I’m a Toronto local and here’s my definitive list of the 25 best restaurants in the city, Life in canada

Cafe Polonez

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Polish

Address: 195 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: If you want a restaurant that defines community, this is it.

In the heart of Roncesvalles, Cafe Polonez is one of the longest-standing Polish restaurants in the city — and it feels like it. World-class politicians have travelled across the globe for dinner here; Justin Trudeau has literally made pierogies in the kitchen. Matty Matheson, a local Toronto chef, is known to dine here time and time again. Yet, somehow it still feels like your grandmother’s kitchen.

If you listen to just one rule: order the platter. Pierogies, cabbage rolls, schnitzel— all the fixings for Balkan comfort food at its best.

Menu

Egg Club

Price: 💸

Cuisine: Japanese-Inspired Breakfast

Address: 88 Dundas St E, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: A breakfast sandwich, engineered to perfection: Japanese style.

Soft Japanese milk bread, folded eggs, house-made sauces — and the true stand out: their hash brown sandwich that looks like a dessert but tastes like a savoury girl’s dream. A golden hash brown patty folded in half with creamy, sweet mashed potato layered between. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s efficient, and it’s a Toronto-born company expanding far beyond this city.

Menu

Cassius Cucina Contemporanea

Price: 💸💸💸

Cuisine: Italian

Address: 624 King St W, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: We know dinner is more than just dishes. It’s ambiance. It’s the atmosphere. This is where a meal turns into a night out.

A sleek King West Italian spot where authenticity meets luxury. 100% Italian owned and operated. Head chef Michael Frigo, born in Bassano Del Grappa, Italy, started his career in Veneto’s top kitchens and now brings his Italian roots to our city streets.

The kind of place where adding the extra truffle to your rigatoni carbonara is so worth it. Because indulgence is earned, and Torontonians deserve it.

Menu

Bernhardt’s

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: French Bistro

Address: 202 Dovercourt Rd, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: Bringing a whole new side of chic to the quintessential Canadian classic: Swiss Chalet.

A rustic French bistro known for its rotisserie chicken. Their rotating seasonal menu specializes in White Rock chicken with Quebecois-style gravy and triple-cooked fries, and sources all ingredients from local vendors.

And fair warning: skipping dessert here is a cardinal sin. Their seasonal soft-serve is a non-negotiable. Last time I went, it was a sunflower pear sorbet sundae topped with candied sunflowers.

Menu

Masa Deli

Price: 💸

Cuisine: Breakfast & Deli

Address: 985 Dovercourt Rd, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: Breakfast, but make it chaotic in the best way.

Massive egg-loaded sandwiches, Latin-inspired tortillas, and burritos that drip down your arm. Their blend of classic American breakfasts and South American flavours is the inspiration behind their infamous breakfast sandwich, which feels more like a breakfast burger, with their thick sausage patty paired with pickles.

But if you ask me, the pastrami burrito with their habanero hot sauce is a must-get.

Menu

Gold Standard

Price: 💸

Cuisine: Breakfast Sandwiches

Address: 385 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: The best classic breakfast sandwich in Toronto. Full stop.

There are a lot of breakfast sandwiches in this city. This one wins because it doesn’t overcomplicate. Originating out of The Federal as a staff meal, this full-on city staple out of a takeout window doesn’t skimp on the best of the best ingredients: perfectly toasted buttery English muffin, thick-cut crispy bacon, and exactly the right amount of egg.

Pair the best breakfast sandwich with a stop at Reunion Coffee and start your morning with an unstoppable combination.

Menu

Dreyfus

Price: 💸💸💸

Cuisine: Contemporary French

Address: 96 Harbord St, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: Tiny, intimate, and effortlessly cool.

Set inside a brick row house on Harbord, this 30-seat French-ish spot with an ever-changing menu is inventive, indulgent, and one of the few places in the city that feels intimate.

Chef Zachary Kolomeir nods to his Jewish heritage and its influence on Quebecois cuisine, bringing thoughtful, unique dishes to the table (literally). I’d recommend a dish, but with their rotating menu, you never know what you’re walking into —and that’s the appeal.

