This rural restaurant in Niagara, Ont., tops list of best 100 places to eat in Canada

Samantha Beattie · CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A "little, tiny corner" of the Niagara region is now home to the best restaurant in Canada.

Restaurant Pearl Morissette in the Lincoln, Ont., neighbourhood of Jordan Station has won the top spot on Canada's Best 100 Restaurants List for 2025.

It's the first time a rural fine-dining establishment has made it to the top of the annual ranking, said Eric Robertson, 39, who opened the restaurant with fellow chef Daniel Hadida, 37, in 2017 out of the winery with the same name. 

"We are so very excited and happy we're able to showcase the little tiny corner of Niagara," Robertson said. 

The ranking is decided by 160 judges from across the country, according to the organization.

Pearl Morissette's French-inspired menu features local ingredients that change with the seasons. 

It was already a sought-after spot with its 40 seats reserved months in advance. Then last fall it was awarded a prestigious Michelin star and now is at the top of the coveted rankings, indicating busy and exciting months ahead, said Robertson. 

"It comes with the responsibility of showcasing incredible Canadian ingredients, the farmers that we have around this area and the quality of staff we have in Canada," he said. 

"This is a country that can be taken seriously on the international stage for cooking and restaurants and hospitality."

European dining in Canada

Before Pearl Morissette, Robertson and Hadida both left Canada to get experience working in Michelin-star winning restaurants in Europe, as many young cooks do, Robertson said. The first Michelin stars weren't awarded to any Canadian restaurants until years later in 2022.

Robertson, originally from Brantford, Ont., lived in Belgium, Sweden and France before moving to the Niagara region.

He soon realized the European idea of "destination dining," surrounded by farmland, was possible in Canada, too. 

"We have those great ingredients here, too," Robertson said. "Niagara is one of the warmest parts of Canada. We are able to get figs and persimmons and beautiful lake fish and wild ingredients like mushrooms, which are going to be coming up after today with the sun out." 

The 2025 list was revealed Monday night. 

"We believe the 2025 list is an accurate measure of which restaurants excelled in 2024, which makes them our dining choices for today," Canada's Best 100 says on its website. 

The other restaurants on the list are in the major cities of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa. Canada's Best also ranks new restaurants and the top 50 bars.

The top 10 restaurants in 2025 are: 

1. Restaurant Pearl Morissette, Jordan Station
2. Mon Lapin, Montreal
3. Alo, Toronto
4. Edulis, Toronto
5. 20 Victoria, Toronto
6. Eight, Calgary
7. Beba, Montreal
8. Quetzal, Toronto
9. Published on Main, Vancouver
10. AnnaLena, Vancouver

Pearl Morissette posted on Instragram after its win was announced.

"This project has always been about community, about building relationships with small artisans, millers, farmers and fisherfolk sharing the same philosophy as we do - uplifting Canadian produce with minimal intervention, showcasing it in a fine dining version, to make our guests appreciate what our fields, forests, lakes, rivers and seas have to offer,"  the restaurant said.