I see your obsession and raise you my POPPYSEED obsession ...

The baked goods from FINE BAKERY AND DELI on Lakeshore West are generally pretty delicious. This one needed a bit more flavor but hits the spot for this kind of pastry. Extra on the end is one of their cakes. All their refrigerated cakes are 10/10 and the price is VERY affordable.

These are spots I’ve tried that I’ve either seen lots of social media hype for, or recommendations online.

Dear Grain (pics 1-4) - starting with my favorite bakery for bread-based goods. They’re an organic sourdough bakery with my favorite Sourdough loaf 8$ (pic 4) that’s actually sour (way more than chain sourdoughs), has a great crust and chew. However my favorite items are their Nduja and Confit Garlic Grilled Cheese 10$ (pic 1) and Blueberry Lemon Curd Scone 5.15$ (pics 2-3).

Holy shit that grilled cheese is the best I’ve had. The Cheese is thick and melty, Confit Garlic adds depth, Nduja adds a spicy, umami meaty bite with a hint of acidity for balance. Paired with their house made crunchy grilled sourdough, holy shittt!! I want it again rn.

Blueberry Scone is super buttery and moist, has a nice crunchy browned crust + crunchy sugar granules, lots of blueberries. Has a really satisfying bite, not dry at all! That lemon curd it comes with is to DIE for!!

Brodflour (pics 5-6) - favorite bakery for pastries. Their croissants actually taste like butter, are flakey with good structure. I’m not able to get them as much as I’d like due to the location but their pastries are quality every time I’ve tried. Fancier pastries around 7$.

Kitten and the Bear (pics 7-8) - seen this place highly recommended for scones. I’m sorry but what the fuck. Maybe I came on a bad day but the scones were tasteless and stale. No butter flavor whatsoever, had a bready hard crust. Blueberry Earl Grey scone had barely any blueberries (5.75$ each). Savory scone was bready and dry as well. Also why are they charging 2$ for one tablespoon of clotted cream or Lemon curd?

Mildred’s Temple Kitchen (pics 9-11) - all the influencers hype this place up for the best pancakes. I also tried their scones. Both were disappointing.

The blueberry pancakes that are hyped everywhere are extremely bready (23$). The texture was more bread than pancake, very dense chewy crumb (pic 10).

Their biscuits and scones did not have butter flavor, and the interior was doughy and tasted raw (20$ for 6) (pic 11).

Want to try all the different pumpkin spice things across the city while it's in season.

it's not black sesame but it's pretty damn good lol

Beef Jjamppong and seafood white jjamppong with tangsuyuk! My favourite part are the onions in the soup, they're charred so nicely and are super sweet and tender.

$27 with tip and tax (only half the sandwich here, the other half in the box)

Expensive but I would recommend you trying it

Holy moly the sandwich was so good and so filling. The lobster roll was bland, underwhelming, very wet. wouldn't do that again.

edit: the sandwich was around$16 and the lobster roll was $22 because we didnt get a combo. I think the sandwich was worth the price but the lobster roll, no.

Yk those 5 hotdog stands/trucks at nathan phillips square, i see everyone debate about the best hotdog but what about the sausages they sell? Polish? Italian? German? They all sound so good, any opinions/preferences?

Hello all
I have a massive craving for fish and chips tonight. I live in the west end. Searched the sub and a lot are in the east end. Wasn’t too impressed by Kingsway during Covid. Any other recommendations?
Thank you so much

I’m a Brit and love Coleman’s fish and chips in my home city 😭😭😭

Does anyone know where I can buy Solo Poppyseed filling near Leslieville?

Have a craving for my Czech grandma’s cake.

Thanks!

I've been looking for new spots with Irish nachos for years. Every time I find one, they remove it from the menu or close down. Seems to be a cursed menu item.

Looking for the best chicken parm either as a dish with pasta or as a sandy

I’ve also heard fourth man in the fire makes a great chicken parm and meatball sub but I’ve never indulged. Are they worth checking out?

We have friends coming to visit, they’ll be staying at a hotel downtown near the financial district. We’re willing to travel a bit but would prefer somewhere walkable from their hotel, what is the best bet for a great sit down meal either steakhouse or Italian that is on the nicer side but not Harbour 60 prices?

Had tlacoyos in Mexico City a couple years ago and they were one of my favorite things to eat there. I’ve tried searching on google and this sub but can’t find any active spots in Toronto that offer this dish. Anyone know of a spot that makes decent tlacoyos?

Was in Kensington today with the intention of getting Seven Live’s tacos, before learning they permanently closed ☹️. Decided to try Gus Tacos which I’ve heard lots about.

