September in Toronto is red carpets and restless agents, standing ovations and standing dinners. The city, already a magnet for cosmopolitan bustle, finds itself playing host not just to premieres but to the precise choreography of who’s eating where. Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) may be the draw, but the restaurants—dotted with MICHELIN Stars—become the real backstage, where the festival’s subplots unfold over uni, duck confit, or whatever tasting-menu sleight of hand the chef has planned that night.
Toronto’s MICHELIN Guide is still young, but it’s already decisive. Here are the places that matter: rooms where the lighting flatters, the pacing never falters, and the food manages to be both memorably constructed and easy to eat between anecdotes. Think of them as the city’s supporting cast—without which TIFF wouldn’t feel quite as polished.
Sushi Masaki Saito — Two Stars, Yorkville
The crown jewel. Masaki Saito’s omakase is less dinner than performance art. The hinoki-wood counter, the cadence of knife and rice, the fish flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu market—all engineered for quiet awe. It’s the kind of place where you forget your phone entirely, because the meal demands full attention. TIFF veterans slip in for the calm; it feels worlds away from King Street chaos.
Alo — One Star, Spadina Avenue
Toronto’s most sought-after reservation, tucked on the third floor of a nondescript building. Chef Patrick Kriss delivers French-inflected tasting menus with rare confidence: foie gras parfait with fruit, delicate fish balanced with citrus and smoke. The room itself is sleek but never stuffy, the service polished enough to soothe a frazzled publicist. For a festival power dinner, it’s the surest bet.
Edulis — One Star, Niagara Street
Edulis feels almost private, an intimate space that prizes seasonality and a Mediterranean lean. The menu changes weekly, often daily; mushrooms, shellfish or game appear depending on what’s best. There’s no à la carte, just trust the kitchen. It’s a retreat for those who want to actually eat, not pose. Think of it as TIFF’s palate cleanser.
Aburi Hana — One Star, Yorkville
A kaiseki experience set against a backdrop of contemporary design. The multicourse procession blends Japanese tradition with Toronto innovation: immaculate sashimi, wagyu and jewel-like desserts.
Don Alfonso 1890 — One Star, Harbourfront
Italian opulence with a view of Lake Ontario. The tasting menu is flamboyant—think multi-layered seafood dishes, lemon-bright pastas and plating with architectural ambition. It’s as much showpiece as sustenance, a natural draw for anyone looking to match the drama of a gala premiere.
Shoushin — One Star, North Toronto
In contrast to TIFF’s glare, Shoushin is all understatement. An omakase counter with an almost monastic devotion to fish and rice. The minimalist room, the silence broken only by knives on wood, it’s a reset button for overstimulated festival brains.
Enigma Yorkville — One Star, Yorkville
A modernist tasting menu house where the plates often look more like design objects than food. Expect edible abstractions; smoked trout under glass domes, vegetables distilled into translucent sheets. The experience is immersive, ideal for a director or producer who thrives on pushing boundaries.
Osteria Giulia — One Star, Yorkville
Northern Italian, but with a certain Toronto polish. Handmade pastas, Ligurian seafood and a wine list that reads like a novella. Chef Rob Rossi translates coastal Italy into restrained, elegant plates. You might catch a star at the next table, twirling trofie al pesto between interviews. It’s a reminder that sometimes pasta really is the right answer.
Quetzal — One Star, College Street
For something louder, smokier, and less formal, Quetzal is the move. An open-flame Mexican restaurant where the wood fire is the star, everything kissed by smoke—oysters, carne asada, sweet corn tamales. The dining room is bright, modern and kinetic, making it ideal for cast dinners that bleed into after-parties.
Restaurant 20 Victoria — One Star, Financial District
Minimalist, seafood-forward and quietly confident. Only 20 seats, which makes it feel exclusive without the velvet rope. Expect scallops dressed with razor precision, fish that leans Nordic in restraint. It’s for the kind of TIFF insider who prefers a whisper to a shout.
Hero image: Leslie Seto / Aburi Hana
