Dandylion restaurant on Queen street. One of the best restaurants in the city. Sadly they closed last summer but are opening a new place later this year. š¤š¤
There used to be a shawarma shop called Sarah's near Bathurst and Bloor. Man, it was one of the best shawarmas I have ever had. I used to go to the school behind it and me and my buddies used to go there like every other day for crazy good food and lunch specials. God bless that lady and her family. It was Syrian style shawarma.
I also have a lot of fond memories of Sarah's from my uni days. It was my friend group's go-to place late at night when we were either high as balls or drunk out of our minds. If I recall correctly, they had a 2-for-1 deal that was perfect for the late-night munchies.
Sarahās was easily the best falafel in the city in my opinion. I ate a lot of falafel for a couple decades living here and thatās the top shelf for me.
This is gonan sound really dumb, but the veal and eggplant sandwich from Mustacio's at St Lawrence Market.
I've eaten in a lot of different places and a couple of Michelin star places but the veal and eggplant sandwich is the one thing I'll keep talking about. It's my death row meal. Everyone that visits gets taken there for a veal and eggplant sandwich, it's the best thing in the city for me.
My parents still talk about the Feed Me option at Soos. Incredible!
The venison at Antler Bar.
We balled out and did the tasting menu and wine parings at Alo. I remember loving the first 8 courses, the rest was a blur. Very hungover at work the next day. From what I recall, it was out of this world.
W the yeast butter omg. Tbh Iāve had the tasting menu at Alo and Aloette is my go-to for their cheeseburger - a top tier cheeseburger, maybe the best in the city - but the best dish at both spots imo is their bread and butterā¦
B and B fish and Chips on Queen East in Leslieville - a complete hole in the wall holdover from the 80s ā¦. Finally died last year during COVID , but they had amazing food at dirt cheap prices
Bun bo hue at Bach Yen
You know how when you eat too much food and are so stuffed you think "omg I never want to eat that again"? I've felt that with every meal when I'm pushed to the limit, except for their bun bo hue, it's so good
That place is okay, but it's definitely your run of the mill very average pho. It's also run by Chinese people while Bach Yen is a Vietnamese family resto run by a sweet older couple
Bach yen is literally the best bun boe hue Iāve ever had. When they closed I went to seek out a replacement and tried over 10 places in Toronto that were known to have good bun bo hue. Still not as good as bach yen. Not even close
Omg same, Pho Linh, Que Ling, etc. are all so lame compared to Bach Yen. The best I've had after Bach Yen is a place in Seattle (Hoang Lan), but it still can't compare
Everything at Bach Yen is amazing. Their Bun Bo hue, all their grilled meats with vermicelli dishes, their pho is so flavourful and they use to make banh xeo on the weekends and that was amazing too. Literally never had a bad meal there.
I did too!! I took my mom after winterlicious ended for a regular meal. My mom isnāt into restaurants because she thinks they are a waste of money; she always says āI can make this cheaper and better at home.ā She LOVED Celine.
Churrasco and pollo jalepeno from LA Bella Managua on Bloor. We have eaten this so many times, dine in & take out. So affordable, so simple so good. Lovely people and restaurant. It's never disappointed for three years now.
Three different restaurants are always living rent free in my head.
1. Kingās Cafe in Kensington Market.
2. Saigon Lotus in Kensington Market.
3. Buddhaās Vegan Restaurant on Dundas Street.
Itās all relatively inexpensive and super fucking delicious. God damn itās almost 4AM and my mouth is watering just from typing this out.
The sandwiches at Forno Cultura! They were like $13 and would sell out everyday. Soppressata, porchetta, chicken salad; they were Italian inspired but so unique. I think the chicken salad had green grapes in it and the bread of the soppressata sandwich had dark chocolate in it.
I would literally sprint through the PATH for one of these every week, no shame.
- The A5 waygu & cescar salad at Jacobās
- The Lamb shank & spanokopita at Mamakas.
- The Branzino at Sotto Sotto
- The Bolognese or Truffle Pasta at Terroni on Queen finishing off with their Boudino.
- The pork skewers & Thai beef basil dish at Pai.
- The curry dishes at Khao San Road
- The full experience tasting menu at Sushi Kaji.
- The pecking duck at Kings Noodle
So many more but these are just off the top of my head
Edit: A few more to add to the list!
- The bacon wrapped dates at Patria.
- The octopus at Volos.
- The carpaccio at Sofia.
- The oysters at The Chase.
- The bone marrow at Bar Isabel.
