This Greek American diner has been situated right outside Toronto Pearson International Airport since 1971, when founder Spyro Sventzouris opened the doors to what was quite literally the only restaurant in the area at that time. Now run by Sventzouris’s grandson Platon, the restaurant remains popular (expect lines but minimal wait times, thanks to swift, efficient, cafeteria-style service). The no-frills, generous portions are humble and honest, the kind of sustenance you want after subsisting on subpar airplane food for a few hours. Even diners not coming off the runway should make a visit to check out the best-selling chicken souvlaki: one pound of chicken skewered and served with the usual suspects like roasted potatoes, rice, Greek salad, a homestyle dinner roll, and tzatziki. Also, try the New York Strip dinner, likely the cheapest steak you’ll find in the city.

Maître fromager (cheese master) Afrim Pristine is an inimitable maestro of fine and funky food. His family has been in the cheese business since the 1970s, and they’ve run this gourmet grocery store and fromagerie on Ripley Avenue in the west end of the city since 2000, when they moved from the original Bloor Street outpost. In a not-so-subtle quest to take over the entire block, the cheese empire has expanded into a 12,000-square-foot epicurean emporium filled to the gills with artisan charcuterie, olive oils, truffles, fresh produce, prepared foods, and over 500 varieties of wheels, wedges, slices, and hunks. You’ll also find a wine bar on the second floor, created in collaboration with Franco Stalteri of Charlie’s Burgers, and Pristine’s famous tourable cheese vault, which secures a million dollars worth of nose-tickling, age-ripened products.

Since 2009, this restaurant with a fast-casual counter has sent thousands of famed Portuguese chickens out the door each week. Owned by Carlos Martins and managed by his three sons — including Le Cordon Bleu graduate chef Steven Martins — this spot has all the hallmarks of a family-owned restaurant operation. The Martins take care to source ingredients (including fresh fish and seafood) directly from Portugal, and papa Carlos makes the rounds glad-handing and toasting with guests like a local celebrity. While the sit-down restaurant offers old-world charm, head to the counter side, where 20 hot trays are ever in rotation. Try the butterflied Portuguese chicken with piri piri sauce (a secret family recipe), creamy potato spheres, whole grilled sea bass, creamed cod, veal cutlet, and the coveted suckling pig.

Part of a 70-year-old, family-run restaurant group in Tokyo that leads the genre of conveyor belt sushi, Aburi Tora uses its fishy transit system (combined with touch screens for ordering) to ensure made-to-order oshi, sushi, nigiri, and Japanese tapas arrive to customers ultra-fresh every time. Top bites include head chef Young Son’s sweet Hokkaido scallop nigiri and the fatty, fleshy salmon toro nigiri.

This tiny butcher, grocery shop, and makeshift restaurant serves Mexican street fare with a wholesome, no-frills vibe. You can’t go wrong ordering a few lengua (tongue) tacos or rich chicken mole tamales. Gringa de pastor is another top contender: flour tortillas filled with savory carnitas, pineapple chunks, onion, and elastic cheese. Be on the lookout for rotating specials that could include pancita (tripe soup) or slow-roasted barbacoa (available in tacos or by the pound).

To dine here is akin to making a religious pilgrimage: It takes patience, practice, and prayer. The once “secretive” spot in the gentrifying “mechanical-industrial” strip of Geary Street is no longer under wraps. Swarms of people congregate and wait at least an hour outside before opening, a fact not lost on owner and chef Leandro Baldassarre (formerly of three-Michelin-starred Dal Pescatore). With a collected demeanor and without gimmicks, Baldassarre offers what’s considered the city’s best fresh pasta, along with rustic Southern Italian dishes. The cushy gnocchi, graced with shaved black truffles, tastes like a woodland retreat; ravioli are pleasure pockets filled with ricotta and spinach; and rustic tomato-beef ragu intertwines with thin ribbons of tagliatelle. To complement the heavenly pastas, Baldassarre sources prime ingredients for grazing, such as fior di latte, salty-sweet crudo di parma (aged 18 months), and zingy fagiolini (green beans imbued with mint, olive oil, and vinegar).

Chef Michael Lam and Eric Chow threw the basic tenets of ice cream out the window when they opened Good Behaviour, creating dozens of eclectic flavors (cacio e pepe, mala chocolate orange, mango mojito). Lam brings culinary know-how from working in Michelin-starred restaurants in Australia and New York, while Chow provides business acumen and front-of-house savvy. Since it’s not always ice cream weather in Toronto, Good Behaviour also offers Dagwood-style subs that can warm even the coldest of souls, like smoked beef brisket (topped with smoked gouda, caramelized onion, and horseradish-beef fat vinaigrette) and spicy meatballs (a medley of veal, pork, and beef, with herby basil pesto mayo and lip-sizzling chile oil). Breakfast sandwiches here also combat the workday blues with sun salutations like creamy tamago egg salad or classic sausage, egg, and cheese.

This Richmond Hill icon has been owned and operated by Vince Mazzotta for more than 40 years. The old-school, no-frills pizza joint is legendary for massive portions and best sellers, such as naked wings and kitchen-sink salads. But what you really want here is the panzerotti: a golden, greasy beast with a bubbly crust that’s the stuff of deep-fried dreams. It weighs nearly two pounds because it’s rammed with gooey mozzarella and salty, piquant pepperoni slices. While you can choose to add more ingredients, simple is best.

