Where to eat in Toronto

Restaurants, cafés and street food in Toronto, Canada that locals actually go to — plus the local names for the chains you already know.

• Pai Northern Thai Kitchen — Northern Thai, Entertainment District (2). Order the Khao soi. Chef Nuit's khao soi started a citywide obsession.
• Rasta Pasta — Jamaican-Italian, Kensington Market (1). Order the Jerk chicken pasta. Jerk meets pasta — a Kensington original.
• Carousel Bakery — Sandwiches, St. Lawrence Market (1). Order the Peameal bacon on a bun. Home of the peameal bacon sandwich — the city's signature bite.
• Mother's Dumplings — Northern Chinese, Chinatown (1). Order the Pork & chive steamed dumplings. Handmade dumplings the old way, watched through the kitchen glass.
• The Senator — Diner, Downtown / Garden District (2). Order the Buttermilk pancakes. Toronto's oldest restaurant (1929); booths, pancakes, and a century of regulars.
• Banh Mi Boys — Vietnamese fusion, Queen West (1). Order the Five-spice pork belly banh mi. The banh mi that taught downtown to queue.
• United Bakers Dairy Restaurant — Jewish dairy / deli, Lawrence Manor (2). Order the Cheese blintzes + pea soup. Family-run since 1912; the blintzes outlived every food trend.
• Terroni — Italian, Queen West (2). Order the C't Mang pizza. No-substitutions southern Italian that Torontonians defend like family.
• Lakeview Restaurant — Diner, Dundas West (2). Order the All-day breakfast + poutine. A 1932 diner that never really closes; the late-night equalizer.
• Seven Lives Tacos y Mariscos — Baja tacos, Kensington Market (1). Order the Gobernador taco. Kensington's cash-only Baja counter with lines out the door.

Back to Toronto