Restaurant in Toronto, Canada
Patrick Kriss's bistro, without the Alo wait.
Chef Patrick Kriss's approachable counterpart to Alo, Aloette delivers technically precise contemporary cooking at a $$$-tier price point with service polish that punches above its bracket. Michelin Plate–recognised (2024 and 2025) and ranked on OAD's Casual North America list three years running, it's the strongest argument for a Toronto special-occasion dinner that doesn't require a tasting-menu commitment.
Aloette earns its place on Spadina as one of Toronto's most consistent casual-fine dining rooms. Chef Patrick Kriss built his reputation at Alo, the tasting-menu institution a few blocks away, and Aloette is the more accessible expression of that same kitchen sensibility — $$$-priced, reservation-friendly, and designed for the kind of meal where you want serious cooking without the ceremony of a multi-course commitment. If you're deciding between the two, Aloette is the right call for a date night or celebratory dinner where flexibility matters; Alo is the call when you want the full, uninterrupted progression. Book Aloette when you want Patrick Kriss's standards at a price point that doesn't require a special budget conversation.
Aloette occupies the ground floor of a Spadina Avenue building in the Fashion District, and the room telegraphs its intent clearly: this is a bistro with fine-dining discipline, not the other way around. The layout is compact and deliberate — a bar anchoring one end, close-set tables filling the main floor, the kind of spatial arrangement that creates atmosphere through proximity rather than grand gestures. For a special occasion dinner, request a table rather than bar seating if you want a more settled, unhurried feel; the bar works well for solo diners or a couple who want to eat with a bit more energy around them. The scale is intimate without being precious, and that balance is central to what makes Aloette work as a celebration venue: it feels considered without being stiff.
The service philosophy here is where Aloette most clearly distinguishes itself from Toronto's broader casual-dining tier. At the $$$ price point, many rooms in this city trade on informality to justify the gap in polish , the logic being that a relaxed room earns goodwill for softer service. Aloette doesn't make that trade. The front-of-house carries the attentiveness you'd associate with a more expensive room without tipping into formality. That's a harder balance to strike than it sounds, and it's the reason Aloette performs well for business meals, anniversaries, and birthday dinners where the stakes are higher than a Tuesday night out.
That service standard also justifies the price more than the food alone does. The cooking is technically accomplished , Kriss's training is evident in the precision of the menu , but at $$$ per head in Toronto in 2025, you're paying for the full experience: the room, the pacing, the attention. Aloette delivers on all three with enough consistency to make it a reliable recommendation rather than a high-variance gamble. Compared to Grey Gardens on the same general price tier, Aloette runs a tighter, more polished room; compared to Antler, it skews less concept-driven and more technique-forward.
Aloette holds a Michelin Plate (2024 and 2025) and has been ranked on the Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America list three years running , #91 in 2024, #123 in 2025, and Highly Recommended in 2023. The OAD ranking is a meaningful signal here: that list is crowd-sourced from frequent diners and food professionals, which means Aloette's position reflects repeat-visitor satisfaction rather than a single critic's visit. A Google rating of 4.5 across 1,827 reviews adds further weight. This is a room that performs consistently, not one that peaks on good nights. For context among Canadian contemporaries, venues like AnnaLena in Vancouver and Tanière³ in Quebec City operate in a similar register of serious-but-accessible fine dining, and Aloette belongs in that conversation.
Reservations at Aloette are moderately difficult to secure , not the weeks-in-advance sprint that Alo requires, but weekend tables at prime hours will go quickly. Book one to two weeks out for Friday or Saturday evening; weeknight availability is generally more forgiving. Reservations: Recommended; book online via the venue's reservation system. Dress: Smart casual is the practical standard , the room has enough formality that jeans-and-a-hoodie reads as underdressed, but there's no enforced dress code. Budget: $$$ per head, which in Toronto's current market means expect to spend in the moderate-to-upper range before wine. Location: 163 Spadina Ave, 1st Floor, Fashion District. Getting there: Spadina streetcar and Osgoode subway station are both within walking distance; street parking is available but limited on weekend evenings.
See the comparison section below for how Aloette stacks up against Toronto's broader fine-dining tier.
