Dundas Square
Banh Mi Boys
399 Yonge, at Gerrard, 416-977-0303, banhmiboys.com, @BanhMiBoys
There’s a very good reason there’s a perpetual lineup at this Saigon sub shop with a twist. These banh mi, steamed bao and paratha-wrapped tacos come stuffed with the multiculti likes of duck confit, five-spiced pork belly and southern-fried chicken. Say yes to the sweet potato fries dressed with pulled pork, kimchee and Kewpie-esque mayo.
Thursday and Friday 11 am to 10 pm, Saturday 11 am to 9 pm, Sunday noon to 7 pm. No reservations. Average main $5. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNNN
Ginger
355½ Yonge, at Elm, 416-694-3278, gingercuisine.ca
Family-run chain with an inexpensive carte of Vietnamese pho and Thai-style stir-fries. Best bang for the buck: stellar banh mi with grilled beef, pork, chicken or tofu, all dressed with sweetly pickled veggies and optional hot sauce, a steal at $3.75 a pop.
Daily 11 am to 11 pm. No reservations. Average main $6. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN
Paramount
253 Yonge, at Dundas Sq, 416-366-3600, paramountfinefoods.com, @ParamountFoods
Hectic Middle Eastern franchise in a historic setting across from the Eaton Centre checks all the expected boxes – all-halal kebabs, falafel ‘n’ salad combos and pitas baked in-house the size of soccer balls. Upstairs is nicer, but service is considerably slower.
Thursday 8 am to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 8 am to 11 pm, Sunday 8 am to 10 pm. No reservations. Average main $12. Unlicensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Queen & Beaver Public House
35 Elm, at Yonge, 647-347-2712, queenandbeaverpub.ca, @QB_Kitchen
Soccer-mad UK-style gastro-pub with two patios, one street-side, the other upstairs. Don’t miss chef Andrew Carter’s house burger, 6 hand-chopped and grilled-to-order ounces of marbleized Canadian beef laced with bone marrow and topped with Stilton and double-smoked bacon.
Thursday and Friday 11:30 am to 11 pm, Saturday 9 am to 11 pm, Sunday 9 am to 10 pm. Bar nightly to close. Reservations accepted. Average main $20. Licensed. Access: five steps at door, washrooms on second floor. Rating: NNN
Steven Davey
Santouka
91 Dundas E, at Church, 647-748-1717, santouka.co.jp/en
Beautifully reimagined greasy spoon now features what some say is the best Hokkaido-style ramen in town. That would explain the constant queue. Don’t do sodium? They’ll lower the salt!
Daily 11 am to 11 pm. No reservations. Average main $12. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement, communal seating. Rating: NNN
Senator
249 Victoria, at Yonge-Dundas Square, 416-364-7517, thesenator.com, @thesenatorto
Gorgeous art deco diner complete with original naugahyde-upholstered booths, all-day breakfasts and upscale comfort-food carte. A zoo come weekend brunch.
Thursday and Friday 7:30 am to midnight, Saturday 8 am to midnight, Sunday 8 am to 2:30 pm. No reservations. Average main $22 dinner/$13 lunch. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, booth seating, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Urban Herbivore
220 Yonge, at Dundas, 416-847-1007, herbivore.to, @UHerbivore
Kensington Market café brings health-conscious vegan sandwiches and salads to the Eaton Centre’s north food court. Don’t leave without a muffin – they’re a meal in themselves!
Thursday to Friday 9:30 am to 9:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 7 pm. No reservations. Average main $10. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Late night eats
Barton Snacks
1120 Queen W, at Lisgar, 647-351-5444, @BartonSnacks
Offbeat take-away with minimal seating and a snackable carte of low-nitrate haute dogs, trendy tacos and retro mac ‘n’ cheese served in french fry boxes.
Daily 4 pm to 4 am. No reservations. Average main $5. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: two steps at door, no washrooms. Rating: NNN
Big Fat Burrito
529 Bloor W, at Albany, 416-792-4244, bigfatburrito.ca, @theReal_BigFat
Mission-style wraps stuffed with grilled steak, pulled pork or mashed yams to go at Lee’s Palace, where the Red Hot Chili Peppers (86) and Nirvana (91) made their local debuts.
Thursday 11 am to midnight, Friday 11 am to 3:30 am, Saturday noon to 3:30 am, Sunday noon to midnight. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free, no washrooms. Rating: NNN
Ghazale
661 College, at Beatrice, 416-534-7441, ghazale.ca
Insanely inexpensive Middle Eastern salads and wraps, most of them vegetarian. Best falafel in town?