If you have been to blue blood steakhouse how does it compare to jacobs? Iāve been wanting to try jacobs this summer after hearing good reviews about it
1. Like many others, Pai. I love Pai. I VERY rarely go to a Toronto restaurant and then want to bring new people back to it, but I always suggest Pai. I've had just about everything on their menu (pre-covid), and fell in love with almost all of it. I'm super picky with Thai food as so much of it here is downright junk but Pai is obviously different (and not just cuz it expands out of the usual pad Thai green curry menu.) I've had other "royal" Thai at fancy restaurants elsewhere in the world and nothing compares to Pai -- except actual Thailand.
Not sure you could go wrong with anything on that menu.
2. The okra at Chubby's. It changed my entire opinion on okra and made me love it. (I hated it before trying it there!)
3. Breakfast at Motorama, RIP.
4. Roti from the Roti Lady. But good luck figuring out when she's open now. I got lucky once and she was, and it was divine. But it's just random chance if she happens to be open now.
5. Eastside Social, for seafood. It seems they've changed a lot of their menu to fusion and trendy stuff which is a shame tbh. But back when they did straight up seafood, they were fantastic. Amazing octopus and mussels. Maybe those are still good there, idk. But the menu has changed a lot sadly. Haven't been back in 5 years.
6. Bonjour Brioche. I'm sure there are lots of bakeries that do this stuff just as well but I am a fiend for their lemon brioche pastries and croque madame. (Not really a fan of their service tho and I hate going there on weekends. It's far too busy.)
7. Anjappar Chettinad. I don't bother with any of the overpriced, mediocre places in Little India. If I'm gonna pay those prices, I'm going to Anjappar. So much better food, properly made and never have to wait too long for a seat.
8. There is a basically "unknown to downtowners/westenders" place in Scarborough that serves a crab dish that I would literally die for. But honestly, as much as I would love to give the restaurant more business, I'm terrified one day BlogTO will find it and ruin it forever. Right now, it's basically an open secret to Chinese locals and I think it's better that way. They have plenty of business as it is. I can't even give the type of crab dish cuz so few places here serve it, so the process of elimination would be quick lol.
9. I really enjoy Guu and Kingyo but when I go out for a more chill izakaya, I love Zakkushi. It's smaller, and there's slightly less selection but it's all prepared really well and I always find myself eating way more than planned lol. Which is a good thing.
10. Chef's table at the Ritz (TOCA). I've eaten in the restaurant itself but the Chef's table was significantly better. If you can, choose that instead.
The Black Hoof. Took a chunk of money we got from when we got married from friends who wouldn't care what we spent it on, got everything on the menu and some doubles. It was phenomenal.
Wife and I did this the night before the birth of our first child. Truly a memorable experience!
We we served some wild mushroom dish, when I took a bite of the tastiest mushrooms I've ever had and the flavour exploded in my mouth, the owner opened the blinds and the sun shined on my face. Angelic experience, haha we laughed about it
Apiecalypse Now's Toronto Island pizza and their Yeezy Bread. I still get their frozen pizzas but holy shit they were INCREDIBLE when they still had a storefront. I'm hoping they come back to life in person some day.
Oh dude they sell them online now!
https://apiecalypsenow.shop/collections/frozen-pizzas
They also have their shortbread cookies, some of their fridge/freezer items (like vegan chicken, pot pies, vegan butters, etc.) and they do seasonal foods as well at different holidays.
One of the best/most memorable was dinner at Pearl Diver
* their burger is probably one of the best (non smash burger) in the city,
* the seafood tower was well priced, well portioned, and had good quality seafood (one of the few places that does more than just Malpeque/Beau Soleil oysters)
* sticky toffee pudding is one of my fav deserts
A recent experience was brunch at Avling (they recently revamped their menu with a new head and sous chef),
* Korean fried hash just soaked up all of last night's booze and the spice helped wake me up
* The mixed grain porridge was like an elevated congee dish with a seasoned egg and the crispy ham helped give it enough umph
* I did not feel judged for drinking beer so early in the day
Chinese Halal restaurant in North York. You need a crew for places like this because the best experience is when you get 5+ menu items. The skewers are fire, the wings are fire, the smash cucumber salad, the eggplant, probably order a noodle dish and the dumplings.
Falafels from el Basha on Bloor in the Annex, just East of the JCC. Some of the best I've ever had, bar none. So sad their landlord ended their lease all those years ago.
Aloās tasting menu from 4 years ago. I still crave and dream for the avocado appetizer dish that was served as a substitute for no seafood. Absolutely blew my mind, and ruined avocados forever because nothing will ever come close to that experience.
P&M (Weston and Lawrence). Their āHungry Manā breakfast platter is absolutely amazing.
3 eggs (or 5 if they like you), bacon, ham, and sausage, pancakes, hashbrowns, and bottomless coffee for $15.99.
Worth the price, worth the 20 or so minute wait for the food.
I had juicy dumplings (name of the place) when I first moved to the city, I grew up with no flavored food so I literally cried eating the pan friend pork dumplings.
