Restaurant in Creemore, Canada
Michelin-starred Chinese tasting menu, 24 seats.
A Michelin-starred (2024) contemporary Chinese tasting menu in a 24-seat converted garage in Creemore, Ontario. Chef Jeremy Austin's 14- to 18-course format draws on Hong Kong and mainland China experience with strictly local ingredients. At $$$$ with four nights of service per week, book four to six weeks out minimum. One of Ontario's most purposeful fine dining destinations outside Toronto.
Getting a table at The Pine requires planning. With only 24 seats, a four-night-a-week dinner schedule, and a Michelin star earned in 2024, this is one of Ontario's hardest reservations outside Toronto. Book four to six weeks out as a minimum; weekend evenings and the six-seat chef's counter fill faster. The effort is justified: The Pine delivers a 14- to 18-course contemporary Chinese tasting menu in a converted garage in Creemore that holds its own against anything in the province at the $$$$ price point.
Creemore is a small town in Simcoe County, north of Toronto, better known for its brewery than for fine dining. The Pine changes that calculus. Chef Jeremy Austin and his wife Cassie relocated here from Collingwood's main street after three and a half years, and the move gave them space to build something more ambitious: a bright, minimalist room that functions as a deliberate blank canvas for food that draws on Austin's years cooking in Italy, Hong Kong, and mainland China.
The physical setup matters to your decision. Twenty-four seats is a small room by any standard. Six of those are at the chef's counter, where you get direct sightlines to two 200,000-BTU commercial woks. Those woks are not decoration. Wok hei, the smoky, high-heat technique central to serious Chinese cooking, is technically difficult to achieve at restaurant scale and nearly impossible outside a purpose-built kitchen. The Pine is built around it. If you care about technique, the counter is worth requesting specifically.
The menu runs 14 to 18 courses and changes with some regularity. Based on documented dishes, the range moves between refined Chinese technique and genuinely surprising combinations: steamed egg custard with bone marrow, fermented cabbage, chili sofrito, and whey emulsion; flat-iron beef tartare with pickled celery, doubanjiang celery-leaf emulsion, and green radish; a sourdough roasted in kabayaki and browned butter served with foie gras ice cream and sour prune jam. That last dish, called The French Concession, is a direct reference to the French neighbourhood in Shanghai and is a fair signal of how Austin thinks: specific, referential, and willing to be playful without losing rigor. A tea egg opens the meal. Sichuan-style dried fried string beans arrive as a cold salad. The carrot jiaozi has been noted by reviewers as a highlight.
Critically for a tasting menu at this price tier, the ingredients are local. Ontario produce anchors a menu built on Chinese technique, which is a combination rare enough to position The Pine as genuinely distinct in the Canadian fine dining conversation. For context, Kissa Tanto in Vancouver works a similar cross-cultural register with Italian-Japanese, and Tanière³ in Quebec City pushes local ingredients through European technique with comparable ambition. The Pine belongs in that conversation. Within Ontario, Eigensinn Farm in Singhampton is the most obvious geographic peer for the destination-dining model, and it's worth knowing both exist in the same region if you're planning a trip north of Toronto.
The wine and drinks program is focused on Ontario with international options now included. It is concise rather than extensive, which at this format is a reasonable choice: the food is the event.
The Pine is the reason to go to Creemore for dinner. The town is not a dining destination in the way that Niagara-on-the-Lake or Prince Edward County are developing into, but The Pine gives it a anchor that punches well above the local context. If you're planning a weekend in the area, check our full Creemore restaurants guide, our full Creemore hotels guide, and our full Creemore bars guide to build the trip around the reservation rather than treating The Pine as an afterthought. Our full Creemore wineries guide and our full Creemore experiences guide can fill out the weekend if you're driving up from Toronto.
For Chinese fine dining comparisons beyond Ontario, Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin and Mister Jiu's in San Francisco work the same territory of Chinese technique with strong local and personal identity. Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant in Richmond is worth knowing if you want the canonical Cantonese end of the Canadian Chinese dining spectrum for comparison.
The Pine is structured for special occasions by default. A multi-course tasting menu at $$$$ pricing, 24 seats, low ambient noise, and a chef's counter with direct kitchen engagement: this is the format. It works for anniversaries, milestone birthdays, or any dinner where the meal is the occasion. It is not a restaurant for a quick business dinner or a large group. The 24-seat capacity effectively rules out parties larger than six or eight, and the tasting menu format requires commitment to the full experience. If you need a private room or a larger table, this is not your venue.
Among Toronto's $$$$ tasting menu peers, Alo and Jérôme Ferrer - Europea in Montreal offer comparable occasion-dining formats with more seats and a more established booking infrastructure. The Pine trades scale for specificity. That trade is worth it if you can get a table.
The Pine opens Wednesday through Friday evenings (6:30 PM to 10 PM), with a Saturday lunch service (1 PM to 4 PM) and a Saturday dinner service (6:30 PM to 10 PM). Sunday and Monday are closed. The $$$$ price range reflects a full tasting menu format; this is not a venue where you can moderate spend by ordering selectively. Dress expectations are not formally stated, but the Michelin star and price point suggest smart casual at minimum. The address is 7535 County Rd 9, Creemore, a converted garage on the main road into town. Driving is the practical option from Toronto; the town is in Simcoe County north of the city. Google rating: 4.9 from 170 reviews.