Thursday to to Saturday 9 am to 4 am, Sunday 10 am to 4 am. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: one step at door, no washrooms. Rating: NNN
Lou Dawg’s
589 King W, at Portland, 647-347-3294, loudawgs.com, @loudawgs
Subterranean roadhouse known for its tournament-quality racks of St. Louis-style side ribs and pulled pork sandwiches sided with jalapeño cornbread muffins, old-school potato salad ‘n’ coleslaw.
Thursday to Saturday 11 am to 4 am, Sunday 11 to 11 pm. No reservations. Average main $12. Licensed. Access: seven steps at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN
New New Ho King
410 Spadina, at Nassau, 416-595-1881, newhoking.ca
Relocated mainstream Cantonese spot in the heart of Chinatown. We unequivocally recommend the Szechuan green beans with minced pork.
Thursday 11:30 am to 4 am, Friday and Saturday 11:30 am to 5 am, Sunday 11:30 am to 4 am. No reservations. Average main $12. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Poutini’s House of Poutine
1112 Queen W, at Beaconsfield, 647-342-3732, poutini.com, @POUTINI
Perfectly crisp Yukon Gold fries – don’t call ’em frites – finished with house-made roast beef or vegan gravy and super-fresh cheese curds. With a name like this, you were expecting tacos?
Thursday noon to 3 am, Friday and Saturday noon to 3:30 am, Sunday noon to 9 pm. No reservations. Average main $8. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: one step at door, no washrooms. Rating: NNNN
Taste of China
338 Spadina, at St Andrew, 416-348-8828, tasteofchinarestaurant.ca
Seafood’s the star at this throwback Cantonese cantina. Stick to the somewhat pricier specials on the wall.
Thursday 11:30 am to 4 am, Friday and Saturday 11:30 am to 5 am, Sunday 11:30 am to 4 am. No reservations. Average main $12. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
The morning after
Bar Buca
75 Portland, at King W, 416-599-2822, barbuca.com, @barbucatoronto
A spinoff of the far more luxe Buca across the street, chef Rob Gentile’s all-day-till-late Italian café is easily one of the best new restos of the season. Order the migliaccio pork-blood crepe sided with boozy poached figs in chocolate sauce and buffalo-milk crème anglaise at brunch and see for yourself.
Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. No reservations. Average main $14. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN
Black Metal Brunch @ Graffiti’s
170 Baldwin, at Kensington, 416-506-6699
Don’t let this fearlessly grungy Kensington Market watering hole’s decor scare you away from one of the most accomplished Sunday brunches around. Besides, where else can you rub shoulders with hungover headbangers scarfing down steak ‘n’ eggs poutine to the sound of classic Venom?
Sunday 11 am to 4 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: one step at door, small washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNNN
Caplansky’s
356 College, at Brunswick, 416-500-3852, caplansky.com, @caplansky
Although he’s known as the artisanal smoked meat king of Hogtown, Zane Caplansky also continues the tradition of big Spadina all-day breakfasts à la Switzer’s and the Bagel. Show up early or join the hungover lined up after noon.
Thursday and Friday 11 am to 10 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 10 pm. Average main $14. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Grasslands
478 Queen W, at Denison, 416-504-5127, grasslands.to, @grasslandsto
The team behind Urban Herbivore reinvents its long-running Fressen as a stylish downtown lounge with culinary scope far beyond that of most vegan restaurants. Skeptical carnivores will appreciate the Monster Burger, a beefy baked black-bean patty finished with a veritable avalanche of avocado, lettuce, tomato and house-made ketchup.
Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
Live Bluegrass Brunch @ The Dakota Tavern
249 Ossington, at Dundas W, 416-850-4579, thedakotatavern.com, @thedakotatavern
All the scrambled eggs, sausages and flapjacks with apple compote sided with home fries and fruit salad you can wash down with strong coffee or tea for all of $18 (rugrats $7) to the sounds of a live bluegrass combo.
Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 2 pm. Reservations accepted Saturday only for groups of six or more. Licensed. Access: 15 steps at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN
Luckee
328 Wellington W, at Peter, 416-935-0400, luckeerestaurant.com, @LuckeeTO
Not content with Bent and Lee, superstar chef Susur Lee turns his visionary hand to dim sum with spectacular results. A gorgeous room and attentive servers pushing carts (!) make the long drive to Markham a thing of the past. Mandatory order: cheung fun rice rolls stuffed with alternating layers of poached chicken, caramelized onion and crunchy deep-fried rice paper.
Weekend dim sum 11 am to 3 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNNN
Pho Pasteur
525 Dundas W, at Spadina, 416-351-7188
A bare-bones Chinatown beanery with some of the best Vietnamese soups around. Our pick: #06 Pho Tai Nam, a meal-in-one bowl of aromatic broth brimming with rice noodles, rare beef, fatty brisket and Asian herbs.
24/7. Average main $8. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: steep ramp at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN
