2023 OAD Top Restaurants in North America: The Complete Rankings — Page 2

Eight-seat omakase sushi counter in Shintomicho with chef Masaki Hashimoto at the helm. Tabelog Silver Award winner since 2021, focused on seasonal Edo-mae nigiri sourced from Toyosu Market. Runs ¥30,000–¥39,999 per person before drinks and service; reservation-only through OMAKASE platform. The format is traditional, the space intimate, the pacing deliberate; book if you trust the chef's sourcing instinct and prefer a mid-tier omakase without the booking difficulty of Tokyo's three-star counters.

Edulis is a Michelin-starred, tasting menu-only room on Niagara Street that delivers classical Mediterranean-influenced cooking; with a seafood focus; in an intimate, unhurried setting. Ranked #79 in North America by Opinionated About Dining (2025) and scoring 94 points in La Liste 2026, it earns its $$$$ price tier through precision and warmth rather than formality. Book hard in advance; Sunday lunch is the format to prioritise.

Gilberto Cetina Jr.'s Michelin-starred Mexican seafood counter inside Mercado La Paloma delivers James Beard–level cooking at taquería prices. Order the smoked kanpachi taco and Baja scallop aguachile at lunch, or book the $120 Thursday–Friday tasting menu for eight courses without the line. No alcohol license, communal seating, peak-hour queues; but the quality-to-price ratio is exceptional.

Mélisse is a two Michelin-starred, 14-seat tasting-menu counter in Santa Monica; one of Los Angeles's most technically ambitious dinners. Book if French classical technique applied to California produce is your preferred register. With only 14 seats and consistent international recognition, reservations require six to eight weeks of lead time minimum.

Damon Baehrel at The Basement Bistro is a one-chef tasting-menu destination in rural upstate New York, ranked #93 in North America by Opinionated About Dining in 2025. The format; no staff, no brigade, just the chef; is the experience. Worth the drive from New York City for food-focused travelers who book well in advance and go in knowing what the service model involves.

Shunji is one of Los Angeles's most seasonally driven Japanese restaurants, ranked #97 in North America by Opinionated About Dining in 2025. Chef Shunji Nakao's chef-driven format rewards diners who plan ahead and trust the kitchen's judgment. Hard to book, short evening hours, worth it for serious Japanese cooking at the top of the LA market.

Hirohisa is a kaiseki restaurant in SoHo, ranked #91 in Opinionated About Dining's North America list for 2025. It runs a structured multi-course Japanese menu built on seasonal ingredients and precise technique; a strong choice for a special occasion dinner. Booking is easier than most OAD-ranked New York venues at the same level, it offers weekday lunch for a shorter commitment.

Q Sushi is a serious Edomae-style omakase counter in Downtown Los Angeles, recognised by Opinionated About Dining three consecutive years and holding a Michelin Plate in 2025. At the $$$$ price tier, it is the right booking for omakase-focused diners who want technical precision over atmosphere. Book several weeks out; seats move fast and there is no lunch service.

Angler SF is a Michelin one-star seafood restaurant on the Embarcadero, driven by a wood-burning hearth and one of San Francisco's most serious wine lists; 2,530 selections strong, with depth in Burgundy and California. At the $$$$ price tier, it earns its place for a wine-anchored dinner with Bay Bridge views, but book well ahead: availability is tight.

Actinolite is a strong choice for a special occasion dinner in Toronto if you want progressive Canadian cooking backed by three consecutive OAD rankings and a 2025 Michelin Plate. Chef Justin Cournoyer's fermentation-led, low-waste kitchen rewards diners who care about provenance. Book 4–6 weeks out; this is a hard reservation on Ossington, open Wednesday through Saturday only.

Bouillon Bilk is one of Montreal's most consistent French tasting menu restaurants, ranked #118 in North America on Opinionated About Dining (2025) and holding a Michelin Plate. Book for a special occasion dinner near the Quartier des Spectacles: the degustation format, high-end service, strong beverage pairing make it the most reliable mid-to-upper French option in the city at this price tier.

