Happy New Year! Thanks to everyone who followed, read & supported the Toronto Food Blog in 2023. We appreciate you!!!
2023 was a big year for the Toronto Food Blog as we continued our pursuit of documenting the best (and worst) restaurants, greasy spoons, watering holes, food courts, strip malls, bodegas, markets and food trucks throughout the 6ix.
We sure did visit a lot of brand-new restaurants this past year… as well as finally getting to many established places for the very first time (more on that later).
We hit the road often… frequenting all boroughs in NYC, the best and brightest of cottage countries, as well as visiting L.A. for the first time.
We were also lucky enough to golf once a week and feature local tracks, #earlymorningglazejobs, and 19th-hole lunches throughout the (short) season.
We continued our partnership with Toronto’s BIAs to showcase and support small business…
…and we added music to our Instagram posts for the first time in ’23 (listen to the playlist here)!
Thanks for coming along for the ride with us! Here ‘s a dozen of our favourite meals this past year. These are in no particular order and reflect first-time visits!
We had the pleasure of joining Canada’s only two-star Michelin chef, @sushimasakisaito, for a special launch of his new vision: MSSM (154 Cumberland St, upstairs) is a top-shelf Omakase experience that’s purpose-built to be less than $100!!!
Masaki Saito is changing the Toronto food scene by making his food, service, atmosphere and attention-to-detail more accessible.
This is fourteen courses of hand-crafted perfection. Certainly our most unique dining experience of 2023.
As some of y’all readers may know, we’ve been chasing Beef Rendang for decades. First introduced in Amsterdam, we’ve since travelled the globe in search of that meal.
Well, the rendition at Nai Nai (109 McCaul St) really exceeded our expectations. Light on the gravy and big on the chew. Just how we like it!
Served with sambal egg & curry jackfruit over sticky rice… Charlene’s hospitality is the finishing touch on our most memorable takeaway of 2023!
Our hat-tip for 2023’s Best Burger flipflopped all year long. It finally landed after we tried Harry’s Charbroiled (255 Coxwell Ave) for the first time.
They have officially come east after a long & successful run in Parkdale, and everything we’d heard is true. Their burgers are awesome. Smashed to perfection with fries & shakes as accoutrements.
Many of you already know all about this place. We’re admittedly a bit late to the party. But if you haven’t been, do check ‘em out.
Classic Jane all day long, baby! Believe the hype!
The Toronto Food Blog had the opportunity to check a box off our culinary bucket list in 2023 with a visit to the famed Katz’s Deli in New York City. The experience really set the bar, prompting us to find the best delicatessen in the 6ix.
We’ll preface this by noting that everyone has their personal favourite spot, steeped in tradition. But if there’s one thing a blog likes, it’s a list. And lists have tops. This year, the top of our list just happened to be a spot we visited for the very first time (and with great company).
The reasoning for our decision is really quite simple. Dave Isen at Dave’s Genuine Deli (1763 Avenue Rd) gets a smoke on his meat that is unlike anything we’ve ever tasted. It permeates every bite in the best possible way! Half-a-pound per sandwich served with a full sour and a cherry soda. ‘Nuff said!
Sonam owns and operates Momo Ghar (568 Parliament St).. He’s got the hospitality game down with his friendly and approachable disposition. Like us, he spent many of his formative years living in Cabbagetown after immigrating from Tibet (b/w/o India) in his early teens. He’s sharing his culinary skills and love for Himalayan cuisine with his neighbourhood, and we can’t get enough.
The menu is adorned with interesting appetizers. And their rendition of Laping is, quite frankly, the best bite of the past year! The prep required is nothing short of astounding. Sonam tells us that he hand-rolls starch and lets it rest for over 24 hours. Once ready, he uses it to wrap a melange of carefully diced garlic, chillies, tomato, red onion, cilantro, kukure potato chips and alfalfa sprouts.
Served floating in a chilli-soy emulsion, we promised this dish would be appearing on our Best of 2023 recap dropping New Year’s day. Well, here we are!
Bagel brunching at Primrose Bagel Company (317a Oakwood Ave).
Hand Rolled, Malt Boiled and Baked Fresh Daily. We typically dislike anything related to brunch. But if this is what we’re eating, we could get used to it.
Lower East Sider… Smoked whitefish salad, scallion cream cheese, cucumber, sliced red onion, fried capers, dill, wasabi-crema on a poppyseed bagel
These win our double-shot for best brunch & bagels… thanks to their top-shelf schmear campaign!
When it comes to naming our favourite new Toronto restaurant opening of 2023, we went a bit off script.
Supreme Taste is a new Cantonese roastery & restaurant in #EastChinatownTO. Owner, Ben Yin, is a former treasury banker with management experience in the QSR space. When the previous owners of Sing Sing BBQ were looking to retire after being a fixture in the ‘hood for decades, Ben jumped at the chance to become his own restauranteur. He prides himself on great customer service, a quality menu, and decent prices.
We visited on a bustling opening-day and have been coming back regularly (with clients, friends, family & co-workers) ever since.
You can tell a lot about a Chinese restaurant by their Mapo Tofu. And the offering here is our favourite version of our favourite dish… Nice and spicy; Char Siu burnt ends; electric texture! Get in our belly!
We kept the tradition of #wednesdaysinscarborough alive throughout 2023. Our favourite day of the week!
Vietnam was well-represented all year ’round, and the bestest Bánh Xèo in the league was found off the beaten path at Linh Anh (3290 Midland Ave).
This Vietnamese turmeric crepe is served crunchy and stuffed to the gills with bean sprouts and lemongrass chicken & shrimp. Served with lettuce cups, salad and sauces for dunking!
We can’t remember the last time eating with our hands was this much fun! Great Scarborough spot!
Heading back downtown, the signature Menchi Katsu Sando at Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu (134 Dundas St E) was the best #lunchunder10bucks we had in 2023.
Cheap lunches are getting harder and harder to find. So this banger of a sandwich has become a welcome addition to our repertoire.
This oishii play on a patty melt is deep-fried until crunchy & served on the softest Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread) with shredded lettuce and sweet BBQ sauce.
It’s crunchy, chewy, hot, cool, sweet, salty, delicious!
Our most romantical date night was found at The Wood Owl (1380 Danforth Ave).
These guys are doing exceptional things with vegetables, and they have a very interesting wine list to pair with each sharing plate.
Swish edition of #meatlessmonday with their heirloom beets + pistachio dukkah, labneh & mint Ten outta ten birthday dinner! Who knew veggies could taste so good?
We ate a lot of different tacos in a lot of different places throughout 2023. Turns out the best happened to be closest to home.
Costilla at Tacos Moras (547 St. Clair W) take home the crown! Beef short rib, perfectly cooked, with cilantro, onion and a fully-loaded salsa bar.
Less is more sometimes. It’s no wonder they just opened up a second location across town on the Danforth. See you next Tuesday;)
#fridaypizzanightwiththegirls is another tradition that carried on strong throughout 2023.
The kiddos have now tried many-a-different pie in the 6ix, and our unanimous favourite this year was a custom wheel from North of Brooklyn (663 Greenwood Ave).
Cup & char pepperoni, mushroom medley, caramelized onions and loads of honey drizzle… fo’ shizzle! What’s not to like?
Keep on riding, Midnight Ravers!
Toronto Food Blog 
Hi Ash. Thanks for all your excellent suggesti
Yeah for the Classic Jane!