indicates patio
Near George Brown
Le Petit Dejeuner
191 King E, at George, 416-703-1560. Directly across from George Brown's main campus, this kitschy Belgian café - love those sparkly naugahyde booths! - is relatively relaxed during the week but a mob scene at weekend brunch. Count on an hour-long wait if you show up after 11! Best: Belgian waffles topped with organic fruit, maple syrup and Chantilly cream, or with peameal bacon, smoked salmon, poached or scrambled eggs and/or Hollandaise; broiled croque-monsieur on challah layered with ham and Gruyère in Dijon béchamel. Average main $11 lunch or brunch/$16 dinner. Open Monday 8 am to 3 pm, Tuesday to Friday 8 am to 10 pm, brunch Saturday 9 am to 3 pm, dinner 6 to 10 pm, Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. Closed some holidays. No reservations. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Uno Mustachio
Lower level, St Lawrence Market, 95 Front E, at Jarvis, 416-367-8325. Forget Carousel's skimpy back bacon on a bun - the best sandwich in the St. Lawrence Market is in the basement. Though weekday lunches and market Saturdays can often overwhelm this bustling take-away, the line moves quickly. Best: though the management and name are relatively new, the massive breaded Italian eggplant on fresh foccacia is still over a pound's worth of veg optionally dressed with pulpy house tomato sauce, caramelized onion and roasted bell peppers, so much there's enough for two conventional sandwiches. Average main $6. Open Tuesday to Thursday 8 am to 6 pm, Friday 8 am to 7 pm, Saturday 5 am to 5 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN
Near OCAD
Karine's
113 McCaul, at Dundas W, 416-591-0863. Located in the Village by the Grange's food court across from the AGO and OCAD, mother Maggie - yes, the original Maggie of Maggie's breakfast chain - and daughters Stephanie and Karine Kay's mostly vegetarian take-away specializes in eco-conscious grub that's not only planet-friendly but tasty to boot. Warning: bacon. Best: fatoush, ripped leaf lettuce, parsley, English cucumber, tomato, purple cabbage and pita croutons in heavy oregano vinaigrette; ful, cumin-kicked fava bean purée dressed with dill; free-range egg-white omelettes with grilled red pepper, tomato and zucchini, sided with whole wheat toast and home fries. Average main $8. Open Monday to Friday 8 am to 9 pm, Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday 10 am to 7:30 pm. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Manpuku
105 McCaul, at Dundas W, 416-979-6763. This self-described "modern Japanese eatery" in the Village by the Grange just across from OCAD features an extremely inexpensive card of Osaka-style noodle soups and dumpling dishes in casual digs that belie its food court setting. Best: Niku Udon, thick, slurpable wheat noodles in fishy soy broth topped with thinly shaved and slightly fatty beef in teriyaki-style sauce; Takoyaki, doughy golden dumplings with a tender nugget of octopus at their core, garnished with bonito flakes, powdered seaweed and sweet Japanese mayo. Average main $6. Open Monday to Wednesday 10 am to 8 pm, Thursday to Friday 10 am to 11 pm, Saturday 11 am to 11 pm. Closed Sunday, holidays. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Yung Sing Pastry
22 Baldwin, at McCaul, 416-979-2832. Chu Ko's friendly family-run bakery has been been making savoury-filled Chinese buns for budget-minded students since 1968, back when Baldwin Village was a hippie enclave instead of the hip resto strip it is today. Best: house-baked buns stuffed with curried beef, sweet 'n' sticky barbecued pork or chicken with crunchy bamboo shoots; braised bean-curd rolls with minced seafood; banana-leaf-wrapped pyramids of sticky rice; weekends, Cantonese dim sum like shrimp har gow and pork siu mai dumplings. Average main $2. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:30 am to 6 pm. Closed Monday, holidays. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: barrier-free, no washrooms. Rating: NNNN
Near Ryerson
Made In China
371 Yonge, at Gerrard, 416-596-1516. Right around the corner from Rye High on the Yonge Street strip, this stylish pan-Asian resto from the Korean Grill House folks offers eye-popping decor - dig that Chairman Mao mural! - and stellar three-course $9.99 tasting menus. Best: from the tasting menu, egg drop soup with Chinese chives and chili oil; pork and Chinese chive pot-stickers; smoky chicken breast bundles steamed in banana leaf; meaty garoupa dusted with Szechuan pepper; roast beef rolls with stir-fried Asian greens; $5.99 daily lunch specials like chicken breast with baby bok choy, crunchy carrot and spring onion in buttery black pepper sauce over rice. Average main $9 dinner/$6 lunch. Open daily 11 am to 11 pm. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