Mori Nozomi is the most compelling sushi omakase to open in Los Angeles in 2024; Michelin-starred, eight seats, built around a kaiseki-inflected progression that goes well beyond a standard nigiri format. Reservations are hard to secure and evenings-only Tuesday through Saturday. Book if you are serious about the format; expect to plan weeks ahead.

Atoboy is Pearl's recommended modern Korean restaurant in NoMad, Manhattan, offering a $75 set menu that consistently ranks among North America's best casual fine-dining options. Chef Junghyun Park's creative Korean-Western pairings and a 3-Star wine accreditation make this an easy call for a special occasion dinner without the $$$$ commitment of Atomix. Booking is straightforward; usually a week or two out.

Restaurant Pearl Morissette holds a Michelin star and ranks #77 on Opinionated About Dining's North America list (2025). The tasting-menu-only format, farm-to-table sourcing, exceptional wine program make it the strongest case for a special-occasion dinner in Ontario wine country. Book 4 to 6 weeks out; the private chef's table is the one to target for a milestone event.

Le Pavillon holds 2 Michelin Stars (2025) and a La Liste score of 91 points, operating tasting menu only from a dramatic room overlooking Grand Central Terminal. The six-course dinner is the format that earns the €€€€ price tag. Book as far in advance as possible; availability at this level disappears fast.

One of Las Vegas's most credible fine dining options, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand earns its Forbes Four-Star rating with classical French cooking and a counter-style format that works especially well for couples and solo diners marking a special occasion. Book hard and early; Tuesday and Wednesday closures narrow your window.

Carbone is the Greenwich Village Italian-American institution that earns its $$$$ price tag through the full package: a theatrically-staffed room, mid-century classics executed with precision, a 9,200-bottle wine list with genuine depth in Tuscany and Piedmont. Reservations are hard to secure year-round. Book well ahead for special occasions; expect to spend significantly on wine.

ZZ's Clam Bar on Thompson Street is a tight, high-attention seafood bar from Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, ranked #126 in North America by Opinionated About Dining (2023). Book it for raw and cured seafood with service that earns the price point; but go early if you want a room you can actually have a conversation in.

Scaramouche is Toronto's most consistently decorated French fine-dining room, holding a Michelin Plate and three straight years in Opinionated About Dining's North America Top 300. Dinner-only, business casual, genuinely hard to book on weekends; this is the right call for a formal occasion or a serious food visit to the city. Book two to three weeks out minimum.

Barley Swine is Austin's most decorated tasting menu restaurant; Michelin-starred in 2024 and ranked #103 in North America by Opinionated About Dining in 2025. Chef Bryce Gilmore runs a seasonally driven menu rooted in Texas ingredients with Southwestern and Southern influences, served in a deliberately casual room on Burnet Road. Book hard and early: this is a four-day-a-week operation with serious demand.

Kali on Melrose holds a Michelin star and an OAD Top 120 North America ranking for 2025, making it one of the stronger cases for producer-led Californian cooking at the $$$$ tier in Los Angeles. Book three to four weeks out for weekends. Best for a serious dinner for two; closed Monday and Tuesday.

Toronto's only two-Michelin-star sushi counter, Sushi Masaki Saito delivers edomae omakase at a level unmatched anywhere in Canada. Chef Masaki Saito's access to Japanese fish and product is genuinely without peer in the country. Book months ahead; this is near-impossible to secure; and only if omakase is a format you already know you want.

Chef Atsushi Yokota sources ingredients predominantly from Japan; French-trained bookend courses add range to the tempura sequence. Hard to book, worth the effort for diners whose priority is tempura at this level.

Daniel is the benchmark for classic French fine dining in New York: three Michelin stars, a 10,000-bottle cellar, formal Upper East Side service that has stayed consistent for over 30 years. Book four to six weeks out minimum. At $$$$, it is a genuine special-occasion restaurant, but the wine program alone; 2,000 selections with particular depth in Burgundy and Bordeaux; makes it the strongest wine-and-food pairing destination in its category.

