Farewell Toronto Eats…

I’ve officially moved to Evanston, IL (just outside of Chicago) for school.  YAY!! As my days in Toronto were drawing to a close people kept on asking me if I had a grand list of things to do in Toronto before I left. Surprisingly the answer was no.  When I moved from NYC I had a list of to-dos as part of my last hurrah including walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, visiting the NYC Public Library on 5th Ave and checking out the Cloisters.  Since I’ve lived in the T-Dot aka Toronto for most of my life, there wasn’t much for me to do but I of course I came up with my list of must-eats before I left.  Here’s a quick rundown…

Old Faves
Pizzeria Libretto – 550 Danforth Avenue Toronto, ON M4K 1P7
I love this place. I loved the original Libretto but have grown to love the Danforth location even more since they take reservations. The best. I’ve pretty much never had a bad pizza there and if you don’t want pizza (oh, the horror) their appetizers are great. You can easily make a meal out of them.

Holy Chuck Burgers – 1450 Yonge Street Toronto, ON M4T 1Y7
Easily one of my fave burger spots in the city… probably even my fave. My last meal at HC ended with a bang. Johnny (the owner) convinced me to try his latest concoction which featured 2 all bacon patties, 3 slices of cheese, slices of bacon and a bacon thousand islands dressing. It was definitely an indulgence but not as intense as you’d imagine.

Rodney’s By Bay – 56 Temperance Street Toronto, ON M5H 3V5
This is my spot for lobster rolls and chowder in Toronto. Portion has gotten a bit smaller over the years but it’s definitely still a winner.

Marben – 488 Wellington Street West Toronto, ON M5V 1E3, Canada
Marben is great for a reliably delicious and mostly local meal. They also make a great “fancy” burger and a pretty wicked charcuterie platter.

Buster Rhinos – 28 King St. East, Oshawa ON L1H 1A9
I’ve been a fan of Buster Rhinos for a while but rarely make it out there because it’s in the burbs. When I learned that Darryl was opening a restaurant in downtown Oshawa that would be accessibly by GO Transit I knew I’d pay a visit. Guys, you know it must be good food if I venture to the suburbs via public transit. This time around I had the brisket poutine which was pretty out of this world and grabbed some ribs and pecan pie to take home. All was awesome.

Island Foods – 1310 Don Mills Road, Toronto, ON M3B 2W6
I’ve been eating at Island Foods since I was kid and they only had a stall at the food court at Dufferin Mall. Whatchu know bout that? When the craving for a roti strikes Island Foods is my spot. I don’t have a standard order but my tops are either channa/eggplant, channa/spinach, shrimp, or chicken/channa.

Beast – 96 Tecumseth Street Toronto, ON M6J 2H1
This is my fave brunch spot in Toronto right now. Hands. Down. My standard order is The Beastwich because it is amazing. Trust.

Wvrst – 609 King W Toronto, ON M5V 1M5
I decided to have my lowkey going away shindig here because prices are right, food is good and the space works perfectly for the ebb and flow of visitors. This time around I tried their the duck and foie gras sausage. Delicious but definitely on the rich side. I’d totally get this again.

Khao San Road – 326 Adelaide Street West Toronto, ON M5V 1P7
When I’m craving Thai food this is my spot. I’ve pretty much never had a crappy meal there. My faves are the massaman curry, khao soi, pad thai and the garlic shrimp. This place is worth the wait.

New-ish on the Scene
La Carnita – 501 College Street, Toronto, ON M6G 1A5 (416) 964-155
I’ve never been to TUM and never made it to their pop-ups so this was my first time trying La Carnita. Definitely one of my fave meals of the the summer. Everything from the corn to the tacos to the popsicles were amazing. I had a special featuring grilled octopus that increased the joy in my life exponentially.

Campagnolo – 832 Dundas Street West Toronto, ON M6J 1V3
I’ve been trying to hit Campanolo for AGES but never quite made it happen. So glad I did. I could eat their burrata and roasted grapes by the truckload every. single. day. For my main I had some octopus and sausage concoction (not sure what this octopus kick is about) and it really hit the deliciousness spot.

Keriwa Cafe – 1690 Queen Street West Toronto, ON M6R 1B3
Keriwa is another spot that had been on my list for ages. For some reason upon sitting down there weren’t too many menu items that jumped out at me so we decided to forgo appetizers and just had a main each, which were both delicious. Again the dessert selection wasn’t particularly striking so we ended up rolling out and grabbing poutine and beers down the street. We keeps it classy.