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I have a confession to make: When DoorDash asked me to pen a best-of restaurant list for my hometown, I sort of had it written already. I’ve long had a note on my phone with all of my favourite restaurants in Toronto, which I refer to when people come to visit or friends ask for suggestions. Because here, in the most diverse city in the entire world, we’re truly spoiled with the sheer number of cuisines to feast on. The hardest part was narrowing it down. Here’s my list of the best of the best restaurants in Toronto (many of which might happen to be near you!).
Alexandros
This restaurant’s claim to fame: It was the first Toronto restaurant to introduce gyros on their menu, giving Greek people a taste of home. They’ve been slinging those city-famous gyros, as well as souvlaki dinners, Mediterranean-inspired burgers, and poutines for almost 30 years. They have three locations: two in Toronto, in Greektown and right on the waterfront, and one in Hamilton. The tzatziki is honestly some of the best I’ve ever had, so order extra.
Bang Bang Ice Cream
The best way to avoid the always long summertime lines at this decade-old ice cream shop on Ossington? Delivery. It’s run by the same sister/brother team that owns Bakerbots, and they’re serving up scoops in-person and pints and ice cream sammies for delivery near you. Flavours run the gamut: they’ve got everything from fresh mint and burnt toffee to cinnamon toast and milk and cookies. If this means anything to you: it also has my teenage niece’s seal of approval.
Banjara Indian Cuisine
In my opinion, the stars at this Indian restaurant, with locations in Bloordale and Scarborough Junction, are their thalis. For less than $20, you get rice, naan, daal, aloo gobi, veggie pakora, rice pudding, and your choice of a veggie, chicken, lamb, goat, or beef. (I’m a chicken korma stan, so that’s my usual pick.) If you go in person, the Bloordale location has a small patio overlooking Bloor Street. See all locations >>
Bunner's
When my partner found out he was lactose-intolerant and could no longer partake in many baked goods, I asked him, “Have you had Bunner’s?” The vegan and gluten-free bakeshop, located in the north end of Kensington Market, serves all your favourite sweets — cupcakes, cinnamon buns, brownies, cookies, scones — just with no dairy, eggs, or wheat. The best thing is the cheesecake; I can’t tell the difference between this and the original.
Buster's Sea Cove
Buster’s, a seafood spot that’s been in business for more than 30 years, is maybe the place I’ve frequented most on this list. (I used to work nearby, and my co-worker and I would walk to St. Lawrence Market for lunch at least once a week.) Portions are huge and include grilled- and fried-fish sandwiches, lobster rolls, fish and chips, barbecued salmon with heaps of salad or fries, and so much more.
Butter Chicken Factory
The Malik family has operated Butter Chicken Factory in Cabbagetown since 2010. The portions here are huge; the “dinner for two” could easily serve four and includes fan favourites like two curries of your choice, chana masala, rice, naan, and either samosas, bhajia, or pakoras. They’re known for their butter chicken, obviously, but the korma and the Hakka-style dishes like chilli chicken and manchurian are also a hit.
Chula Taberna Mexicana
Everything I ever order at this Mexican restaurant on Gerrard Street East is top-notch: guacamole, street corn, ensalada, and tacos, tacos, tacos. (There’s crispy fish, beef barbacoa, Baja chicken, pork carnitas, and crispy zucchini.) The in-person space is fun — there’s a rooftop and back patio — and the cocktails are great, too. If you’re opting for delivery near you, you won’t miss out: You can order a classic or mango margarita. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash which means it is one of the top-rated and most reliable restaurants on DoorDash.
Craig's Cookies
Craig Pike, the name behind the iconic Toronto bakery, started making his potluck-famous cookies for friends a decade ago. One thing led to another and now he has six locations across Canada. The queer-owned shop bakes a standard base and then fills them with nostalgic sweets like Oreos, Reese’s, apple pie, Pop-Tarts, and more. Can’t eat dairy or gluten? The bakery has options for you, too. My nephew says they’re “the best cookies ever.” This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash. See all locations >>
Dam Sandwiches
The three young chefs that opened Dam Sandwiches in a tiny shop on Oakwood Avenue in 2021 have been making some of the best sammies this city has ever seen. Highlights include their Cubano, brisket, dakgalbi, fried cheese, and weekly special sandwiches, plus their Asian-inspired sides like Japchae and kimchi cukes.
