Top 100 Ontarian Foods

Hummingbird Chocolate is an award-winning chocolate maker based in Almonte, Ontario, Canada, founded by Erica and Drew Gilmour. The company began as a small operation in 2011, inspired by the couple's experiences with cocoa during humanitarian work in West Africa. Hummingbird Chocolate has received numerous accolades for its bars, including the prestigious Golden Bean award at the Academy of Chocolate Awards in London. The company sources its cocoa beans from various regions including the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Haiti, focusing on fair trade practices and sustainability.

In their production process,Hummingbird Chocolate utilizes traditional techniques, such as hand-sorting cocoa beans and slow-roasting them to develop rich flavors, making their chocolate products distinct and flavorful.Expand

DesBarres Chocolate is a craft chocolate producer based in Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada. They are committed to direct trade and ethical sourcing practices, ensuring they use only high-quality cacao beans.

Their chocolate-making process involves minimal processing to retain the natural flavors and characteristics of the cacao. DesBarres Chocolate offers a range of single-origin bars and unique chocolate products.Expand

Mellis Chocolate is a luxury chocolatier celebrated for its handcrafted, award-winning pralines and fine chocolate creations that fuse premium ingredients with inventive flavor combinations. Every piece reflects a commitment to excellence, showcasing the artistry of chocolate-making through meticulous attention to detail, harmony, and purity. Drawing inspiration from seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, Mellis designs collections that do more than please the palate—they tell a story.

Each creation evokes memory, shared moments, and multisensory delight. Honored with numerous awards from esteemed international competitions, Mellis chocolates embody sophistication, elegance, and craftsmanship in every bite. At Mellis Chocolate, there are no compromises—only an unwavering dedication to quality and a passion for creating extraordinary experiences for true chocolate connoisseurs.Expand

Reid's Distillery is a family-run craft distillery devoted to the art of exceptional gin making, where passion for quality, tradition, and modern creativity come together in every bottle. Their gins are crafted using Canadian wheat and a thoughtful blend of botanicals, with wild-foraged Canadian juniper taking center stage to deliver a truly distinctive flavor profile. Inspired by a spirit of exploration and a desire to create something uniquely their own, Reid’s combines classic distillation techniques with a bold, contemporary approach.

The result is a collection of gins that are elegant, nuanced, and instantly memorable—ranging from timeless dry styles to inventive, aromatic expressions. Each one reflects the skill, care, and character that defines their work. Expand

Soma chocolatemaker is a chocolate atelier where craftsmanship meets passion. Dedicated to quality and authenticity, Soma creates true bean-to-bar chocolate by handcrafting each batch from carefully sourced cacao beans from around the world.

Their process blends artisanal precision, modern technique, and a deep respect for origin. Every bar, truffle, and sip of drinking chocolate is the result of thoughtful work—where knowledge, sensory intuition, and love for chocolate come together. The beans are hand-sorted, gently roasted, and ground in-house to preserve and highlight their unique flavors.

Through this careful process, Soma has earned recognition for creating chocolate that’s as memorable as it is delicious. Beyond taste, Soma is committed to sustainability—supporting small cacao growers and the preservation of rare heirloom varieties. Their creations are more than just confections—they are stories, moments, and experiences in every bite.Expand

Gibson's Finest is a Canadian whisky brand, known for its premium quality and craftsmanship. It is one of the most recognized Canadian whisky brands and has a legacy rooted in the tradition of creating smooth, well-balanced whiskies.

The brand offers several expressions, including Gibson's Finest Rare 12 Year Old, Gibson's Finest Sterling, and Gibson's Finest Bold 8 Year Old. Each expression is crafted with a unique flavor profile, appealing to a wide range of whisky enthusiasts. The brand is owned by William Grant & Sons, a renowned family-owned spirits company, which acquired Gibson's Finest in 2001.

Under William Grant & Sons, the brand has maintained its focus on quality and has continued to uphold the traditional methods of Canadian whisky production. The whisky is distilled and matured in Canada, adhering to the standards of Canadian whisky-making.Expand

Thirty Bench Wine Makers is a boutique winery located on the Beamsville Bench within the Niagara Peninsula, one of Canada’s most respected cool-climate wine regions. Founded in 1990, the winery quickly built a reputation for producing high-quality, small-lot wines with a strong focus on vineyard expression.

The estate is particularly known for its work with Riesling, which thrives in the limestone-rich soils and benefits from the moderating influence of Lake Ontario. Wines are often crafted from individual vineyard blocks, highlighting subtle differences in terroir and structure.

The style emphasizes precision, balance, and aging potential, especially in their Riesling portfolio, which ranges from dry to off-dry expressions. In addition to Riesling, Thirty Bench produces Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and red blends that reflect the cool-climate character of the region.

