Bonga Buldak (Home of Hot Taste)
710 Yonge, at St Mary, 416-975-0000. You have to be very drunk indeed to eat the house specialty at this student-friendly Korean cantina: Tearful Blazing Chicken, quite possibly the hottest dish in the city. More cheap beer and shots of rotgut soju help deaden the heat. Thursday to Saturday noon to 2 am, Sunday 5 pm to 2 am.
Church Street Diner
555 Church, at Dundonald, 416-324-8463. Funky luncheonette in the former Five Alarm features inexpensive all-day Molly Wood breakfasts, burgers and hot open-faced sandwiches. Thursday and Friday 7 am to 10 pm, Saturday 9 am to 10 pm, Sunday 9 am to 10 pm.
Crepe It Up
507-1/2 Church, at Wellesley, 416-916-3558, crepeitup.com. After being shuttered for a lengthy renovation, this health-conscious creperie is now twice the size, having expanded into the old Pita Pan space next door. The menu’s larger, too, and currently includes the café’s signature crepes, freshly roasted coffee and house-baked Greek pastries like addictively lickable loukoumades honey balls. Thursday to Sunday 8 am till late. Unlicensed.
Crown Princess
1033 Bay, at Irwin, 416-923-8784. Fancy some of the tastiest – and priciest!- dim sum in town in an over-the-top setting that’s best described as Versace does Versailles? Servers in French maid costumes and Strauss waltzes on the sound system only add to the luxury. Show up early or wait in the inevitable queue. Thursday and Friday 10 am to 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 4 pm.
Darvish
508 Yonge, at Maitland, 416-929-8893, darvishrestaurant.net. Formerly Tempus, this cozy Persian bistro gets its rep for mezes-like starters, char-broiled kebabs and chicken fesenjoon in nutty pomegranate sauce. Thursday and Friday 11:30 am to 11 pm, Saturday 2 to 11 pm, Sunday noon to 10 pm.
Ethiopian House
4 Irwin, at Yonge, 416-923-5438, ethiopianhouse.com. Incendiary and moderately priced veggie-friendly platters on a curbside patio just off the parade route. Warning: if you don’t like eating with your fingers, remember to BYOF – bring your own fork! Thursday to Sunday noon to midnight, bar till 2 am
Fabarnak
519 Church, at Dundonald, 416-355-6781, fabarnak.com. Stylish new café in the recent 519 addition with a locally sourced and mostly organic contemporary card. Incredible bang for the buck. Best food in the village? Thursday 7:30 am to 9 pm, lunch from 11:30 am, dinner from 5 pm. Closed Friday. Brunch Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 3 pm, dinner Saturday only 5 to 9 pm. Unlicensed.
Ghazale on Wellesley E
78 Wellesley E, at Church, 416-922-4417, ghazale.ca. Upstairs from a bathhouse, this wholesome family-run Middle Eastern take-away offers an extremely inexpensive and relatively health-conscious card in fast-food-chain digs. Skip the microwaved falafel and dig into mostly veggie nirvana. Also: 661 College, at Beatrice, 416-534-7441 504 Bloor W, at Bathurst, 416-537-4417. Thursday to Saturday 9 am to 4 am, Sunday 10 am to 4 am Unlicensed. Cash only.
Ginger on Church
546 Church, at Wellesley, 416-413-1053, gingercuisine.ca. Dead cheap Vietnamese and Thai-style veggie-friendly noodle dishes in a casual self-serve cafeteria setting. Also: 695 Yonge, at Charles, 416-966-2424 252 Carlton, at Parliament, 416-923-7979 521 Bloor W, at Borden, 416-536-3131 212 Queen W, at Duncan, 416-977-8778. Thursday 11 am to midnight, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 4 am, Sunday 11 am to 1 am (Church).
