47 replies to this topic

[Magictofu]

Going on a short vacation to Toronto this weekend with my wife and 4 year old son. Like Kristin, I am very interested in kids friendly restaurants.

We will definitely eat somewhere aroud Chinatown, Kensington Market, Koreatown, little Italy and Annex over the weekend but our hotel is closer to St-Lawrence Market.

Any recommendations?

[Hank Kingsley]

I'm partial to two locations that I'll mention here. Often the problem with brisket and pulled pork sandwiches is a lack of consistency but after plenty of both I can recommend <a href="http://blackcamel.ca.../about.htm">The Black Camel</a>.

I also like <a href="http://kenzoramen.ca">Kenzo Ramen</a>. The tonkotsu ramen is my heavy dose of pork.

Both aren't expensive and offer good high quality food.

[phoenikia]

Dundas and Bathurst is close to Kensington Market, which offers lots of "ethnic" options- good Mexican (for TO-take with a grain of salt) at El Trompo and Agave & Aguacate http://www.blogto.co...guacate-toronto , Jumbo's empanadas, Torito for tapas, Krepesz for Hungarian palascinta/crepes, Trini Doubles or Jamaican patties at Patty Queen. It's also fairly close to Chinatown (Rol San is the best bet for decent cheap dim sum, Chinese Traditional Buns is a good place for xiao long bao and other Northen dishes, although Mother's Dumplings is more upscale for Chinatown). Lai Wah Heen is the best bet for luxe dim sum downtown, and it's located just south of Dundas, on Chestnut, east of University Ave.

Good Vietnamese (broken rice platter) at Pho Phuong, on Dundas west of Dufferin. Pasteis de Nata at Brasilia Bakery on Dundas near Pho Phuong (or at Golden Wheat, Rivera, Nova Era on College St).Churrasco chicken is also found along Dundas W, in the Portuguese area- haven't tried any of those, so I don't have a rec.

College St/ Little Italy is a short walk from where you're staying, but better Italian can be found elsewhere. Not sure if you include Italian as ethnic, or not. Enoteca Sociale and Campagnolo get more love for upscale/interesting Italian than any restaurants on College St lately, although Negroni on College(mostly panini) has quite a few fans.

You're also quite close to Ossington Ave, the current hip stretch in TO. Pizza Libretto has napoletana style pizza (go at lunch, to avoid line-ups), and Salt is a new tapas bar.

Gandhi's offers East Indian curry wrapped in a WI style roti shell (large serving!), on Queen near Bathurst. Ali's on W Queen W, further w on Queen, offers more traditional WI roti.

Prague Deli serves breakfast daily, including some E Euro specialties. I also like the huevos divorciados at Easy Restaurant on Queen W near Roncesvalles. For Polish food, Chopin and Cafe Polonez on Roncesvalles are great. Good combo platters available at both, with a slightly more extensive menu at Cafe Polonez.

There's also some decent Ethiopian options (one on Queen W near the Drake Hotel, as well as one on College which I haven't tried), that aren't too far from where you're staying.

Edited by phoenikia, 22 April 2011 - 09:15 AM.

[rgruby]

Within about a 20 minute walk of Dundas & Bathurst you can find just about anything Toronto has to offer (if not always the best examples).

As mentioned above, College, Ossington, Kensington/Chinatown are all an easy stroll away, and all offer numerous dining options. Queen has a few places too.

I'll just add Baldwin on the other side of Spadina (a block north of the Art Gallery) has a short restaurant row. And if the kids are feeling homesick, Sanko sells Japanese stuff and is at Queen and Claremont (one big block south and a couple little blocks west of where you'll be).

That stretch of Dundas used to be a complete culinary wasteland. But now in the few blocks between Bathurst and Trinity Bellwoods park you have the Black Hoof, Campagnolo, Saving Grace (brunch only), a swank looking Vietnamese place (there's also the Kim Bo around the corner on Bathurst), Porchetta for porky goodness in sandwich form (and California sandwiches is just off Dundas as well), a bunch of coffee shops, a Turkish pizza place. My kid goes nuts for the dumplings at the little Chinese place at Markham (Eastern Legend?) And, if you're really desperate, there's a McDonalds and a 7-11 too.