New Bilan
183 Dundas E, at Jarvis, 416-943-0330. On Ryerson's fringe, this dirt-cheap Somali eatery's grim inner-city exterior and confusing signage (yes, it's an Internet café as well) may put off newbies, but regulars ignore the decor and focus on pan-global dishes that combine Bangladeshi curries and East African stews with Middle Eastern spicing. Best: chargrilled king fish in garlicky tomato sauce thick with minced onion, sided with biryani-style basmati rice, roasted potato 'n' onion, basic iceberg salad in Kraft dressing and a bowl of curried goat soup, the lot spectacularly splashed with house-made green chili hot sauce; to sop, croissant-like chapati. Average main $8. Open daily 11 am to 11 pm. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: short step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Salad King
335 Yonge, at Gould, 416-971-7041. Since its days as Ryerson's ad hoc student cafeteria, Ernest and Linda Liu's modest hole-in-the-wall has grown to become one of downtown's most popular Thai restos. Don't forget to indicate how hot you like it using the King's famous Spicy Scale that ranges from "mild" to "can cause upset stomach." Bonus: daily 2 to 5 pm 10 per cent student discount! Best: rice paper-wrapped cold rolls stuffed with mango, pickled carrots and cucumber julienne; Evil Jungle Prince, a stirfry of eggplant, baby corn, peas, carrots, onions, and bamboo shoots in lemongrass chili sauce over rice; ketchup-free phud thai with chicken and shrimp. Average main $9. Open Monday to Friday 11 am to 9:15 pm, Saturday noon to 9:15 pm. Closed Sunday and holidays. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN
Near U of T
Kom Jug Yuen
371 Spadina, at Nassau, 416-977-4079. This old-school Cantonese cantina has been dishing up cheap barbecue to starving U of T students and artists since the 60s. A couple of stumbles down from Grossman's, the Jug's especially chaotic come closing time. Best: for $3.75, fried rice with barbecued pork, the "best in North America," according to the sandwich board out front; mushrooms with fried tofu; baby bok choy in garlic sauce; Singapore-style vermicelli with shrimp, sweetly sautéd onion and more barbecued pork. Average main $6. Open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11 am to 1 am, Tuesday 11 am to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 4 am. Unlicensed. Access: three steps at door, washroom in basement. Rating: NNN
L'Espresso Bar Mercurio
321 Bloor W, at St George, 416-585-2233. The stripped-down sibling of nearby Bar Mercurio, this budget-minded bistro on the ground floor of U of T's Woodsworth College spotlights an all-day card of well-prepared Italian panini, salads and traditional egg breakfasts. Best: house-smoked salmon and capers, or bocconcini, tomato and fresh basil on ciabatta; at brunch, free-range Funghi omelettes with truffled mushrooms and foie gras; over house-baked crumpet, eggs Benedict, poached eggs with hollandaise and Black Forest ham, served with fruit salad, scones and lingonberry jam. Average main $12. Open Monday to Friday 7 am to 10 pm. Brunch Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Okonomi House
23 Charles W, at St Nicholas, 416-925-6176. Located on the first floor of a U of T high-rise residence, this Japanese fast food joint has been serving Hiroshima-style omelettes - some as cheap as six bucks - to cash-strapped academics since the 70s. Best: from the nine varieties available - beef, chicken, pork, bacon, vegetable, squid, scallop, shrimp and Seafood Deluxe - Okonomi Yaki, gingery tender slivers of crisply grilled chopped beef fried in a batter of flour, milk, egg, shredded cabbage, green onion and pickled ginger, spread with sweet barbecue sauce and topped with dollops of miso mayo. Average main $8. Open Monday to Friday 11:30 am to 10 pm, Saturday noon to 10 pm, Sunday noon to 8 pm. Closed holidays. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
One Love Vegetarian
854 Bathurst, at London, 416-535-5683. Hard by the Bloor Station's streetcar loop and just up from Honest Ed's, Ikeila and Iville Wright's extremely casual café and take-away is renowned for its all-vegan island-style lineup and famous spicy corn soup. Historical note: their storefront was once home to Joyce's, Toronto's first Caribbean provisioner. Best: Funky House Pizza on crusty whole wheat focaccia topped with stir-fried veggies, organic tomato sauce, basil pesto, cheesy scrambled tofu and micro-diced Scotch bonnet peppers; roti - either paratha, dahl puri, or whole wheat - stuffed with curried chana chickpeas; curried beancurd and lima beans with sliced avocado, caramelized plantain and basmati rice 'n' lentils. Average main $10. Open Tuesday to Friday 11 am to 9 pm, Saturday 11 am to 6 pm. Closed Sunday, Monday, holidays. Unlicensed. Rating: NNN