Quetzal (restaurant)

Quetzal
Map
Restaurant information
EstablishedAugust 8, 2018 (2018-08-08)[1]
Owner(s)Grant van Gameren[2]
Head chefSteven Molnar[3]
Food typeMexican
Rating1 Michelin star (Michelin Guide)
Street address419 College Street
CityToronto
Postal/ZIP CodeM5T 1T1
CountryCanada
Coordinates43°39′23.3″N 79°24′24.9″W / 43.656472°N 79.406917°W / 43.656472; -79.406917
Websitewww.quetzaltoronto.com

Quetzal is a Mexican restaurant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[4][5]

The restaurant initially opened in August 2018, before temporarily closing six months later following a dispute between the restaurant owner and the then-chefs.[1] At its opening, the restaurant was initially headed by co-chefs Julio Guajardo and Kate Chomyshyn.[1]

The restaurant re-opened in March 2019, with its kitchen being headed by owner Grant van Gameren.[2] Steve Molnar took over the Head chef role in March 2020.

Quetzal cooks its food solely over open flame, and does not have any traditional stoves or ovens.[3]

Recognition

The restaurant first received a Michelin star in 2022, and retained it in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Michelin Guide.[6][7][8] It is the first, and so far only, Mexican restaurant in the city to receive a star.[3]

Quetzal ranked #12 in Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list in 2024, up from its previous ranking of #26 in 2023.[9]

Canada's 100 Best Restaurants Ranking

Quetzal[10]
Year Rank Change
2019 23 new
2020 68 Decrease 45
2021 No List
2022 76 Decrease 8
2023 26 Increase 50
2024 12 Increase 14

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Kopun, Francine (18 January 2019). "Hot new Toronto resto Quetzal closes after falling out among partners". The Toronto Star. TorStar. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b Kates, Joanne. "Grant van Gameren's very bad day at Quetzal". Streets of Toronto. Streets of Toronto. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Narciso, Kaitlin. "The Michelin star journey of Quetzal chef Steven Molnar". Streets of Toronto. Streets of Toronto. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Quetzal Review - Toronto". The Infatuation. 2022-11-01. Archived from the original on 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  5. ^ Pataki, Amy (2018-10-12). "Bold ideas fail to take flight at Quetzal". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  6. ^ "2022 Toronto MICHELIN Stars". MICHELIN Guide. Archived from the original on 2023-07-16. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  7. ^ "Quetzal – Toronto - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". MICHELIN Guide. Archived from the original on 2023-03-05. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  8. ^ "All The Stars From The MICHELIN Guide Toronto 2024". Michelin Guide. Michelin North America. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  9. ^ McLean, Hanna (13 May 2024). "Canada's 100 Best Restaurants of 2024 were just revealed". Dished. Daily Hive. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Canada's 100 Best Restaurants Lists". Canada's 100 Best Restaurants. Canada's 100 Best. Retrieved 8 December 2024.