Two York Region restaurants made OpenTable’s top 100 Restaurants with Healthy Bites list for 2024.
Frank’s Organic Garden in Aurora, 15 First Commerce Dr., and Fishbone By The Lake in Whitchurch-Stouffville, 155 Cedarvale Blvd., made the list.
Compiled from more than 1.1 million OpenTable diner reviews and using dining metrics including the percentage of reviews tagged ‘healthy,’ diner ratings, and five-star reviews, the list highlights some of the top spots favoured by diners.
“Fifty-five per cent of Canadians surveyed say their resolution is to eat healthier in 2024, but 62 per cent find it difficult to discover healthy restaurants,” Matt Davis, country director with OpenTable Canada, said in a news release.
Jess Ostlund of Frank’s Organic Garden says healthy living is what they’re all about and it’s why foods without chemicals are so important to them.
“We decided if we’re going to do this right, and make the healthiest and tastiest product possible, we have to make sure all our ingredients are organic,” he said. “The more you look at the food industry, the more chemicals you see.”
Similarly, Pedro Pereira, CEO of Fishbone Restaurant Group, said that being on this list tells him that guests across the Fishbone Restaurants feel like they are getting quality fuel for their bodies without compromising creativity or seasoning.
“Our menu embraces a Mediterranean style diet of freshness, simple preparation, good olive oil, good salt, citrus and herbs and focusing on local and seasonal whenever possible,” he said.
Fishbone Restaurant Group has restaurants in Aurora and Innisfil, as well as Whitchurch-Stouffville, and Pereira says that the goal with all of them is to provide the most quality food possible.
He said that much of the food in North America is over processed and geared toward a consumer on the go because of convenience and accessibility.
“We need to educate kids in our public schools systems with more culinary programs from growing produce, making basic meals and eating fresh and healthy,” he said.
Ostlund said that at the end of the day, we don’t know what all the chemicals in these foods are doing to our body and that coincides with the rise in obesity, diabetes, and health risks related to allergens in food.
“You can either let food be your medicine, or you can let medicine be your food,” he said. “This is about ensuring our kids are growing up healthy and happy.”
When you have a healthy body, you have a healthy mind, said Ostlund, and they want to make sure they’re providing the community with foods that will allow them to operate in a way that allows them to reach their potential.
The complete list can be found here.
