Chinese Cantonese
Happy Seven
358 Spadina, at Cecil, 416-971-9820. An unofficial offshoot of Swatow, this Cantonese seafood haven is one of several Chinatown spots that stay open every night till 5 am. Nighthawks can expect a bright, mirror-lined room furnished with high-backed chairs and polyethylene-topped tables. As regulars know, there are two separate menus. One, a white multi-page affair, contains the usual likes of chow mein and sweet ‘n’ sour pork. Stick with the more adventurous single-sheet pink lineup. Best: rich honey-roasted pigeon with peppery salt dip French Southeast Asian-style deep-fried frog legs plump sea scallops in deep-fried taro nest hot and sour soup thick with fermented red tofu, crunchy lily buds and textured slivers of silver and black tree ear mushrooms aquarium-fresh tilapia with fermented black bean sauce. Complete meals for $35 per person ($17 lunch), including all taxes, tip and a Tsingtao beer. Average main $13/$9. Open daily 11:30 am to 5 am. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Pearl Court
633 Gerrard E, at Broadview, 416-463-8778. This busy east-side eatery calls itself the best Chinese restaurant in Toronto and has a wall plastered with rave reviews from the 80s to prove it. It may have been true back then, but today it’s a solid mid-tier Cantonese cantina with a second, more intriguing Southeast Asian-influenced menu. Best: from the latter, house Special Noodle, Swatow-style wide rice noodles slippery with sesame oil, strewn with sweet red pepper strips and zucchini Spicy Vietnamese Beef, large pieces of pounded steak paired with carrot threads, bell pepper and button mushrooms Paper Wrapped Chicken, parchment-encased bundles of juicy deboned thigh in five-spice with coriander leaf deep-fried spring rolls stuffed with finely ground pork deep-fried soft shell crab (“as seen on Citytv!”). Complete meals for $30 per person ($15 at lunch), including all taxes, tip and a domestic beer. Average main $10/$7. Open daily 8 am to 4 am. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Contemporary
Harbord Room
89 Harbord, at Spadina, 416-962-8989. With CVs that include the Drake and Scaramouche (owner/chef Cory Vitiello), Czehoski (partner Dave Mitton and designer Bred Denton) and Niagara Street Café (sommelier Anton Potvin), a late-night menu and a bar that stays open till 2 am, is it any wonder this 35-seat supper club rocks till closing time? New: weekend brunch on the patio! Best: pan-roasted lamb marinated in citrusy olive tapenade and house-made chorizo sided with new potatoes, roasted eggplant and tomato jam house burger topped with sharp cheddar sided with skin-on fries, house-made ketchup and Asian arugula slaw key lime tart in chocolate graham cracker crust with mango, mint and coconut ice cream. Complete dinners for $55 per person, including all taxes, tip and a pint of micro-brew. Average main $22. Open nightly 6 pm to close. Brunch Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 2:30 pm. Closed August 25 to September 1. Licensed. Access: three steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
Harlem
67 Richmond E, at Church, 416-368-1920. The crew from Irie Food Joint recreate the atmosphere of a 20s speakeasy in an intimate supper club setting. Despite the resto’s physical limitations, the kitchen offers a card that references Southern U.S. soul food, Cajun and contemporary Caribbean comfort food. Best: at dinner, baby back ribs in sticky bourbon sauce Harlem Jambalaya thick with shrimp, scallops and chorizo slow-roasted pork hocks sided with old-school mac ‘n’ cheese, collard greens, and house-baked cornbread at lunch, braised lamb shank over root veggies and basmati the eponymous triple-decker stacked with Black Forest ham, Emmenthal, guacamole and gently jerked chicken salad on grilled challah. Complete dinners for $50 per person (lunches $22), including all taxes, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $16/$10. Open Monday to Thursday 11 am to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am to midnight Sunday 4 to 11 pm bar Friday and Saturday to close. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN
Diner
Shanghai Cowgirl
538 Queen W, at Bathurst, 416-203-6623. Located in a former textile emporium, this rockin’ resto and Bovine Sex Club sibling delivers updated greasy-spoon grub with soul food twists in a room that recalls a sleek deco diner. Bonus: retro hard rock soundtrack. Best: battered schnitzel-like Chicken-Fried Steak with dairy-rich country gravy and corn on the cob Trailer Trash Sushi sandwiches, grilled moist chicken breast on Portuguese pada with watercress and wasabi-spiked mayo sided with sweet potato fries three-egg all-day breakfasts with optional sides like corned beef hash and salami to finish, apple-crumble-topped pecan pie or boozy Jagërmeister chocolate mousse. Complete meals for $40 per person (lunches/breakfasts $20), including all taxes, tip and a domestic beer. Average main $18/$9. Open Sunday and Monday 10:30 am to midnight, Tuesday to Thursday 10:30 am to 1 am, Friday and Saturday 10:30 am to 4 am. Licensed. Access: short step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Greek
Zorba’s
681 Danforth, at Pape, 416-406-1212. It’s certainly not the fanciest joint on the avenue, but this old-school taverna has something almost none of its neighbours still serve – home-style Greek grub. Just like the old days, ignore the printed menu and point at whatever you fancy from the steam table. Sheep skull stuffed with offal, anyone? Best: the house cold platter with lemony baby octopus, hummus, eggplant melitzana salata, tzatziki and tarama salata meaty grilled lamb ribs sided with baked gigantes lima beans and oven-roasted potatoes lasagna-like pastitsio, penne over ground lamb topped with béchamel-sauced mashed spuds Arni Fricasse, slow-braised lamb shank with artichoke hearts in dilled avgolemono lemon sauce traditional feta-strewn Greek village salad super-moist 2-pound takeout chickens. Complete meals for $25 per person, including all taxes, tip and a domestic beer. Average main $12. Open Monday to Thursday 8 am to midnight, Friday to Sunday 8 am to 5 am. Licensed. Access: short step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN
