Reviews, News and Opinion with a Canadian Perspective

'Tis the season of festive gatherings with friends, family, and coworkers. But if securing a reservation at your restaurant of choice has become as coveted as the latest trending "it" gift, you may be interested in these recent findings. According to OpenTable consumer and dining review driven data here are some interesting findings.

The most popular date for securing New Year's Eve dinner plans? OpenTable data showed that in 2022, one of the most popular days of the year for group dining (6+) was Friday, December 16. If diners are looking to book a group restaurant reservation, whether it be last minute or in advance, explore OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants in Canada for 2023 list, backed by diner reviews - featuring several spots that are ideal for bigger gatherings like Grey Gardens in Toronto, Miku in Vancouver, Maison du Bootlegger in Charlevoix and The Highwood in Calgary.

According to 2022 OpenTable dining data Canadians tend to make New Year’s Eve (NYE) plans last minute, with nearly half (46%) of last year’s NYE reservations made two or fewer days in advance on December 29, and 21% of reservations made on December 31.

For those that want to get ahead of the trend this year and increase their chances of scoring their desired reservation, restaurants from OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants in Canada for 2023, backed by diner reviews, are already confirming NYE Experiences, such as Tzin Wine & Tapas in Edmonton, George Restaurant in Toronto, Botanist in Vancouver, Jérôme Ferrer Europea in Montreal and Tilly’s Kitchen in New Glasgow.

What are the top-rated Canadian restaurants based on diner ratings and reviews this year? These establishments stand out based on a variety of criteria including cuisine, ambiance, décor and service...

Ontario has 41 restaurants featured on the list, followed by British Columbia (20), Alberta (19), Quebec (16), Nova Scotia (3). Also featured is 1 restaurant from Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2023, Torontonians loved eating at the following restaurants:

Afternoon Tea at Old Mill Toronto
Bar Isabel
BarChef
BlueBlood Steakhouse
Canoe Restaurant and Bar
CLOCKWORK
Don Alfonso 1890
Enigma Yorkville
George Restaurant
Giulietta
Grey Gardens
Joso's
Lee
Mamakas Taverna
Osteria Giulia
Prime Seafood Palace
Quetzal
Scaramouche Restaurant
Yukashi Japanese Cuisine

OpenTable also revealed a few interesting dining trends from this past year which included...

Canadians are moonstruck by mocktails with ‘non-alcoholic’ and ‘mocktail’ in the top three trending keywords in diner reviews YoY, with a 73 per cent and 61 per cent increase respectively.
"Culinary Experiences" and special occasion dining are on the rise with seated diners increasing year-over-year (YoY) on Valentine's Day (+35%), Mother's Day (+10%) and Father's Day (+3%).
Diners want good food and a good mood, with ‘family style’ (+28%), ‘good vibes’ (+24%) and ‘family-friendly’ (+22%) being some of the trending keywords from 2023 diner reviews.

OpenTable's Top 100 Restaurants in Canada for 2023 features an updated methodology using dining metrics from September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023, including diner ratings, percentage of reservations made in advance, and five-star reviews, the list uncovers some of the most in-demand restaurants on OpenTable in Canada, compiled from analysing over 1.1 million diner reviews on the platform. Restaurants with a minimum threshold of diner reviews were considered and evaluated by a compilation of unique data points, including diner ratings, the percentage of five star reviews, the number of alerts set, the percentage of reservations made in advance and direct searches. Metrics were weighted to comprise an overall score, used to rank the list. The resulting list appears A-Z, not in ranked order.

Photo credit: Don Alfonso, Sonya Davidson