Butchers of Distinction is truly a hidden gem. As the lone butcher shop in the quietly booming Riverside neighbourhood on Toronto’s lower east-side, they claim to be the first meat specialty shop to offer only Ontario grown, raised or made produce. Their aim is to offer the very highest-quality products (free of hormones, antibiotics and…
Rudy ~ 619 College St ~ (647) 748-7839
Happy Canada Day!!! The 150 celebrations really got the Toronto Food Blog inspired to showcase a cheap-eats spot who are going all out this weekend. RUDY happens to be dishing out free burgers to the first 150 of their Instagram followers who grace their doors this July 1st. I would expect nothing less from the best…
Mike’s Fish and Chips ~ 2162 Danforth Ave ~ 416-429-4665
Just east of Woodbine Station, 2162 Danforth Avenue has been a Fish & Chip restaurant for over 75 years. Nick Benakis (the fifth owner) took over Mike’s Fish & Chips from his parents-in-law a couple of years back and has rejigged the menu to focus primarily on both Burgers & Fish and Chips. The burgers…
sukhoTHAI ~ 274 Parliament St. ~ (416) 913-8846
Chef Nuit Regular needs no introduction. She’s single-handedly shaped the Toronto Thai food scene, building her empire while collaborating with many of the city’s best. The Toronto Food Blog would like to give a shout out to our favorite Toronto Thai restaurant of all time… the one that started it all… sukhoTHAI @ 274 Parliament…
P.J. O’Brien ~ 39 Colborne St ~ (416) 815-7562
Hidden away on Colborne St, right behind the King Eddy, is P.J. O’Brien. This is the city’s top Irish pub; a downtown fixture for as long as I can remember. I had my first “legal” pint here and continue to frequent when I need a place for a semi-casual client lunch or a pint before…
Patrician Grill ~ 219 King St E ~ (416) 366-4841
I have always had a soft spot for the Patrician Grill. When I was a kid, my dad used to take my brother and I to his office on Saturday mornings. We’d head directly across the street to the Patrician Grill for a peameal on a kaiser at lunch. Some thirty years later, it feels…
Wok & Roast Chinese BBQ Restaurant ~ 349 Broadview Ave ~ (416) 461-3811
When my favourite Chinese BBQ restaurant in the city (Ka Ka Lucky) burned down this summer, I was in shock. Sure, some of it had to do with the fact that I was eating there at the time. The aftermath left a gaping hole in my lunchtime routine. Then when Kom Jug Yuen closed-up shop…
The Queen and Beaver ~ 35 Elm St ~ (647) 347-2712
The Queen and Beaver Public House is, hands down, one of the best gastropubs in town. It’s the Toronto Food Blog’s go-to spot around Yonge & Dundas Square. Head chef Duncan Simpson makes everything from scratch, documenting most of his team’s creations on Instagram. This is fine British fare taken to the next level; a…
White Lily Diner ~ 678 Queen St E ~ (416) 901-7800
Located at Queen and Broadview, the White Lily Diner is the newest addition to the Riverside food scene. In the kitchen we have Ben Denham, who was the former head-chef at Electric Mud BBQ. His partner, Ashley Lloyd, works the front in the most charming of fashions. Together, they have turned the skinniest of spaces…
The Dominion ~ 500 Queen St E ~ (416) 366-5555
The Dominion Pub & Kitchen is the newly-restored space by FAB Restaurant Concepts (the folks who brought you The Brazen Head, etc). Standing on the corner of Queen St. E. and Sumach St. since 1877, this heritage building has been given the makeover it so desperately needed, while still maintaining enough interior space to continue…
Danforth Roti Shop ~ 2844 Danforth Ave ~ (416) 690-1308
If you are looking for T&T food in Toronto’s east-end, Danforth Roti Shop is the spot. The hand-drawn menu focuses on the classics: doubles, polourie, saheena and mauby (my personal favourite to wash everything down). Be sure to ask for condiments, hot sauces and chutney, as they’re hidden away in the back and aren’t to…
Udupi Palace ~ 1460 Gerrard St E ~ (416) 405-8189
Named after the owner’s hometown on India’s south-west coast, Udupi Palace has been serving-up authentic, regional, affordable South Indian and Vegetarian cuisine since 2001. The undisputed king of eats in the Gerrard Indian Bazaar , Udupi Palace takes the Toronto Food Blog’s prestigious double-crown for both the best Indian food and best Vegetarian food in…