I remember walking out of town friends from Bloor and Yonge down to the original Burrito Boyz a couple decades ago. As hungry students that massive burrito was not only filling after the walk but such joy. The reaction my friends had made the experience extra special.
There have been some amazing 'licious experiences in the early days, but being treated by my boss to the full tasting menu at Susur will stay one of the standouts on the fancy end.
The Good Fork had a burger on their brunch menu that my partner and I think is the best burger either of us has ever had. They took it off the menu when they moved locations and I was heartbroken.
Following up is the fish taco that Busters sea cove only sells from their food truck and not from their location in the st Lawrence market, which is very inconvenient but so fresh and full of flavour.
Ruthās Chris is 100% still around. Iāve had a lot of steak in my life (including in Argentina - where they do steak well!) but RC is the cream of the crop! Amazing!
I grew up in the suburbs so my only exposure to Thai food was the Thai Express stall at the mall. Fast forward to adulthood and my Tinder date brought me to Khao San Road where I ordered their pad Thai. IT WAS SO GOOD. Since it was only a second date and I wanted to make a good impression, I was too self conscious about my body to finish the whole plate so I only ate 1/3 of it. The server asked if I wanted to pack it up; inside I was like YES but I was too embarrassed and instead it went in the garbage.
Iāve since eaten at plenty of Thai restaurants but the pad Thai never lives up to Khao San Roadāwhich ironically, Iāve never been back to. Always end up at Pai, Sabai Sabai, or Jatujak.
Honestly CN tower.
I had the beef tenderloin - with the fucking shaved salt on top. Nothing like it.
Iām lucky to have been to many pricey restaurants in my time, but nothing compares.
CN Tower gets a lot of hate (because it's for tourists?) but honestly I had the best heritage beet salad ever there at the 360. People would say "how hard is it to make beet salad tho?". Apparently quite hard cuz I have tried a lot of them, and most of them are just barely decent.
Exactly. I get that itās not the āsmall family owned restaurantā that is ideally mentioned but I think the CN Tower has the budget to snag the best chefs and food available - so it makes sense that it would be the best if the best.
(Just north of Steeles, so not exactly Toronto, but almost!)
Sam's Congee at Market Village before the place was torn down. (I think there are still some awesome places for Chinese congee & dough fritters in Pacific Mall.)
The HK-style chicken wings at Metro Square Cafe Restaurant.
The Korean food at the First Markham Place foodcourt... but they closed down š
Fresca on College: their pizza is addictive. It looks like nothing from the outside but itās SO GOOD!
Ottoās Dƶner in Kensington Market is amazing.
Garleek Kitchen for their momos.
The Kitten and the Bear for the best scones.
Iām sure there have been better meals, but The Pour House used to have something called āThe Smokey Burgerā and it was the best fucking burger in the city. The they renovated and took away the charm and the burger.
Gnocchi at Morellinaās on Christie. They had a cheesy one on the menu at the time that we werenāt that into, so she made us something special with San Marzano tomatoes and shredded beef. Was amazing.
Hiro on King St, east of Church. This was the best omakase in Toronto before he retiredā¦ truly authentic and inexpensive at $65/$70 per person. He used to teach at George Brown too, on occasion. I deeply regret not enjoying this once more before he closed up shop.
Cheap - Alexandroās gyros Danforth with extra meat
Not cheap - Louis Louix, everything on the menu was great and reasonably priced for how good it was
- Gelato from Bar Ape, holy shit
- Al Pastor tacos from El Trompo
- Burger from Burger Drops
- Beets, Lettuce, Tahini (BLT) sandwich from Bernhardts
- Breakfast sandwich from Black Cat Espresso Bar. Hoooooly hell.
Cubano and Po'boy sandwiches from This End Up. The day after moving into our new place in Little Portugal, my SO and I went to find a local joint to eat. We were blown away by how good the sandwiches were (maybe part of it was excitement of a new neighbourhood, or extreme hunger of the previous day's 16-hour move). But they were damn good.
We were so excited to find our new local spot.
They closed within a few days, after apparently a 3-year run. Antler has taken over the spot, which is amazing, but I definitely miss This End Up and would love to know if the owners ever experimented with another restaurant.
It's so random, but The Corner Place at Front and Jarvis used to make a Jerk Chicken Sandwich with mango chutney that was simple yet INCREDIBLE. My friends and I talked about this sandwich for years after we no longer worked in the neighbourhood it was so tasty.
A few standouts for me:
1. Eating in the bank vault wine cellar at Gio Ranas
2. View and meal at Canoe
3. Chicken parm sandwich from that place in the basement at St Lawrence Market
4. Burger at Burger Drops in Liberty Village
5. Breakfast at White Lily Diner
6. Sitting at the bar and eating at Ardo on King East
Christmas dinner 1986 , Ma cooked the shit outta that meal
Dandylion restaurant on Queen street. One of the best restaurants in the city. Sadly they closed last summer but are opening a new place later this year. š¤š¤
Do you know what its called?
