*By: Deepi Harish*
Toronto has plenty of restaurants worth trying once, but these are the spots I’ve returned to again and again. They’re the places I know I can count on for a satisfying meal, which is what makes them easy to recommend. If a friend asked me where to eat in the city, these are the eight restaurants I’d happily send them to.
8 Consistently Good Restaurants in Toronto
1. Pho Tien Thanh
Pho Tien Thanh is a no-frills, family-owned Vietnamese spot that has been serving since ’95, and while it has now earned a Michelin recommendation, it’s nice to see a hole-in-the-wall get recognized for what it has been doing well for decades. The broth is the star, simmered for six hours every day. Heads-up: weekends are cash-only, while debit is accepted Monday to Friday. It’s a small detail, but one worth knowing before you show up.
Recommendations: The rare beef pho (Phở Tái) is their signature bowl, with thin slices of beef cooking in that fragrant broth. If you’re looking for variety, the house special (Phở Đặc Biệt) comes loaded with rare and well-done beef, brisket, tendon and tripe. A must-order is their pork spring rolls (Chả Giò). For a non-pho choice, the BBQ chicken + spring roll vermicelli (Bún Gà Nướng Chả Giò) is my pick. Their house-made chili oil is also part of the Pho Tien Thanh experience.
57 Ossington Ave.
2. SukhoTHAI
SukhoTHAI is one of the restaurants that helped shape Toronto’s Thai food scene. It’s chef Nuit Regular’s first Toronto restaurant and the St. Lawrence Market location has now been around for 13 years, making it her longest-standing location. Before SukhoTHAI, many Thai restaurants in Toronto were serving sweeter, more Westernized versions of familiar dishes. The menu covers street food and Northern Thai dishes, but it’s the Northern Thai flavours that make SukhoTHAI worth a visit.
Recommendations: SukhoTHAI popularized khao soi in Toronto. It’s a creamy Northern curry noodle soup topped with crispy noodles that soften as they sink into rich, coconut base. Their signature pad Thai has a savoury, slightly tangy flavour that gives the noodles depth. The Pad See Ew comes with thick, hand-cut rice noodles and just enough sweet soy to give them caramelized edges. The Pad Gra Prow is the one for basil and chilli lovers and comes with plenty of sauce to mix through the rice.
52 Wellington St. East
3.Minami
Minami is an upscale Japanese restaurant in the Entertainment District known for its aburi sushi. It’s not trying to be a traditional Japanese restaurant, and that’s part of what gives it a clear identity. The aburi oshi sushi is pressed and lightly flame-seared, giving the fish and toppings a little char and caramelization. They also do some fun Japanese-inspired cocktails. Plus, the grand interior makes the whole place feel like an occasion.
Recommendations: The Aburi Salmon Oshi is my order. The salmon gets a quick flame-sear that brings out its richness. The Aburi Spicy Tuna Oshi has a little more heat, while the Aburi Yellowtail Oshi is lighter and brighter, with yuzu cutting through the fish. Beyond sushi, the Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Nigiri is a good choice. For one of the signature rolls, the Minami Roll is the indulgent pick, combining negitoro, wagyu and truffle powder.
225 King St. West
4. Gusto 101
Gusto 101 has been serving Southern Italian food for 14 years. People come for the all-season retractable rooftop patio, the liveliness and Gusto’s signature wine on tap for $1 per ounce. It’s an easy place to settle in for a carb-filled dinner and a little more drinking than originally planned.
Recommendations: The Mafalde ai Funghi is what they’re known for. The ruffled pasta holds onto the truffle cream sauce, while portobello, porcini and oyster mushrooms give the dish an earthy flavour. If you want something just as creamy with a bit of heat, the Cavatelli alla Vodka combines tomato, cream, Grana Padano, stracciatella and chilli. For pizza, go for the Diavola, topped with spicy sun-dried tomato pesto, smoked provolone, Calabrese salami and roasted peppers.
