An Experienced Culinary Guide to Eating Well in Toronto

Griffin Murphy

New to Toronto? You’re in luck. Here are some soon-to-be-go-to places to eat.

A map locating seven recommended restaurants across Toronto.
A map of recommended restaurants (Image credit: Jennifer Sun)

A common theme from my inaugural month at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law has been students new to the city asking an important question : where does one go to eat good food? As a native Torontonion who happens to know other native Torontonians, I have luckily compiled a selection of Toronto neighborhoods, each with an acclaimed food spot to give you the excuse to venture out there.

1. Entertainment District – Pai

Just a stone’s throw from the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Pai is a star in its own right that constantly lands amongst Toronto’s best rated restaurants. The restaurant’s northern Thai cuisine features delicious fare for vegans and meat lovers alike (with its Kanom Jin Nham Ngeaw, a pork rob and tomato soup, frequently selling out), all in a deceptively large basement dining hall. Pai also occasionally serves as a late-night haven, boasting a cocktail menu dedicated to Toronto Raptors past and present. After a Kawhian Punch and a couple of DeMartinis the memories of the Celtics series will start to fade.

2. Kensington Market – Seven Lives

The eclectic Kensington Market neighborhood sells everything from discounted suits to specialty longboards, but it’s the Seven Lives tacos that provoke Toronto’s Bay Street clientele to flock over to the market on lunch breaks. Spring for the “Gobernador” – their piece de resistance consisting of smoked marlin, grilled shrimp, and shredded cheese. Two tacos will get you through dinner, while three will keep you going through the neighbourhood’s after-hours bar scene.

3. King West – Porchetta & Co.

Toronto’s King West scene is the centre of yuppie nightlife, and the centre of King West is the intersection of King and Portland, starring Belfast Love, Wilbur, Early Mercy, and the venerable Italian sandwich shop known as Porchetta & Co. The house special is its porchetta sandwich, filled with crackling porchetta, truffle sauce, and parmesan on a sourdough bun for $7.25 with mustard or hot sauce included.The joint also sells fried chicken sandwiches if pork isn’t up your alley. 

4. The Annex – Sushi on Bloor

While Vancouver natives may justifiably turn their noses at Toronto’s sushi scene, Sushi On Bloor is a worthy institution just off campus which has fed OSAP-plagued students for time immemorial. Solid portion sizes and fresh catches are delivered to your table with miso soup and salad for $9.75 during lunch hours.  

5. Rosedale – Black Camel

Toronto’s upper-class Rosedale community opens its doors to the proletariat by way of its intimate and affordable Black Camel sandwich shop, an intimate space specializing in its brisket, pulled pork, and club sandwiches. If you get lucky, you may even be waiting in line with a corporate firm partner. 

6. St Lawrence Market – Carousel Bakery

Toronto’s world-famous St Lawrence Market has been visited by the likes of Anthony Bourdain and Bobby Flay, and actually served as Toronto’s city hall for much of the 19th century. Offering some of the city’s best produce, cheeses, meats, and fish, the market is also a local lunch favourite. Remember Buster’s Sea Cove for its lobster rolls and Uno Mustachio for its Italian sandwiches, but Carousel Bakery reigns supreme for its distinction as the global birthplace of the peameal bacon sandwich.

7. Leslieville – Maha’s

Much akin to Dorsia from the 2000 blockbuster American Psycho, snagging a table at Maha’s for Sunday brunch has come to be heralded as a status symbol for the millennial Torontonian in the recently-gentrified Leslieville. While they don’t offer reservations, expect a lineup for this intimate purveyor of Egyptian brunch. Sip on Turkish coffee, Egyptian black tea or a honey-cardamom latte before digging into the Cairo Classic, a traditional spread of fava beans, tomatoes, onions, falafel, boiled eggs, homemade tomato feta, and charred balady bread. 

8. Scarborough – Bakery on the Go

Just hear me out. While the TTC subway system may be lacking in reliability, geographic reach, and general buen vivir, it handily makes up for its shortcomings through its culinary excellence. Bakery on the Go at Warden Station has gained a cult following among Toronto’s (far) east-enders for offering some of Toronto’s finest Jamaican beef patties at the cost of a toonie. While Scarborough is admittedly quite a committed pilgrimage from campus, just hop on the green line and it will take you right there. You won’t even have to leave the station.

9. Etobicoke – Plan B Burgers

Etobicoke has gifted us with Pearson Airport, the Ford family, and one of the only places in the city for South African barbeque. Enter Plan B Burgers: a casual institution just outside the Royal York subway station which offers burgers, boerewors (a coiled variant of sausage), and braai ( a traditional barbeque platter). All meats are charred well-done in accordance with South African mandate, and their “JoBurg’er” will only put you back $12. 

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