Restaurant outside of Toronto gets Michelin star in Oakville, Ontario

A restaurant in downtown Oakville has been awarded a Michelin star after inspectors for the Toronto guide went beyond city limits.

The “stylish” Hexagon restaurant located on Lakeshore Road East in downtown Oakville was awarded one star.

One stars are given to restaurants for “high-quality cooking.”

“The menu reads familiar – beef tartare, oysters, fish – but what emerges from the kitchen are beautiful, soigné works that are refined, original, and substantial,” the Michelin Guide’s website reads.

“Potato foam, brown butter, and roe are clever pairings with Hokkaido scallop. Pasta is a highlight, like corn agnolotti with Manchego, but so too is the short rib.”

The guide noted Hexagon’s cheesecake, which it called “surprisingly light and savory.”

The restaurant was one of four additional restaurants that were awarded one star in its updated Toronto guide.

Others include The Pine in Creemore, Ont., which a Michelin inspector characterizes as a “distinct dining experience that is informed by the chef’s years working in China.”

Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Niagara Region received both a Michelin star and a green star to recognize its leadership in sustainability, for initiatives that include sourcing ingredients directly from local farmers and a two-acre regenerative garden.

Within Toronto, Italian restaurant DaNico was awarded a star.

Toronto and region now have 15 restaurants with one Michelin star, and one restaurant with two stars: Sushi Masaki Saito.

Two stars are given to restaurants with “excellent cooking.”

— With files from The Canadian Press