Diversions | RESTAURANT IDEAS

ON OSSINGTON AVENUE

 

Pho Tien Thanh, 57 Ossington Avenue, Vietnamese, for a great soup (pho) and the crispy spring rolls are divine. I also like their Bun (Vermicelli salads). Its a casual place where we often grab a quick lunch.

 

Boralia, 59 Ossington Avenue, for a unique taste of Canadian tapas. Everything is good, small tapas sized dishes so you can try lots of things... Smokey mussels are a signature as are their Chinese tea eggs. We take all of our out of town guests here.

 

Golden Turtle, 125 Ossington Avenue, Vietnamese, for a great vermicelli salad (bun). Another casual place for a quick lunch.

 

Foxley, 207 Ossington Avenue, Asian Fusion and the first restaurant on this strip since 20-years, great avocado crab salad. It's a dinner place...

 

Pizzeria Libretto, 221 Ossington Avenue, for really, really yummy thin crust pizza. Skip the pasta and instead go to Enoteca Sociale.

 

Moliceiro, 217 Ossington Avenue, very good family-style Portuguese restaurant with generous portions.

 

Alex Rei Dos Leitoes, 219 Ossington Avenue, is a Portuguese catering company that also offers take-out. Fun fact Molicero is operated by the son of Alex.

 

Rashers, 182 Ossington Avenue, pea-meal (Canadian bacon) sandwich served on a soft bun with grainy mustard… (if you like crispy pork with “crackling” (the crispy skin) hit Porchetta below…

 

(Further north, just north of Bloor - not walking distance from the main Ossington drag) is

Actinolite, 971 Ossington Avenue, a Canadian foraging experience, a bit pricey but definitely "special occasion" special.

 

***On Ossington Ave you also have Bang Bang Ice Cream, Bellwoods Brewery for craft beer and Reposado, a tequila bar, all worth checking out.

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ON DUNDAS STREET WEST

 

Porchetta & Co., 825 Dundas Street West, very simply they serve the best pork sandwiches in the city, and their sweet and spicy Korean chicken sandwich is good too.

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Saving Grace, 907 Dundas Street West, good brunch place (they only serve brunch).  While waiting you can grab a Vietnamese Latte across the street at Ella's Uncle (and try their banana bread - it's omg good).

 

OVO, 899 Dundas Street West, okay so it's not a restaurant nor a café; but it's Drake's flagship clothing store... yay 416!

 

Nova Era Bakery, 1172 Dundas Street West, a really great Portuguese bakery, try their steak sandwich, and their flan is… oh-so-good.

 

Enoteca Sociale, 1288 Dundas Street West, really, really good Italian for pasta, if they have chicken liver pate on the menu, it's divine.

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WEST  QUEEN WEST

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Terroni, 720 Queen Street West, wonderful Italian, a hip and wonderful place for over 25-years.

 

Oyster Boy, 872 Queen Street West, for you guessed it a great selection of fresh oysters. They also have a king crab leg that is good...

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Nam, 874 Queen Street West, for really yummy Vietnamese sandwiches. Perfect sized portion for lunch.

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Fresh, 894 Queen Street West, for great vegetarian.

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Otto’s Bierhalle, 1087 Queen Street West, great saurkraut and sausage, late night menu until 2am.

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COLLEGE STREET

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Ramen Isshin, 421 College Street West, to-die-for Ramen! Probably my favourite of the whole list.

 

Bar Raval, 505 College Street West, great Spanish tapas...

 

Golden Wheat Bakery & Pastry, 652 College Street West, ok where else in the world can you get a tuna fish sandwich on a Portuguese bun with lettuce and tomato under $5? And it's good! ( always order extra salt and pepper).

 

Bar Isabel, 797 College Street West, more great Spanish tapas...

 

Pho Linh, 1156 Dundas Street West, authentic Vietnamese, great pho.

 

PG Clucks, 610 College Street, following the trend of “single dish” restaurants, PG Clucks serves the best fried chicken in the West end. I prefer their sandwiches “dry” i.e. no coleslaw nor pickles, but lately I have also just been ordering their chicken pieces - take them home and serve with steamed rice and black bean sauce.