Trinity Bellwoods Park- a few blocks west- also has a farmer's market from 3-7 on Tuesdays (if memory serves).

Cheers,
Geoff

[torakris]

This are exactly the kinds of places I am looking for!! I purposely picked this area because of the proximity to the Kensington Market area. We really love Mexican/Central/South American, but unfortunately Cleveland (my hometown) has pretty much nothing outside of the Chi Chi's variety. Our 2 best meals in San Francisco last summer were Burmese and El Salvadorian...

Toronto will be the longest stay in our multi city trip and I am really looking forward to eating our way around!

[Kerry Beal]

This are exactly the kinds of places I am looking for!! I purposely picked this area because of the proximity to the Kensington Market area. We really love Mexican/Central/South American, but unfortunately Cleveland (my hometown) has pretty much nothing outside of the Chi Chi's variety. Our 2 best meals in San Francisco last summer were Burmese and El Salvadorian...

Toronto will be the longest stay in our multi city trip and I am really looking forward to eating our way around!

Kris - in behind Kensington you'll find Back Alley. You might recall an eG participant nanwith8ovens. Frank is the producer of the SousVide Magic and makes some yummy BBQ using sousvide and his fabulous ovens.

[Jake]

Hey Kris - hope you're well. I'll have to get back to you on some of the names as I'm dashing this off at work after i saw this - haven't been on the boards as much lately. Ethiopian place on the Danforth is really good (there are 2 of them, both get good reviews), Toronto also has some excellent Indian food - I highly recommend Amaya Indian Room in Leaside (north east of where you are staying) for some interesting dishes - they also have a website. Origin and Colborne Lane are always interesting. Caplansky's Deli for lunch/brunch one day for some really good smoked meat sandwiches. Kensington Market area for browsing, and munching on Trinidadian doubles, empanadas and pupusas as various shops as well as Jamaican patties in coco bread. I'm living in NYC now, but may be in Toronto that week - message me if you'd like to try and meet up for a meal.

[rgruby]

Apologies for just jumping into this thread but it seems to be the best one for dining in Toronto. My kids and I are going to be taking our first trip to Toronto this summer and we love to eat! We'll be there from 7/29 to 8/3 and I've just booked apartment like accommodations on Dundas about 2 blocks west of Bathurst. Even though we have a small kitchen I don't really plan on cooking much more than breakfasts, I am looking for some good places for lunch and dinner and even breakfast. We prefer ethnic cuisines to American style burgers and sandwiches, preferably places that we can eat family style as we tend to order a couple entrees and appetizers to share when we eat out. Nothing too expensive either as this is just a part of a 2 week trip that goes from Cleveland to Boston through Toronto and back.
For reference my kids are 15, 13 and 10 and eat absolutely anything. We also aren't too interested in Japanese food as we can get that really cheap where we are.

Just going to mention that there's a little shop at Palmerston& Dundas (which happens to be exactly two blocks west of Bathurst) selling local foodstuffs. I'm embarrassed to say I've never poked my head in so I don't what all is there.

And, you'll be right by a public pool at Dundas and Bathurst, should you feel like going for a swim. Also, the Sunday should be a car-free one in Kensington. The last Sunday of the month from May through Sept or Oct are usually a pedestrian-only zone.

Cheers,
Geoff

[GordonCooks]

Kensington Market has great little ethnic pocket restos throughout. The names escape me but you can peruse the area while you shop. Mexican, Jamaican, Indian, A great bakery and cheese spot, a spice market, etc.

[abadoozy]

I'm probably going to be in Toronto on business in the next few weeks, and am looking for some good restaurant recommendations.

What I'm looking for:

- I'll be flying in to Billy Bishop City Airport, so will probably be staying close to there. That's pretty much downtown, isn't it?

- I'm guessing I'll have at least a couple nights where I'm looking to eat by myself, so I want to find places where it's not uncomfortable to be a single eater. Like, places where I can sit at the bar and eat, or have some other accommodations for singles would be great. No community tables; I don't want to socialize, I want to eat!