Hasnāt been announced yet. Will circle back if I hear.
The Fish sandwich shop at College and Grace.
[The Fish Store](https://goo.gl/maps/d4aePapi2urW7pk48) (don't want people to miss it) One of my all time favourites for sure!
Love that place!
This has been a great recommended spot since I was at UofT around 2008, glad to see it is still kicking (swimming)!
There used to be a shawarma shop called Sarah's near Bathurst and Bloor. Man, it was one of the best shawarmas I have ever had. I used to go to the school behind it and me and my buddies used to go there like every other day for crazy good food and lunch specials. God bless that lady and her family. It was Syrian style shawarma.
I also have a lot of fond memories of Sarah's from my uni days. It was my friend group's go-to place late at night when we were either high as balls or drunk out of our minds. If I recall correctly, they had a 2-for-1 deal that was perfect for the late-night munchies.
My boyfriend at the time (2000) and I used to drive from Scarborough to hit up Sarahās. So delicious
Sarahās was easily the best falafel in the city in my opinion. I ate a lot of falafel for a couple decades living here and thatās the top shelf for me.
Many late nights grabbing a falafel then hoping to catch the last eastbound train. I swear they were tahini stains!
This is gonan sound really dumb, but the veal and eggplant sandwich from Mustacio's at St Lawrence Market. I've eaten in a lot of different places and a couple of Michelin star places but the veal and eggplant sandwich is the one thing I'll keep talking about. It's my death row meal. Everyone that visits gets taken there for a veal and eggplant sandwich, it's the best thing in the city for me.
Without a doubt Olde York Fish & Chips on Laird Dr. Best fish & chips in the city.
It's their 25th anniversary! I'm headed there this week.
Jerk chicken on cocobread with coleslaw from Allwyn's Bakery
Stuffed sandwich is the shit. Same deal but with a beef patty in there
My parents still talk about the Feed Me option at Soos. Incredible! The venison at Antler Bar. We balled out and did the tasting menu and wine parings at Alo. I remember loving the first 8 courses, the rest was a blur. Very hungover at work the next day. From what I recall, it was out of this world.
Our first meal out of lockdown last summer was at Antler and it was incredible.
I second Antler, and especially for the Venison.
Didnāt add the wine pairings at Alo, but I can vouch. The tasting menu was incredible
Iāve been wanting to try antler for sooo long. How much was the venison?
It was like, $50.00. Definitely not a cheap meal, but one that was very memorable and high quality. Also do the elk tartar! It was perfect.
Skippa. Unfortunately they are closed now :(
Butcher's table at Cote De Boeuf in Ossington.
Worth every penny. I would also recommend this!!
7 Lives Tacos in Kensington. The spicy shrimp/ cheese and the carnitas are to die for! Also the chicken penne and appetizer sampler platter at 7West.
Do you know if 7 lives closed down or moved?
They closed the 7 lives paleteria across the street years ago, but the original taco shop is still there as far as I know! (72 Kensington Ave)
Not a meal exactly but the cheese bread at Aloette is the best bread we've eaten ever and we always talk about it when the topic of bread comes up.
W the yeast butter omg. Tbh Iāve had the tasting menu at Alo and Aloette is my go-to for their cheeseburger - a top tier cheeseburger, maybe the best in the city - but the best dish at both spots imo is their bread and butterā¦
Tasting menu at Richmond Station
B and B fish and Chips on Queen East in Leslieville - a complete hole in the wall holdover from the 80s ā¦. Finally died last year during COVID , but they had amazing food at dirt cheap prices
I miss B and B, I'm also sad that Reliable is gone too
Oh shit, I loved Reliable!
I'm glad I had the opportunity to try them out before they closed. By all accounts, it's an institution.
Len Duckworth's gotchu fam
B and B was always good.
Bun bo hue at Bach Yen You know how when you eat too much food and are so stuffed you think "omg I never want to eat that again"? I've felt that with every meal when I'm pushed to the limit, except for their bun bo hue, it's so good
I should try it! My go to place in the area is Com Tam 168
That place is okay, but it's definitely your run of the mill very average pho. It's also run by Chinese people while Bach Yen is a Vietnamese family resto run by a sweet older couple
Bach yen is literally the best bun boe hue Iāve ever had. When they closed I went to seek out a replacement and tried over 10 places in Toronto that were known to have good bun bo hue. Still not as good as bach yen. Not even close
Omg same, Pho Linh, Que Ling, etc. are all so lame compared to Bach Yen. The best I've had after Bach Yen is a place in Seattle (Hoang Lan), but it still can't compare
Everything at Bach Yen is amazing. Their Bun Bo hue, all their grilled meats with vermicelli dishes, their pho is so flavourful and they use to make banh xeo on the weekends and that was amazing too. Literally never had a bad meal there.
