12 Ontario restaurants that are worth the road trip from Toronto
As the temperatures in Toronto creep — albeit painfully slowly — higher and higher, the animalistic urge to hop in the car, roll the windows down and explore everything Ontario has to offer is only mounting.
The pleasures of an Ontario road trip, like singing with your hands out the window as you coast along a single-digit highway or yelling "cow!" every time you see a cow, are many, but all too often, the food element takes a backseat.
A half-toasted bagel from an On Route Tim Horton's, a bag of gas station jerky demolished in seconds, or, shudder, sandwiches you pre-assembled at home hours earlier; good food all too often falls by the wayside when road tripping.
But what if food was the whole point of the road trip? For anyone who feels uneasy with the grandeur of Niagara Falls or bored with hiking by the first kilometre, it seems like a no-brainer, and, lucky for us in Ontario, there are no shortages of spots outside city limits serving meals that are well worth the gas money.
Here are 13 Ontario restaurants you should check out on your next road trip.
Collingwood
The recently opened Bocado in this ski town is a marvel in every regard. From its sultry, warm design to its extensive menu of Spanish tapas, which includes a bevy of beautiful cured meats, cheeses and breads, your meal here will make you feel like you're a stone's throw away from the Strait of Gibraltar, not Georgian Bay.
If you're looking to head east out of the city, they've also got a location in Picton, Prince Edward County.
Creemore
In the two years that it has held court on Toronto's Michelin Guide, The Pine has become synonymous with this town about two hours outside the city. Here, you can expect an ever-evolving menu of Chinese-inspired dishes that will surprise and delight all your senses.
Elora
If creative pizzas assembled on sourdough crusts tickle your fancy — and why wouldn't they? — Tony's Sourdough is a must-try in this picturesque town. Just make sure you get in early, because these pies tend to sell out fast.
Looking for a sit-down dinner? I'd be remiss not to give Elora Mill Restaurant its flowers. Perched in a historic mill upon the town's iconic Grand River, here you'll find a seasonal menu perfectly curated to complement the restaurant's dazzling natural surroundings.
Grey County
The charmingly earnest yet refined Down Home gives a whole new meaning to farm-to-table. This one-of-a-kind dining experience uses ingredients grown right there on the restaurant's own fields, and anything that isn't grown in-house is sourced from local suppliers.
Lending credence to the restaurant's "home" title, the 10-course meal feels more like you're at a dinner party hosted by owners Joel Gray and Hannah Harradine, who take the time to explain the intricacies of each dish in a way that feels personable and familiar.
Niagara
If you can somehow manage to score a reservation at Restaurant Pearl Morissette, lauded as the best restaurant in Canada with two Michelin stars, it's a no-brainer: you should eat there.
But, in the case that you can't, the region is home to a swath of other impressive restaurants. Rosewood Estates, with its menu of dishes created exclusively with ingredients from fellow Niagara and Southern Ontario producers, is a personal favourite.
Orillia
Things have been getting a little high-brow on this list thus far, so I'll give a deserved, though unnecessary, given its permanent popularity among road trippers on their way to cottage country, to Weber's.
These charcoal-grilled burgers have been a Highway 11 hallmark since 1963, and for good reason. If you've never sat on the scorching-hot hood of a car while hoovering a burger cooked on a grill with more than 60 years of seasoning, I hate to say it, but you haven't truly lived.
Owen Sound
At Naagan, chef Zach Keeshig is doing something that no one else in Ontario is: combining Indigenous dishes with fine dining to unparalleled results.
Equal parts meal and educational experience, a meal at this intimate, 17-seat restaurant, which is crafted using only what can be found in-season locally, is something everyone should experience
St. Catharines
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this city in the Niagara Benchlands is quickly becoming a culinary leader in the province. Look no further than whole animal butcher and restaurant Fat Rabbit for proof.
Helmed by chef Zach Smith (who also operates the equally impressive Bar Les Incompetents in town), the meals here are familiar (think beef tartare, lamb ribs and schnitzel), but always unexpected.
Before your reservation, grab a drink and snack at Pharmacii, and you won't be disappointed. Next-level cocktails are paired with impressive Asian bites, and it's a match made in gluttony heaven.
Craving Curator at Fat Rabbit
