The 11 Best Restaurants in Canton MI [2024]

01 // Antonio's Cucina Italiana

I couldn't tell you how many times I've eaten here!

Located near the intersection of Canton Center Road and Ford Road, Antonio's Cucina Italiana is not only the finest Italian restaurant in Canton but also my favorite restaurant on this list.

My top recommendation for you to order here is the gnocchi with rita sauce. Gnocchi are small potato dumplings. The "rita" sauce is what the restaurant calls the orange sauce they serve the gnocchi in, which is a mixture of bacon and mushroom blush sauce.

I don't consume alcohol as much these days but when I visit Antonio's Cucina Italiana, I usually order one (or two!) of their chocolate martini. The bartenders do a phenomenal job preparing the cocktails! I also highly recommend their "blue envytini"-- a martini made up of vanilla vodka, blue Curaço, Midori (a fruity melon-tasting liqueur), and pineapple juice.

Even the bread they serve before the main course of the meal is delicious! It is buttered baked bread lathered with garlic.

After dinner, be sure to try a cup of their gelato! If you're not sure what 'gelato' is, it is essentially "Italian ice cream". What differentiates gelato from ice cream is that gelato is more milk-based.

During the warmer months, Antonio's has a lovely roofed patio area for customers to dine on.

Many customers book Antonio's for large gatherings such as weddings and graduations. Due to the restaurant's popularity, I would advise calling ahead of time to see what the wait is. You cannot book reservations unless you have 8 people or more.

02 // House of Umami Ramen

House of Umami Ramen is a new Japanese restaurant in the Canton area as of February 2024. I was honored to be asked by the marketing team of the restaurant to come on by and review them!

Everyone-- this new restaurant is worth it!

Located at the busy intersection of Canton Center Road and Ford Road, this restaurant specializes in ramen and, more broadly, Japanese cuisine. Their ramen is artisan made and cooked in house for up to 12 hours!

Out of the five things I've ordered there, the two items I most highly recommend are their Avocado Bomb and Tempura Cheesecake.

For the Avocado Bomb, imagine a single piece of sushi but... much larger! It's essentially a giant fried tempura roll in a bowl.

The Tempura Cheesecake is what it sounds like. Instead of a crust made of something like graham crackers, the cream cheese, sugar, whipped cream, and other ingredients are prepared on a tempura base. I'm not much of a dessert person and even I was fond of this.

The sushi I like most there is the Las Vegas roll, which is made up of krab, cucumber, cream cheese, avocado, tuna, eel sauce, and spicy mayo. I omit the cucumber as I don't like the crunchy texture.

03 // Great Wall

Great Wall has not been a sit-down restaurant since the pandemic. Even going into 2024, the Chinese food outlet is take-out only.

Like Izakaya Senpai, Great Wall is located in a strip mall-- but in this instance, at the intersection of Canton Center Rd and Warren.

I have no qualms listing a take-out-only restaurant here. Great Wall's food is delicious, fresh, very affordable, and fast! How can you go wrong? You can't!

The women who answer the phone at Great Wall are very efficient. If you don't like being on the phone, talking to the ladies at Great Wall is perfect! No chitchat, no small talk. You order, they give the price and waittime, and the phone conversation is over. It's lovely.

Their General Tso's chicken? Incredible! Highly recommend! The sauce is thick and rich and you get plenty of it! I frequently order their beef lo mein as well.

04 // Black Rock Bar & Grill

In my favorite movie of all time, Lost in Translation, Bob (Bill Murray) reflects on the uncomfortable lunch at a restaurant he shares with Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) by saying, "What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?".

At Black Rock Bar & Grill, cooking your own steak is most of the fun!

Located off the busy Ford Rd and across the street from IKEA, Black Rock Bar & Grill offers its customers a trendy and memorable dining experience. You are seated around a volcanic stone (hence their name, Black Rock) and you are served your steak in small pieces. Once served the meat, you place it on the rock and sizzle it to your liking.

As I mentioned in the introduction of this post, this restaurant is the one exception in that it is not locally owned. The steakhouse has several locations throughout Michigan and some locations in Ohio and Florida.

05 // Ma Chérie Crêpes

For an experience in Canton that will transport your mind and taste buds to Europe, go to Ma Chérie Crêpes!

The first time I stepped through their doors, I heard French music. The tables, seats, really... the whole aesthetic was elegant and very Parisian. Some of the crepes are like artwork. They're so pleasing to the eye I almost feel bad eating them!

In addition to the gorgeous crepes they prepare, you have the option to customize your own crepes too!