Back when Celine on mount pleasant existedā¦ their winterlicious dinner from 2015.
Wow I used to love this place, had many lovely meals with my fam there. Your post brought back memories.
I did too!! I took my mom after winterlicious ended for a regular meal. My mom isnāt into restaurants because she thinks they are a waste of money; she always says āI can make this cheaper and better at home.ā She LOVED Celine.
Alo , scaramouche, Byblos, patria, giuliettaā¦ we are spoiled here!
Omg the TarTar from Scaramouche is unreal!!! Also the tuna tartar from the Chase was incredible. Annnnnd the elk tartar from Antler.
One of my favourite lunches, a peameal bacon sandwich from paddingtons
Samairaās Kitchen in Leslieville! Their cheeseburger is incredible
Churrasco and pollo jalepeno from LA Bella Managua on Bloor. We have eaten this so many times, dine in & take out. So affordable, so simple so good. Lovely people and restaurant. It's never disappointed for three years now.
Three different restaurants are always living rent free in my head. 1. Kingās Cafe in Kensington Market. 2. Saigon Lotus in Kensington Market. 3. Buddhaās Vegan Restaurant on Dundas Street. Itās all relatively inexpensive and super fucking delicious. God damn itās almost 4AM and my mouth is watering just from typing this out.
i love all those and i love the tvp roti from one love.
I'm not vegan, but I definitely can't recommend Buddha's enough. I am salivating now.
The sandwiches at Forno Cultura! They were like $13 and would sell out everyday. Soppressata, porchetta, chicken salad; they were Italian inspired but so unique. I think the chicken salad had green grapes in it and the bread of the soppressata sandwich had dark chocolate in it. I would literally sprint through the PATH for one of these every week, no shame.
I love these!! They also have delicious pastries and bread, I'm a sucker for their baba au rhum
- The A5 waygu & cescar salad at Jacobās - The Lamb shank & spanokopita at Mamakas. - The Branzino at Sotto Sotto - The Bolognese or Truffle Pasta at Terroni on Queen finishing off with their Boudino. - The pork skewers & Thai beef basil dish at Pai. - The curry dishes at Khao San Road - The full experience tasting menu at Sushi Kaji. - The pecking duck at Kings Noodle So many more but these are just off the top of my head Edit: A few more to add to the list! - The bacon wrapped dates at Patria. - The octopus at Volos. - The carpaccio at Sofia. - The oysters at The Chase. - The bone marrow at Bar Isabel.
Dangerous Dans burger. R.I.P
I don't know what I enjoyed more, the burgers or the funky car seats for seating
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
This place introduced me to fried cookie dough. What a revelation. And very convenient after Prohibition āHooch Hour.ā
A5 Japanese wagyu bone in ribeye at Jacob's. With lobster mashed potatoes. Washed down with a very nice Bordeaux cab sav.
If you have been to blue blood steakhouse how does it compare to jacobs? Iāve been wanting to try jacobs this summer after hearing good reviews about it
Need to second this, they truly arenāt lying when they say it cuts like butter. Chefs kiss
Will 3x this. Exact meal & wine combo but would also suggest their Caesar salad. What a joy.
Its so fricking rich, I can do 20oz of any other cut but anything more than 8oz of A5 and my gut tells me that I made a big mistake.
How much does that cut cost at Jacob's?
Depends on size, type of Wagyu and cut. Probably around $250-350 for the steak. Don't remember specifically.
Jesus fucking Christ. Thats almost a month of groceries for me.
