Chef Grant van Gameren (Bar Isabel, Bar Raval) saved this rundown diner and made it cool, adding no fuss, vinyl booths, vintage Christmas lights, and an open diner kitchen. It now offers up some of the city’s best burgers with perfectly fat, crispy fries, and attracts a new crowd that frequents the space day and night.

The super-casual pizza joint from chef Jon Poon bakes up pies with a thin, crispy crust on Toronto’s Ossington strip. Get a slice at the front or score a spot in the dining room or backroom shipping container for the full menu of comfort-fun foods, like a Caesar salad topped with hickory sticks, the Chef Boyardee-esque beef cheek ragu, or the unmissable spicy anchovy pizza.

A French-inspired Korean restaurant in Toronto’s Little Italy neighborhood is exactly the kind of place that would be inspired by a city as diverse as Toronto. Here, chef Paul Kim takes traditional Korean dishes and modernizes them using delicate French cooking techniques. Order a la carte or opt for the $65 tasting menu.

Bright, pink, and open for brunch, this casual French bistro and cafe sees chef Victor Barry taking a sidestep from fine French cuisine. On the menu: croque-madames for brunch, oysters at happy hour (3 p.m. to 5p.m.), a selection of foie gras (parfait, seared, or with tenderloin), and duck confit for dinner.

From Craig Wong, the man behind Toronto’s much-loved pineapple-bun burger (Patois), comes Jackpot Chicken Rice. In the heart of Chinatown, the casual outpost serves up Hainanese chicken rice plus add-ons like foie gras and soy-sauce egg with a premium on crispy skins.

The cozy, 30-seat restaurant on top of the Bay Street subway station in Yorkvillle is another spot that’s gone from greasy spoon to refined dining destination. Chef Jonathan Nicolaou serves simple, elegant cuisine that’s crafted to complement the restaurant’s strong wine list. The menu changes daily, but has included items like sweetbreads with chanterelle mushrooms and peas, rabbit with artichoke and fennel, and gateau basque for dessert.

From barbecue to elegant small plates, at Planta, chef David Lee stuns with vegan dishes so tasty that even the most serious of carnivores will forget that meat isn’t on the menu. Perfectly poised in Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood, Planta makes vegan food hip rather than hippie. There’s even a DJ on some nights.

The people behind Toronto’s favorite Texas barbecue spot, Adamson Barbecue, have opened Conspiracy Pizza right next door. A sturdy but soft crust creates a foldable surface for conspiracy-themed red or white pizzas with names like the Moon Landing and the Cowspiracy. Open from 4:30 p.m. daily until sold out.