indicates patio
1. Crepe It Up
507½ Church, at Wellesley, 416-916-3558, crepeitup.com. What Burrito Boyz is to regional Mexican cuisine, this casual take-away is to Parisian pancakes: nothing whatsoever! Instead, find tasty all-purpose wraps stuffed with health-conscious fixin’s. Also: 507½ Church, at Wellesley, 416-916-3558 St Lawrence Market, 91 Front E, lower level, at Jarvis, 416-913-1737 Gerrard Square, 1000 Gerrard E, at Pape, 416-461-6620. Best: the Monster, eggy, paper-thin flapjacks stuffed with ham, cheddar, mozzarella, onion, spinach, mushrooms, bell pepper and runny egg the Nutty Fruit Salad, an open-faced crepe of spinach, cheese, pineapple chunks, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, raisins, almonds, peanuts and pine nuts in a honey-citrus vinaigrette. Complete meals for $10 per person, including all taxes, tip and a juice. Average main $7. Open Thursday and Friday (July 1-2) 9 am to 1 am, Saturday and Sunday (July 3-4) 9 am to 2 am, Monday to Wednesday 9 am to 11 pm. Unlicensed. Access: slight bump at door, small washroom on same floor. Rating: NNNN
2. Ginger on Church
546 Church, at Wellesley, 416-413-1053, gingercuisine.ca. Outrageously inexpensive pan-Asian noodle house in the space once home to the Second Cup’s and its legendary steps. Also: 695 Yonge, at Charles, 416-966-2424 774 Yonge, at Bloor, 416-837-8357 252 Carlton, at Parliament, 416-923-7979 521 Bloor W, at Borden, 416-536-3131 212 Queen W, at Duncan, 416-416-977-8778 1985 Queen E, at Woodbine, 416-694-3278 1226 King W, at Dufferin, 416-536-8668. Best: raw rice-paper-wrapped salad rolls stuffed with faux crab and avocado crunchy jicama with crushed peanuts beef satay wrapped in aromatic betel leaf sided with spring roll and veggie-garnished vermicelli shareable mains like licorice-scented beef noodle pho. Complete meals for $10 per person, including all taxes, tip and a house-made iced tea. Average main $7. Open Thursday 11 am to midnight, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 3 am, Sunday 11 am to 1 am (Church), Monday to Wednesday 11 am to 11 pm. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
3. Wish
3 Charles E, at Yonge, 416-935-0240, wishintoronto.com. Briefly Black Skirt, Renda Abdo’s whitewashed South Beach-style resto-lounge returns to its original mandate. Did we mention the fabulously chic curbside terrace? Best: at brunch, Eggs Charlotte, expertly poached eggs in Parmesan and leek fondue over smoked salmon on whole wheat Ace Bakery muffins, sided with organic greens in red wine vinaigrette at lunch and dinner, garlic-crusted Ontario pork chops with correctly mashed potatoes in retro red-eye gravy finished with veal stock and coffee, and grilled veggies du jour. Complete brunches for $25 per person (dinners $40/lunches $20), including all taxes, tip and a $4 Stella. Average main $14/$18/$10. Open Thursday and Friday (July 1-2) 11 am to 11 pm. Brunch Saturday and Sunday (July 3-4) 10 am to 4 pm, dinner and bar till close. Closed Monday. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
4. Ghazale
78 Wellesley E, at Church, 416-922-4417, ghazale.ca. Upstairs from a bathhouse, this wholesome family-run Middle Eastern mini-franchise offers an extremely inexpensive and mostly vegetarian card in fast food chain digs. Also: 661 College, at Beatrice, 416-534-7441 504 Bloor W, at Bathurst, 416-537-4417. Best: fabulously sour veggie cabbage rolls or grape leaves stuffed with minty short-grain rice, oily pesto and chickpeas garlicky eggplant moussaka stewed lima beans in tomato sauce pickled beet ‘n’ kidney bean salad raw cabbage slaw house-squeezed antioxidant blackberry juice. Complete meals for $10 per person, including all taxes, tip and a juice. Average main $3. Open daily 9 am to 4 am (9 am to 5 am Bloor/College). Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: barrier-free (no washrooms Bloor/College). Rating: NNN
5. Magic Oven on Wellesley