101 Portland St.
5. Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe in Baldwin Village specializes in southern Thai cooking, and while you’ll find familiar dishes like pad Thai, pad kra pao and massaman curry on the menu, the southern Thai specialties are what make a visit here worth it. It’s also what earned the restaurant its Michelin Guide recommendation. Food from this part of Thailand tends to come with more heat and bold flavours.
Recommendations: The Prik Pao Talay is a seafood platter stir-fried in a roasted chilli paste, garlic and shallots. The sweetness of the seafood works well against the smoky, spicy sauce. Order the Pad Gra Prao with crispy pork instead of the usual minced pork option, for those crunchy, fatty pieces of pork in every bite. The Pad Mee is their southern Thai take on pad Thai, made with shrimp paste, which gives the noodles a deeper, savoury flavour than the sweeter, typical version.
35 Baldwin St.
6. 416 Snack Bar
416 Snack Bar has been tucked into the corner of Queen and Bathurst for 15 years, and it still feels like the kind of place you could walk past without realizing what’s inside. The menu pulls from all over the world, with lots of Asian influence, and everything is meant to be eaten with your hands — there’s no cutlery here. Instead of settling in for a traditional meal, you order a few snacks at a time, share them and keep going. The drinks follow that same laid-back approach: there’s no cocktail list or mixology program, but they can make any classic drink you’re in the mood for. I love the music and how packed the place gets, it’s not uncommon to end up chatting with the strangers sitting beside you.
Recommendations: The Korean fried chicken is the dish that has become a 416 favourite: double-fried chicken thighs with a gingery gochujang sauce. The menu changes regularly, so rather than getting attached to specific dishes, look for the things 416 does well: there’s usually some kind of toast, sandwich, wrap or steamed bao, along with a few small plates that don’t fit neatly into those categories. The sticky ribs, for example, are cooked low and slow with five-spice, then finished on the grill with a hoisin glaze, giving them nice charred edges.
181 Bathurst St.
7. Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens is a wine bar, but works just as well for dinner. I like that the bar area is reserved for walk-ins and that the menu changes depending on what the kitchen has in stock. There are handmade pastas, seafood and vegetable-forward dishes, and nothing feels overworked. A tomato tastes like a tomato; a good piece of fish is treated like a good piece of fish. It sounds simple but it’s hard to do well. I also like that Grey Gardens is tucked into Kensington Market. You step off the busy, chaotic street and into a cozy, polished restaurant that feels completely unexpected for the neighbourhood.
Recommendations: Since the menu changes often, the cavatelli is one of the dishes to look for. There’s always a salad with plenty of texture and a well-balanced dressing. There’s often a carpaccio on the menu with sharper, acidic flavours. To start, the smoked fish with chips and dip has stuck around for a reason: it’s salty, smoky and creamy.
199 Augusta Ave.
8. Osteria Giulia
Osteria Giulia is one of the few restaurants in Canada focused on Ligurian cooking, which sets it apart from much of Toronto’s Italian food scene and has earned them a Michelin star. Liguria, in northwestern Italy, is the birthplace of pesto and its 350 kilometres of coastline which means seafood is a big part of the region’s cooking. The food tends to be lighter and fresher, with herbs and simple sauces, rather than rich sauces that are cooked down for hours.
Recommendations: The Vitello Tonnato is one of the best in the city. For pasta, go with the Trofie al Pesto. The pesto is made by hand in a mortar and pestle rather than blitzed in a blender, keeping the basil bright and fresh. Don’t skip the Focaccia di Recco. It’s a 12th-century recipe made with creamy stracchino and baked until the outside is crispy and the cheese is molten. The Risotto al Granchio is a standout, with sweet crab and sherry. End with the Millefoglie al Cocco, a white chocolate and coconut mille-feuille with tropical fruit. It’s stacked into delicate architectural layers with crisp pastry and a creamy filling.
134 Avenue Rd.
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