Best Food in Toronto

Frequently Asked Questions

What food is Toronto known for?

Toronto is known for its incredible diversity of cuisines rather than one signature dish. However, the peameal bacon sandwich (at St. Lawrence Market) is Toronto's most iconic local food. Other Toronto staples include roti from Little India, dim sum in Chinatown, and jerk chicken from Eglinton's Caribbean strip. Toronto is also one of the world's best cities for Japanese, Korean, Ethiopian, and Middle Eastern food.

Where is the best food in Toronto?

The best food in Toronto is concentrated in a few key neighbourhoods: Kensington Market for multicultural street food, King West for upscale restaurants, the Distillery District for elevated Canadian cuisine, Ossington for wine bars and chef-driven spots, and Leslieville for brunch culture. St. Lawrence Market's South Market is essential for food lovers.

What is the best restaurant in Toronto?

Alo Restaurant (Queen West) has been ranked Canada's best restaurant by multiple national lists. Other top-tier options include Canoe (54th floor downtown), Byblos (Eastern Mediterranean), and Edulis (European tasting menu). For more accessible excellence, current Kensington Market vendors and Quetzal in Little Portugal are strong options; check individual listings before visiting.

Is Toronto good for food?

Yes — Toronto is considered one of the best food cities in North America. With over 200 distinct cuisines and a restaurant density second only to New York City in North America, Toronto is a legitimate world-class food destination. The city has Michelin-recognized restaurants, a thriving street food culture, and authentic immigrant-owned restaurants across nearly every global cuisine.

Is Toronto food expensive?

Toronto's food scene covers every budget. You can eat extremely well for under $15 at Kensington Market, Chinatown, or Little India. A mid-range restaurant dinner costs $25–45 per person. Fine dining tasting menus at top restaurants run $150–250+ per person. The city's diversity means you're never forced to spend a lot to eat well.

What neighbourhoods in Toronto have the best food?

The best food neighbourhoods in Toronto are: King West (upscale and trendy), Kensington Market (multicultural and eclectic), Little Italy (College St for Italian-Canadian), Chinatown (Spadina/Dundas for dim sum and noodles), Little India (Gerrard St E for South Asian), and Leslieville (Queen East for brunch and café culture).

Toronto restaurants worth planning around

• PAI Northern Thai Kitchen — Entertainment District: Massaman curry that'll ruin you for every other curry forever. Tiny restaurant, huge flavours — they fly in ingredients from Chiang Mai. The green papaya salad alone is worth the wait.
• Porchetta & Co. — Little Italy: A sandwich so good it put Toronto on the international food map. Slow-roasted heritage pork, crispy crackling, fennel pollen — all stuffed into a fresh bun. No frills, all thrill.
• Alo Restaurant — Wellington Place: A seasonal tasting-menu restaurant at 163 Spadina Avenue, with service Tuesday–Saturday from 5pm. Book ahead — this is a special-occasion meal built around precise cooking and polished hospitality.
• WVRST — King West: German beer hall meets Toronto energy. Massive craft beer selection, house-made sausages you pick off a chalkboard, and a patio that's always packed. Oktoberfest energy year-round.
• La Palma — Trinity Bellwoods: Italian-ish small plates in a beautifully designed room with a massive natural wine list. The kind of restaurant where everything just works. Pasta is made fresh daily.
• Banh Mi Boys — Chinatown: Vietnamese banh mi and other fast-casual favourites, including five-spice pork belly, grilled pork, bao, kimchi fries and tofu options. Check the official menu for current fillings and hours.
• St. Lawrence Market — St. Lawrence: A historic Toronto market with specialty vendors, prepared foods, and a Saturday Farmers' Market. Check the official schedule before visiting.
• Hanmoto — Dundas West: A small Japanese-style izakaya at 2 Lakeview Avenue serving snacks, drinks and cocktails, with vegetarian options, in a bare-bones room with flea-market decor. It does not accept reservations.
• Forno Cultura — King West: Italian bakery and café where everything is made with absurd levels of care. The cornetti are flaky, the espresso is perfect, and the bomboloni on weekends will ruin your diet permanently.
• Chef Anar — Kensington Market: Brunch cooked with Persian love. The shakshuka is loaded with warmth, the chai is spiced perfectly, and the staff will make you feel like family every single time.
• Taste of Manila — Scarborough: The go-to spot for lechon, sinigang, and kare-kare in Toronto. Packed on weekends, family-run, and the kind of place where every plate arrives in generous portions.
• OddSeoul — Ossington: Korean-ish small plates that go to places no other restaurant in Toronto dares. The smoked brisket ssam and spicy crispy chicken will short-circuit your brain in the best way.
• Terroni Queen West — Queen West: Southern Italian done the right way — no substitutions, no modifications, just proper cooking in a beautiful space. The pizza is Neapolitan thin, the pasta is handmade, and the wine list is excellent.
• NODO Leslieville — Leslieville: Casual Italian on Queen Street East, with a menu centred on pizza and pasta alongside appetizers, entrées, desserts, Italian wine, beer and cocktails.
• Patois Toronto — Dundas West: Caribbean-Chinese fusion that sounds wild and tastes incredible. Jerk pork dumplings, curry goat wontons, and rum cocktails that hit you sideways. One of the most fun dinner spots in the city.
• Adega — Downtown Toronto: Elegant Portuguese fine dining with a 35,000-bottle wine cellar. The seafood rice is a showstopper, the bacalhau is perfectly salted, and the service is world-class.
• Commisso Bros. & Racco Italian Bakery — York: An Italian bakery and food shop at 8 Kincort Street, with breads, pastries, deli products, a mini-market, catering and a 24-hour hot table.
• Edulis — Trinity Bellwoods: One of Canada's most acclaimed fine dining restaurants. Wild mushroom and sea-focused tasting menus that feel like poetry on a plate. James Beard–recognized and worth every penny.