We Spent $245 Each at Matty Matheson’s Restaurant. Here Is Whether It Was Worth It.

My husband and I luck out every time we go to Toronto with Canadian celeb chef sightings. This time was no different after we finally lined up a trip. We had always wanted to check out Matty Matheson’s restaurant, Prime Seafood Palace and see if it is worth the splurge. We are both huge fans of his, the restaurant has a reputation that travels well beyond Ontario, and we figured if we were ever going to bite the bullet on a place like this, it might as well be now. So we booked it, we went all in on the chef’s menu, and we promised ourselves we would tell you honestly whether the price tag held up.

Finding Matty Matheson’s Restaurant on Queen West

From the street there is nothing that announces you have arrived at one of the most talked about restaurants in the country. No signage, no big name across the window, nothing. The exterior is so pared back it almost feels like a private club, the kind of spot you only find because you already know it is there. We stood outside double checking the address, then the door opened and everything changed.

A Cathedral Built for Seafood

The inside is a complete reversal of that quiet exterior and it is the thing I keep thinking about weeks later. Curved wood runs through the entire room in a way that feels like a cathedral and a lobster cage agreed to share a blueprint. It is lofty and warm at the same time, which is not an easy trick. We were seated near the bar with beautiful natural light, and toward the back there is a cozier section built with more of a cabin feel. Even the washrooms are stately enough to be their own little religious event. I never expected to rave about restaurant washrooms and yet here we are.

If you are hunting for the best places to eat in Toronto based on atmosphere alone, this room would already make the shortlist before a single plate lands.

What the Chef’s Menu Actually Costs

Let us get the number out of the way, because I know that is what you scrolled here for. The chef’s menu runs $245 per guest before any alcohol. What you get for it is a guided tour through the kitchen’s best work. They walk you through the whole menu, you taste a little of everything, and you still choose your own entree. At one point the chef came to our table to show us the cut of meat before it hit the pan, which made the whole thing feel like an experience rather than a transaction.

What We Ate, Course by Course

The opening tray set the bar sky high. The Sicilian crudo arrived with bluefin tuna, king salmon, and kingfish resting on capers, scallions, and a glossy olive oil dressing that was bright, a little vinegary, and a total flavour bomb. The tuna was excellent, but the shock of the night was the king salmon. I am not usually a raw salmon person, and I liked it more than the tuna, which is a wild sentence for me to write.

Alongside the crudo came the beef tartare, made with filet and topped with a glossy egg yolk, served with toast that had been brushed with A5 Wagyu fat until it reached that perfect golden colour. It was rich on rich on rich and somehow still tasted clean. Easy ten out of ten from me.

Then the entrees arrived and the kitchen kept finding new ways to be generous. Ontario grown mushrooms, a Yorkshire pudding the size of a small planet, and a twenty eight layer Yukon gold potato parfait crowned with salmon roe. The main event was a fourteen ounce Australian Wagyu ribeye, pre cut and ready to share, with Alaskan king crab and a lobster bearnaise on the side. It was decadent past the point of reason, and by the end neither of us could manage another bite.

Dessert was our one moment of restraint. We chose the lightest option on the menu, a sponge cake centre wrapped in white chocolate and finished with toasted coconut. After everything before it, that touch of lightness was exactly right.

The Part We Did Not Plan For

Two things happened at the end of the night that we never saw coming. The first was a private tour of the kitchen, which is not something most restaurants offer at any price. The second was meeting Matty Matheson himself. He took the time to come over and say hello, and that small gesture turned an already memorable dinner into a story we will be telling for years. We are genuinely grateful he made the time.

So Is This the Best Restaurant in Canada?

That is a big title to hand out, and we have eaten our way across a lot of this country. What we can say is this. Prime Seafood Palace makes a serious case for itself, and for us the night was one hundred and ten percent worth it. Add our cocktails beforehand and a bottle of wine and the evening climbed well past the menu price per person, so this is not a casual night out and we will not pretend otherwise. What pushes it over the line is that you are not only paying for exceptional food. You are paying for the room, the architecture, and a team that goes above and beyond from the moment you walk through that unmarked door.

The crudo was outstanding, the Australian Wagyu was a knockout, and the entire evening felt like an event rather than a meal. Five stars from both of us, start to finish. If a once in a while splurge is on your Toronto list, Matty Matheson’s restaurant is the one we would point you toward, and if anyone asks us where to find the best restaurant in Canada, this is now firmly part of that conversation.