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 It is often believed that if you are not paying much for your food, you should not expect a great service or good quality. Well this is proven to be wrong many times. Toronto offers some great restaurants that allow you to eat like a prince at pauper's prices » by: Sara Brown |
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| | | Irwin Schwartz and John Volpe both have backgrounds in the restaurant business; Irwin as an owner, and John as a chef. They opened the Black Camel together last year across the street from Rosedale station (4 Crescent Road). I walked by, starving again, on my way to work and checked out the menu. I ordered the Basic Sandwich, where you pick your meat and one of the sauces and a choice of condiments for $6.00. I decided on the Slow Roasted Black Angus Brisket with Black Camel BBQ Sauce and mayo. I lived in Texas for three years and ate smoked brisket like a maniac, especially from this one little hut my husband and I would always stop at on our way to Hippie Hollow, the nudist swimming hole in Austin. When I got my first taste of this brisket at the Black Camel I was suddenly nude surrounded by blue water, holding a Bud Light in 115 degree heat. These guys know what they are doing. City Bites
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| | | If the lights of Paris are just beyond your reach, there's still a way to get your French pastry fix right in Leslieville. Bonjour Brioche, a bakery café on Queen Street East just east of Broadview, offers and all day, sandwich, and patisserie menu. Even with ceiling fans going full speed, the smoky scents of baked goods linger in the air (and follow you home afterwards) with the occasional open door bringing a welcome blast of fresh air through the small space. Desserts peek out from behind the glass. Dim lighting sets the mood and burnt orange walls, and black and white framed prints line the walls. Tablecloths are simple, covering wood tables. Service is casual and quick and dishes are artistically presented. Ear-pleasing folk music plays softly in the background. The place is always bustling and there is competition for seating on a rainy Friday lunch hour. The crowd is mostly moms, kids and local urbanites mixed with the local business lunch crowd. The Star
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| | | Vegetarian East Indian cuisine. NOW Magazine gave them a rating of NNNN out of 5. “...what it misses in ambience - think donut shop - is made up for by first-rate medium-spiced veggie curries.”
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| | | 5 stars, the highest rating possible.
You’ll spot it immediately on Peter Street at lunchtime. The lineup stretches from the tiny basement where Burrito Boyz is located, winds up the stairs and down the sidewalk. The tiny cantina (now with three locations in Toronto and the GTA) is one of the most popular lunch take-out spots in the city. Who knew so many people could fit into a room the size of a large walk-in closet.
A meal in itself that’ll fill you up ‘til dinner time or maybe even breakfast the next morning.
The Star
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| | | Chinese Traditional Buns is one of the best choices for a place to re-fuel on a busy sightseeing day in Toronto. Don't let the name deceive you into thinking only buns are on the menu -- there is a wide variety of typical northeastern Chinese dishes to choose from and luckily, skilled and willing staff to help you choose. Although not necessarily a place to sit and linger, the food is unique and the flavors make your mouth come alive. About.com
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| | | Toronto's best Fish & Chips Eye Weekly
Toronto's best Fish & Chips Now Magazine
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| | | A classic French patisserie on the Queen West strip, Clafouti is famous for its scrumptious morning pastries that will have you scrounging for fallen flakes. Croissant, pain au chocolat, brioche and the namesake clafouti—a fruit filled tart—all disappear in a flash, so get there early. Be forewarned: a tempting array of French pastilles and other assorted European bonbons clutter the counter while you wait for your Illy espresso. Light lunches span from inspired sandwiches and fluffy quiche to salads and a daily selection of hot dishes. Where
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A fantastic crêpe, worthy of another try—but with a different filling. Toronto Life
First off, forget everything you know about French flapjacks. As Burrito Boyz are to authentic Mexican so Crepe It Up is to Parisian pancakes: not related in the slightest. Instead, think of these as all-purpose wraps stuffed with a combination of health-conscious fixin's. NNNN Now Magazine
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| | | Jammed into a well-worn hole-in-the-wall, this family-run operation toils in the shadow of Yonge and Bloor's conspicuous consumption.
With no budget for gimmicks or decor, Exotic Tandoori relies on flavour and hospitality. And while its six small tables are short on ambience, you do get to watch a procession of extremely friendly and helpful staff/family members take their turn behind the counter or as guides at the buffet table.
The specialty here is Pakistani Kashmiri cuisine, which features the tandoor-fired meats, incendiary curries and syrup-soaked sweets of northern Indian food, but also includes beef – allowed among Muslims – and bread instead of rice with everything. NNNN Now Magazine
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| | | There are only four seats here, so your best bet is to plan on getting your goodies to go. The individual gruyere tart makes a stellar light lunch, and the dainty pastries, petits fours and cakes are ideal when a treat is called for. Many items are blessed with a layer of homemade frangipane – a moist, ground-almond filling – that adds richness and depth. The owner also makes her own organic preserves to use as fillings. If you're lucky, she'll have a few jars for sale when you visit!
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One of the things that brought my attention to the Ghali Kitchen was the menu: oxtail stew pasta, salt fish, akee pizza and jerk chicken panini style sandwiches. George Ghali, the owner, says at times he gets old school Jamaicans or Italians who become horrified when they see these classic dishes fused together. by: Catherine Jheon, CBC Canada
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| | | Once you step inside, you'll discover this lovely, quiet space in the middle of the hustle and the bustle. Joseph Tam and his cousin Grace Hung have transformed the space into a quiet oasis serving some of the best vegan food in the city.
They've wisely kept the menu short. There's the soup of day, a thick puree of whatever is in season, alongside half a dozen salads - quinoa tabouleh with roasted sunflower seeds and cranberries or lentil and chickpea salad with mint and cumin. They also have sweet and savory buckwheat crepes which are wheat and dairy free. They make homemade vegan ice cream using soymilk which they make from organic soybeans.
