Two Canadian spots named among best Italian restaurants in the world

As the year comes to a close, best-of lists emerge en masse, including the many that rank the world’s best restaurants.

First, we had the world’s best pizza ranking (which named two Canadian spots) and now the world’s best Italian restaurants have been named by Gambero Rosso, the Italian food and wine publishing group.

For its highly-anticipated annual list of the top Italian Restaurants abroad, which has been running since 2016, the organization has named two Canadian spots among the world’s best.

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The awards include a “Special Awards” category, as well as Tre Forchette (the best restaurants), Tre Spicchi (the best pizzerie), and Tre Bottiglie (the best wine cellars).

Two Canadian establishments made the list of the best restaurants: Vancouver’s Cioppino’s and Toronto’s Don Alfonso.

It’s no surprise that these two restaurants were given such honours, as Cioppino’s has been named among the world’s best before (and often receives numerous celebrity shoutouts as well), while Don Alfonso’s has actually been named the best in the world by the prestigious 50 Top Italy ranking in the past.

Snagging a nod in the special awards category is Vancouver’s own Pino Posteraro, Chef at Cioppino’s, who was bestowed with the distinction of the Guardian of Tradition Award.

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A post shared by Chef Pino Posteraro (@cioppinosyaletown)

No other Canadian spots made the cut for the best restaurants overall, but Montreal’s Graziella was included in the Tre Bottiglie category, which names the world’s best wine cellars.

No Canadian establishments make it onto the list of best pizzerie.

This year’s ranking also noted that the “Italian dish of the moment abroad” is Cacio e pepe – the pasta dish that literally translates to cheese and pepper – and we truly couldn’t agree more.

To see the entire ranking, check out Gambero Rosso’s full Top Italian Restaurant’s 2023.