Toronto, ON, Canada — Mhel may be all of 645 square feet, but its presence looms large.
Not only did it garner a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation, but last week it also landed on the No. 27 spot on the 2026 list of the “50 Best Restaurants North America,” up from No. 44 last year.
Mehl is not fancy, not formal, but cozy, charming, and full of life.
Husband-and-wife team Ji Young-Hoon and Yi Seung-min opened the restaurant in 2023, naming it after the word for “anchovy” in the Jeju dialect, spoken in Dangjin, Korea, where Yi’s mother was born.
Ji is the executive chef of this compact 30-seat restaurant, 12 of which are bar seats situated right in front of him and the open kitchen much like a sushi counter. Yi runs the front of house and is beverage director.
The food is a delightful mix of Japanese and Korean, and the ambiance very much like that of an izakaya, where sharing small plates over sake is definitely the way to go.
We managed to snag seats at the bar, the best vantage point to wach Ji and his team in action.
The compact menu changes pretty much every day, depending on the season, what’s in the markets, and the chef’s whims.
Finely grated burdock root ($12) is piled high, cooked in sweet soy sauce to complement its naturally nutty taste. It’s full of crunch and the perfect opener.
Kanpachi ($40) was our favorite dish of the night. The meaty, buttery raw fish slices packed a big wallop of flavors, thanks to dollops of salty, pungent, umami-packed black beans mixed with the fruity, tangy hit of umeboshi. A drizzle of olive oil and castelfranco lent a touch of Italian to this Japanese dish.
Wild Japanese isaki ($36) was more delicate in comparison with its firm, clean tasting flesh accented with a gently pickled vinaigrette, slivers of ginger, turnip slices, and shiso.
Service is quite attentive here, with your small plates changed out after every couple of dishes.
If you’re a kimchi fan, you’ll definitely want to order the semi-dried daikon pickle ($10), seasoned with gochugaru, sesame and garlic. It’s vivid red and crunchy as can be, the perfect nosh to enjoy with some steamed rice or any of the meat dishes.
The 7-day-aged miso managatsuo or silver pomfret was wonderfully deeply smoky from being cooked on the binchotan grill. It’s served with sakura leaf mochi rice patties that are crunchy all over and chewy within.
More of that deep smoky flavor came in the Australian Wagyu, two thick slices (5 ounces) brushed with Japanese fish sauce, crusted nicely on the grill to leave its center rosy and juicy. It’s served with wasabi and Maldon salt to use to season as you like.
Only one dessert is offered, but I would have ordered it anyway even if there were others. Purin ($12) or Japanese creme caramel brought back memories of my trips to Japan, where my husband and I would get buy one at a convenience store almost every night.
Made with Canadian cream from Sheldon’s Creek and Ontario maple syrup from Tamarack Farms, it boasted a deep, dark caramel sweetness with a smooth, soft, and spot-on consistency.
Mhel may be named after a tiny fish. But it certainly deserves to swim with the big ones.
More: Toronto Dining, Part II