24 of Canada’s best hotel restaurants are in Ontario

Hotels, particularly boutique or luxurious ones, aren’t just coveted for the creature comforts they offer overnight guests who want a night (or two) away from home; they’re also known for housing some of the country’s most renowned restaurants. 

Today, restaurant reservation service OpenTable released its second annual Top 50 Hotel Restaurants in Canada list, and hotspots in hotels in Toronto, Niagara Falls, Burlington, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Windsor all made the list. The hotel restaurants are, in some cases, linked to acclaimed celebrity chefs such as Daniel Boulud and Akira Back. Don Alfonso 1890, located in the Westin Harbour Castle, boasts one of the highest honours a resto can receive: a Michelin star. 

The restaurants are mostly concentrated in Toronto, with luxurious properties such as the Ritz-Carlton, the Four Seasons, the Fairmont Royal York, the St. Regis and the Bisha Hotel gaining accolades for their culinary destinations. 

After Toronto, the Niagara Region featured most prominently on the list, with people gravitating towards restaurants in the Fallsview Casino Resort, the Pillar and Post, the Moffat Inn and the Prince of Wales Hotel. 

“Don’t sleep on the hotel restaurant. Some of the best tables are just past the lobby, and you don’t need a room key,” Matt Davis, head of North America Hotels at OpenTable, said in the report. 

“These venues have become dining destinations in their own right, pulling in locals just as much as travellers. With 44 per cent of Canadians booking a hotel in their own city or nearby area for a staycation. A great hotel restaurant turns a regular night out into something that feels like a trip, no check-in required.” 

The company said its research suggests hotel dining is on the rise across Canada, up seven per cent year over year. According to OpenTable, 49 per cent of Canadians have dined at a restaurant located in a hotel within the last six months and 90 per cent have said they visited a hotel restaurant even when they weren’t staying at the property.

Much of that momentum, the company said, is being driven by locals, not just out-of-town guests, with a 13 per cent year-over-year increase in locals taking advantage of hotel eateries.

As for which restaurants are turning heads–and netting reservations–in Ontario, the list says the province’s top hotel restaurants include: 

• 21 Club, Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls 
• Abrielle, The Sutton Place Hotel Toronto, Toronto  
• Akira Back, Bisha Hotel, Toronto 
• Alder, Ace Hotel Toronto, Toronto  
• Café Boulud, Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, Toronto  
• Cannery Restaurant, Pillar and Post Inn & Spa, Niagara-on-the-Lake 
• CLOCKWORK, Fairmont Royal York, Toronto  
• Don Alfonso 1890, The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto  (which boasts a Michelin star)
• Isabelle Restaurant + Lounge, The Pearle Hotel, Burlington  
• KŌST, BISHA, Toronto 
• Langdon Hall Dining Room, Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, Cambridge  
• Library Bar, Fairmont Royal York, Toronto  
• LOUIX LOUIS, The St. Regis Toronto, Toronto  
• Masaki Sushi & Sake Bar, Moffat Inn, Niagara-on-the-Lake 
• Morton’s The Steakhouse, Park Hyatt Toronto, Toronto 
• Neros Steakhouse, Caesars Windsor, Windsor 
• Ponte Vecchio, Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls 
• REIGN, Fairmont Royal York, Toronto  
• Rooftop Bar at the Broadview Hotel, The Rooftop, Toronto  
• Sportsnet Grill at Toronto Marriott City Centre, Marriott Hotel, Toronto
• The Drawing Room, Prince of Wales Hotel, Niagara-on-the-Lake
• The Tea Room, Windsor Arms Hotel, Toronto
• TOCA – The Ritz-Carlton, The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto
• TONO by Akira Back, W Toronto hotel, Toronto

“A great hotel restaurant feels intrinsically connected to its city, brought to life through excellent food, quality cocktails and thoughtful service,” William Kresky, executive chef at Café Boulud, said in the report. 

“By balancing consistency with innovation and letting the seasons shape the menu, we continue to welcome a diverse mix of loyal locals, international travellers and business guests.” 

Interestingly, the report found that a significant number of respondents will factor in the dining scene when choosing a hotel, with 28 per cent booking a hotel specifically because of its restaurant.

As for what types of cuisine are drawing traffic, the report said contemporary Asian cuisine is one of the trending cuisines for travellers, up 71 per cent year-to-date, year-over-year, with hotel restaurants like Masaki Sushi & Sake Bar in Niagara-on-the-Lake making the cut. 

Experience is also a draw, with OpenTable noting that Marcus in Montreal attracts diners with its Sommelier Soirées, Langdon Hall in Cambridge entices guests with its tasting experience and  Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar in Whistler draws people in with a mountaintop dinner.  

The OpenTable list features 24 restaurants in Ontario, 12 in British Columbia, eight in Alberta, five in Quebec and one in Atlantic Canada. 

Cover photo of the Library Bar, taken from the restaurant’s official Facebook page