Where to Eat in Toronto, According to “Top Chef” Judges

Bravo’s award-winning competition, “Top Chef,” has introduced the world to extraordinary culinary talent for nearly two decades, launching the careers of celebrated chefs like Stephanie Izard, Richard Blais, and Mei Lin.

In recent years, the show has taken its contestants and viewers around the globe, showcasing not only the depth and breadth of culinary talent in the U.S. but also the rich food traditions of diverse cultures and communities worldwide.

This time, “Top Chef” ventured north of the border, filming a large part of Season 22 in Toronto, Canada’s largest metropolis and one of the world’s most diverse cities. While viewers might assume contestants and judges freely explore their filming locations, the reality is quite different. To maintain the show’s secrecy, participants are typically sequestered on set, their experiences of the host city carefully choreographed around filming schedules.

As a Torontonian and longtime “Top Chef” fan, I had the privilege of watching the magic unfold behind the scenes, from visiting the set to dining at the show’s signature Restaurant Wars episode. Most importantly, I sat down with the show’s revered judges—Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons—to discover their personal Toronto favorites, from hidden gems to must-try experiences. 

(Note: “Top Chef” airs on Bravo Thursday nights at 9:00-10:15 p.m. Episodes are available the next day on Peacock.)

Gail Simmons

No one was more thrilled than Gail Simmons when “Top Chef” announced Canada as its Season 22 location. For the Toronto-native, the excitement of showcasing her city mingled with the pressure of balancing family visits, catching up with old friends, and maintaining her professional duties as judge. Her intimate knowledge of the city’s food scene proved invaluable, as she provided insider knowledge of the best places to film and local stories.

For visitors wanting to retrace the show’s Toronto journey, Simmons recommends two spectacular locations where they filmed: the majestic Casa Loma, a Gothic Revival castle in the heart of the city, and the picturesque Niagara-on-the-Lake, an hour and a half drive away. Her personal restaurant recommendations read like a love letter to the city’s diverse dining scene: the sophisticated Spanish flavors at Casa Paco, the Chinese cuisine at Sunny’s Chinese, and the charm of brodflour bakery.

“What’s special in Toronto is that there are so many diverse communities that all co-exist, and those communities are different demographically than in New York or LA,” Simmons explains. “We all have our own immigrant pathways, and in Toronto, that means the amazing vastness of the four different Chinatowns, the Caribbean, Sri Lankan, and Greek neighborhoods,” for example. And within these communities, there are endless things to explore. She also suggests visitors embrace distinctly Canadian snacks unavailable in the U.S., naming Giant Sour Keys and Coffee Crisp chocolate bars as personal favorites that capture the local flavor.

Kristen Kish

Kristen Kish, the show’s host and Season 10 winner, radiates the same enthusiasm for Canada as her fellow judge, Simmons, having built her own connection to Toronto through family visits over the years. For visitors looking to experience the city through her culinary lens, Kish recommends getting the Aloette burger at Aloette, the famous lobster tower at Fishman Lobster Clubhouse Restaurant, and pizza from Danny’s Pizza Tavern.

For people who really want to learn more about Toronto’s food culture, Kish suggests exploring beyond restaurants. She recommends making time for a proper snack-hunting expedition to local supermarkets, such as Farm Boy, and local pharmacies, where visitors can discover distinctly Canadian treats. “I love ketchup and all-dressed chips. Any flavour of Miss Vickie’s chips,” she says, is worthy of taking home to family and friends as a souvenir, noting these unique Canadian flavors can’t be found in the States. For dessert lovers, she points to Summer’s Ice Cream in the ritzy Yorkville neighborhood as a must-visit destination, where the campfire marshmallow ice cream flavor offers a taste of local innovation.

To truly appreciate Toronto’s culinary heritage, Kish recommends diving into the city’s food history—including surprising discoveries like the Canadian origins of sushi pizza and Hawaiian pizza. However, her most enthusiastic recommendation is to explore the city’s diverse food scene, particularly highlighting Jamaican patties as an essential item symbolizing Toronto’s multicultural flavor.

Tom Colicchio

Highly acclaimed chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio brings a veteran’s discerning eye to Canada’s dining scene. While he generally prefers preparing simple meals at home during filming—a habit developed over years of professional food judging—his carefully curated Toronto experiences offer valuable insights for first-time visitors.

For those seeking exceptional dining experiences, Colicchio points to two standout restaurants he dined at while filming Season 22: Prime Seafood Palace, helmed by celebrity chef Matty Matheson, and Azhar on the vibrant Ossington Avenue strip. The latter, owned by Canadian restaurateur Janet Zuccarini, offers what he considers to be delicious Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. For visitors who appreciate a home-cooked meal or want to experience Toronto like a local, he recommends exploring quality grocers like Longo’s Markets, where even simple ingredients shine and where he bought items to make a simple broccoli and pasta dish.

“The St. Lawrence Market is fantastic and has some really great stuff there,” Colicchio emphasizes, and it is an essential place for foodies. With its labyrinth of more than 120 specialty food vendors, this historic marketplace showcases some of the city’s finest artisanal baked goods, fresh produce, quality meats, and seafood. It’s a must-visit destination for people who want to get to know and taste Toronto’s culinary scene.