The Top 26 Places to Eat Near Southern Junction

1. James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Emerging Chef · Ryan Fernandez
2. James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: New York State · Ryan Fernandez

1. James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
2. James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
3. James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

1. AAA Four Diamonds

A neighborhood pizzeria in Kenmore that turns out both wood-fired Neapolitan and Detroit-style pies, Jay's lands at number 14 on 50 Top Pizza's world list without any apparent interest in making a fuss about it. The Neapolitan crust is airy and light, the Detroit version thick-edged and properly crispy, and the team takes the dough seriously enough that the rest follows. Order online only, no phone calls, which keeps things moving.

1. 50 Top Pizza #14 · 50 Top Pizza World
2. 50 Top Pizza #7 · 50 Top Pizza USA

1. Air Canada 2023 · Top 10 · Best New Restaurants

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. AAA Four Diamonds

The charcoal grill and the in-house butchery program share equal billing here, which tells you everything about how this casual steakhouse and butcher shop in St. Catharines thinks about meat. Whole-animal, all-Ontario, zero-waste is the operating philosophy, so the charcuterie board arrives with the same seriousness as the wood-fired steaks. On the way out, the fridges are stocked with guanciale and pork ragu for those who can't let go. A Michelin Selected Restaurant that landed on the World's Best Steak Restaurants list.

1. World's 101 Best #91 · World's Best Steak Restaurants
2. Air Canada 2024 · Top 10 · Best New Restaurants
3. Canada's 100 Best #48 · Best Restaurants

Counter-order pizza in a small, tidy room in East Aurora, about a half-hour outside Buffalo. The menu is deliberately short: a handful of red and white pies, small plates, beer, wine, and a few cocktails. The dough runs soft and cheese-dusted at the crust with a crisp underside, and the kitchen leans seasonal, which is why regulars show up chasing whatever's fleeting. It ranked 40th on 50 Top Pizza USA.

1. 50 Top Pizza #40 · 50 Top Pizza USA

1. AAA Four Diamonds

The outdoor sparkling bar overlooking the vines is a good hint at what you're in for at this winery restaurant on the Niagara Stone Road. Inside, it's a prix-fixe contemporary dining room running two and three courses, with the kitchen sourcing close to home and leaning hard into the seasons. The patio at lunch, with rows of vines stretching out ahead of you, is the move. A AAA Four Diamond property and a Michelin Selected Restaurant.

1. AAA Four Diamonds
2. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

1. AAA Four Diamonds
2. VineRoutes Regional Excellence Award · Restaurant Awards

1. World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Italian Cuisine Restaurant
2. World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · Canada's Best Hotel Restaurant

1. Canada's 100 Best Recommends
2. Foodism Culinary Icon · ICON Awards · Zach Smith

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. Canada's 100 Best Recommends

The dining room sits on the second floor of a Scandinavian-inflected barn overlooking 42 acres of regenerative farmland, orchard, and vegetable gardens that feed the kitchen below. This is a tasting-menu destination in Ontario's Niagara wine country, holding two Michelin stars and ranked third on North America's 50 Best list. The chefs trained at Septime and In de Wulf, and the food tastes like it. The non-alcoholic garden pairing is not an afterthought.

1. Michelin Guide 2 Stars
2. 50 Best #3 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
3. Canada's 100 Best #1 · Best Restaurants

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. Foodism Wine Icon · ICON Awards · Kelly Mason

1. Foodism Wine Icon · ICON Awards · Kelly Mason