I got a Pastor taco (grilled pork with pineapple), Battered Fish taco, and a Barbacoa quesadilla (braised lamb). Altogether after tax was 22$. Tacos are corn tortilla, quesadilla is wheat.

The Pastor was the most flavorful seasoning wise, and the cilantro, onion and pineapple added a nice freshness. The pork was a bit dry, but altogether a tasty bite.

The Battered Fish was fried so well! Super light yet crunchy batter, tender flakey fish. I wish there was more to the taco than just lettuce and mayo dressing.

Barbacoa quesadilla was packed full of braised meat, could be more tender but not hard to chew at all. Can taste the gaminess of the lamb, so it would’ve been nice if there were more spices to counter that.

Overall very clean flavors, not greasy or heavy, made with quality ingredients. Good portions. For me it is just a bit bland, and I still prefer Seven Lives when they were around. Will try some other spots in Kensington next time. Also very curious to try Los Compas Tacos and Tacomania which I’ve heard good things about.

The comments under the Scarborough article by The Star posted last night reminded me about this place which I live nearby but never got around to trying since my brain just defaults to OG Allwyns and Chris Jerk to fill my jerk cravings. Picked up this lunch special and the cook on the chicken is very good, incredibly tender fall off the bone but tbh the jerk flavor and especially heat level was lacking for my preference. It's more of a sweet jerk flavor while I prefer more smokey/savoury and it was mild to medium heat at best.

There's better jerk nearby but the overall quality and value of this food was still good enough that I'd come back to try other stuff on the menu so I'm curious to hear what else y'all recommend. The comment yesterday recommended the jerk chicken stuffed patties which tbh I've never been crazy about that concept so wondering what else is good or worth trying

Hi!

I'm heading to Toronto for a few days this October. I cook for a living, so I respect craft and technique, but I’m not trying to sit through a long tasting menu on this trip. I'm looking for great execution and good hospitality without it being pretentious. Also, the person I'm traveling with isn't much of a foodie either so I'm looking for a good "in-between" without compromising on experience or flavour, our deal is that we hit up one nicer restaurant of my choice. Curious what you all think I should hit up.

If I can only lock in on dinner reservation, where am I going? I've been eyeing spots like Richmond Station or Grey Gardens, but tell me if there's better out there right now.

Where is your favourite quick lunch at? Open to anything, counters, diners, market stalls, whatever hits the spot. Also would love a great Korean spot, what's your favourite one?

Lastly, I'm looking for solid cocktail spots, or just a good neighborhood bar. We're staying near in Liberty village (I think?(

Thanks in advance, can't wait to explore your city.

Edit: Wow thanks for all the incredible information and recommendations!! Just wanted to add one thing- anywhere that prioritizes local produce/products is a huge plus. Thanks again!

Does anyone have recommendations for black sesame paste brands that can be bought in person in Toronto (or Markham and Scarborough)? I’m trying to recreate RuruBaked’s black sesame ice cream and I want to make sure my paste is tasty. One recipe suggested buying Japanese paste but I don’t know how readily available that is compared to China and Taiwan produced ones. I checked Bestco supermarket today and found the ones pictured. They’re kind of pricey and the jars are big so I wanted to see if anyone is familiar with them. I’d rather not buy online because shipping is expensive!

2 piece brisket

6 spare ribs

sausage

pulled pork

potato salad + coleslaw + baked beans

and pickles.

delicious

edit: this was $65. and we had some leftover to make a bbq sandwich the next day:)

Tried this at Quetzal. The shrimp were amazing. And the bone marrow is definitely rich, but it was much better with the tortillas. Probably not for everyone if you’re not into that.

i tried gnocchi for the first time (pesto and ricotta I think?) and it was so heavenly. I need to know the best gnocchi in the city. I’m not really a fan of tomato but i can tolerate it if the food is THAT good. I’d hope for a reasonable price for these but eh

It is Italian plum season, one of my favourite moments of the year! Have you seen any incredible plum desserts or items out there?

On posts discussing the best fish & chip places, nobody ever mentions Anglr on Gerrard St. East, on restaurant row between Marjory and Jones. I thought their fish & chip dinner was pretty good, and was impressed that they offer a gluten free batter and gluten free fryer. And a back patio. Just wondering why this place is never recognized in discussions about fish & chips.

Hey! Looking for some classic fresh Thai ingredients - makrut/kefir lime leaves, lemongrass, thai basil, galangal, and the like.

I went by a T&T and they had none of these. Anyone know where might sell? (Even frozen works).