- I'm female, so I want places I can get to safely/easily by taxi at night. No long expensive drives or places where it wouldn't be good for a single female to be by herself.

- I'm partial to Charcuterie, ethnic foods, you name it. As long as it's Good Food and meets my other criteria, I'm interested. I've just been looking at the menu at the Black Hoof - looks divine! Does it fit with what I'm looking for?

- Any good takeout/delivery is also great. I'm guessing I'll want to kick back in the hotel room at least one night and order in.

[Kerry Beal]

I'm probably going to be in Toronto on business in the next few weeks, and am looking for some good restaurant recommendations.

What I'm looking for:

- I'll be flying in to Billy Bishop City Airport, so will probably be staying close to there. That's pretty much downtown, isn't it?

- I'm guessing I'll have at least a couple nights where I'm looking to eat by myself, so I want to find places where it's not uncomfortable to be a single eater. Like, places where I can sit at the bar and eat, or have some other accommodations for singles would be great. No community tables; I don't want to socialize, I want to eat!

- I'm female, so I want places I can get to safely/easily by taxi at night. No long expensive drives or places where it wouldn't be good for a single female to be by herself.

- I'm partial to Charcuterie, ethnic foods, you name it. As long as it's Good Food and meets my other criteria, I'm interested. I've just been looking at the menu at the Black Hoof - looks divine! Does it fit with what I'm looking for?

- Any good takeout/delivery is also great. I'm guessing I'll want to kick back in the hotel room at least one night and order in.

Given where you will likely be staying - for the take out you might want to get delivery from Mengrai Thai (their delivery area would be the downtown close to the water) - their number #54 which is a red thai curry with lychee and pineapple is excellent.

You'll be fairly close to Chinatown, Kensington Market and St Lawrence Market where you can find a number of excellent places to eat. If you are in the market for one - with a little advance planning you could pick up a Sous Vide Magic from Frank Hsu - his place is in the Kensington Market area. He needs about a weeks notice to calibrate the unit before you pick it up.

Black Hoof sounds great - an article from 2009 seems to suggest it doesn't take credit cards though so I'd make sure to have some cash along - although that may have changed since then.

I haven't a lot of specific recommendations for you - I suspect some of the folks who live in Toronto would know better.

[rgruby]

Let us know where you're staying - there isn't much around the airport. It's pretty much all condos there, with very little in the way of eating opportunities.

Cabs are plentiful, if a bit pricey. Anywhere downtown that you'd want to eat will be fine to travel by cab or public transport by yourself. Parkdale can be a bit sketchy, but when we were house-hunting we were looking there. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to go there, I wouldn't be concerned if my wife was out there with friends and coming home by herself etc. Becoming full of hipsters etc. Depends on your comfort level. I don't think its any more dangerous than most other downtown areas, but it is maybe a bit rougher around the edges.

Black Hoof could work - if you can get there early. I'm not sure if they're still on their no reservations deal, but if they're full, there's nothing else around it. Although College street, and Ossington are both full of restaurants a five or ten minute walk away.

Cheers,
Geoff

[SylviaLovegren]

We love the Queen & Beaver Pub on Elm Street just off Yonge (Elm Street is just north of Dundas). It's an upscale pub with a nice bar/sports upstairs, bar and dining room downstairs, food is upscale Brit pub, organic locavore. Very comfy and the owner and staff are really nice. It tends to be a bit crowded at peak dinnertime so you might want to call for a reservation just to be safe. Here's the website http://queenandbeaverpub.ca/

Depending on where exactly you're staying, you could walk up Yonge to the pub and be safe, but it's a bit of a hoof and it will probably be cold and snowy so a cab would be a little more comfortable.

Another place that's right in downtown near the St. Lawrence Market (which is a fun stop itself) is Le Papillon On Front -- a Quebecois crepe place that's great for brunch or dinner. Moderately priced and pleasant, food is not amazing but solidly good and you can sample some French Canadian classics or stick to a nice simple crepe. http://www.lepapillonfront.com/en/

[abadoozy]

Thanks for all the replies. It's looking very likely that I'll be going next week.