Italian
Cafe Diplomatico
594 College, at Clinton, 416-534-4637. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this summer, this venerable Italian trat features an equally old-school menu at rock-bottom prices for the nabe. True, few come strictly for the food. But with its location at Little Italy’s busiest intersection, the Dip’s patio makes a great spot to soak up the sun by day and the College Street scene by night. Best: veal sandwiches topped with optional cheese, fried onions, hot peppers or mushrooms veal scallopini in white wine with mushrooms, or chicken parmigiana, both sided with salad or pasta customized pastas – spaghetti, linguine, canneloni, gnocchi or lasagna – ladled with 10 different sauces (pomodoro, vongole, arrabiata, Alfredo, alla vodka) upgraded with grilled chicken or mamma-mia meatballs. Complete meals for $22 per person, including all taxes, tip and a domestic beer. Average main $12. Open Sunday to Thursday 8 am to 1 am, Friday and Saturday 8 am to 2 am bar till close. Licensed. Access: half step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Korean
Mul Rae Bang-A
3 Christie, at Bloor W, 416-534-6833. Want to stuff your face the minute the bar’s close? Then Mul Rae Bang-a, a 24-hour all-you-can-eat spot just east of the Pits is just your meal ticket. In a relaxed, relatively spacious room attended by friendly servers, students and extended families, indulge in a taste of home. Did we mention the cheap beer? Best: for $13.95, tabletop grills sizzling with marinated beef, pork, chicken and thinly sliced pork belly, all rolled in romaine leaves, garnished with raw slivered garlic, chili-soy sauce, pickled sprouts and mushrooms from the à la carte card, dolsot bibim bap, a heated bowl of rice, bok choy, raw egg, ground beef, sprouts and grated carrots hae mul pa jeon, a vast frittata studded with shrimp, octopus and faux crab. Complete meals for $23 per person, including all taxes, tip and a domestic beer. Average main $10. Open 24/7. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Lebanese
Ghazale
504 Bloor W, at Bathurst, 416-537-4417. For more than a decade, the Ahmad family has been dishing up inexpensive Lebanese home-cooked comfort food to cash-strapped U of T students from a small take-away located just under the marquee of the Annex’s Bloor Cinema rep house. Limited counter seating. Other locations: 661 College, at Beatrice, 416-534-7441. Best: super-cheap falafel or chicken shawarma in whole wheat pita stuffed with veggies, purple pickled turnip and hot sauce yellow rice studded with potato and chicken fava beans with green peas and spuds in sweet tomato sauce minty vegetarian grape leaves stuffed with rice and chickpeas massive veggie cabbage rolls sour spinach purée studded with kidney beans Middle Eastern salads like chickpea with parsley, cabbage and ripe tomato, chili-oiled cauliflower and huge lemony chunks of carrot mixed with waxy potato. Complete meals for $8 per person, including all taxes, tip and a soda. Average main $3. Open daily 9 am to 5 am. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: barrier-free, no washrooms. Rating: NNN
Pakistani
King Palace
820 Church, at Asquith, 416-515-8188. Once located in an all-night downtown gas station, this Indo/Pakistani take-away moves to somewhat classier Yorkville digs in the former donut shop next to the car wash across from Canadian Tire. Warning: when they say spicy, think nuclear blast! Best: slow-cooked and aggressively spiced tender lamb on the shank smoky eggplant with chickpea masala cauliflower and potato garnished with fresh coriander stalks and mild green chili pods al dente yellow lentils fired with green chili for the timid, boneless stewed chicken with sweet mango moist basmati biryani rice flecked with curry leaf for dessert, smooth rice pudding in sweet condensed milk dusted with crushed green pistachios. Complete meals for $13 per person, including all taxes, tip and a can of soda. Average main $9. Open daily 11 am to 6 am year round. Unlicensed. Access: one step at curb, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNNN
Lahore Tikka House
1365 Gerrard E, at Highfield, 416-406-1668. Yes, it’s still under construction, finished “by the end of June,” the official word. What year, nobody’s saying. Until then, this hectic east-side Pakistani eatery seats customers in a series of interconnected sari-decorated trailers and on an extremely busy patio. Best: slashed whole red snapper tikka, smoky from the charcoal-fuelled tandoor, skewered with lightly charred turmeric-tanged onion, potato and tomato aromatic minced lamb kebabs lemon-scented aloo gobi rich with waxy spuds and al dente cauliflower yellow lentils and pulverized spinach palak dahl vegetable biryani with chick peas, crunchy cauliflower and carrot butter-brushed naan tossed with sesame seeds house-made almond kulfi ice cream. Complete meals for $20 per person, including all taxes, tip and a glass of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. Average main $8. Open Sunday to Thursday noon to 1 am, Friday and Saturday noon to 2 am. Unlicensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Pizza
Pizza Gigi
189 Harbord, at Borden, 416-535-4444. This bare-bones takeout and delivery-only pizzeria couldn’t get any more trad, Dad, if it tried. Since the 60s it’s been dishing up authentic old-school pizzas with not-too-thick crusts and first-rate sloppy toppings that get as gourmet as goat cheese. If you’re looking for thin cracker crust topped with arugula, try Terroni. Best: the Super Special, heavy with traditional pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, green pepper and onions unashamedly retro, the tiki-tastic Hawaiian with pineapple chunks and ham on a bed of double mozzarella from a lineup of more than a dozen slices, veggie-friendly spinach with feta, parmigiano, ricotta and mozzarella, or eggplant, red pepper, sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic. Complete meals for $20 per person, including all taxes, tip and a Brio. Open daily 4 pm to 4 am. Delivery same hours. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: four steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
