Canada has kicked it up a few notches on the North American fine-dining front.

In the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list, released Thursday in New Orleans, Canada has placed a most impressive total of 14 dining spots, up from last year’s tally of 11. More impressive still is that five of the top 10 restaurants on this list are Canadian, including Montreal’s much-lauded Mon Lapin and Quebec City’s acclaimed Tanière3, the only Michelin two-star dining space in this province.

In addition to Mon Lapin and Tanière3, which finished fifth and ninth respectively, Montreal also placed Le Violon (15), Beba (27) and Sabayon (34) — the latter a Michelin one-star recipient.

The city’s other one-star Michelin spots — Hoogan et Beaufort, Sushi Nishinokaze, Jérôme Ferrer Europea and Mastard — failed to make the cut here. So did Montréal Plaza and Alma, which were cited on the inaugural North American list last year.

This is Sabayon’s first inclusion on the top 50 tally. Mon Lapin (which took the No. 1 spot on Jacob Richler’s Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list in 2023 and 2024, and came second in 2025 and this year) finished second on the North American front last year, while Beba jumped from 50th place last year and Le Violon made it up from the 29th spot.

“Last year, when we finished in the top 10 here, people were going: ‘What the hell is happening? Canada,........

© Montreal Gazette