LA ROSA (209 Augusta, at Denison Square, 416-515-1885) Complete meals for $10 per person, including all taxes, tip and a Portuguese custard tart. Average main $6. Open Monday to Friday 6 am to 8:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 7 am to 9 pm. Unlicensed. Cash Only. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN Rating: NNN
Nothing beats Kensington Market when it comes to bargain-basement gourmet grub, and recently launched La Rosa only reinforces that fact. A low-key Portuguese bakery across from Amadeu’s and the House of Spices, it caters to early morning construction workers and local cheapskates who knock back espresso eye-openers ($1.50) and bowls of hearty Lisbon-style vegetable soup ($2 with a poppy-seed roll).
Better yet, whole rotisserie chickens go for six bucks (!) and make a spectacularly inexpensive spread when coupled with the house-baked brown bread baguette ($1.20) and eggy Portuguese custard tarts ($1). Warning: since they sell out quickly, early birds get the birds.
