This is how much the average meal costs at Toronto's Michelin star restaurants

Just over a dozen restaurants in Toronto have now been awarded with Michelin stars, marking these institutions as the first in the country to join the prestigious ranking of global culinary destinations.

In Toronto, the average cost of a meal on the Michelin list was $262, with the highest price tag sitting at $680 at Sushi Masaki Saito. The average cost was calculated based on dollar figures included in the guide.

Sushi Masaki Saito was the only Toronto restaurant to take home two stars while 12 restaurants received one star, defined by Michelin as high quality cooking and worth a stop.

The highest possible Michelin ranking is three stars, which only 137 restaurants in the world have achieved. In Michelin’s words, these restaurants are worth planning an entire trip around just to visit.

Of the 13 star-bestowed restaurants in Toronto, most amass hefty cheques, are run by male head chefs, serve Japanese or Eurocentric food and are located in central Toronto – falling in line with criticism of the guide in other cities.

In the past, Michelin has been criticized for favouring cooking ability based on the “class system” along with destinguishing Japanese and Eurocentric institutions.

Michelin’s inspection process, which began in Toronto in the spring, is bound to secrecy and has been since the list's conception in 1920.

Two of the 13 restaurants selected in Toronto have head chefs who are women – both stand alongside male counterparts. The head chef positions are held by men at all of the remaining establishments.

Five of the restaurants serve Japanese food, with the remaining culinary selection spread across Italian, Contemporary, French and Mediterranean establishments, with one offering Mexican food. Ten of the institutions have tasting menus.

The list was void of Chinese, Jamaican or Thai restaurants, alongside the extensive list of diverse culinary options in Toronto, which was a point of contention for some people who eat and live in the city.

When it comes to location, five of the Michelin starred restaurants are in Yorkville, one of the city’s most affluent neighbourhoods. The remaining restaurants were all within the boundaries of the City of Toronto – with one outlier in Thornhill.

Michelin says that “contrary to popular belief” their guides are not all about “fine dining.” In 1997, the Bib Gourmand was created to reflect “good quality, good value” restaurants.

Seventeen Toronto restaurants joined this ranking, with a wider range of price and food options presented in Spanish, barbeque and Middle Eastern menus.