El Sabor Venezolano
Toronto isn’t overflowing with as many Venezuelan restaurants as, say, Caribbean or Chinese eateries, but when I order an arepa or empanada, I’m reminded of how much I love South American food. The family-owned El Sabor Venezolano in Greektown serves an A+ chicken arepa with black beans, sweet plantains, cheese, and avocado sauce; plus cachapas, a white cheese and sweet corn pancake; and tequenos, which are deep-fried cheese sticks.
Fattoush
Tucked away in a small shop on Gerrard Street East and run by a trio of chefs who used to work in Vancouver together, Fattoush sells Middle Eastern sandwiches like shawarma, falafel, smashed beef, and crispy eggplant — the latter of which I’ve ordered more than a few times — plus Jordanian-style breakfast sammies. The resto is only open during the day, but the trek here is worth it. (And ordering eliminates that trek!)
Free Times Cafe
Free Times is an almost-40-year-old staple on College Street near Kensington Market, known for serving a Jewish brunch buffet of latkes, challah French toast, bagels with smoked salmon, cream cheese and lox, kugels, blintzes, and more. If you’re unsure where to eat first in Toronto, come here. A few years ago, when I first found out I was part-Jewish, I often turned to Free Times delivery to teach me more about the cuisine I inherited. Thanks, Free Times.
Ginger
Whenever I don’t want to cook, my go-to is Vietnamese food, as it’s fresh, healthy, and full of flavour. Ginger, in Toronto’s Gay Village, serves up big (and affordable!) portions. The mango salad, vermicelli, pho, banh mi, and tom yum soup are all bangers and all cost less than $15. My friend recently told me Ginger got her through university and, honestly, this restaurant is helping me get through life. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
Gus Tacos
What started as one tiny food stall in Kensington Market in 2020 has now grown into one of Toronto’s most beloved taqueria chains with six locations across the city. Owned by cousins Emilio and Augustine Morales and featured in every major Toronto media publication, the menu includes tacos, of course, plus quesadillas, chilacas, tortas, burritos, and bowls. Proteins include chicken, battered fish, pastor, carnitas, and barbacoa. See all locations >>
Happy Burger
There are so many great burger spots in Toronto (looking at you Friday Burger Company and Burger Drops!), but Happy Burger, opened in 2020 by the same owners behind the trendy Mamakas, piqued my interest when it became a favourite among local chefs and restaurateurs. There’s one location on Yonge Street and one near Kensington Market, and they’re both serving terrific smash-style burgs, fried-chicken sandies, all-beef hot dogs, waffle fries, and milkshakes. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
Momo Ghar
Most of Toronto’s momo eateries can be found in Parkdale, a west-end neighbourhood, but my top pick is Momo Ghar in Cabbagetown; they also have a brand-new location in Bloor West Village. The varieties on the menu are seemingly endless: paneer tandoori, butter chicken, cabbage-jhol, plus there’s chow mein, and gyuma, a Tibetan sausage. Their Instagram account says “spicy but good,” and I honestly can’t think of a better slogan. See all locations >>
Mother's Dumplings 妈妈饺子馆
This family-owned, Michelin-recommended Chinatown staple has been around for almost 20 years. Owned by a husband-and-wife duo, Mother’s Dumplings has a lengthy menu — congee, noodle dishes, hot and sour soup, smashed cucumber salad — but the namesake specialty is where it’s at. There are barbecue pork buns as well as ones filled with boiled pork and chive or pan-fried beef and celery; there are also steamed bok choy, tofu, and mushroom dumplings. It honestly never disappoints. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
Mr. Jerk
Ask a Torontonian their favourite patty spot and they’re sure to have a strong opinion. Why? Over two-thirds of Canada’s Jamaican population lives in Toronto, yielding many Caribbean eateries and ensuing debates on which serves the best one. My go-to is Mr. Jerk, a walk-in-closet-sized takeout spot where Cabbagetown and St. James Town meet. (There are also two locations in North York.) The patties and jerk chicken are A+; the festivals and plantains are great, too. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
Parallel
On our first date, my now-partner and I bonded over our love of Middle Eastern food and — lo and behold — we wound up at Parallel the second time we hung out. This family-owned restaurant is run by three brothers on the trendy Geary Avenue; their classic dishes include bright-green falafel, fluffy pita, fattoush salad, fried cauliflower, and dips like hummus, labneh, and babaganoush. I could eat here every day. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
PG Clucks
Toronto has got a stellar lineup of fried-chicken spots (hey The Heartbreak Chef and Tokyo Hot Fried Chicken!), but PG Clucks has been serving up fried birds to the masses from their itty-bitty shop in Little Italy for nearly a decade. They have four signature sandwiches — jalapeño and honey, sweet barbecue, classic with buttermilk-ranch, and a double-piece with mac sauce — as well as one- to 12-piece meals, fingers, and fries.
