Toronto dining suggestions
#2
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Join Date: Feb 2010
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There are thousands of places! What are you looking for? Types of food, budget, location within Toronto (which hotel will you be staying at), do you want somewhere with a great view / good surroundings / nice atmosphere, or is the food the only thing that matters? When exactly are you going (e.g. early September, patio options could well be viable, late October not so much).
#4
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Most people I know are raving about this place at the moment, a friend was there yesterday for lunch and said 'it was even better than last time':
http://www.thechasetoronto.com/
Celeb chef-wise (I am not sure if he is celeb enough) Daniel Boulud's place in Yorkville (short cab or subway from the hotel, nice neighborhood to hang out in)
http://www.cafeboulud.com/toronto/
There's also a Jamie Oliver Italian restaurant (but I haven't been there)
https://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/canada/
Cactus Club Cafe is the second one to open (there's another in Vancouver) and is owned / run by a former Iron Chef, Rob Feenie. I ate there for the first time last month, and it was pretty good - not high end food, but well executed. Very busy place for the after work Bay Street crowd, no idea what it is like on weekends. Decor is very cool.
https://www.cactusclubcafe.com/locat...anadian-place/
Mark McEwan's Bymark Restaurant is pretty popular, I've had some good dishes there. Also tends towards business crowd.
Let me know if these are hitting the spot.
Ki is a higher end Japanese people like (I don't like Japanese), Canoe has a fantastic view of the city and good food, but can be a bit stuffy (lots of business lunches / dinners), Hy's is a good steak place.
http://www.thechasetoronto.com/
Celeb chef-wise (I am not sure if he is celeb enough) Daniel Boulud's place in Yorkville (short cab or subway from the hotel, nice neighborhood to hang out in)
http://www.cafeboulud.com/toronto/
There's also a Jamie Oliver Italian restaurant (but I haven't been there)
https://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/canada/
Cactus Club Cafe is the second one to open (there's another in Vancouver) and is owned / run by a former Iron Chef, Rob Feenie. I ate there for the first time last month, and it was pretty good - not high end food, but well executed. Very busy place for the after work Bay Street crowd, no idea what it is like on weekends. Decor is very cool.
https://www.cactusclubcafe.com/locat...anadian-place/
Mark McEwan's Bymark Restaurant is pretty popular, I've had some good dishes there. Also tends towards business crowd.
Let me know if these are hitting the spot.
Ki is a higher end Japanese people like (I don't like Japanese), Canoe has a fantastic view of the city and good food, but can be a bit stuffy (lots of business lunches / dinners), Hy's is a good steak place.
#6




Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 609
Did my newbie trip last summer, and asked a similar question. Had several suggestions, and the one we liked best was a pleasant little French restaurant on Bedford Road in the Eglinton neighborhood called Le Paradis. The sidewalk cafe was perfect for conversation. The food was quite good and prices were very, very reasonable.
It's a short walk from the Eglinton subway stop, and we found the TTC to be quite interesting (compared to what we had here in DC), and it's fascinating how the city's outlying neighborhoods have developed along the subway (Eglinton was where it first ended....now there are numerous additional stops along Yonge Street).
Toronto boasts being a city of neighborhoods, and we greatly enjoyed the contrast between downtown and the outlying neighborhoods, which can be very much like small towns, with main streets, a library, a post office, a park, etc;
Downtown TO is fine. But you might enjoy getting out to some of the neighborhoods. Enjoy!
It's a short walk from the Eglinton subway stop, and we found the TTC to be quite interesting (compared to what we had here in DC), and it's fascinating how the city's outlying neighborhoods have developed along the subway (Eglinton was where it first ended....now there are numerous additional stops along Yonge Street).
Toronto boasts being a city of neighborhoods, and we greatly enjoyed the contrast between downtown and the outlying neighborhoods, which can be very much like small towns, with main streets, a library, a post office, a park, etc;
Downtown TO is fine. But you might enjoy getting out to some of the neighborhoods. Enjoy!
#7
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 3,665
Did my newbie trip last summer, and asked a similar question. Had several suggestions, and the one we liked best was a pleasant little French restaurant on Bedford Road in the Eglinton neighborhood called Le Paradis. The sidewalk cafe was perfect for conversation. The food was quite good and prices were very, very reasonable.
It's a short walk from the Eglinton subway stop
It's a short walk from the Eglinton subway stop
#9
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Resurrecting this thread as we're looking for a good - not necessarily fancy - but good quality and not too expensive korean BBQ in Toronto. Ideally some place where non-Korean are the minority not the majority of customers, so we know it's authentic and good.
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions?
#10