Quick reference: Wed-Sat dinner from 6:30 PM, Sat lunch 1 PM; 24 seats; Michelin 1 Star (2024); book 4-6 weeks minimum; $$$$.
Four to six weeks minimum, and further if you want a Saturday evening or the chef's counter. The Pine has 24 seats, runs four nights a week, and holds a Michelin star — the combination means availability disappears quickly. If you have a fixed date in mind for a special occasion, book as soon as the reservation window opens.
Yes, for a specific type of diner. The 14- to 18-course format at $$$$ is positioned at the leading of Ontario's fine dining tier, and the Michelin star (2024) confirms the kitchen is operating at that level. The cross-cultural Chinese-local-ingredient approach is genuinely uncommon at this price point in Canada. If you want a la carte flexibility or a shorter meal, this is the wrong venue. If a full tasting menu is your format, The Pine justifies the price more convincingly than most options outside Toronto.
Saturday lunch is the more accessible option for first-timers: same tasting menu format but a slightly different rhythm, and Saturday is the only day with both a lunch and dinner service. Dinner from Wednesday to Friday is the full experience, and the chef's counter works leading in the evening when the kitchen is at full pace. If you're driving up from Toronto, Saturday lunch allows you to make a day of it without a late-night return.
There is a six-seat chef's counter, which is the closest equivalent to bar seating here. It's not a drop-in option — the counter fills with reservations like the rest of the room. Request it specifically when booking if you want the direct kitchen view and the wok hei experience up close. Walk-ins are unlikely to be accommodated given the size and format.
At $$$$ for a 14- to 18-course tasting menu with a Michelin star and a format that is genuinely rare in Canada, yes. The combination of Chinese technique, local Ontario ingredients, and a kitchen built around serious wok cooking is not something you can replicate at a lower price point. Compared to Toronto's $$$$ tasting menu options like Alo or Enigma Yorkville, The Pine adds the destination factor , you're driving to Creemore , but removes the city premium on ambiance. Worth it if the format suits you.
No formal dress code is published, but the context , Michelin-starred, $$$$, 24-seat tasting menu room , points clearly to smart casual as the floor. Jeans are fine if they're clean and paired with something considered. Arriving in activewear or very casual clothing would feel out of step with the room. Treat it the way you'd treat any serious urban tasting menu restaurant.
It's one of the better options in Ontario for exactly that purpose. The tasting menu format, small room, chef's counter, and Michelin recognition create a meal that feels considered rather than routine. It works leading for two to four people. Large groups are not well-served by the 24-seat total capacity or the fixed menu format. For comparison, Alo in Toronto offers a similar occasion-dining format with more seats and a more central location if logistics matter more than destination.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Pine | $$$$ | Hard | — |
| Alo | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Sushi Masaki Saito | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Enigma Yorkville | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Shoushin | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Edulis | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
How The Pine stacks up against the competition.
Book as far in advance as possible — realistically four to six weeks minimum. The Pine seats only 24 guests across four dinner seatings per week (Wednesday through Saturday), plus a single Saturday lunch service. Since earning its Michelin star in 2024, demand has outpaced availability. There is no listed phone or online booking portal in public records, so check the restaurant's direct channels immediately and treat any open slot as a limited-time window.
Yes, if a long-format Chinese tasting menu is what you are after. The 14 to 18 course menu blends contemporary Chinese technique — including high-heat wok hei cooking on twin 200,000-BTU commercial woks — with emphatically local Ontario ingredients, which is a combination you are not finding at most $$$$ restaurants. The Michelin committee thought it was worth a star in 2024. If you want à la carte flexibility or shorter formats, this is the wrong room.
Saturday lunch (1 PM to 4 PM) is the only midday service, making it the rarer booking and a different pacing experience than the evening. Dinner runs Wednesday through Saturday from 6:30 PM and is the primary format the restaurant is built around. For a first visit, dinner gives you the full intended experience; Saturday lunch is worth pursuing if evening availability is gone or if you prefer the pace of an afternoon sitting.
The Pine has a six-seat chef's counter rather than a traditional bar. Those seats are among the 24 total in the room, not in addition to them, so they are still a reservation rather than a walk-in option. Sitting at the counter puts you closest to the wok station and is worth requesting specifically when you book.
At $$$$ pricing with a Michelin star, a 14 to 18 course menu, and a chef with years cooking in Hong Kong and mainland China, the value case is strong relative to comparably priced tasting menus in Toronto. The trade-off is the 90-minute drive from the city. If you are already paying $$$$ for dinner, the drive cost is marginal; if proximity matters, Toronto's Alo or Shoushin deliver comparable prestige without leaving the city.
The Pine occupies a converted garage — bright, spacious, and minimalist by design. There is no documented dress code, but the price point ($$$$$), tasting menu format, and Michelin star signal that most guests will dress for the occasion. Think polished casual to business casual; nothing about the space requires formal wear, but showing up in workout clothes would feel out of place.
It is one of the stronger special occasion options in Ontario outside of Toronto. The format — 14 to 18 courses, 24 seats, a chef's counter, Michelin-starred kitchen — does the occasion framing for you. For a celebration where the event itself should feel deliberate and considered, The Pine works well for parties of two or small groups. Larger groups will be constrained by the 24-seat total capacity, so check the venue's official channels if you are booking for more than four.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