Gourmet Burger Company on Charles W
9 Charles W, at Yonge, 647-351-6408, thegourmetburgerco.com. Ultimate hangover helper: the Aussie burger, 6 ounces of aged lean, never-frozen house-ground Canadian beef topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, Hellman’s mayo, gooey cheddar, grilled pineapple, honey-poached beets and a runny fried egg. Also: 482 Parliament, at Carlton, 647-344-5103. Thursday and Friday 11 am to 10 pm, Saturday 11:30 am to 10 pm, Sunday noon to 9 pm (Charles). Unlicensed.
Guu
398 Church, at McGill, 416-977-0999, guu-izakaya.com. Like to be verbally abused in a foreign language while eating dinner? Then this insanely popular and extremely noisy Japanese-Korean hybrid izakaya just south of the village should do the trick. Also: 559 Bloor W, at Bathurst, 647-343-1101, Thursday 5 pm to midnight. Friday to Sunday 4 pm to midnight.
Kaiseki-Sakura
556 Church, at Wellesley, 416-923-1010, kaisekisakura.com. For Pride weekend, chef Daisuke Izutsu ditches his stunning $100-plus tasting menus based on 16th-century Zen tea ceremonies in favour of a more moderately priced izakaya-inspired tapas card – chicken kara-age, skewered yakitori – starting at four bucks a pop. Friday to Sunday 11 am to 2 am.
Kathmandu Kathmandu
517 Yonge, at Maitland, 416-924-5787, kathmandurestaurant.ca. Friendly all-you-can-eat north Indian lunch buffet right in the middle of the parade. $11.99 Thursday and Friday 11:30 am to 3 pm, $12.99 Saturday noon to 3 pm. A la carte menu Thursday to Saturday 5:30 to 10:30 pm, Sunday 11:30 am to 10 pm.
Magic Oven on Wellesley
6 Wellesley W, at Yonge, 416-929-7888, magicoven.com. Health-conscious pizza ‘n’ pasta in a cozy room just off Yonge. Pair that gluten-free pie with a gluten-free beer! Daily 11 am to 11 pm.
Masa
15 Charles E, at Yonge, 416-920-3388, hrg88.com. All-you-can-eat sushi for as little as $10.99 might not sound like an appetizing proposition, but this moderately priced Japanese spot makes everything to order. Make the mistake of ordering too much and you’ll pay extra for what you didn’t finish. Daily 11 am to 3 pm, 5 to 11 pm.
Ritz Caribbean
450 Yonge, at College, 416-934-1480. Ridiculously affordable jerk chicken with rice ‘n’ peas, massive vegetarian roti and dinner combos. Thursday to Saturday 11 to 11 pm, Sunday 11 am to 9 pm. Unlicensed.
7 West Café
7 Charles W, at Yonge, 416-928-9041, 7westcafe.com. 24-hour resto-lounge with tiny street-side deck and third-floor rooftop aerie.
Sizzlers
460 Yonge, at College, 416-966-4714, sizzlerstoronto.ca. Diner-style burgers, French fries and Greek salads on the Yonge Street strip. And they deliver from 5 pm till closing! Daily 11 am to 4 am. Unlicensed.
Toko
637 Yonge, at Isabella, 647-436-9943. This sushi resto brings your supper to table via a 62-metre conveyor belt. Grab whatever you like, stack up the empty colour-coded plates to tally the bill once you’re done and you’re in ‘n’ out for under 20 bucks in less than 30 minutes. Thursday to Saturday 11:30 am to 11 pm, Sunday 12:30 pm to 10:30 pm. Unlicensed.
Yogurt Spoon
573 Yonge, at Wellesley, 416-966-1881, facebook.com/yogurtspoon. Recently launched DIY self-serve Pinkberry frozen yogurt clone. Thursday and Friday noon to 11 pm, Saturday noon to midnight, Sunday noon to 11 pm Unlicensed.
Yummy Bar-B-Q
522A Yonge, at Wellesley, 416-921-5158. No frills food-court-style Korean grilled kalbi ribs and noodle sides. Daily 11 am to 11 pm. Unlicensed.