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Go to Mapo ... it's on Bloor Street near Christie, and easily accessible by public transit via the Christie subway station. That part of Toronto is known as Korea Town ... you'll figure it out when you get there :-)
Otherwise there are some great Korean places in North York, but it's a longer trek from downtown. Daldongnae, on Yonge Street a block or two south of Steeles, is pretty good. There are also some good Korean restaurants in the Kensington Market area but I don't know that area as well.
You're in the right place for good eats though. If nothing else, Toronto has an outstanding restaurant scene.
Otherwise there are some great Korean places in North York, but it's a longer trek from downtown. Daldongnae, on Yonge Street a block or two south of Steeles, is pretty good. There are also some good Korean restaurants in the Kensington Market area but I don't know that area as well.
You're in the right place for good eats though. If nothing else, Toronto has an outstanding restaurant scene.
#11
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Go to Mapo ... it's on Bloor Street near Christie, and easily accessible by public transit via the Christie subway station. That part of Toronto is known as Korea Town ... you'll figure it out when you get there :-)
Otherwise there are some great Korean places in North York, but it's a longer trek from downtown. Daldongnae, on Yonge Street a block or two south of Steeles, is pretty good. There are also some good Korean restaurants in the Kensington Market area but I don't know that area as well.
You're in the right place for good eats though. If nothing else, Toronto has an outstanding restaurant scene.
Otherwise there are some great Korean places in North York, but it's a longer trek from downtown. Daldongnae, on Yonge Street a block or two south of Steeles, is pretty good. There are also some good Korean restaurants in the Kensington Market area but I don't know that area as well.
You're in the right place for good eats though. If nothing else, Toronto has an outstanding restaurant scene.
#12




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What I like about Mapo is that it's surrounded by Korean restaurants, so with the competition level being what it is, it has to maintain a good quality level just to stay alive. And hey, if it doesn't speak to you for some reason, there are a lot of others choices nearby. Something will catch your eye.
I've been to Daldongnae maybe three times (?) being close by a friend's house, and generally found it to be pretty good. That said, the whole YMMV thing always applies.
I've been to Daldongnae maybe three times (?) being close by a friend's house, and generally found it to be pretty good. That said, the whole YMMV thing always applies.
#14
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Tried Daldongnae during my trip last week - it was OK - nothing amazing.
My mother really likes Tan Cang Newport Seafood in Santa Ana, but is looking for something similar in Toronto to try during her summer months up there - this would be a large (4-10LB) steamed, chopped then stir fried lobster, with a ginger/scallion/jalapeno sauce. Option for noodles under the chopped lobster.
Are there any Vietnamese or Chinese restaurants anywhere around Toronto/Scarboro/Markham that specialize in seafood in that style? And not break the bank (Tan Cang is about $35/lb)? I remember there is a place at Yorkdale Mall but their pricing for seafood was crazy.
My mother really likes Tan Cang Newport Seafood in Santa Ana, but is looking for something similar in Toronto to try during her summer months up there - this would be a large (4-10LB) steamed, chopped then stir fried lobster, with a ginger/scallion/jalapeno sauce. Option for noodles under the chopped lobster.
Are there any Vietnamese or Chinese restaurants anywhere around Toronto/Scarboro/Markham that specialize in seafood in that style? And not break the bank (Tan Cang is about $35/lb)? I remember there is a place at Yorkdale Mall but their pricing for seafood was crazy.
#15




Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: SEA
Posts: 345
Tried Daldongnae during my trip last week - it was OK - nothing amazing.
My mother really likes Tan Cang Newport Seafood in Santa Ana, but is looking for something similar in Toronto to try during her summer months up there - this would be a large (4-10LB) steamed, chopped then stir fried lobster, with a ginger/scallion/jalapeno sauce. Option for noodles under the chopped lobster.
Are there any Vietnamese or Chinese restaurants anywhere around Toronto/Scarboro/Markham that specialize in seafood in that style? And not break the bank (Tan Cang is about $35/lb)? I remember there is a place at Yorkdale Mall but their pricing for seafood was crazy.
My mother really likes Tan Cang Newport Seafood in Santa Ana, but is looking for something similar in Toronto to try during her summer months up there - this would be a large (4-10LB) steamed, chopped then stir fried lobster, with a ginger/scallion/jalapeno sauce. Option for noodles under the chopped lobster.
Are there any Vietnamese or Chinese restaurants anywhere around Toronto/Scarboro/Markham that specialize in seafood in that style? And not break the bank (Tan Cang is about $35/lb)? I remember there is a place at Yorkdale Mall but their pricing for seafood was crazy.