 

San Francesco’s, 10 Clinton Street, hands down the best veal sandwich in the city, I always order a veal sandwich, dry, spicy, cut in half… If you are snacking – two people can share it. During the day, take it upstairs to the Monarch Tavern, and have a pint. FYI – In the evenings Monarch has a small kitchen.

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PARLIAMENT STREET & CABBAGETOWN

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F’Amelia, 12 Amelia Street, Charcruterie platter is yummy, seasonal outdoor patio.

 

Kingyo Toronto, 51B Winchester Street, Kingyo salad and Death by Chicken with a bowl of rice and I’m in bliss…

 

Under the Table, 568 Parliament Street, everytime I go there, I order the meatloaf; great food and good prices, I’ve tasted the jerk chicken and it’s delicious…

 

Red Cranberries Restaurant, 601 Parliament Street, wonderful “down-east” style diner, $4 homemade soup (I sometimes order two); chicken strips: guilty as charged.

 

CHURCH STREET & THE VILLAGE

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Smith Restaurant, 553 Church Street, nice casual dining in the Village. Same owners as Wish and 7-West nearby…

 

Fabarnak Restaurant and Catering, 519 Church Street, great soup and sandwich, lunch with a Social purpose.

 

Si Lom, 534 Church Street, newly opened, delicious, Bangkok style Thai… I swing between their Pad Thai and Clams, both wonderful. (Ask for the Pad Thai – Thai style, with extra chives, peanuts and chili flakes; I find the shrimp better than the chicken).

 

The Keg Steakhouse Mansion, 515 Jarvis Street, a Canadian classic steakhouse with a wonderful under-rated tucked away, second floor bar…

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BLOOR STREET & YORKVILLE AREA ...

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Sabai Sabai Kitchen and Bar, 81 Bloor Street East, delicious Thai and a current “hot spot” since they moved from Church Street.

 

Yamato Japanese Restaurant, 24 Bellair Street, very good (but limited sushi menu: think tuna, salmon, scallop, white-tail), great maki and the best chopped fatty tuna handroll, reasonable prices, also has a Teppanyaki restaurant.

 

Dynasty Chinese Cuisine, 69 Yorkville Avenue, very good dim sum…

 

Crown Princess Fine Dining, 1033 Bay Street, wonderful dim sum (don’t go there for dinner)…

 

ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT

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Pai, 18 Duncan Street, wonderful northern Thai, the chicken wings are a favorite…

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SPECIAL OCCASION

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La Vinia, 2350 Lake Shore Blvd West, do you ever drive for food? La Vinia is not really that far, but in our opinion the Best Spanish in the city, but it’s a hike…

 

Pearl Diver, 100 Adelaide Street East, wonderful seafood restaurant, seafood tower is amazing, yet semi-pricy, but their: Zinc and Drink (Mon-Sat 12pm-6pm) and their Late night Shuck (Every night 10pm-close) is the deal of the century; at 1-dozen oysters for $18.

 

Alo Restaurant, 163 Spadina Avenue, the 60-day wait list is a bit much, but famed #1 Restaurant in Canada in 2017, by Canada’s 100 Best… we were able to get a spot at the bar and eat their bar-menu; it was divine. But be prepared for a hefty dinner and bar tab.

 

Dandylion, 1198 Queen Street West, voted #9 best restaurant in Canada, (#5 in Toronto); the food and wine selection presented were delicious – my only critique was the “home-smoker” they had “out-back” and when they opened the back and front doors around 10pm, it created a waft of charcoal that came through the restaurant for 15-minutes (think Korean BBQ without much exhaust), delicious food but my clothes and hair smelled of bbq.

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BUCKET LIST

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Awai, 2277 Bloor Street West, remember the Atlantic, the “Pay-what-you-can” cuisine endorsed by Giles Coren? Well Nathan brings a whole new experience to vegan cuisine with Awai, still “PWYC” is where I want to eat next… (wine courses are extra charge… obviously).