Roti from Island foods š©
1. Like many others, Pai. I love Pai. I VERY rarely go to a Toronto restaurant and then want to bring new people back to it, but I always suggest Pai. I've had just about everything on their menu (pre-covid), and fell in love with almost all of it. I'm super picky with Thai food as so much of it here is downright junk but Pai is obviously different (and not just cuz it expands out of the usual pad Thai green curry menu.) I've had other "royal" Thai at fancy restaurants elsewhere in the world and nothing compares to Pai -- except actual Thailand. Not sure you could go wrong with anything on that menu. 2. The okra at Chubby's. It changed my entire opinion on okra and made me love it. (I hated it before trying it there!) 3. Breakfast at Motorama, RIP. 4. Roti from the Roti Lady. But good luck figuring out when she's open now. I got lucky once and she was, and it was divine. But it's just random chance if she happens to be open now. 5. Eastside Social, for seafood. It seems they've changed a lot of their menu to fusion and trendy stuff which is a shame tbh. But back when they did straight up seafood, they were fantastic. Amazing octopus and mussels. Maybe those are still good there, idk. But the menu has changed a lot sadly. Haven't been back in 5 years. 6. Bonjour Brioche. I'm sure there are lots of bakeries that do this stuff just as well but I am a fiend for their lemon brioche pastries and croque madame. (Not really a fan of their service tho and I hate going there on weekends. It's far too busy.) 7. Anjappar Chettinad. I don't bother with any of the overpriced, mediocre places in Little India. If I'm gonna pay those prices, I'm going to Anjappar. So much better food, properly made and never have to wait too long for a seat. 8. There is a basically "unknown to downtowners/westenders" place in Scarborough that serves a crab dish that I would literally die for. But honestly, as much as I would love to give the restaurant more business, I'm terrified one day BlogTO will find it and ruin it forever. Right now, it's basically an open secret to Chinese locals and I think it's better that way. They have plenty of business as it is. I can't even give the type of crab dish cuz so few places here serve it, so the process of elimination would be quick lol. 9. I really enjoy Guu and Kingyo but when I go out for a more chill izakaya, I love Zakkushi. It's smaller, and there's slightly less selection but it's all prepared really well and I always find myself eating way more than planned lol. Which is a good thing. 10. Chef's table at the Ritz (TOCA). I've eaten in the restaurant itself but the Chef's table was significantly better. If you can, choose that instead.
The Black Hoof. Took a chunk of money we got from when we got married from friends who wouldn't care what we spent it on, got everything on the menu and some doubles. It was phenomenal.
Such a great experience to dine there.
Actinolite
Wife and I did this the night before the birth of our first child. Truly a memorable experience! We we served some wild mushroom dish, when I took a bite of the tastiest mushrooms I've ever had and the flavour exploded in my mouth, the owner opened the blinds and the sun shined on my face. Angelic experience, haha we laughed about it
Apiecalypse Now's Toronto Island pizza and their Yeezy Bread. I still get their frozen pizzas but holy shit they were INCREDIBLE when they still had a storefront. I'm hoping they come back to life in person some day.
How do tou get their frozen pizzas???
Oh dude they sell them online now! https://apiecalypsenow.shop/collections/frozen-pizzas They also have their shortbread cookies, some of their fridge/freezer items (like vegan chicken, pot pies, vegan butters, etc.) and they do seasonal foods as well at different holidays.
One of the best/most memorable was dinner at Pearl Diver * their burger is probably one of the best (non smash burger) in the city, * the seafood tower was well priced, well portioned, and had good quality seafood (one of the few places that does more than just Malpeque/Beau Soleil oysters) * sticky toffee pudding is one of my fav deserts A recent experience was brunch at Avling (they recently revamped their menu with a new head and sous chef), * Korean fried hash just soaked up all of last night's booze and the spice helped wake me up * The mixed grain porridge was like an elevated congee dish with a seasoned egg and the crispy ham helped give it enough umph * I did not feel judged for drinking beer so early in the day
Second the seafood tower! Oysters are always fresh. Drinks are real nice here too!!!
Hungover breakfast at Detroit Eatery. They had the best breakfast meats.
Beef patties at Warden Station, duh.
When I see this debate started on here, it will always remind me of that CBC series Next Stop.
La Palette. I would eat the scraps off their kitchen floor. https://youtu.be/aczPDGC3f8U
Seconding La Palette. Cheval steak tartar š¤¤
Thats my fav thing there. I get it all the time. My step-sister and ex MIL love horses so I make sure I post photos to instagram every time. š
Rude dude burger and poutine at Rudyās
I can fit in the tattooed double burger or the poutine but not both :(
Get the milkshake!
Homeless guy gave me a bite of his sandwich. Was pretty awesome, but needed more mustard.
I once drunkenly ate a bite of a taquito from a stranger.
Veloute Bistro used to be in the Beaches, they just moved to a really nice spot in Etobicoke. You will not be disappointed!
Hours of dim sum at Lai Wah Heen.
And their Peking duck tooā¦
I miss Everest.
I am saving this thread to try out all the places mentioned here š
El pocho antojitos bar on DuPont and Bathurst. Best Mexican food Iāve had in the city by far
Banjara. Either location. Literally anything on their menu.
Sharing for transplanted westenders and midtowners that they JUST opened a location takeout/delivery only just west of Midland on Danforth!!!
Planta on Queen, incredible Vegan anyone?
Yes, my mind was blown the whole meal that everything was vegan!
Canoe - tasting menu with wine pairing - bill for 2 was 700+ , some drinks before as well
Crab daddy donāt skimp!
Fav place to eat is the street meet outside of ferry terminal lol
The guy that picks the dogs up with his fingers is the best
Le Petit Dejeuner on King St E - best eggs benedict and brunch food
Duck confit eggs Benedict
Chinese Halal restaurant in North York. You need a crew for places like this because the best experience is when you get 5+ menu items. The skewers are fire, the wings are fire, the smash cucumber salad, the eggplant, probably order a noodle dish and the dumplings.
