12 Best Restaurant Chains in Canada You Must Try

In this post, I want to share the 12 best restaurants chains in Canada you must try. Many USA-based chains are very well known globally, and have a massive presence in Canada. We have our own local chains though and honestly I think that in general they tend to outperform their famous American counterparts! I don’t really frequent chain restaurants and fast food spots often but having lived in Canada for over ten years now I have tried most popular domestic chains at least once, as well as many of the USA originated chains. Of all the spots I have tried, the 12 mentioned below definitely stand above the rest for me personally. Some may have an element of nostalgia but in general I think that if you are visiting Canada these are definitely the local chain restaurants you are going to want to visit!

Mucho Burrito

Mucho Burrito is a burrito spot where you can build your own burrito and you can pick what meat, toppings, salsas, type of tortilla you want, etc. It is similar to the American chain restaurant Chipotle, but in my opinion, it definitely has a slight edge over Chipotle. I’d heard a lot of hype about Chipotle prior to visiting the US and I had the opportunity to try it both in the US and in Canada now on multiple occasions and I’m still of the opinion that Mucho Burrito has a slight edge. The salsas are a lot more flavourful and their hot salsas are spicier. I think that the meat is better seasoned at Mucho Burrito and overall, I feel like Mucho Burrito just has a bit more depth of flavour and perhaps tastes a little bit less fast food-esque than Chipotle. Both are obviously amazing, but if you’re in Canada, and especially if you enjoy Chipotle, I would definitely recommend checking out Mucho Burrito.

Big Way Hot Pot

Big Way Hot Pot is a British Columbia-based build-your-own hot pot chain. How it works is that you get to add all of your ingredients to a pot which is then weighed and you pay by weight. Following payment the workers boil your ingredients in your broth or sauce of choice and then bring it to your table. I had been to restaurants in this style before, including chains from Asia, but Big Way is probably my favourite. It’s a little bit pricey at $4 per 100 grams of food, but if you’re strategic and focus on getting ingredients that you really enjoy, you can actually get away with a pretty affordable and filling bowl. The flavours of the broths and sauce bases are also incredible. All the ingredients are always super fresh and delicious and there’s a reason why this restaurant has managed to open up locations all across BC in a relatively short time frame.

OPA of Greece!

OPA of Greece (often simply referred to as OPA) is a Greek fast food restaurant founded in Canada. Greek food can be pretty hit or miss in general in Canada in my experience, so it may sound surprising to recommend a Greek fast food chain, but I think OPA executes perfectly on its dishes. Their souvlaki/gyros are delicious and their calamari has the perfect texture with an addictive seasoning on top. I would also argue that OPA has some of the best fast food fries out there. There is also another Greek fast food place in Canada called Jimmy The Greek which I have tried as well but I definitely have to give the edge to OPA. The only drawback is that it is quite pricey for how much food you are getting but I still think it is well worth it if you enjoy Greek food and want to try it in a really well done fast food style!

BeaverTails

BeaverTails is a very famous and uniquely Canadian dessert that is quite popular amongst tourists, and for good reason. It is a dish consisting of fried dough that is hand pulled into the shape of a beaver’s tail, which is then topped with some combination of decadent, sweet, toppings. For example, my favourite flavour BeaverTail is the Bananarama which tops the fried dough with a chocolate-hazelnut spread and banana. It is a quintessential Canadian experience to try BeaverTails, especially if you’re visiting as a tourist. It is super tasty, decadent, sweet, and it’s just really satisfying to have a fried dessert.

Booster Juice

Booster Juice is a Canadian smoothie shop where the concept is that they have a variety of different “boosters” that you can add to your drink. You can get one booster for free, which includes various supplements like creatine, protein powder, calcium, multivitamins, etc. I don’t necessarily think that this makes Booster Juice special, although it is really cool that they do that, but just simply the flavours at Booster Juice are amazing. Funky Monkey, Mango Hurricane, and Tropical Tornado are classic smoothie flavours from Booster Juice that I love. I have tried other smoothie spots like Jugo Juice and Jamba Juice, and I think that Booster Juice is the best, just in terms of the flavour. The added concept of being able to add supplements to your drink is just a bonus. I think that it’s a pretty elite smoothie spot, that if you’re a fan of smoothies, and if you’re someone who likes Jugo Juice or Jamba Juice, it’s definitely something that you should give a try when you visit Canada.

