Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022 by Air Canada: Discover the finalists

In August, after another year of challenges such as the pandemic and restaurant labour shortages, Air Canada is proud to announce the 30 finalists for the Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022 competition. For more than 20 years, Air Canada enRoute has celebrated the country’s best emerging restaurants, chefs, teams and talent through this program, and this year the Top 10 are back! The long list is available here.

Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022 by Air Canada : A quest for culinary talents

This year marks the twenty-first year of the competition. It is the longest-running national search for culinary talent and the only Canada-wide restaurant ranking that uses a single anonymous food critic to taste the creations of these new establishments. On the recommendation of our national panel of food experts, Air Canada sent a staff member on a discreet month-long foodie marathon in search of the 30 most outstanding new restaurants in the country vying for a spot on the coveted final list.

The 2022 Canada’s Best New Restaurants longlist spans 15 cities across eight provinces. From a four-seat Sichuan noodle counter at a Chinese grocery store in Montréal to a steakhouse reimagined in a panoramic lounge 40 floors above Calgary, this year’s list features 30 restaurants in a range of formats, including a permanent pop-up, an art gallery-housed takeout spot, and pandemic-delayed visions that finally came to fruition.

“Air Canada applauds and congratulates the work of the chefs and restaurateurs who undertook the incredible journey of opening up a restaurant over the past year, which is already a feat during the best of times,” says Andy Shibata, Vice President, Brand, Air Canada. “We are committed to sharing their stories and how they also successfully embraced new ways to explore cultural identity and made strides to advance sustainability and workplace equity.”

The finalists for the Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022 by Air Canada are :

• Bar Susu, Vancouver
• Le Clan, Québec City (which we recently visited and which we will tell you about soon)
• Delara, Vancouver
• Drift, Halifax
• Elephant, Vancouver
• Fonda Balam, Toronto
• Fox & Monocle, North Saanich
• Fu’s Repair Shop, Edmonton
• Gia Vin & Grill, Montréal
• Hayloft Steak + Fish, Edmonton
• Hearts Tavern & Bar, Kimberley
• J’ai Feng, Montréal
• Jeju, Tofino
• Major Tom, Calgary
• Mastard, Montréal
• Mimi Chinese, Toronto
• Mokili, Montréal
• Một Tô, Calgary
• Namjim at Bannerman Brewing Co., St. John’s
• Nola, Winnipeg
• Osteria Giulia, Toronto
• Parcelles, Austin
• Pei Pei Chei Ow
• Edmonton; Perch, Ottawa
• Pichai, Montréal
• Pop Wine Bar, Saskatoon
• Prime Seafood Palace, Toronto
• Restaurant 20 Victoria, Toronto
• Restaurant Alentours, Québec City
• Roy’s Korean Kitchen, Calgary

Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022 celebrates the most innovative restaurants that opened across the country between late spring 2021 and May 31, 2022 and offer outstanding experiences through quality food, service and culinary creativity.

Who will join the Battuto and Arvi?

The Top 10 will be announced at a gala event in Toronto on November 1, 2022. The winners will also be featured on the website and in the November issue of Air Canada enRoute magazine. Plus, check out the new book inspired by 21 years of success, Canada’s Best New Cookbook, featuring the most memorable dishes Air Canada enRoute has unearthed in more than 20 years of scouring the country for exceptional meals.

The Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022 by Air Canada event would not be possible without the support of sponsors Diageo (Gold) and American Express (Silver).