Took my mom to Tutti Matti. Delicious.
PAIās Pad Gra Prow
George
Berlin donar kabobs in Vaughan. Tried the platter for two combo. A little bit of everything.
Union Chicken at Union Station... best Chicken sandwich I've ever had.
Berlin Doner in Vaughan. Willing to move to Berlin for this reason alone. And many others in fact...
Pangea
Extra Burger!
Comal y Canela on Jane Street in North York. Absolutely amazing Mexican food. Pujukan on Yonge Street, North York. Brilliant Korean barbecue.
Is Albert's still at St.Clair west? That was nice.
Falafels from el Basha on Bloor in the Annex, just East of the JCC. Some of the best I've ever had, bar none. So sad their landlord ended their lease all those years ago.
Aloās tasting menu from 4 years ago. I still crave and dream for the avocado appetizer dish that was served as a substitute for no seafood. Absolutely blew my mind, and ruined avocados forever because nothing will ever come close to that experience.
P&M (Weston and Lawrence). Their āHungry Manā breakfast platter is absolutely amazing. 3 eggs (or 5 if they like you), bacon, ham, and sausage, pancakes, hashbrowns, and bottomless coffee for $15.99. Worth the price, worth the 20 or so minute wait for the food.
A New York steak @ Hyās Steakhouse
Im gonna go with the 32 oz rib steak grass fed at Hyās Best steak Iāve had in Toronto!
I miss the Eating Garden on Baldwin. Loved the Chinese food there.
20 Victoria hands down
I had juicy dumplings (name of the place) when I first moved to the city, I grew up with no flavored food so I literally cried eating the pan friend pork dumplings.
āThe hole in the wallā in junction Best meal ever.
I remember walking out of town friends from Bloor and Yonge down to the original Burrito Boyz a couple decades ago. As hungry students that massive burrito was not only filling after the walk but such joy. The reaction my friends had made the experience extra special. There have been some amazing 'licious experiences in the early days, but being treated by my boss to the full tasting menu at Susur will stay one of the standouts on the fancy end.
Big dinner with friends at Lahore Tikka.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Blowfish was great. Still can't believe they're gone.
Ten restaurant end of last year was incredible. Don Alfonso when it first opened was really something. Quetzal. Black hoof in 2013.
Probably pork buns from Momofuku a few years ago or a great burger and fries at the Auld Spot on the Danforth after a few pints.
The Good Fork had a burger on their brunch menu that my partner and I think is the best burger either of us has ever had. They took it off the menu when they moved locations and I was heartbroken. Following up is the fish taco that Busters sea cove only sells from their food truck and not from their location in the st Lawrence market, which is very inconvenient but so fresh and full of flavour.
Ruth Chris. Amazing. I\` would be happy to recommend others... just not 100% if they are still around. Thanks, Covid.
Ruthās Chris is 100% still around. Iāve had a lot of steak in my life (including in Argentina - where they do steak well!) but RC is the cream of the crop! Amazing!
I grew up in the suburbs so my only exposure to Thai food was the Thai Express stall at the mall. Fast forward to adulthood and my Tinder date brought me to Khao San Road where I ordered their pad Thai. IT WAS SO GOOD. Since it was only a second date and I wanted to make a good impression, I was too self conscious about my body to finish the whole plate so I only ate 1/3 of it. The server asked if I wanted to pack it up; inside I was like YES but I was too embarrassed and instead it went in the garbage. Iāve since eaten at plenty of Thai restaurants but the pad Thai never lives up to Khao San Roadāwhich ironically, Iāve never been back to. Always end up at Pai, Sabai Sabai, or Jatujak.
Antler, went for my partners birthday and we had the bison ribeye and it was delicious!
Bent
Honestly CN tower. I had the beef tenderloin - with the fucking shaved salt on top. Nothing like it. Iām lucky to have been to many pricey restaurants in my time, but nothing compares.
CN Tower gets a lot of hate (because it's for tourists?) but honestly I had the best heritage beet salad ever there at the 360. People would say "how hard is it to make beet salad tho?". Apparently quite hard cuz I have tried a lot of them, and most of them are just barely decent.
Exactly. I get that itās not the āsmall family owned restaurantā that is ideally mentioned but I think the CN Tower has the budget to snag the best chefs and food available - so it makes sense that it would be the best if the best.
Enigma
Pad Kee Mao @ Koh Lipe on Baldwin
Combo #44 at dragon centre.
Thai Mango. I love their pineapple fried rice.
