The 2023 Toronto Michelin Guide has arrived

The second edition of the Toronto Michelin Guide was announced on September 27, with a total of 82 restaurants in the city now officially recommended by the diligent (and anonymous) Michelin Inspectors.

Two Toronto restaurants, Kappo Sato and Restaurant 20 Victoria, have earned a Michelin Star for the first time. Frilu and the White Lily Diner took home the city’s first-ever Green Stars – the Guide’s way of recognizing restaurants who’ve shown a dedication to sustainable gastronomy. Four new restaurants were added to the Guide’s Bib Gourmand (best value for money) list, and one of them – Sunny’s Chinese – saw its chef David Schwartz receive the Michelin Young Chef Award.

A person pouring green sauce into a white bowl — Frilu. Photography, Tony Lam

Kappo Sato, chef Takeshi Sato’s uptown Japanese eatery, received its star only a year after opening. The Inspectors praised the restaurant’s bustling atmosphere and uncompromising culinary standards: “Unlike the quiet ceremony of a sushi omakase or the formal structure of a kaiseki, this freewheeling tasting is driven solely by Chef Takeshi Sato, who swims in familiar culinary waters on his own terms,” wrote the Inspectors. “The room is a constant blur of motion thanks to a young team that hurries about preparing multiple courses at once. Sato is their seasoned guide, as he moves with intention, ever masterful with a knife, and works with an impressive bounty of ingredients, most of which are flown in from Japan.”

Restaurant 20 Victoria, helmed by Chef Julie Hyde, was also awarded one star. The Inspectors described it like this: “On a quiet stretch of downtown Toronto, Chef Julie Hyde is making her talents known in this tiny-but-mighty restaurant that captured the city’s heart the day it opened. Top-notch local produce, pristine seafood and refined sauce work make for a delicious trifecta on a seasonal tasting menu that boasts originality in spades,” adding that “The dimly lit dining room is elegantly easy-going, as Hyde and her small team work with laser-like focus from a kitchen that’s simultaneously always in use and always pristine.”

The two Green Stars are a first for Canada. The distinction is meant to recognize restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices. There are 464 around the world, now including Toronto’s Frilu (which also holds one star as of last year) and the White Lily Diner. At Frilu, the Inspectors noted, a no-till farm supplies the kitchen, with chef John-Vincent Troiano handpicking produce every morning and maintaining a rigorous kitchen composting system. The White Lily Diner is similarly supplied by organic no-till farms, and raises its own chickens to supply eggs for their classic diner fare.

A table with various diner breakfast items and cups of coffee — White Lily Diner. Photography, Giancarlo Pawelec

Sushi Masaki Saito remains Canada’s only two-star restaurant – a distinction granted last year that remains unchanged. “It feels good, but I’m aiming higher,” says chef Masaki Saito. “Next year, I’ll try even harder.”