Menu

Lake Inez

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Asian-Inspired Contemporary

Address: 1471 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4L 2A1

Why you need to go: The kind of restaurant that almost resists description.

Located on Gerrard East, it serves creative dishes inspired by Asian cuisine constantly on rotation, in a spot with decor equally as surprising. Named after the lake, the restaurant is lined with a quirky mix of chandeliers, antique and vintage furniture curated on Kijiji, and a stained-glass tile mural created by Schwartz himself.

Menu

Athens

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Greek

Address: 707 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4J 1L2

Why you need to go: A Danforth staple that never misses.

No frills, no gimmick, no game. Just incredibly authentic Greek food. An all-tradition spot that earned its status the old-fashioned way: being consistent and building a loyal neighbourhood following.

Menu

Susie’s Rise and Dine

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Diner

Address: 539 College St, Toronto, ON M6G 1A9

Why you need to go: A classic diner, reimagined.

Created by three Asian-Canadian founders, inspired by their childhood memories spent around local diners and their grandmother’s kitchen tables, this place blends nostalgia with bold Asian flavours.

Mapo frito pie, General Tso’s Buffalo Chicken Wings, and Pigs in a Blanket served with Yuzu Cool Ranch Dip. Every dish is thoughtfully curated to spark nostalgia with a fresh new flair. The pancakes alone are worth the visit: crispy edges, soft centre, all perfection.

Menu

Sunny’s Chinese

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Regional Chinese

Address: 60 Kensington Ave, Units 6-14, Toronto, ON M5T 2K1

Why you need to go: Part of the fun of this regional Chinese spot is finding it. Hidden in a hallway in Kensington Mall, the only sign of life is a small neon sign in Chinese.

Open the door, and you’ll find yourself in a secret oasis hidden in plain sight. This high-energy diner is inspired by the cultures found throughout China, from shankao spots in Chengdu and Xi’an to dai pai dongs in Hong Kong.

Order the black sesame French toast and thank me later.

Menu

La Salumeria

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Italian Deli

Address: 2021 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4S 2A2

Why you need to go: No aesthetic, no trends. Another spot that places their faith in authenticity, and in this case, it’s a true, authentic Italian deli. The decor includes curated shelves of pickled artichokes, hot black olives, and Paese Mio taralli.

This old-school Italian deli hasn’t changed since 1984, and we hope it never does. The sandwiches are massive, messy, and perfect.

Pizzeria Badialis

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: New York-Style Pizza

Address: 181 Dovercourt Rd, Toronto, ON M6J 3C6

Why you need to go: Yes, it’s hyped. Yes, there’s always a line. And yes, it’s always worth it.

In a city like Toronto, filled with foodies, sometimes people can’t stop raving about a spot for a reason. Staples become staples for a reason. Classic New York-style pizza. The vodka slice and the cacio e pepe are reason enough to wait in that line, even if it does stretch past Osler Park.

Menu

Hanmoto

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Japanese Izakaya

Address: 2 Lakeview Ave, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: Late-night dining done right.

A Japanese Izakaya with incredibly small plates and even better energy. When most of the city has wound down, this spot still feels alive—serving inventive late-night snacks and strong drinks out of a flea-market-inspired spot since 2015.

Do yourself a favour and don’t forget to order the Dino wings. Deboned chicken wings stuffed with ground pork and bacon like a gyoza, deep-fried until crispy, and drizzled with Kewpie mayo before getting boxed up in a Chinese takeout container.

Mamakas Taverna

Price: 💸💸💸

Cuisine: Greek

Address: 80 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: Mamakas is what happens when a restaurant manages to be both authentic and chic.

Located on Ossington, in the centre of all that is cool, this elegant 85-seat Greek tavern takes its name from a term of endearment for mother, and that warmth is woven into the space. Greek food, but elevated.

The chefs match the ambiance in blending traditional dishes with modern touches — like taramosalata topped with salmon roe.

Menu

Danny’s Pizza Tavern

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Pizza

Address: 611 College St, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: The restaurant was so nice that they had to do it twice.

Both Danny’s and Danny’s Next Door are tavern-style pizza spots on College, serving up super-thin pies and packing the room with wood-panelled walls and personal photos, making the spots feel intimate and effortlessly cool.