Aside from being delicious, the food here is very affordable! I paid less than $10 for the black & white chocolate crepe I ordered.

Waittime in this establishent is rarely long.

There is no other restaurant like this in Canton-- and you'll be hard pressed to find many in the state of Michigan, I bet! Come here for a unique dining experience!

06 // French Toast Bistro Canton

The food at French Toast Bistro Canton draws influence from the cajun cuisine you'll find in abundance in one of my favorite U.S cities-- New Orleans.

Sure-- you can go to a greasy diner to get brunch but if you want to get really good brunch, then you need to go to French Toast Bistro Canton!

The restaurant prides itself on preparing its dishes using locally-sourced ingredidents. I feel the quality of the food reflects that.

My recommendations: start the day off fun and right with their "french 77"-- a cocktail that tastes like a derivative of a mimosa-- and their crab cake benedict (only $15!!).

Last-- reserve in advance. This place can have a bit of a long wait.

07 // Shakers Bar & Grill

Stationed next to another restaurant on this list-- Antonio's Cucina Italiana-- Shakers Bar & Grill is an upscale eatery which serves mostly American food but has a few surprises up its sleeve! One of my favorite dishes, for instance, is their lobster ravioli!

Shakers makes one hell of an amazing chocolate martini too!

When I'm in the mood for a burger, I get their 'mac cheeesy'. It's a half pound prime angus beef patty topped with homemade american & cheddar macaroni & cheese, bourbon barbeque sauce, and applewood smoked bacon.

Shakers goes as far as to make their own bread, sauces, and dips. They source locally. For a next-level American dining experience, come on down to Shakers!

08 // Kimchi

There aren't many Korean food options in Canton. Even with little competition, Kimchi provides excellent authentic Korean food!

From a wide array of seafood, meat, vegetable, and tofu dishes, hot pot, and bibimbop, you'll definitely find something you'll like here!

For a good appetizer, I'd suggest their kimchi pancake. As for the main course, I'm a fan of their spicy chicken. The restaurant serves a wide array of food.

I love the inside. It feels like a family diner with an eastern Asian aesthetic.

09 L.A Bistro Canton

The second Italian restaurant on the list. L.A Bistro is a gourmet Italian restaurant whose dishes not only dazzle in flavor but also in presentation.

Compared to Antonio's Cucina Italiana, L.A Bistro offers more seafood options.

My recommendations: the ravioli palomino and the almond chicken. Best almond chicken I've ever had!

The restaurant has a great website too! Very modern, sleek, and easy to navigate.

10 // Szechuan Restaurant

Just like how I listed two Italian restaurants here, I'm also listing a second Chinese restaurant.

Szechuan Restaurant is located near Antonio's Cucina Italiana and Shakers at the busy Canton Center Rd & Ford Rd intersection. Three restaurants on my guide to the best Canton restaurants are all very close to one another!

Szechuan Restaurant is the oldest restaurant on this list-- having been open in Canton since 1980! Thus, I have been coming to this restaurant for longer than the others.

Unlike Great Wall, Szechuan is a large restaurant and offers dine-in.

At Great Wall, one of the dishes I recommended was the General Tsou's chicken. At Szechuan, I again advise ordering their General Tsou's chicken as well! Albeit both restaurants preparing these chicken dishes differently, they both taste amazing.

11 // Namaste Flavours

I am wrapping up this list with Namaste Flavours-- a traditional northern Indian restaurant.

If you've never had Indian food before and are concerned about the spice level, you can tailor the amount of spice to your level of comfort. For those with low spice tolerance, order your food either "mild" or "medium". You can also add "pluses" to either of those levels; a.k.a "mild plus".

Indian food is traditionally eaten with your hands and using naan to scoop up the rice, meat, and vegetables. In the states, Indian restaurants supply silverware. The reason I mentioned the fact about naan is that you should definitely order it alongside your main course!

I order garlic naan and for the main dish, I either get chicken vindaloo or chicken tikka masala.

Conclusion

Boy, did I get really hungry writing this article!

Like pretty much any other town and city, Canton has chain restaurants and fast food, but it's the locally owned restaurants that make a town special. It's food you can't get anywhere else and since the businesses are smaller, I feel more attention is devoted to the quality of the food.

So, when you're in the mood for some truly amazing Italian, French, Japanese, Indian, Korean, Chinese, or American food, you'll be able to find it in Canton!

I hope you enjoyed my list of the 11 best restaurants in Canton, MI! Thank you for reading! Please subscribe to the email list so you can be alerted immediately when new articles come out!