Canada is home to many top-notch restaurants, with chefs across the country redefining what Canadian cuisine can be.

In celebration of that culinary innovation, Air Canada is back with its Best New Restaurants Awards for 2025. Now in their 24th year , the awards spotlight exciting new restaurants from coast to coast that are raising the bar for creativity, quality, and service.

We caught up with the host of Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants’ event, Chef Chuck Hughes , to dish on the 31 finalists and what these awards say about the ever-evolving landscape of Canadian dining.

What it takes to make the cut

Each year, new restaurants are independently nominated by a national panel of culinary voices , but only a few make it to the prestigious finalist rounds. For Hughes, restaurant

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