Let us know where you're staying - there isn't much around the airport. It's pretty much all condos there, with very little in the way of eating opportunities.

I'm staying near Billy Bishop City Airport, not the main Airport. Am I wrong in thinking I'm more or less downtown? I don't know the exact hotel yet (Corp people setting things up and they are sloooow) but I'd be very surprised if it wasn't one of the closest hotels to the airport because that's what they always do.

Queen & Beaver looks great, as does Le Papillon - those are both in my file now.

Any recommendations for sushi?

[rgruby]

Thanks for all the replies. It's looking very likely that I'll be going next week.

Let us know where you're staying - there isn't much around the airport. It's pretty much all condos there, with very little in the way of eating opportunities.

I'm staying near Billy Bishop City Airport, not the main Airport. Am I wrong in thinking I'm more or less downtown? I don't know the exact hotel yet (Corp people setting things up and they are sloooow) but I'd be very surprised if it wasn't one of the closest hotels to the airport because that's what they always do.

Queen & Beaver looks great, as does Le Papillon - those are both in my file now.

Any recommendations for sushi?

The airport is downtownish - but it's not really downtown. The airport is on an island, and to get to the mainland you will have to take the world's shortest ferry ride. Seriously. There is a hotel not too far from there, but it's not right there. But, go a mile or two into the city, and there are dozens. It's an important mile or two though - down on the lake is condoville and not much else. Cross over the transportation corridor, and then you're downtown in terms of amenities, public transport, and restaurants.

As for sushi, hmmmmm. I just get take out from a local place. Decent, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Hiro on King St. E. is probably still reliable- been ages since I've been in there. Most of the downtown sushi joints are nothing to write home about though. Hiro is one of a few that rise above the mediocrity.

Any particular ethnic cuisine you're interested in? There's a Chinatown and Korean stretch downtown and Greek and Indian not too far afield. And probably pretty much anything else can be found, if not always done well or downtown.

Cheers,
Geoff

[phoenikia]

Thanks for all the replies. It's looking very likely that I'll be going next week.

Let us know where you're staying - there isn't much around the airport. It's pretty much all condos there, with very little in the way of eating opportunities.

I'm staying near Billy Bishop City Airport, not the main Airport. Am I wrong in thinking I'm more or less downtown? I don't know the exact hotel yet (Corp people setting things up and they are sloooow) but I'd be very surprised if it wasn't one of the closest hotels to the airport because that's what they always do.

Queen & Beaver looks great, as does Le Papillon - those are both in my file now.

Any recommendations for sushi?

For sushi in the downtown core, I like the sushi at Yuzu. http://yuzutoronto.com/

I'd recommend Le Select http://www.leselect.com/ . Biff's http://www.oliverbon...ffs-Bistro.aspx is also decent for bistro food, and it's a couple blocks east of the Royal York, which you would be able to reach by the free shuttle that runs from Billy Bishop Airport.

If you're willing to travel a little further (within a 20 minute taxi of Billy Bishop airport), Le Paradis http://www.leparadis.com/ and Pastis on Yonge are very good bistros that often attract a French-speaking clientele, for what its worth.

For upscale Greek food downtown, I recommend Volos. I really like their octopus. http://volos.ca/

Khao San Road is great, if you like Thai food. Khao San Road doesn't currently offer delivery, but they do offer take-out. http://www.khaosanroad.ca/

Edited by phoenikia, 09 February 2012 - 05:38 PM.

[rgruby]

Slightly OT,

But wondering if Gordon (or others) have tried the new high-end (hotel) places? Stock in Trump got a ghastly review in the Star a week or two ago, which may or may not sway you one way or the other.

Or more broadly, what are the (newer) places you're interested in?

Cheers,
Geoff

[GordonCooks]

Most likely hitting TOCA next trip if that's there I stay - will report back. Toronto seems to be going through the whole NYC devolution of BBQ, DOC Pizzas, Burgers, Porchetta Sandwiches, etc for reasons mainly economical I would fathom.

Not personally interesting as this is what my friends and I cook ourselves when the craving strikes.