If Aloette's contemporary bistro approach appeals, these are worth adding to your Toronto shortlist: FK, Restaurant 20 Victoria, and Grey Gardens. For the full Patrick Kriss experience, Alo is the next logical step. Outside Toronto, the same calibre of serious-but-welcoming contemporary cooking shows up at Jérôme Ferrer - Europea in Montreal and Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Lincoln. For those building a broader Canadian dining itinerary, our full Toronto restaurants guide covers the wider field, and our Toronto hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide are useful companions for planning the full trip. Internationally, César in New York City and Jungsik in Seoul operate in a comparable vein of technically grounded contemporary cooking worth benchmarking against.
Yes, and it's a practical option if you're dining solo or as a couple and want to eat without a reservation. The bar at Aloette tends to have more availability than the main floor on peak evenings, but it fills up , don't count on walk-in bar access on a Friday or Saturday night without arriving early. For a date or special occasion where you want more settled seating, the main floor is the better call.
Smart casual is the right register. Aloette holds a Michelin Plate and sits at the $$$ price point, and the room carries enough formality that very casual dress reads as out of place , but there's no enforced dress code. Think neat trousers or a dress rather than a suit; the room will feel comfortable in anything you'd wear to a mid-range business dinner.
Aloette is not a tasting-menu restaurant in the way that Alo is , the format here is à la carte or set menus rather than a full omakase-style progression. If a tasting-menu experience is your priority, Alo is the Patrick Kriss venue to book and the price step up reflects that. Aloette's value is in delivering high technical standards with the flexibility to order as you want, which is a different and often more practical proposition for a celebration dinner. At $$$, it's well-priced for the level of cooking and service on offer.
Aloette is a compact room, which means large groups can be challenging. For parties of six or more, contact the restaurant directly to confirm availability and seating arrangements before booking online. Smaller groups of two to four are well-served by the standard reservation process. If you're planning a group celebration in Toronto at a similar price point, Restaurant 20 Victoria is worth checking as a parallel option with private dining capabilities.
The closest direct comparison at a higher price point is Alo , same chef, more formal format, $$$$ pricing. For contemporary dining at a similar $$$ tier, Grey Gardens and FK are worth considering. If you're open to a $$$$ spend and want a different cuisine angle, Antler delivers a concept-driven Canadian menu. For the broadest view of where Aloette sits in the city's dining tier, our full Toronto restaurants guide is the right starting point.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aloette | Contemporary | $$$ | Moderate |
| Alo | Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Sushi Masaki Saito | Sushi, Japanese | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Aburi Hana | Kaiseki, Japanese | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Don Alfonso 1890 | Contemporary Italian, Italian | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Edulis | Canadian, Mediterranean Cuisine | $$$$ | Unknown |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Bar seating at Aloette is available and a practical option if you're dining solo or as a pair without a reservation. It's one of the better ways to access the room on shorter notice, given that weekend prime-hour tables book up. The bistro format suits counter dining well, and the $$$ price point applies regardless of where you sit.
Aloette's bistro positioning on Spadina signals a relaxed but put-together crowd. Think neat casual — a clean shirt or blouse works; you don't need a jacket. It's more dressed-down than a tasting-menu room like Alo, but the Michelin Plate recognition and $$$ pricing mean you won't feel out of place making an effort.
Aloette operates as a bistro rather than a tasting-menu room — that format lives upstairs at Alo. If you're after an à la carte contemporary dining experience at $$$ without the weeks-in-advance booking pressure that Alo demands, Aloette is the practical call. Three consecutive years on the Opinionated About Dining Casual North America list backs up the consistency.
Aloette can handle small groups, but it's a bistro-format room rather than a large event space, so parties of 6+ should contact them directly to confirm availability and configuration. For a special-occasion dinner for 2–4, it's a natural fit at the $$$ price point. Larger groups needing a private room would be better served looking elsewhere in Toronto.
For a step up in formality and a full tasting menu, Alo (also Patrick Kriss) is the obvious move — budget more time and booking lead. Grey Gardens and FK offer comparable contemporary bistro energy at a similar price tier. If you want to spend more for a marquee experience, Sushi Masaki Saito or Edulis both sit in Toronto's top tier for their respective formats.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