Cactus Club Café

This restaurant is the quintessential co-worker lunch/dinner restaurant in Canada that’s a bit nicer than some of the other offerings in this category. For example, we have a chain in Canada as well called Earl’s, which while I do enjoy, I think that Cactus Club Café has a slight edge. In terms of cuisine, this spot draws inspiration from around the world, but you will notice that they draw a lot of influence from the Southern USA with their Cajun Chicken Sandwich, Chipotle Chicken Tacos, Baja Fish Tacos, and Blackened Creole Chicken. I think this is a really great angle for an elevated casual dining spot because they are able to introduce really great flavours into the dishes while remaining palatable to a broader audience, which I really appreciate. It is quite an expensive spot but all of their food is pretty tasty, the vibes are really nice, and I think that everyone can find something that appeals to them here, so it’s a solid option if you’re looking for some elevated casual dining.

Chez Ashton

Chez Ashton is a very niche entry on this list, only being found in Quebec City. This poutine spot still has 26 locations though, all in and around Quebec City, and is a frequently cited restaurant that people should try when they visit. Now, I am generally pretty skeptical of fast food chains when trying them for the first time, and just in the interest of comparing two different spots I decided to try poutine from Chez Ashton and popular Quebec rotisserie chicken chain St-Hubert on the same evening, not expecting much from either. Just by looking at the two poutines it was immediately clear that Chez Ashton was going to be better, the St-Hubert poutine didn’t really look like poutine at all with thin fries, questionable cheese curds, and watery gravy. I almost never say that something I tried was “bad”, I usually enjoy everything I eat and if I don’t as much it is usually down to personal preference I assume. But I can confidently say, the poutine at St-Hubert is bad. This is not to hate on St-Hubert, their chicken is fine (although nothing to write home about in my opinion) but their poutine is just flat out disrespectful. Chez Ashton, on the other hand, is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, they’re serving up ridiculously good poutine, especially for a chain. In my opinion, just in terms of the classic poutine, this poutine rivals some of the most famous spots in Montreal. So, if you want to try poutine and you’re in Quebec City I would definitely try Chez Ashton along with the other local famous spots!

Harvey’s

Harvey’s is a Canadian build-your-own fast food burger spot. You can get whatever toppings you want on your burger, and their burgers are all flame-grilled, which is really nice and gives the meat a pleasant flavour (or at least slightly better than competitors). I have heard some people hate on Harvey’s but at any restaurants where you can do your own customizations, I always think, how can you not like it? You’re essentially making your own dish! In general though people seem to really enjoy it, and while I am not a big fan of fast food beef burgers I think this beats out most USA-based fast food beef burgers I have tried. Additionally, all the toppings have been fresh when I have gone, the buns are good, and the sauces are sold. It is at a bit of a higher price point compared to some other fast food burger spots, but honestly, considering how expensive fast food is nowadays, I think that it is worth the premium. So, if you’re someone who really likes fast food beef burgers, I would definitely check out Harvey’s when you’re in Canada.

New York Fries

New York Fries is a place that I hold near and dear to my heart, I think that it actually might be the first place that I tried poutine in Canada. At the time, I was pretty impressed by the poutine, and honestly, even today, I’m quite impressed at how good the poutine is at New York Fries! They have 100% beef hot dogs that are really good too and the fries are excellent. There is also butter chicken poutine, which is pretty cool as well. Overall, I think if you’re someone who likes fries, hot dogs, and poutine, New York Fries actually do all of these really well. I also feel like New York Fries really nicely fills the hot dog and fries niche and contributes a uniquely Canadian twist to it.

