[Mallard Cottage]

Three restaurants from St. John's were represented on the list of Canada's 100 Best Restaurants in 2017. Mallard Cottage (17), Raymond's (27) and The Merchant Tavern (98) were the three local restaurants that made the list with just one other restaurant in the Atlantic provinces making it.

The list was compiled by adjudicating votes from food critics, leading Chefs, legendary restaurateurs, elite diners and food fanatics from all over Canada. 

Canada's 100 Best had some good things to say about the St. John's restaurants that cracked the top 50. 

Mallard Cottage: 

"Chef Todd Perrin undertook a massive, two-year renovation of the heritage building in 2011 and quickly put the historic fishing village of Quidi Vidi on the culinary map. It’s a step back in time, alluring outside and ravishing within, and as charming on a sunny spring afternoon as in the midst of a blowing nor’easter. On chilly evenings, a fire burns in the double-sided hearth, contented guests mingle freely and music fills the air. Delicious aromas emanate from the open kitchen. The feel is more downhome kitchen party than fine dining, but the food and attentive service are firmly in the latter camp. Dishes emphasize foraged things, seafood and wild game: braised moose with creamed cabbage, sweet spiced duck ragout and seal in its season. (The daily menu is posted to its social media accounts.)"

Raymond's:

"Once you’re settled in the formal, ornate and dimly lit dining room, starting in on a first course of freshly shucked oysters or scallops with Jerusalem artichoke and sea urchin, it can be hard to remember that a few short years ago the only thing culinary tourists ever reported back from St. John’s was that lemon wedges were scarce at the local fish and chips shops. But this context is worth noting to properly appreciate how dramatically Raymonds has reshaped the very idea of local cuisine in Canada’s most easterly capital. Chef Jeremy Charles cooks local fish (that’s cod to you, though halibut would do in a pinch) and seafood with a contemporary touch."

Check out the full list HERE.