Restaurant in Toronto, Canada
Serious cooking at a no-occasion price point.
Grey Gardens holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2024 and 2025 — Michelin's value-for-quality signal — which makes it one of Toronto's most compelling mid-range bookings. Chef Ksenija Krajšek Mahorčič leads creative contemporary cooking in a well-designed Kensington Market room. At $$$, it delivers at a level that normally costs more elsewhere in the city.
Yes — if you want creative contemporary cooking at a price point that doesn't require a special occasion justification. Grey Gardens, at 199 Augusta Ave in Toronto's Kensington Market, has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand in both 2024 and 2025, which is Michelin's clearest signal that a restaurant is overdelivering for its price. At $$$ — mid-range for Toronto's serious dining tier , this is one of the few spots in the city where the quality-to-cost ratio genuinely works in your favour.
Grey Gardens is part of restaurateur Jen Agg's Toronto portfolio, and the space reflects the design attention that runs through her projects: considered, visually composed, and more elegant than the Kensington Market address might suggest. The energy here is animated without being loud , this is a room that fills up with people who came specifically to eat and drink well, which gives it a focused buzz rather than the ambient chaos of a neighbourhood bar. The atmosphere is leading described as convivial and intentional: conversation is possible, the room has warmth, and the setting doesn't fight the food for attention. If noise level is a dealbreaker for you, Grey Gardens sits comfortably in the range where you can still hear the person across the table at peak service.
Chef Ksenija Krajšek Mahorčič leads the kitchen, and the cooking is contemporary in the serious sense , technique-forward, ingredient-focused, without the fussiness that can make tasting menus feel like endurance events. If the restaurant offers counter or bar seating, this is worth requesting. Counter seats at a kitchen-facing bar put you in direct proximity to the pass, which at a restaurant operating at this level , consecutive Bib Gourmand recognition implies consistent execution , is genuinely worth the trade-off in elbow room. You see the pacing, you interact with the team, and the meal becomes more than a transaction. For food-focused diners, the counter is the leading seat in the building when it's available.
Two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands (2024, 2025) mean Michelin's inspectors visited multiple times and consistently found the cooking good enough to recommend, specifically at a price point accessible enough to flag as value. This is a more practically useful credential than a star for most diners: it answers the "is it worth the money" question before you've even looked at the menu. At $$$ in Toronto, Grey Gardens sits below the $$$$ tier occupied by Alo and its peers, which means you get Michelin-validated cooking without the full splurge commitment. Google reviewers agree: 4.6 stars across 971 reviews is a high-volume score at that rating, which filters out the noise of a single exceptional or catastrophic visit.
Kensington Market is one of Toronto's most characterful neighbourhoods for eating and drinking, and Grey Gardens is among the area's most serious restaurants. If you're building a Toronto itinerary around food, the neighbourhood rewards walking: there are strong bars and casual spots nearby, which makes Grey Gardens a natural anchor for an evening that starts or ends elsewhere. For broader Toronto dining context, see our full Toronto restaurants guide. If you're also planning bars, hotels, or experiences, our Toronto bars guide, Toronto hotels guide, and Toronto experiences guide cover the broader picture.
For diners who move between Canadian cities, Grey Gardens sits in an interesting cluster alongside restaurants like AnnaLena in Vancouver and Jérôme Ferrer - Europea in Montreal , all of them doing serious contemporary cooking without the full ceremony of white-tablecloth fine dining. If you're Ontario-focused and looking for comparably calibrated experiences outside Toronto, Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Lincoln and The Pine in Creemore are worth adding to the shortlist.
Within Toronto's contemporary dining category, the relevant comparisons are Aloette (also Jen Agg's, more casual), FK, Antler, and Restaurant 20 Victoria , each occupying a different point on the formality-to-value spectrum.
Address: 199 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2L4. Price: $$$. Awards: Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 and 2025. Google Rating: 4.6 (971 reviews). Reservations: Recommended , book at least 1–2 weeks ahead given the Bib Gourmand profile; weekend prime-time slots fill faster. Counter seating: If available, request it for kitchen-facing access. Dress: Smart casual is the register , Kensington Market keeps the dress expectations relaxed but the room itself is well-appointed. Group size: Works well for 2–4; larger groups should confirm availability directly.
Grey Gardens sits in a different bracket than Toronto's $$$$ tier. For context, see the comparison section below.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey Gardens | Contemporary | $$$ | Located in the bustling Kensington Market neighbourhood, Grey Gardens is part of local restauranteur Jen Agg’s offerings. Beautifully designed and elegantly appointed, this thoughtful space offers a s...; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | Moderate | — |
| Alo | Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sushi Masaki Saito | Sushi, Japanese | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Aburi Hana | Kaiseki, Japanese | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Don Alfonso 1890 | Contemporary Italian, Italian | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Edulis | Canadian, Mediterranean Cuisine | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
If the kitchen is running a tasting format, the Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024 and 2025) tells you inspectors found the cooking strong enough at this price tier to call out specifically. At $$$, it sits below Toronto's tasting-menu luxury bracket, which makes it a lower-stakes commitment than Alo or Sushi Masaki Saito. The case for it: technique-forward contemporary cooking from chef Ksenija Krajšek Mahorčič without the $$$$-tier entry fee.
There is no documented dietary policy in the available venue data, so confirm directly when booking. Restaurants running chef-driven contemporary menus at this level typically accommodate restrictions with advance notice, but Grey Gardens' specific kitchen approach means you should flag requirements at reservation time rather than on arrival.
Book at least one to two weeks ahead, especially for weekend sittings. Grey Gardens has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand for two consecutive years, which sustains consistent demand in a neighbourhood, Kensington Market, that already draws diners on its own. Last-minute tables exist but are not a reliable strategy for preferred times.
Grey Gardens is part of Jen Agg's Toronto portfolio, and her spaces are typically designed with counter and bar seating as a genuine dining option rather than a waiting area. The room at 199 Augusta Ave is described as thoughtfully appointed, and eating at the bar or counter is likely the format that rewards solo diners or walk-in attempts most. Confirm seat availability when you call or book.
Yes, at $$$, Grey Gardens is one of the cleaner value cases in Toronto's contemporary dining tier. Two Michelin Bib Gourmands mean the cooking has been independently verified as quality above price point, not once but across multiple visits. If you want a higher-effort tasting experience, Alo is the step up. If you want Bib Gourmand-level cooking in one of Toronto's most characterful neighbourhoods without a $$$$-tier bill, Grey Gardens delivers.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
