Toronto Cheap Eats
 

I am looking for some suggestions for paces in Toronto Downtown area that are pretty cheap and have decent food. I am talking Fast Casual here - not really chains (unless one really stands out) but nothing fancy. Would be a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening.

On Yonge near bloor st, there are some good (not super great) Asian restaurants, mostly Thai/Vietnamese.

ON queen St, I like Sushi time (325 Queen St W).

Also, in CHinatown, you are bound to find economical choices. Try Baldwin St for a broad selection (not just Chinese, but Japanese and Korean)

Not sure if you would still consider it "downtown", but I find that Bloor Street around Bathurst has a lot of nice, inexpensive Asian places (Korean, mostly). They feel authentic to this Westerner... ;)

And, somewhat counterintuitively: The Momofuku noodle bar at the Shangri-La (University & Richmond) makes a wicked bowl of Ramen ($20 after tip + tax).

to qualify my views, i consider downtown toronto (given i actually live downtown), to be south of bloor and between Spadina and Church...[i might actually go so far to say that the northern boundary, at least for me, is probably college/carlton...]

so TLP http://www.blogto.com/restaurants/tl...e-pigs-toronto

King Palace for insanely good Pakistani cuisine - neighborhood is downright terrible...but don't let that take away from the place - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/try-i...cleId=16749010

Bannock....

http://oliverbonacini.com/OurRestaur...ock/About.aspx

I would second Momofuku and also throw in http://zakkushi.com/raijin/ and also http://www.santouka.co.jp/en/ but i tend to prefer raijing...sadly, their 10$ sapporo pitcher of beer promo is done now that summer is over.

http://www.paramountfinefoods.com/locations/Toronto Paramount is pretty cheap and good for middle east fare.

i think http://japango.net/ may be a litte pricier and also yutaka

http://www.yutakarestaurant.com/

have a look and see if these are more expensive than you expected or more casual etc. and i can suggest more once I get an idea what you consider cheap etc.

I guess I am using a relatively wide definition of downtown. I would be willing to hop on a tram or the subway. As for prices - I don't know, maybe under $15 total bill (I don't need alcohol), well that's American, so say under $20 Canadian. I am less worried about overall price as I am just a place I can walk in and order at the counter or be quickly seated, no place with linen napkins, essentially.

What are the best non-asian choices? Paskistani sounds good, just need to hunt it down as the page redirects for me.

Go to Chinatown. Lots of great places on Spadina and nearby. My personal fave: King's Noodles, on the west side of Spadina just north of Dundas.

If you are willing to get on the subway, I would recommend going to Greektown (Chester stop on the Bloor-Danforth line). Lots of places around for not so much. Friendly Greek (494 Danforth Avenue), Mezes (http://www.mezes.com/), Avli, Christina's to name a few.

There are a bunch of places also on Queen West. It may not look like much, but One of a Kinda Pasta is pretty good. ALthough pasta is its main thing, they also serve seafood. They have been there a long time and it does get crowded with regulars. 746 Queen Street West

Free Times Cafe on College.

The cafeteria at the ROM. Combine tourist times with a cheap meal.

Bloor Street Market.

Is there a place to sit down and eat at the Bloor Street Market?

Sorry kings is at 820 Church St.

if that is the case, then go here

http://www.thestockyards.ca/

or here

http://greenwoodsmokehouse.com/

or another one...

http://porchettaco.com/

all non asian.... ;-)

Sansotei Ramen on Dundas and Central is fantastic. It's a small little shop with a great vibe

Mother's in Chinatown for dumplings.

One of the best burgers in town is a little west in brockton village area around Bloor and Landsdowne (Landsdowne station on Bloor/danforth line (aka line 2)), at a small place called whippoorwill. http://thewhippoorwill.com/

Personally, I find the Chinese options in chinatown to be marginal examples of various regional Chinese dishes, not to mention the need to take note of the health inspection ratings on the places. But with my MIL that makes her own dumplings, I guess I'm a little bit of a dumpling snob.

I agree...but lines can be a pain depending on time of day.

Korean - Ka-Chi on Bloor near Bathurst and in Kensington on St. Andrew. Chinese - Asian Legend on Dundas is cleaner than most and a good value. Try Kom Jug Yuen on Spadina for its great bbq pork and huge portions - marginal atmosphere but clean. Pho Hung Vietnamese on Spadina at Baldwin is always mobbed - fresh and reasonable. Upscale but a great value is Le Paradis on Bedford at Davenport - excellent French cuisine at ordinary prices. The Distillery District is an interesting destination with shops and good restaurants. Harbord Street west of Spadina has high and mid-places - try Boulevard Café for Peruvian meats in a nice atmosphere - Aki has reasonable Korean and Japanese. Then there Smoke's for poutine...