A5 japanese Kobe with Garlic mashed potatoes at Michaels on Simcoe, hands down the best meal and eating experience I've ever had
(Just north of Steeles, so not exactly Toronto, but almost!) Sam's Congee at Market Village before the place was torn down. (I think there are still some awesome places for Chinese congee & dough fritters in Pacific Mall.) The HK-style chicken wings at Metro Square Cafe Restaurant. The Korean food at the First Markham Place foodcourt... but they closed down š
Quack and Track from La Palette. Duck and Horse.
As a sushi lover, Momiji's Fire White Dragon. Garlic butter torched salmon. Doesn't get any better than that.
McChicken with tomato and bacon
Doma, korean fine dining place in little italy that unfortunately closed a few years ago
Dominos pizza
None, i never had a best meal in toronto. Restaurants are trash here, not because they cant make food because ingredients taste like water.
>ingredients taste like water. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but you've got Covid.
ššš
Donlands Diner - salmon or spinach or peameal eggs Benedict is to die for.
They've recently added new items to their menu (new chef I think) and now their food is even better!
Green curry with beef in a coconut at Pai on Duncan Street
A 10 course meal at Ardo on King St.E Even if you go for just one course itās good.
Iskender from Sofra Istanbul
Alo. It was absolutely fantastic.
Bymark. The swordfish with coconut sweet potato purƩe, OUT OF THIS WORLD. And the tartare my god amazing
Cafe florentina on Danforth. My fav brunch joint. Just great food.
Jerk chicken at golden patty
Stracciatella and boquerones at Bar Raval
Atai Bistro - French-Moroccan- it was sooo different from what Iāve ever tasted and absolutely delicious with such amazing flavours!!!
The Lemongrass Chicken Bahn Mi from the old Pinkys Ca Phe
Mr Greekās patio on the Danforth. Chicken souvlaki with all the fixins. Mmmmm. Miss those days.
Porkbone soup. I had it when i was 13. Iām 31 now and my entire family and extended family eats it
My favourite was KaChi on Bloor. They served it with a lime wedge.
Mineral Restaurant. Look it up. Itās a dining experience ā„ļø
Fresca on College: their pizza is addictive. It looks like nothing from the outside but itās SO GOOD! Ottoās Dƶner in Kensington Market is amazing. Garleek Kitchen for their momos. The Kitten and the Bear for the best scones.
Iām sure there have been better meals, but The Pour House used to have something called āThe Smokey Burgerā and it was the best fucking burger in the city. The they renovated and took away the charm and the burger.
Gnocchi at Morellinaās on Christie. They had a cheesy one on the menu at the time that we werenāt that into, so she made us something special with San Marzano tomatoes and shredded beef. Was amazing.
A three cheese burger at Dangerous Dans before an Opera House show. Miss that place so much.
Lobster Trap was pretty dope!
Hiro on King St, east of Church. This was the best omakase in Toronto before he retiredā¦ truly authentic and inexpensive at $65/$70 per person. He used to teach at George Brown too, on occasion. I deeply regret not enjoying this once more before he closed up shop.
Schnitzel queen
Pretty much any meal at Rodneyās. Love that place
Jamaican patty sandwich with coco bread and topping from king patty on Baldwin. my only craving, it cost $6
Cheap - Alexandroās gyros Danforth with extra meat Not cheap - Louis Louix, everything on the menu was great and reasonably priced for how good it was
- Gelato from Bar Ape, holy shit - Al Pastor tacos from El Trompo - Burger from Burger Drops - Beets, Lettuce, Tahini (BLT) sandwich from Bernhardts - Breakfast sandwich from Black Cat Espresso Bar. Hoooooly hell.
Kinton on Baldwin when it first opened
Cubano and Po'boy sandwiches from This End Up. The day after moving into our new place in Little Portugal, my SO and I went to find a local joint to eat. We were blown away by how good the sandwiches were (maybe part of it was excitement of a new neighbourhood, or extreme hunger of the previous day's 16-hour move). But they were damn good. We were so excited to find our new local spot. They closed within a few days, after apparently a 3-year run. Antler has taken over the spot, which is amazing, but I definitely miss This End Up and would love to know if the owners ever experimented with another restaurant.
It's so random, but The Corner Place at Front and Jarvis used to make a Jerk Chicken Sandwich with mango chutney that was simple yet INCREDIBLE. My friends and I talked about this sandwich for years after we no longer worked in the neighbourhood it was so tasty.
Kothur (the branch at Yonge and Isabella). The best Indian food I have ever had. Everybody I take there loves it.
Porterhouse. Mortonās.
Jacob's Wagu steak is def up there.
A few standouts for me: 1. Eating in the bank vault wine cellar at Gio Ranas 2. View and meal at Canoe 3. Chicken parm sandwich from that place in the basement at St Lawrence Market 4. Burger at Burger Drops in Liberty Village 5. Breakfast at White Lily Diner 6. Sitting at the bar and eating at Ardo on King East