Our Restaurant Star Rating System

Reviews are conducted anonymously whenever possible; restaurant bills are paid by Toronto Life. Reviews have absolutely no connection to advertising. Stars are awarded for food and wine quality and presentation, service, atmosphere, ambition and originality.

star GOOD

  • The food should be consistently good at a one-star restaurant.
  • Ingredients that should be fresh—produce, meat, fish—must be unquestionably fresh. The food should be cooked properly.
  • The service is, at minimum, efficient.
  • There should be something special about the place—location, decor, service, the style or originality of the cooking, the scarcity of similar restaurants, or the prices.
  • Restaurants that meet most or all of these criteria, and where diners can eat well for $30 before tax, liquor and tip, will be eligible for our $30 Gourmet designation.

starstar VERY GOOD

  • A two-star restaurant shows flashes of excellence. The kitchen demonstrates some ambition. It’s striving to be better than its peers and in many ways succeeding. It uses novel, time- consuming (but worthwhile) or uncommon techniques and ingredients.
  • Dishes are nicely plated, flavours work well, and if the kitchen has cut any corners, diners can’t notice it.
  • Service is knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. Decor should be pleasing.

starstarstar EXCELLENT

  • A three-star restaurant is a rare thing, and it is clearly better than its peers. The food does something extra. Flavours and ingredients complement and build on each other, and at least some of them come as happy surprises. Desserts are house-made.
  • Service meets every expectation. It is never snobbish. If there are any problems or shortcomings (and at a three-star place there probably aren’t), they are corrected quickly and professionally.
  • Decor, setting and mood aren’t accidents here; they’ve been carefully thought out, designed and executed.

starstarstarstar EXTRAORDINARY

  • A four-star restaurant presents one of the most exquisite food experiences a diner can have. Here, diners eat with their eyes first—the food is almost as exciting to look at as it is to eat.
  • With very few exceptions, a four-star kitchen doesn’t follow everyday recipes or faithfully render classics; it breaks new ground, innovating, inventing, extracting and pairing ingredients and flavours, colours and textures in novel ways that not only work, but wow and inspire. In addition to presenting luxury ingredients in interesting ways, a four-star kitchen transforms everyday ingredients into extraordinary tastes and textures.
  • Service is impeccable; floor staff anticipate every desire, but they don’t hover and they’re never intrusive. They answer questions knowledgeably, make excellent recommendations and enhance the dining experience.
  • The atmosphere—decor, sound level, lighting, table settings—should leave nothing to be desired. Decor is anything but generic; it’s inspired.

starstarstarstarstar PERFECT

  • A five-star restaurant consistently presents a flawless, utterly original and unparalleled dining experience.

Unless otherwise stated, a restaurant is licensed. recommendations allow one person to dine well for $30 or less, including tax and tip; they are not star rated.