Basic crepes are $4. The amazing cookies are $1.10 each. They really put a lot of care into the food so be impatient if the service is a bit slow. It's just the two of them doing everything from cooking, baking to serving, cleaning so things slow down if there's a lineup. by: Catherine Jheon, CBC Canada
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| | | They make the best moules frites hands down! Mussels and fries you can't go wrong. They come with a little side salad with a perfect dressing to boot. Sometimes we order the grilled chicken salad. They make fabulous quiches. The club sandwich is also a winner and it is quite reasonably priced. Dose
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| | | This Kensington family-run shop has it all: cheap eats combined with warm peeps and a tiny, no-frills joint with food to fill your belly on cold days. The Chilean restaurant has received positive reviews from every mag and rag in the city and for good reason: big, authentic empanadas and other goodies like humitas, corn pie, sopapilla, Chilean breads and desserts, all for what amounts to pocket change. There’s seating, but during peak hours, you might not find a place to park it. The heat from the ovens makes it a welcome place to visit. The Star
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| | | Neither royal nor palatial, this Pakistani take-away offers cabbies and club kids filling and fiery curries from modest digs in a downtown gas station. Ignore the signs advertising kebab 'n' pop specials and point and take your chances with the extensive but unnamed East Indian comfort-food curries and aromatic stews on the steam table.
NOW Magazine
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| | | Mezzetta serves Mediterranean food, and hosts jazz performers on Wednesday evenings.
Finding Mezzetta Restaurant is like stumbling across a hidden treasure... right there in midtown Toronto. Not only does this St. Clair West hideaway offer up great service and irresistible value, they've got a truly original menu you'll be hard pressed to find anywhere else in town. blogto
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Doug Tiller and James Feistner, co-owners of Morning Glory, had this romantic notion of running a café and roped his friend Doug into in. James did his research though. He learned the ropes at the popular west end brunch place Aunties and Uncles, but made sure he added his own creative flair...The prices are very reasonable - $5 to $8 mark considering they try to make everything from scratch. A good deal. by: Catherine Jheon, CBC Canada
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| | | Located in the St. Lawrence Market’s bustling basement, Mustachio’s is where people flock to for the biggest and quite possibly best Italian veal, chicken parmigiana, and meatballs in town -- with the accolades and big lineups to prove it. Toronto Star
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| | | Narula's has some of the cheapest food in town. It's all vegetarian fare and they have everything from dosas (which are giant crepes stuffed with cheese, potatoes and onions) to different vegetarian curries to samosas. And nothing on the menu is over five bucks. And if that's not enough bang for you buck, they have what's called Toonie Tuesdays where everything oexcept drinks are two bucks! by: Catherine Jheon, CBC Canada
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| | | Who knew that the Black Metal Brunch served Sundays by chef Linda Dawson at punky Market dive Planet Kensington was one of the tastiest – if most deafening – in town? by: Steven Davey, NOW Magazine
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| | | Where sweet tarts are concerned, the Queen rules. Toronto Life, Eating and Drinking
The Queen bakes truly regal desserts. NOW Magazine
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| | | The French also know a thing or two about fat. If I were to find out tomorrow that I was never to have another croissant again before I die, today I would hustle to Rahier for several of theirs. In the great Toronto croissant wars, Celestin and Patachou are strong contenders. But my heart belongs to Rahier. by Joanne Kates, Globe and Mail
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| | | Now that Co Yen has been shuttered, this brightly lit Vietnamese take-away has repeatedly been cited as Toronto's favourite Saigon sub. What's not to love? Flaky French rolls come piled with shredded chicken, pork or tofu alongside strips of gently pickled carrot 'n' daikon, English cucumber, fresh coriander and optional green chilies. At less than two bucks each, order two. by: Steven Davey, NOW Magazine
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| | | Think you can handle the heat? This Southeast Asian café includes a chili-pepper chart on its menu that lets diners adjust the fire in their pad Thai from a wimpy one-pepper grade to a thermonuclear 20-pepper. Extremely busy at lunch, this recently renovated room is one of the few fast-food spots in town that takes reservations. by: Steven Davey, NOW Magazine
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| | | Just across from CityTV on Queen street is a little food court where you can get everything from bubble teas to rotis to burgers. Sandwich Box stands out among the other vendors there because they often attract a long lineup that snakes out beyond the main entrance... For $5.48 you pick your spread and three items from a huge range of choices everything from grilled chicken to avocado chipotle spread to caramelized onions to bocconcini - everything made from scratch by the way hence the large staff. Then the sandwich is grilled.by: Catherine Jheon, CBC Canada
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| | | It’s a good thing this shockingly bright room is jammed with large tables: Toronto’s hungry in-the-knows line up at all hours of the day, willing to participate in communal dining. Swatow’s generous meat and seafood dishes are peppered with flawlessly cooked vegetables and well-judged sauces more varied in seasonings than traditional Cantonese cuisine. Toronto Life
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| | | With its wacky, cartoon-strip decor, Vena's Restaurant, on Queen west of Bathurst, is an old favourite. Head right to the back, past the ancient Pac-Man game and Captain Caveman painting, peruse the straightforward menu scrawled out on Day-Glo bristol board and choose from a tasty range of vegetarian and meat rotis. Eye Weekly Magazine
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| | | For greasy goodies that will make your mouth sing and your arteries wail like dying cat, the Yung Sing Pastry shop is an addictive indulgence planted on the outskirts of Chinatown. If you haven't already been alerted to this gem, then now is the time. BlogTo
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