Alo

Alo is the restaurant of chef Patrick Kriss, on the third floor of a building at 163 Spadina Avenue. It holds one Michelin star in the 2026 Michelin Guide Canada, which classes its cooking as contemporary French.

The format is a tasting menu, offered in four-, six- and ten-course versions. The menus change and the dishes are not announced in advance, so each meal is something of a surprise. Dishes noted by the Michelin Guide give an idea of the style: Koshihikari rice risotto with dashi, wagyu and truffle; duck breast with white asparagus and stuffed morels; and strawberries and cream with sake foam.

The dining room is dimly lit and intimate, and a marble-topped chef's counter looks into the kitchen, which makes it a good seat for anyone who enjoys watching the brigade at work. The tasting menus can also be eaten at the bar, a useful option for solo diners or anyone who finds the dining room fully booked. The Michelin Guide singles out the service as flexible, skilled and relaxed, and it also notes an interesting wine list.

Reservations are taken through OpenTable and are best made well ahead, especially for weekend tables. The Michelin Guide lists Alo as open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday and closed on Sunday and Monday, but check current hours when you book. The restaurant has wheelchair access.

Kriss opened Alo in July 2015, after working as head chef at Splendido and Acadia, and the restaurant has held its Michelin star since Toronto's first guide in 2022. It was ranked first in Canada's 100 Best from 2017 to 2020, and it appeared on the extended World's 50 Best list in 2018, 2019 and 2021. In the separate bar room you can order à la carte or choose a shorter tasting menu, and Kriss has said he wanted the restaurant to feel approachable rather than stuffy. The same group also runs Aloette, a more casual diner-style restaurant, Alobar Yorkville and Alder.

Alo is a special-occasion restaurant and is priced accordingly. It suits couples celebrating an anniversary and serious food lovers planning one big dinner during a visit. If the full ten courses feel like too much, the four-course menu is a shorter way to experience the kitchen.