Diners' Choice: Innovative restaurants in Southern Ontario

OpenTable

Updated October 05, 2024

Looking for the best restaurants that are fit for foodies in Southern Ontario? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

TRIO

4.9

4.9 (1469)

CAN$51 and over

International

Waterloo

About the restaurant

Formerly know as King Street Trio, TRIO Restaurant is a part of our evolution.

Visit our rejuvenated dining room & experience the best Waterloo Region has to offer. Chef Kyle and his team have been dreaming of ways to excite your palate! From Wagyu beef to the freshest fish & local produce, to our multi-course Tasting Menu, we are thrilled to have you back. Benoit, our restaurant manager, continues to build a wonderful selection of wines from around the world, with particular love for France. Wine pairing is offered with our Tasting Menu or just chose from our consignment focused wine list. Most of our wines are unique to our venue.

Theme nights are offered every two weeks on Wednesday's. These fun & flavour filled nights create an experience that will take you away from France to Mexico to Italy. Our theme nights are available for you every other week on Wednesday's.

We look forward to your visit!

Staff & Man

Top review

Darryn

Dined on Sep 24, 2024

I took my wife here for our first anniversary. Needless to say, we think we've found our anniversary restaurant in TRIO! I really do not know where to start with how fantastic they are in all facets of dinning. Benoit took such amazing care of us as well as the other staff, but Beniot, he is very good at his job and his wine pairing and cocktails are sublime. The food, my my my, the food is divine. We ordered the tasting menu and while it was a feast of sorts, from appetizers to dessert, I honestly can still remember ever dish! The care and attention is evident and I look forward to coming back!

Discover more

Experience

Trio Tasting Menu

Experience

Winter's Favourite Night

Experience

Jamaica Night

Plant Matter Kitchen

4.9

4.9 (599)

CAN$30 and under

Vegan

London

About the restaurant

We are a from-scratch kitchen serving delicious plant-based comfort food that's locally sourced, organic & fresh. We provide our guests with brunch, lunch, dinner, and drink menus representing an array of flavour profiles from around the world, all on a plant-based platform, courtesy of the culinary creativity of our executive chef, Elyse Keegan.
Our unique lunch menu offers a variety of hearty salads, bowls, sandwiches and paninis. Our dinner menu focuses on world comfort foods with our signature plant-based approach to flavour profiling and creativity.
On Sunday mornings, we offer a full brunch menu that's decadent and is sure to impress even the most discerning palate.

We also offer an impressive assortment of local craft beers, world wines, and signature cocktails. Located in the heart of Wortley Village, our atmosphere is casual, trendy, and warm.
This area has a selection of great bars and restaurants for you to discover if you are looking to continue your night out in London.

Top review

Heather

Dined on Oct 4, 2024

Never disappointed eating here! Food excellent and staff very attentive

Hunter and Co.

4.9

4.9 (563)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

American

London

About the restaurant

Welcome to Hunter & Co!

We offer a unique-and-adventurous culinary experience. Our menu features small plates of exquisite chef-crafted fare that will surprise and delight you. From bone marrow to our famous Fried Chicken , our chefs take pride in preparing dishes that will make your taste buds and bellies happy. If you’re on the hunt for lighter fare, we are delighted to serve a selection of charcuterie as well as freshly shucked oysters with all of the garnishes.

Of course, great food is nothing without a great drink. Our bartenders are very serious about cocktails. Crafting drinks that make nights memorable. We are also pleased to offer a selection of craft beer, featuring some of our favourites from the area. And if you’re more of a wine drinker (we do like that about you), you’ll find an extensive wine list stocked with interesting reds and whites that you won’t find in the LCBO.

Top review

Suzy

Dined 2 days ago

Date night special was spectacular as always! The new fall specials were delicious!

Standing Room Only

4.9

4.9 (163)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Cocktail Bar

Guelph

About the restaurant

Come and enjoy a drink in Canada's Smallest Bar - Standing Room Only! Located in Guelph's unique and historic Ward neighbourhood. We craft delicious and innovative cocktails in an intimate and creative space. Come and enjoy a throwback to another time - when speakeasies were all the rage! Perfect for after work drinks - or before or after dinner drink - or even a night cap! The room is also available to book for your intimate private event. Please call or message us on Instagram to make arrangements.

