It’s a given that Toronto has one of the best food scenes in the world, and a new 2026 World Cup host-city ranking just gave the city another reason to brag: Toronto’s peameal bacon sandwich ranked as the sixth most unique must-try dish among all 16 host cities!
The guide ranked signature dishes from each 2026 FIFA World Cup host city, looking at factors like source frequency, local support, tourist recognition and cultural significance. The famous St. Lawrence Market sandwich notably beat Vancouver’s Japadog, which came in 10th, New York pizza, which landed in 15th, and L.A. tacos, which finished in 16th.
No surprise here. Peameal bacon is a local culinary tradition, invented in Toronto in the late 1800s by butcher William Davies. He built Canada’s largest pork processing facility, which helped establish Toronto as a major meat processing centre (hence, Toronto’s nickname, “Hogtown”).
The thick-sliced, unsmoked cornmeal-crusted back bacon is griddled and served on a kaiser roll with mustard. Today, you can find some of the city’s most famous peameal bacon sandwiches at St. Lawrence Market, specifically at Carousel Bakery (known as the home of the award-winning “World Famous Peameal Bacon Sandwich”) and Paddington’s Pump: they have two versions, with or without cheese, on a kaiser bun.
And obviously, Toronto’s food scene is much bigger than one sandwich: the World Cup food guide also points to the city’s Jamaican patties, butter tarts, sushi pizza and poutine as part of its food identity!
And if you’re wondering, Guadalajara took the no. 1 spot: the torta ahogada requires birote bread that can only be made in Guadalajara (according to the guide, no other World Cup city has a defining dish this locked to one place).
You can find Canada Sports Betting’s new World Cup 2026 food guide here.