Menu

Edulis

Price: 💸💸💸💸

Cuisine: Contemporary Fine Dining

Address: 169 Niagara St, Toronto, ON M5V 1C9

Why you need to go: Ask any chef in Toronto where they’d eat, and more often than not, this is the answer.

Expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Every dish feels like a love letter. To Europe. To Love. To fine dining. And to mushrooms. Yes, mushrooms.

Located on Niagara St., the menu is unlike what you’ll find anywhere else. Whole roasted chickens craved tableside, house-made rabbit butifarra sauce, and creamed pine nut vinaigrettes.

Menu

OddSeoul

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Korean-American Fusion

Address: 90 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: Opened in 2012, still standing over a decade later — OddSeoul remains one of the best snack bars in the city.

The Korean-American-inspired fusion tapas spot is loud, lively, and fun, making you want to come back again and again.

This is a spot to share with friends, where the drinks are good, the plates are meant to be split, and you always end up staying much longer than you planned. If you’re not running back for the bulgogi cheesesteak or the tempura squash poutine, then you’re the problem.

Menu

Pho Real

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Address: 8099 Weston Rd, Woodbridge, ON

Why you need to go: Sharing this one feels like divulging my best-kept secret. Located slightly outside the city in Vaughan, Pho Real is a personal family gem.

It’s the kind of hole-in-the-wall spot that Toronto is built on. It heals the soul. It was a childhood staple for me, and if you’re from Vaughan, then it was for you too.

It’s a family-owned spot, run by Vietnamese immigrants, that serves deeply authentic Vietnamese cooking without the fuss. This is the kind of place you only show someone when they’ve really earned it.

Menu

Famiglia Baldassarre

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Fresh Pasta

Address: 122 Geary Ave, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: This pasta shop opens only for a short window each week and serves up some of the most authentic handmade pasta in the city.

For just two hours on Tuesday to Friday, this industrial kitchen, located in a shop on Geary, offers a compact rotating lunch menu for dine-in or takeout. Outside of that, it’s a wholesale fresh pasta operation making 27 different types of traditional pasta from scratch.

The limited time frame, the rotating menu, and the ritual of it all make the meal feel all the more special.

Menu

Akira Back

Price: 💸💸💸💸

Cuisine: Japanese-Korean Fusion

Address: 80 Blue Jays Way, Toronto, ON M5V 2G3

Why you need to go: Luxury dining with a cult following.

When speaking with friends as I compiled this list, this spot was a unanimous add. Akira Back kept coming up.

Located inside the BISHA Hotel, this is clearly one of those places people love to recommend because it consistently delivers.

The standouts: Wagyu tacos piled into crispy wonton shells, prepared Korean barbecue-style with bulgogi sauce and tomato ponzu.

Menu

Bear Steak Sandwiches

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Steak Sandwiches

Address: 550A College St, Toronto, ON M6G 1B1

Why you need to go: From backyard pop-up to city staple.

This spot is serving up thick-cut, juicy steak sandwiches on the rare side, slathered in chimichurri sauce and stacked onto a Portuguese roll that somehow keeps getting better — big flavour, no gimmicks — the bite that keeps on giving.

Menu

Hodo Kwaja

Price: 💸

Cuisine: Korean Bakery

Address: 656 Bloor St W, Toronto, ONWhy you need to go: Family-owned since 1992, another point in the case for long-standing city institutions.

This Korean bakery on Bloor specializes in traditional and popular Korean desserts. It has that low-key stumbled-upon kind of charm that makes discovering it feel extra satisfying.

Known for their red bean pancake, it remains one of the places people tend to find through word of mouth and never stop talking about.

Maha’s Brunch

Price: 💸💸

Cuisine: Egyptian Brunch

Address: 226 Greenwood Ave, Toronto, ON

Why you need to go: If you’ve never been to Maha’s, then you’ve never had brunch like this.

This homey Egyptian spot on Greenwood serves traditional dishes rich with sweet spices and deeply layered flavours that melt away the brunch fatigue in this city.

With unforgettable dishes like sunny-side eggs served with foole or date-grilled cheese, this spot is warm, distinctive, and comforting in a completely reimagined way.

Menu