Tori Shin is New York's most consistently recognized yakitori counter, ranked #116 on the Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America list in 2025 and improving year on year. An evening-only destination on West 53rd Street, it suits diners who want Japanese counter precision without the booking difficulty of Masa or the price ceiling of New York's French tasting rooms. Book ahead for weekends, but expect easy access by the city's standards.

One of a tiny number of restaurants in the US dedicated entirely to tempura, Tempura Endo in Beverly Hills earns three consecutive Opinionated About Dining North America rankings and a 2025 Michelin Plate. Book the counter in front of the copper cauldron for the full chef-direct experience. Hard to get into at $$$$; plan three to four weeks out minimum.

Sushi Ikumi is a counter-only omakase in SoHo run by chef Hiro Hayashi, ranked #139 in North America by Opinionated About Dining in 2025. It delivers credentialed omakase at a price point well below the city's top tier, with Saturday lunch offering the best availability. Book one to two weeks ahead for weekday evenings.

O Ya is Boston's most decorated Japanese omakase counter, ranked by Opinionated About Dining three years running. Chef Tim Cushman's creative Japanese format suits special occasions and committed first-timers. Booking is currently Easy; take advantage of the access while it lasts.

A 10-seat nigiri-only omakase counter in Bucktown, Kyōten holds a Michelin Plate and has ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Top Restaurants in North America three years running. Chef Otto Phan's twice-weekly fish shipments from Japan underpin technically serious, personality-forward nigiri at a price point well below his flagship next door. Book several weeks out; availability is tight across all four operating nights.

Thirty years into its run, Canoe remains the clearest argument for what contemporary Canadian cooking can be at the top of the market. On the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower, the kitchen works a seasonally driven menu anchored in Canadian terroir, farmed, foraged, fished, while the room delivers panoramic views of Toronto and Lake Ontario that few dining rooms in the country can match.

Bar Contra on Orchard Street earns its Opinionated About Dining recognition with a cocktail program that outperforms most of its Lower East Side neighbours. It is an evening-only proposition best suited to dates, small celebrations, or solo bar visits; easy to book, credible on the awards front, more food-serious than its casual classification suggests.

EL Ideas is a Michelin-starred BYOB tasting menu operating out of Chef Phillip Foss's Pilsen warehouse home, ranked #144 on OAD's Top Restaurants in North America in 2025. One seating, everyone served simultaneously, guests free to roam the kitchen. The BYOB policy makes it one of Chicago's best value-to-quality positions at the $$$$ level.

Sushi Takeda has appeared on the Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America list three years running and holds a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025. It is one of the most credentialled omakase counters in Los Angeles, operating tight Tuesday–Saturday seatings in Little Tokyo. Book at least three to four weeks out; this is a hard reservation at a $$$$ price point that rewards repeat visits.

Le Chique holds a Michelin star, an AAA 5 Diamond rating, an OAD North America ranking that climbed to #96 in 2025; making it the most credentialed restaurant on the Riviera Maya. Chef Jhonatan Gómez Luna runs a contemporary Mexican tasting menu backed by a wine list with genuine depth in California, France, Mexico. Book 4–6 weeks out; dinner only, Monday–Saturday.

Sushi Zo is one of Los Angeles's most consistently credentialled omakase counters, ranked in the Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America list two years running and Pearl Recommended for 2025. Chef Keizo Seki runs a focused, counter-led format in Palms that suits special occasions and serious sushi diners. Booking is easier than the reputation suggests.

Crown Shy is a Michelin-starred Modern American restaurant in Manhattan's Financial District, delivering technically precise cooking at $$$; well below what comparable accolades typically cost in New York. The à la carte format, a 900-selection wine list, a striking Art Deco setting at 70 Pine Street make it one of the city's strongest value cases at this tier. Book at least three weeks out; weekend availability is tight.