Winemaking is focused on minimal intervention and careful cellar practices to preserve purity of fruit and site specificity. Today, Thirty Bench is widely regarded as one of the leading producers on the Beamsville Bench, known for refined, terroir-driven wines with strong identity.Expand

Originating from Toronto, this simple sandwich consists of thick slices of fatty and crispy peameal bacon on a Kaiser bun. The bun soaks up the bacon's juices, developing its own meaty texture in the process. The sandwich is usually paired with mustard, and nowadays there are even modern versions with added cheese, eggs, tomatoes, or lettuce. The bacon is called peameal because it used to be rolled in ground yellow peas, and although it's now typically rolled in cornmeal, the name peameal bacon remains unchanged.Expand

This bacon is a classic Canadian meat product made with a boneless center-cut pork loin that is typically trimmed of fat, then cured in brine, and finally enclosed in a coating of ground cornmeal, which gives it its signature yellow-hued crust and incomparable flavor. The original coating consisted of ground yellow peas called peameal, which is how the bacon got its name. Subtly sweet, nutty, and with a hint of saltiness, peameal bacon is not smoked nor pre-cooked, so it requires some preparation prior to consumption. William Davies, a successful ham and bacon curer and the owner of a Toronto-based pork processing and packing company named William Davies Company, has been attributed with the introduction of peameal bacon in Canada and has also been named a pioneer in using cornmeal for producing this bacon. Considered as one of the most authentic Candian products, peameal bacon has remained a staple breakfast item across the country for many years. This bacon is also the main ingredient of peameal bacon on a bun, a sandwich which continues to win over the hearts and bellies of locals and tourists alike. Peameal bacon is traditionally produced in Canada and is different from what is known in the U.S. as Canadian bacon, which is a variety of smoked back bacon.Expand

Sushi pizza is an unusual spin on sushi that is popular throughout Canada, especially in Toronto. It consists of a fried rice patty topped with salmon, tuna, or crab, avocado slices, spicy mayonnaise, and soy-wasabi sauce. It is believed that the dish was invented by a Japanese chef Kaoru Ohsada in a restaurant named Nami. Originally, he made the dish by frying sushi rice, topping it with salmon, and garnishing it with tobiko fish roe and chopped onions. Today, sushi pizza is often accompanied by soy sauce or pickled ginger on the side. This food trend has also crossed national borders, so you can occasionally find it in poké restaurants in the United States.Expand

Windsor style-pizza is a unique Canadian pizza originating from Windsor, Ontario. The pizza has a medium-thin crust, and it's most often topped with oregano-spiked tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese that's produced by Galati, canned mushrooms, and sticks of shredded pepperoni, so that every bite of the pizza has the flavor of pepperoni, no matter which part of the pizza you bite into. The toppings always go on top of the cheese, never under it. There's also the option of adding more toppings such as green peppers and bacon. The pizzas are cooked on cornmeal on stone deck ovens, making the crust crispy in the process. According to Windsor's Community Museum, the inventor of this pizza is unknown, but the main contenders for the title are Sam's Pizzeria, Volcano Pizzeria, and Mario's Restaurant. In Windsor, this pizza is used to celebrate all kinds of festive occasions, from birthdays to weddings.Expand

Piacere is a Canadian cheese produced in Stratford, Ontario by Monteforte Dairy. The cheese is made from sheep's milk. Its rind is rolled in summer savory, chili, juniper berries, and rosemary. The texture and aromas become creamier and more pungent as the cheese ages. Piacere is made in the stlye of Fleur du Maquis. It's recommended to add it to a bowl of vegetable soup or eat it on its own and pair it with a glass of Riesling.Expand

Persian is a Canadian pastry roll characterized by an oval shape and a layer of pink icing that can be made with either strawberries or raspberries. These yeast-risen, fried cinnamon rolls originated at Bennett's Bakery in the city of Thunder Bay. It is believed that Persians were named after a general named John Blackjack Pershing, although it is still unclear when these tasty rolls were invented. Nowadays, Persians are commonly prepared for fundraisers and similar social events.Expand

Cape Vessey is a Canadian cheese hailing from Prince Edward County, Ontario, where it's produced by the Fifth Town Artisan Cheese dairy. The cheese is made from pasteurized goat's milk and it's usually left to age from 2 to 3 months before consumption. Underneath its washed rind, the texture is semi-soft, chewy, and firm. The aromas are tangy, strong, and goaty, while the flavors are sweet, subtle, delicate, and slightly nutty, with a creamy mouthfeel and hints of acidity. The cheese won the title of Grand Champion Goat Cheese at the Royal Winter Fair in 2008. It's recommended to pair it with fruity reds such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Cabernet Franc. Interestingly, the cheese was named after the rocky cliffs close to the dairy.Expand

Lemon Fetish is a Canadian feta-like cheese produced in Prince Edward County, Ontario. The cylindrical cheese is made from pasteurized sheep's milk. The natural rind is rolled in Red Fife wheat and lemon zest, giving the cheese its name. The texture is dry and crumbly and the aromas are lactic and very clean. The complex flavors are best described as lemony, tangy, citrusy, and salty, with hints of sour cream. You can serve Lemon Fetish the say way as a feta, but due to its drier texture, it's recommended to serve it with juicy vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocados. Interestingly, the Red Fife wheat in which this cheese is rolled was invented by David Fife, operator of the first Canadian experimental farm.Expand