Top review

crystal

Dined 5 days ago

This tiny gem of a bar is one of our favourites when you’re looking for a unique experience with amazing cocktails!

Cintro On Wellington

4.9

4.9 (98)

CAN$30 and under

Asian

London

About the restaurant

Located in the in downtown London, enjoy an elevated Asian fusion menu created by International award winning chef Chef Joseph Tran.

Top review

Stuart

Dined 2 days ago

Food was incredible and the service was polite and personable.

Undefined

4.7

4.7 (761)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Bistro

Hamilton

About the restaurant

UnDefined has been changing the way people think about dining out in Hamilton. Voted one of Hamilton's best all-around restaurants for 2021, 2022, 2023, we are making a big impact on King William Street. With an evolving, seasonal and whimsical approach, our passion is what drives us every day. We strive to push the limits, and for our team, it is just what we love to do. We cook from scratch because that is just the way it should be. We love to challenge the way we all think about dining out.

We believe that there is no reason to put yourself in a box when going out with friends, so we do not do that here. Whether it is a night out with friends, an intimate dinner for two, or just something extraordinary, We are not afraid to take the familiar and turn it into something memorable. If it tastes good, we will put it on a plate, in a glass, or whatever. Our mantra is as simple as eat, drink, and enjoy!

Top review

Dionvip

Dined 4 days ago

Amazing Delirium glasses, consider selling them as other restaurants are now doing.

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Scallops & Pork Belly

Moxies - Kitchener

4.5

4.5 (114)

CAN$30 and under

American

Kitchener

About the restaurant

Moxies in Kitchener, Ontario is a showcase restaurant for the culinary skills of Chef Brandon Thordarson. This energetic urban grill offers a variety of fusion dishes that include everything from Asian-inspired rolls to souvlaki and burgers. The chef goes to great lengths to ensure that all ingredients are fresh and seasonal, so the menu at Moxies does change periodically.

Diners can enjoy interesting takes on old favorites, such as sushi cones, fusion-inspired chicken wings and more. Moxies also serves a variety of cocktails, beer and wine, and also serves the house-crafted beer “Big Life”. As with the food, cocktails are inspired by global flavors and are always prepared with an interesting twist to bring something new to life.

Top review

Maddy

Dined 2 days ago

Everything was wonderful as usual—our server Mac was fantastic and she allowed us to have a nice slow service which we greatly appreciated!

Berkeley North

4.5

4.5 (1548)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

American

Hamilton

About the restaurant

Set in the revitalized James St. North neighbourhood, Berkeley North is a West Coast inspired restaurant located on historic King William Street in the heart of downtown Hamilton. Berkeley North is the go to spot for a quick bite to eat, weekend late night cocktails, celebrating a special occasion or hosting a private party. Our young and passionate culinary team follows no scripts or rules when creating vibrant and unique dishes. We allow the seasons to influence our changing menu and are committed to using responsibly sourced ingredients. Ultimately, what is most important to us is the way you feel from the time you walk in our door to the time you leave. Our staff genuinely delivers a dining experience like no other in the city.

Top review

George

Dined on Sep 30, 2024

Had an amazing dinner yesterday at BN. Teriyaki Eggplant was full of flavor and the Mushroom Dumplings were super tasty! For Dessert we had the chocolate cake and it was one of the best I had in a long time. Ambience was great. Surely coming back next time.

Bodega Rose

4.5

4.5 (166)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Fusion / Eclectic

Waterloo

About the restaurant

Now Open!
Come Check us out or call for a reservation!
519-880-1705

*Please note our kitchen closes at 10:30pm*

Top review

Mark

Dined 2 days ago

A very pleasant surprise and definitely on the list of go-to places for future date nights. We were seated promptly. Our server was attentive and timely. The decor and ambience are very well done with high attention to detail. Booths or perhaps some high back chairs might enhance intimate dining but the space is certainly not crammed. Drinks and food: The cocktails were excellent. We ordered two appetizers, a side, and a main for a tapas style meal. Each was very good and the jerk chicken skillet was stellar. Highly recommend and will be back again.

Graffiti Market

4.4

4.4 (1243)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Pizza Bar

Kitchener

About the restaurant

Rustic-industrial market for Detroit-style pizza, house-made pastas, rotisserie chicken & beers.

Top review

Siddharth

Dined on Oct 5, 2024

Great food. Amazing vegetarian options and wonderful staff and service!!!