Rol San 龍笙栈
This dim sum resto in Chinatown has been serving small plates of dumplings and snacks for close to 30 years. The menu is enormous and best enjoyed with friends — so you can order as much as possible. Rol San doesn’t take reservations, and lines are long, so delivery near you is always a solid plan. Locals especially love the shrimp dumpling har gow, steamed BBQ pork buns, and pan-fried beef short ribs.
Saffron Spice Kitchen
Saffron Spice on Queen Street West has been serving up rice and curry (Sri Lanka’s national dish) for more than a decade. The sweet and spicy caramelized eggplant curry is my fave, but their kothu roti — chopped up roti, curry, veggies, eggs, green chilies, and onions — is also popular.
Salad King
There are so many good Thai restaurants in Toronto, but Salad King, a decades-old spot run by Alan Liu, which he took over from his parents, is among the best places to eat. The restaurant has two locales and has long been popular among university students, and maybe that’s why I keep coming back: fond memories of eating here when I moved downtown in my early 20s. Locals love the khao soi, pad Thai, and off-menu Islamic noodles. See all locations >>
Schmaltz Appetizing
Owned by Anthony Rose, the mastermind behind Fat Pasha, a Middle Eastern and Jewish restaurant located right next door, Schmaltz is known for their bagels with cream cheese and variety of smoked fish. The shop, a staple on Dupont, has been slinging sky-high sammies for the past decade. Popular bagel orders include the Shmendrick, with pastrami, sour pickle, and mustard and the Maven (my fave!) with lox, capers, onions, and cream cheese.
SugarKane
I’ve long loved SugarKane ever since it opened in 2019. The vibrant Cajun- and Caribbean-style eatery stands out — in a good way — as it’s located on the Danforth, an area packed mostly with Greek restaurants. It’s run by three sisters, and they’re serving food they grew up eating, like jerk corn, saltfish cakes, chicken and waffle sliders, braised oxtail bowl, and Creole jambalaya. They also have a fun cocktail menu — think rum with grapefruit Ting — only available at the restaurant; if you order in, throw in a few bottles of Ting, and add your own rum!
Tinuno
Tinuno, with locations by Sherbourne subway station and on Bathurst Street, is on every “best Filipino restaurants in Toronto” list, and I can see why. Their kamayan, a communal-style feast eaten without utensils, is just $25-$30 a person and includes milkfish, tilapia, squid, shrimp, mussels, pork belly, pork skewers, okra, eggplant, mango salad, and garlic rice. They also have ube burnt Basque cheesecake, leche flan, and silvanas, a Filipino frozen cookie, for dessert.
Torch Sushi Shop
It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but this Japanese restaurant in Toronto’s Gay Village is serving beautifully crafted fish and rice morsels that are a combination of Aburi- and Oshizushi-style sushi, aka flame-seared and pressed. Their tasting box is a favourite of mine: For less than $25, you get one of each type of scallop, butterfish, unagi, salmon, shrimp, and spicy salmon sushi — plus seaweed salad, edamame, and two handrolls. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant
The slogan at Wazema, an Ethiopian restaurant owned by two sisters in Toronto’s east-end Little Ethiopia neighbourhood, says it best: “Our food is prepared the way Mom makes it at home, except our mom also cooks for all our customers that cross our door.” I’m a fan of the veggie platter, which comes with six vibrant plant-based stews, as well as the flavourful chicken tibs. Both are served with a sky-high serving of fluffy Ethiopian injera. This restaurant is part of DoorDash's #BlackFoodEnergy grant program.
Yummy Korean Food Restaurant
Located on Bloor Street West in Toronto’s Koreatown, this always-busy restaurant has more than 100 dishes on their menu, including classics like bibimbap, tteokbokki, kimchi, bulgogi, and pajeon. I recently dined here and had leftovers that I shared with my best friend the next day; she lived in South Korea for a year and said it reminded her of her days in Seoul. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
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