The Tasting Menu
There is no à la carte. Roughly a dozen courses, paced properly.
French · Queen West
Alo
A third-floor tasting menu that has been the city’s benchmark for a decade
FrenchQueen West, Toronto$$$$Details being confirmed
The review
Alo has spent a decade at the top of every Toronto list, which normally means a restaurant coasting. It is not. The tasting menu still changes, the cooking is still French in structure rather than in costume, and the service remains the single best argument for the place — attentive without hovering, informed without lecturing.
The foie gras course is the one people talk about years later and the kitchen has sensibly stopped trying to replace it. Everything around it moves with the season. The wine list is deep and the pairings are chosen by someone who clearly enjoys arguing with convention.
Honest notes: booking is genuinely hard — reservations open a month out and are gone within minutes — and it is a serious amount of money. If you cannot get the dining room, Bar Alo takes walk-ins and gets you most of the way there for a third of the price.
What to order
Foie Gras Course
The dish everyone remembers, and the one the kitchen refuses to retire.
Bar Alo Snacks
If the dining room is booked out, the bar takes walk-ins and does an abbreviated version.
What works
- Service is the best in the city, without any stiffness
- Wine pairings are genuinely thoughtful
- The bar is a real alternative to the full menu
What doesn’t
- Reservations open a month ahead and go in minutes
- Easily a $400 evening for two
- Three hours at the table, minimum
Verdict
Book the month you can. If you cannot, sit at Bar Alo instead — it is not a consolation prize.