, in-the-know dining fanatics and experts in international cuisines — champion eaters all of them — a simple question: “Where do we need to know that’s great?”

After weeks of research and scouting, cross-referencing and debate, they whittled the longlist of 300-odd restaurants to a (somewhat) more manageable 150. Then they fanned out across the city and let the gorging begin.

They visited each place unannounced, ordering widely. At every spot, they paid their own bills. As they sorted through their eating experiences, they asked a few key questions about every place.

• Is it unique and exciting and a benchmark for deliciousness?
• Is it consistently good, as best as we can tell?
• Does it capture what’s so incredible about eating out around the GTA?
• And were they dying to tell their own friends about it the second they left (or sooner!), because they knew it was sure to blow their minds too?

After much discussion, we ended up with our final list that we’re proud to share with you. How’d we do? Let us know in the comments.

These 11 food critics acted as scouts, reviewers and very enthusiastic eaters.

Chris is a writer, editor and critic, who has been covering the Canadian restaurant scene since 2005. His work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Wall Street Journal, Esquire, CBC Radio, Lucky Peach and Toronto Life. His guiding principles: restaurant writing should serve readers first, and there’s no such thing as a free meal.

What you learned: “It was great to be reminded that the most delicious places in town, for the most part, aren’t the super-pricey, star-chasing spots that suck up so much media attention. And that it’s nowhere near as hard as you might have heard to eat incredibly well without spending a pile of cash.”

Most challenging part: “The fear of overlooking great spots. In a metropolis of 20,000-odd restaurants, it’s impossible not to.”

If you absolutely had to: your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “There is zero chance I’m picking one. There were too many greats.”

Karon Liu has been the staff food writer for the Toronto Star since 2016. His focus is on affordable and independent restaurants that makes the GTA one of, if not, the most diverse and glorious food destinations in the world.

Most challenging part: “Contacting the restaurants for this project. A lot of the off-the-beaten-track, mom-and-pop restaurants aren’t used to dealing with media and have a (justified) level of skepticism in the age of social media. So you have to earn their trust, sometimes over multiple visits on weekends, to convince them that you’re not a scammer.”

If you absolutely had to: your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “As soon as the injera platters from Wazema came to the table, I knew It would be good. The colours, the textures, it’s all so rich and lush. It’s a platter that I couldn’t wait to tell others about, that’s how you know a place should be included.”

Jake Edmiston writes about the food business for the Toronto Star.

Most challenging part: “We had to come up with the perfect order, so we could see the restaurant firing all cylinders. I sweated a lot about that.”

What you learned: “Toronto’s older, more established restaurants aren’t getting the love they deserve.”

If you absolutely had to, your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “I think about the kebabs from Bereket Kebab House at least three times a week.”

Akrit Michael is a team editor on the Toronto Star’s digital desk, where he leads evening digital operations. 

Most challenging part: “My previously limitless love for food was tested after I made the rookie mistake of scheduling three review visits in one weekend, all at famously hearty Indian restaurants. I quickly learned the importance of pacing myself, and my fridge became leftover central for the rest of the week.”

If you absolutely had to, your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “The Party Jollof from Afrobeat Kitchen was the standout for me. I’ve been craving it ever since and fully plan on returning soon for another plate of that smoky goodness.”

Chi Nguyễn is a Toronto-based baker, and a finalist from Season 6 of The Great Canadian Baking Show. They believe in food’s power to inspire community care, and are drawn to restaurants that tell stories through flavour, tradition and the people behind the counter.

What you learned: “I was struck by how deeply connected so many owners and chefs are to their communities. Their restaurants aren’t just businesses; they’re extensions of their families, neighbourhoods and personal histories, and that made each meal feel even more meaningful.”

If you absolutely had to, your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “If I absolutely had to choose, it would be the haleem from Takht-e Tavoos. It was deeply comforting and quietly complex, the kind of dish you crave when you need a hug: warm, savoury, gently spiced and full of care.”

Janet Hurley is a longtime Toronto Star journalist who has spent decades as an editor, including previously overseeing the Star’s food and restaurant review coverage. For the past four years, she has been reporting on education. She loves putting her trust in blind tasting menus, laments the near impossibility of scoring reservations at Toronto’s hot spots, remains stunned that appetizers now routinely top $30 and can always be happily sated by a Montreal bagel slathered in cream cheese.

What you learned: “That a burger bun can make all the difference. It seems like it should be simple — well-proportioned, sturdy enough to support its filling and genuinely tasty — yet it can feel like an afterthought.”

If you absolutely had to, your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “Breaking the rules and going with one savoury and one sweet: Donna’s roast beef sandwich and Eggstatic’s lotus Biscoff pancakes.”

Angelyn Francis is a multimedia journalist, video producer and photographer, and a former editor at the Toronto Star. She was the host of season one of HuffPost’s award-winning “Born And Raised” podcast about second generation Canadians and how food relates to their identity. 

What you learned: “There will always be something missing from these lists and they could look dozens of different ways depending on who’s involved, but so much work went into this end result that you can bet every visit you make will be worthwhile.”

If you absolutely had to, your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “The Bombay Chicken from Wong’s had the most unexpected, sweet and tangy flavour.”

Alex Baldinger is a former food editor at Toronto Life and a James Beard Award nominated writer and editor at the Washington Post. He loves finding the magic in everyday food (but especially bread and bagels) and telling people about it. He currently leads marketing for an artisan sourdough brand in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is based in Toronto. He tries to enjoy every sandwich.

Most challenging part: “Putting personal affinity or nostalgia to one side when deciding whether a place is worth recommending. I might love a place, and think it’s totally deserving, but also recognize that there are better examples of the cuisine or tradition that would be more rewarding to the reader.”

If you absolutely had to, your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “I’m still thinking about the Wagyu brisket with tahini, chuma and honey at Romi’s on St. Clair West.”

Eshun Mott is a Toronto-based food stylist, recipe developer and former magazine Food Editor. An avid explorer of Toronto’s restaurant scene, she is also the founder of Flavourfull.ca, where she curates the best hard-to-find pantry ingredients for modern cooking and baking.

Most challenging part: “Having multiple dishes land on the table all at once, and asking everyone to wait while I tasted and took notes as inconspicuously as possible. Hungry guests are patient guests, until they aren’t (the pressure!).”

If you absolutely had to, your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “With summer coming, I keep thinking about the grilled mains at LaoLao Bar. The Lao BBQ chicken and sausage are juicy, savoury, and herbaceous — exactly what I want to be eating right now.”

Camilla Wynne is an award-winning author of four cookbooks, a writer, recipe developer, tester and teacher.

What you learned: “Although fact-checking was rigorous, it was a wonderful opportunity to be able to speak with the chef.”

If you absolutely had to, your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “Mozy’s chicken!”

Having grown up alongside Toronto’s evolving food scene — from fine dining to underground markets to food trucks — Jennifer is especially drawn to the traditions and histories carried through food and the flavours that shape what’s on our tables today. 

Most challenging part: “Connecting with the people behind the counter was the most challenging part for me. For some, conversation came naturally; for others, I had to push past my instinct to not inconvenience and persist to ask more questions anyway.”

If you absolutely had to, your favourite dish from all the restaurants you tried: “The kuih sarang semut from Skyview. I had never seen this beehive cake (a cousin to bak tong goh) offered in Toronto before and it was so well done. It has renewed my efforts to make both in my own kitchen, given the rarity of finding them these days (if at all!).”