Emily Mallett got up bright and early, ready to start work at 8 a.m. But it wasn鈥檛 her job she was clocking in for 鈥 it was the task of securing a coveted reservation at the buzzy restaurant Public Gardens. Each morning, the restaurant opens its books for the next 14 days. By 8:01 a.m., it was somehow already too late. The restaurant was fully booked. Her friend had the same experience. The next day, they tried again 鈥 to no avail.
鈥淲hen it comes to securing reservations at high-demand establishments, there鈥檚 going to be some difficulty,” she says. “I have experienced this before when travelling and trying to get reservations at restaurants in Paris and New York, but this may have been a first for Toronto. We were shocked that none were available at 8:01 a.m.鈥
Mallett, a content creator who focuses on style, food, and travel, took to TikTok to complain 鈥 and the post went viral, thanks to the shared ire of other diners eager to eat at Public Gardens. The restaurant manager reached out to her to help her snag a table, but many other Torontonians without her social clout come up empty-handed in their attempts to land a table at one of the city鈥檚 most in-demand restaurants.
What happened to Mallett isn鈥檛 just a one-off 鈥 it reflects a larger shift in Toronto鈥檚 dining culture. As the city bounces back post-pandemic, demand for tables at top restaurants has soared, driven by social media virality, prestigious rankings like Canada鈥檚 Top 100, and the Michelin Guide鈥檚 arrival. With fewer seats, shorter booking windows, and a surge of eager diners, scoring a prime-time table now often takes strategy 鈥 or sheer luck.
The annual rankings highlight top dining places across the country, with several Toronto-area restaurants earning spots.
The annual rankings highlight top dining places across the country, with several Toronto-area restaurants earning spots.
Polling social media and speaking with some of the city鈥檚 top restaurateurs reveals general consensus on the hardest reservations to get in 海角社区官网鈥 most of which rank high on聽Canada鈥檚 Top 100 Restaurants, released last week. There are the Michelin-starred spots with small rooms and limited seatings, like Edulis (#4), 20 Victoria (#5), and Sushi Masaki Saito (#16). Patrick Kriss鈥檚 white whale, Alo (#3), remains infamously hard to get into, as does the newly crowned #1, Restaurant Pearl Morrissette, located a bit further afield. Outside the list, in the King Street West environs, there are TikTok-famous hotspots like Public Gardens and Caf茅 Ren茅e,聽also drawing long lines and booking up quickly, if not instantly.聽
Post-pandemic, Torontonians are eager to gather around the table once more.聽According to OpenTable, seated diners via online reservations in 海角社区官网rose by 14 per cent between January and April 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. 鈥淭here is a narrative that comes from metros like New York City that it is impossible to get reservations at sought-after restaurants. But in Canada, and 海角社区官网specifically, this trend is not impacting the market the way people think it is,鈥 says Matt Davis, senior country director with OpenTable Canada. 鈥淚t’s always possible to get a reservation if you鈥檙e flexible. For example, you aren’t necessarily going to secure a same-day reservation, but if you are prepared to book in advance, dine mid-week, or at an earlier or later time, you could get what you鈥檙e looking for.鈥
Quetzal 鈥斅a Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant聽that landed at number 8 on the Top 100 list聽鈥 has long been one of the tougher reservations in town, with prime weekend slots often booked out a month in advance. They’ve seen a steady rise in demand since earning their first Michelin star聽a few years ago. Have they received complaints about how hard it is to get a reservation? 鈥淥f course we have!鈥 says general manager Louis Kotlyar. 鈥淪ocial media has definitely upped the demand by people who would otherwise not be in the know. I feel like the restaurants I am most excited about trying are from hearing about my friends鈥 dining experiences.鈥
Chef Masaki Saito attributes the rise in dining interest to the Michelin Guide’s arrival in 海角社区官网in 2022: 鈥淲e are seeing a lot of interest for diners to dine out because there are a lot more talented chefs opening restaurants every year.鈥 His own restaurant is one of the hardest to get into, he says, 鈦燽ecause they only serve 11 guests a night, and there鈥檚 only one Saito San: 鈥淚f I鈥檓 sick, we cannot open.鈥 Customers generally reserve at least a month in advance; as of right now, for example, May is booked solid. 鈥溾仩I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 been more challenging to get reservations in recent years. I think it鈥檚 just dining culture has evolved in a good way in Toronto,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hat dining at the best restaurants has become an experience just like a concert or a Broadway show. A great concert or a popular show鈥檚 tickets are always difficult to get.鈥
A little bit retro, a little bit quaint, comfort food is back in a big way.聽聽
David Schwartz has a stable of bustling restaurants including Sunnys Chinese and MIMI Chinese; his new deli-inspired steakhouse Linny鈥檚 on Ossington鈥檚 just might be his most popular reservation yet (they have no primetime weekend tables left for the next month). 鈥淥ver the past few years, dining out has made a huge comeback. People are eager to reconnect over food, and we鈥檝e seen a surge in reservations, especially for weekends and special occasions,鈥 according to Linny鈥檚 general manager Chanelle Amey. This has led to more difficulty in getting the tougher bookings, and, she says, frequent customer complaints about how frustrating it is to not be able to get a table.
鈥淭oronto’s dining scene has grown rapidly, with more people eager to try new restaurants as soon as they open. Social media plays a big role 鈥 when a restaurant goes viral or wins an award, it becomes much more difficult to get a reservation,鈥 she says. 鈥淎t the same time, many restaurants are opting for smaller, more curated dining rooms to create a more intimate experience, which means fewer tables overall.鈥 Plus online platforms make it easier than ever to book, so competition is fierce 鈥 especially for peak times and weekends.
When it comes to getting a reservation, there is one foolproof solution diners can try. 鈥淪upport newer or lesser-known spots, too,鈥 she says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of talent in this city beyond just the big names.鈥
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