6 Wellesley W, at Yonge, 416-929-7888, and others, magicoven.com. Now a five-outlet chain, Tony and Abby Sabherwal’s pizzeria focuses on eco-minded toppings and crusts that are tasty to boot. Not only are several of the thin-crusted pies gluten-free, so’s the beer! Best: thin-crusted pies like the Feel-Good Magic topped with tandoori chicken in gingery tomato sauce, green-tea-infused tofu, snow peas, roasted peppers, almonds and mozzarella. Complete dinners for $40 per person (lunches/brunches $25), including all taxes, tip and an organic beer. Average pizza $25. Open Thursday to Sunday 11 am to 11 pm, Monday to Wednesday 11 am to 10 pm. Licensed. Access: two steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
6. Ethiopian House
4 Irwin, at Yonge, 416-923-5438, ethiopianhouse.com. This colourful two-storey house just off Yonge makes a great introduction to the incendiary food of East Africa. Call it tactile communal dining: shared plates of finger food eaten with injera flatbread instead of forks. Best: jalapeño peppers stuffed with spicy tomato and onion timatin fet-fet, a salad of chopped injera, tomato, onion and more hellfire jalapeño gored-gored steak spiked with gin and seasoned with honey wine, clarified butter, garlic and ginger tartare-like beef kitfo with cottage cheese and berbere pepper paste cheap vegetarian combos. Complete dinners for $30 per person (lunches $20), including all taxes, tip and an imported beer. Average main $12/$10. Open daily noon to midnight bar till close. Licensed. Access: four steps at door, washrooms on second floor. Rating: NNN
7. Toko
637 Yonge, at Isabella, 647-436-9943. Conveyor-belt sushi: grab whatever you fancy, stack up the empty plates, tally the bill and you’re in and out for under 20 bucks in less than 30 minutes. Best: unorthodox maki like the Crunch – tempura shrimp, buttery avocado and faux crab lashed with yellow mustard mayo made-to-order yakitori like shrimp and sweet bell pepper brushed with sugary soy, or cherry tomatoes wrapped in bacon. Complete meals for $20 per person, including all taxes, tip and a mug of green tea. Average maki $4. Open Thursday 12:30 to 10:30 pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 am to 11 pm, Sunday 12:30 to 10:30 pm, Monday to Wednesday 11:30 am to 10:30 pm. Unlicensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN
8. 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 to cash-strapped students since the 70s. Best: grilled beef, chicken, pork, bacon, vegetable, squid, scallop, shrimp or seafood Okonomi Yaki in eggy frittata laced with shredded cabbage, green onion and pickled ginger, spread with sweet barbecue sauce and topped with miso mayo. Complete meals for $18 per person, including all taxes, tip and a sake. 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
9. Sushi Shop
3 Carlton, at Yonge, 416-598-5005, sushishop.com. Yes, it’s an over-designed Montreal-based fast food franchise, but this wallet-friendly take-away easily beats the local cheap sushi competition. Bonus: almost everything can be ordered with ultra-nutritious brown rice. Best: large futomaki (called “sumomaki” on the card) like the Exotik, shrimp, faux crab, tobiko, tempura crumbs, pineapple and brown rice wrapped in mango and black sesame seeds the Fusion, salmon, snow pea shoots, cherry tomato, cream cheese, basil pesto rice and chili mayo wrapped in nori. Complete meals for $15 per person, including all taxes, tip and a juice. Average main $7. Open Monday to Saturday 11 am to 9 pm, Sunday and holidays noon to 9 pm. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
10. Bonga Buldak (Home of Hot Taste)
710 Yonge, at St Mary, 416-975-0000. “You don’t need to say a word about its burning sensation!” advises this student-friendly Korean canteen’s flyer on the subject of house specialty Tearful Blazing Chicken, quite possibly the hottest dish in the city. Another – Sauna Squid – is described as “a squid took a shower!” Cheap beer and shots of rotgut soju help deaden the heat. Complete meals for $25 per person, including all taxes, tip and a $3 domestic beer. Average main $15. Open Monday to Friday noon to 2 am, Sunday and holidays 5 pm to 2 am. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, booth seating, washrooms in basement. Rating: NN