The Old Spaghetti Factory

As far as casual dining goes, I think The Old Spaghetti Factory reigns supreme here in Canada. The first thing you’ll notice is that the interiors are usually really nice and homey, especially the location in Banff, it’s super cute on the inside and the vibes are excellent. When you’re seated, you get complimentary bread with butter and soup. If you are a fan of these complimentary starters Old Spaghetti Factory does it really well. The main pasta dishes are also really tasty and the portions are excellent for the price. It’s honestly very impressive that they’re able to serve up such good quality pasta at that price point and with the soup, bread and a little ice cream at the end it is an amazing deal. I really don’t know if there’s another casual dining place that is as good of a combination of quality, quantity, and price in Canada today than Old Spaghetti Factory. So, if you’re in Canada and you’re someone who likes casual dining and pasta, then you cannot miss Old Spaghetti Factory.

Jerusalem Shawarma

Shawarma / doner has exploded in popularity globally, and for good reason, it is a ridiculously tasty handheld meal that is relatively affordable. Canada has a lot of local shawarma spots, some of which are incredible and quite traditional, along with many chain restaurants. The only chain shawarma shop I recommend trying in Canada is Jerusalem Shawarma. I am very serious when I say this is the only one you should try, most of the other offerings are quite bad, but Jerusalem Shawarma is a really solid spot! This place started in Calgary, the first city I immigrated to in Canada, and has exploded in popularity, expanding from Alberta to British Columbia. This business was started by Palestinian brothers and while it may not be as traditional as some local Lebanese / Syrian spots you will find in Canada I think that it strikes a perfect balance between appealing to the local audience in Canada while preserving traditional flavours. The prices also may seem a bit high at a glance but they are well worth it for the portions! I would recommend getting the Shawarma Mix (beef and chicken) or the Shish Tawouk, but it can be more hit or miss depending on the visit in my experience. I also noticed that they have “Arabi Style” wraps now which seems to be more of the traditional Middle Eastern style shawarma (simple with just garlic, pickles, and pomegranate sauce), which I will have to give a try next time I visit because I have never tried it before! Amongst my Middle Eastern friends this spot is a bit controversial, but in my opinion it is great for what it is and is by far the best shawarma chain in Canada.

Tim Hortons

I obviously couldn’t do this list without mentioning Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons has gotten super famous worldwide, so you don’t necessarily have to be in Canada to try it now. They have them in the USA and even in parts of Asia. I actually went into a Tim Hortons when I was in Asia and it was super cool to see a famous Canadian staple in such a far away country.

I think that the reason why everyone loves Tim Hortons so much is because they have managed to keep costs relatively low while improving quality. Their donuts are absolutely incredible and they remain pretty affordable at about $1.29 per donut. Honestly, I prefer the Tim Hortons donuts to a lot of really famous donut chains, like Krispy Kreme for example. So if you are a fan of donuts, then you have to go to Tim Hortons. Otherwise, in terms of the drinks, their coffee used to be really bad. The Double Double is famous in Canada as being a very creamy, sweet, coffee (it has two creams and two sugars) that originated in Tim Hortons. I feel like it got popular because you needed to add that much cream and sugar to your coffee for it to be any good but, trust me guys, they changed up their coffee and it is a lot better than it used to be. As far as their food offerings go, they have always been really good. Their sandwiches and bagels are solid and I feel like they’ve kept up that quality at pretty reasonable price points too. If you want something that is kind of like a cafe style fast food, I think that Tim Hortons is unbeatable in terms of value. I love Tim Hortons just like I think every Canadian does and it is one of the first food places you should visit when you come to Canada.

12 Best Restaurant Chains in Canada You Must Try

Canada isn’t exactly known for its restaurant chains, but we do have some great spots that are worth trying! Of course, on my platforms I focus on highlighting small local businesses as you will notice when looking at my other blog posts , but when travelling I do find trying the most famous local chains something that is fun and exciting. Ultimately, the food isn’t going to be as good as the best small business offerings in a city but there is a reason why these businesses have expanded so much! I hope you all enjoyed this post and if you are visiting Canada I hope this provided some insight into some spots you may want to try. Make sure to follow me on my social media platforms and checkout my other blog posts if you enjoy my content!

All images for this post are official images taken from the respective restaurant chain’s website or social media pages.