These 30 restaurants are in the running for the top 10 in Canada for 2026
Air Canada has unveiled the top 30 contenders for best new restaurants across the country this year. Would you hop on a plane to try out any of these spots?
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Air Canada names the contenders for best new restaurants of the year Every year the airline names the top spots worthy of flying out for a meal, and this year its unveiled 30 restaurants that could clinch a spot in the top 10. The top 10 list gets announced in November and here are the spots vying for a spot for 2026, in alphabetical order.
3 Pierres 1 Feu, Montreal, Que. Tucked along Little Italy, diners may hear Caribbean music as the open the door and head inside to feast on some Haitian barbecue serving charcoal-grilled meats.
Alfred’s, Revelstoke, B.C. What started as a pop-up spot has turned into a neighbourhood staple, serving family-style dishes like polenta fried artichokes and gnocchi with sour cream and onion (the pasta they’re known for).
Angela Pastificio, Vancouver, B.C. If pasta is your religion then Angela Pastificio might answer those prayers, as it strictly offers a tasting menu with five handmade pastas to sink your fork into.
Antheia, Ottawa, Ont. Steps away from the bustle of Somerset Street is this intimate restaurant that serves a seasonal menu honouring traditional fermentation methods, which the airline says “unfolds with rhythm and whimsy.”
Antylia, Toronto, Ont. This west-end Toronto spot highlights flavours found across Latin America, with dishes like poached Argentinian shrimp with aguachile verde, and charred cauliflower with a carrot and caraway mole.
Bar Eugenie, Toronto, Ont. This cozy spot in Harbord Village is known for serving an ingredient-driven menu with subtle Filipino touches, with plates like green peppercorn squid, tomato leaf cavatelli and trout amandine.
Bar Les Incompetents, St. Catharines, Ont. A sister restaurant to the Michelin-minted Fat Rabbit, this downtown restaurant pays homage to the classic French bistro with familiar dishes like burgers au poivre to the less traditional puttanesca tartine.
Bistrot Fortune, Montreal, Que. This 22-seat bistro serves dishes blending Quebecois ingredients with Southeast Asian flavours and occasional Latin American accents.
Coquette, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, Que. Though diners might feel like they’ve been transported to the 1920s when they’ve stepped inside, the dishes are constantly evolving on the menu.
Hana Korean Steakhouse, Montreal, Que. Right in the heart of Old Port of Montreal, guests can sit down by an open grill and feast on Korean barbecue with prime beef cuts like Japanese wagyu.
Kavita, Vancouver, B.C. The cooking here draws on Mumbai’s street food and the diverse regional cuisines throughout India, serving up an array of plates that highlight local produce, seafood and meats from the province.
Liliana, Toronto, Ont. Though an Italian restaurant by definition, the dishes are served with an unexpected twist like the beef carpaccio with furikake and chili aioli and the aglio e olio with chili crisp.
L O R E, Collingwood, Ont. Diners have a choice between two tasting menus that the airline says “moves between delicacy and richness with a playful hand in the presentation.”
Lumache, Victoria, B.C. This intimate Italian spot is hard to grab a reservation for, and it sounds like for good reason. Diners who can’t decide what pasta to eat can go all out for the pasta tasting menu, where all four from the alla carta menu are featured.
MacTaverne, Val-David, Que. Guests can take a seat at this tavern overlooking the river and eat from a simple menu with flavours that are anything but, with plates like Welsh rarebit and beer-battered fish and chips.
N.L. Ginzburg, Toronto, Ont. Here, Italian dishes shake hands with Jewish flavours with shareable plates like tuna crudo and salume cotto to house-made focaccia. The airline says N.L. Ginzburg is “distinctly Toronto, with a little Montreal in its DNA.”
Nui, Vancouver, B.C. Tucked away in a quieter residential area is this Korean restaurant slinging up comfort food like gomtang, a soup with seasoned pork broth and served with a side of house-made kimchi and chili shrimp paste.
OLDESEOUL TAVERN, Toronto, Ont. This restaurant feels like a stereotypical diner with its checkerboard floors, but Korean flavours and influence weave their way through tavern classics (like a jumbo shrimp cocktail with gochujang cocktail sauce).
Penny Crown, Calgary, Alta. One step inside of this slightly underground restaurant might make one feel like they’re eating at a tavern in New York. The plates here are hearty, with the house burger cooked in duck fat and layered with caramelized onions and house-made American cheese.
Radici Project, Toronto, Ont. This farm-to-table tasting menu blends Japanese and Italian cuisine, offering dishes like karaage with sorrel and latticello and black cod with maitake mushrooms and peperone crusco. The airline says the sake pairing are a highlight.
Restaurant Capelin, St. Catharines, Ont. Right in the downtown core is this bright, 12-seat restaurant. Here, the menu features freshwater fish from Lake Ontario and locally-sourced herbs and vegetables.
Reve, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. The tasting menus are frequently changing here at Reve to highlight the seasons and the ingredients they get from local farmers and fishers. Diners can opt for either a four- or 10-course tasting menu or eat a la carte.
Rita Trattoria, Edmonton, Alta. Tucked in the heart of downtown Edmonton is this contemporary trattoria, serving an array of Italian staples with a twist. Like prawns diavola with chili, orange, rosemary and olive oil, or the cacio e pepe with fregola and fresh shelling peas.
SAMMARCO, Toronto, Ont. With its burgundy red seating and marbled accents, this steakhouse screams luxury with a menu to match. Though it serves a selection of prime steaks, SAMMARCO is well-known for its 100-egg fettucine that is somehow both delicate and packed with flavour.
Seahorse, Toronto, Ont. Head over to Summerhill for a full-fledged seafood feast, where guests can slurp down some oysters, wild Argentinian shrimp, or sink their forks into some pan-seared scallops.
Snack Haüs, Winnipeg, Man. Snack Haüs has a “wonderfully casual” menu with offerings like a mortadella sando with dijonnaise, the broccoli empanada with 1,000 day gouda, and beer can chicken with black garlic schmaltz. Both a brewery and winery flank this restaurant on the outskirts of the city’s downtown core.
Sushi Jun, Calgary, Alta. This intimate omakase spot sits above another Japanese restaurant. Here the fish is flown in mainly flown in from Japan and Spain, and the airline applauds the omakase’s rhythm, pointing to its “unexpected transitions to continually reset both palate and expectations.”
Touk, Vancouver, B.C. Cambodian cooking is highlighted here through locally-sourced proteins and produce. The airline applauds the Fraser Valley tomahawk, which is a frenched pork chop with Cambodian mole, browned butter and watercress salad.
Yakitori Hibahihi, Montreal, Que. If you’re looking for sumptuous grilled meat, this might just be for you as meat and vegetables cooked in the intense heat of binchotan charcoal. The airline says the seats at the counter have a front-row view of the action.
Zia’s Place, Toronto, Ont. The menu here changes weekly and seasonally, but diners can expect to eat plates that highlight southern Italy. Plus, the airline says one of the country’s best selections of amaro can be found here.