Chef and low-key sorcerer of slices Ryan Baddeley produces magical pizza pies. His three-day slow-fermented dough straddles the realm of a Neapolitan pizza and flaky Yemeni malawah, giving off an audible ASMR snap as you bite in. Fresh go-tos include the burrata marinara (crushed tangy-sweet tomatoes, shaved garlic, sharp pecorino, and Sicilian oregano riddled with squishy burrata), the mushroom bianco (umami-addled portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, ricotta, and whole-milk mozzarella), and the ever-controversial capicola and pineapple (tropical tidbits reinforced with ham, Calabrian chile, mozzarella, and crushed tomatoes).

A few all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue spots still dot the city, but diners who prefer quality over quantity turn to a la carte places like Piggy’s that emphasize sourcing and culinary culture. Co-owners Joeun Kim and chef Tory Chun, along with Kim’s sister Julie and mother Gi Ja Lee, leverage their respective expertises, from business sense to UX design, to create a great customer experience. Before diving into the rich proteins, try the naengmyeon (cold noodles), made from scratch using sweet potato starch, which are sourced from South Korea. Then be sure to order the signature dwaeji galbi (pork ribs): The meat is aged in-house, marinated in a fruity blend, and — like all the meats at Piggy’s — cooked over 100-percent Korean oak charcoal.

Chef-owner Corinna Mozo’s retro diner (replete in pastel hues and squeaky vinyl banquettes) pays tribute to the restaurant her grandfather owned in Cuba in the 1950s. Everything is made from scratch, including the bread, pastries, and desserts. The serotonin-boosting barbecue beef short ribs are braised for hours, given a lacquer of sweet-savory guava sauce, and served with meaty, palm-sized tostones. Another must-try is the classic Cubano, which gets catapulted into high society with slow-roasted pork shoulder, oozy Gruyere, tangy red onions, and chipotle mayo on a house-made baguette.

Raucous celebrity chef Matty Matheson (you may have caught his turn on a little show called The Bear) owns numerous restaurants in the city via his Our House Hospitality Company. Prime Seafood Palace appears calm, as if it could moonlight as a Scandinavian sauna or secluded lodge in Northern Canada, but once you’re inside this wooden shrine to beef, Matheson’s soul shines through. At the pass, you’ll find culinary director Coulson Armstrong serving up brazen dishes with calculated panache, like a bougie caviar bite served on a hash brown; strands of perfectly bouncy al dente spaghetti with a mound of delicate lobster nuggets; and opulent, 20-ounce, dry-aged prime rib complete with velvety bordelaise and A5 wagyu drippings.

This staple spot in Richmond Hill has been paying edible homage to Malaysia’s combination of Malay, Chinese, and Indian flavors for nearly two decades. Favorites include potently herbal mutton satays; flaky and pliable roti canai dunked into glistening curry beef; and thick, chewy Kuala Lumpur-style Hokkien mee noodles lacquered with soy sauce and tangled up with calamari, shrimp, chicken, and vegetables.

For nearly 20 years, this Iranian restaurant has been a humble darling of Queen Street West. Co-owned by executive chef Amir Mohyeddin and his sisters, Salome and Samira, Banu — a term of endearment for their mother, loosely translated to “lady” or “dame” — offers a considerate take on the home cooking of Tehran. Roasted eggplant emerges creamy, a touch pungent, and nutty thanks to several stages of peeling, frying, and low-and-slow cooking to extract every ounce of flavor. Koobideh skewers (ground beef blended with pureed onions, salt, and pepper) retain their shape while cooking but immediately submit on the tongue like a pat of soft butter. Don’t miss the grilled Ontario lamb rack, a juicy Persian jewel topped with bitter crushed walnuts, roasted garlic, and pomegranate molasses.

Philip Haddad’s croissants are legendary; they’re also incredibly messy, though you should wear the buttery debris on your face as a badge of honor. The viral, twice-baked Sicilian pistachio croissant naturally steals the spotlight with creamy frangipane oozing from its butter-busting pores, but don’t miss the opportunity to explore the rest of the fine-tuned creations. Kitchen manager Colin Butcher and chef de cuisine Joe Siu offer weekly savory Saturday specials, such as a mortadella breakfast sandwich with creamy bechamel, nutmeg dijon, pepper rings, meaty Italian sausage, and a fried egg. While you’re there, pick up a loaf or two of the sourdough, which utilizes dough fermented for 24 hours to create a compact, chewy crumb and a rustic, crusty exterior.

Though their restaurant has undergone several reinventions over the years, Beast co-owners and chefs Scott Vivian and Nathan Middleton have maintained an ethos of dark humor and fearless consumption as a through line. The current iteration is primarily a pizza joint spotlighting New York-style pies laced with unconventional toppings like sliced beef tongue pastrami and smoked bacon. The restaurant also offers group bookings for whole-beast dinners; diners select an animal and an “adventure level” ranging from low to high, and the chefs get to work showcasing the seasonal bounty of Canada and the versatility of underused “ugly” bits in a zany culinary display. Previous dinners have included torched elk tongue ssambap with Kewpie mayo and gochujang; a menacing smoked chicken leg served with breast mousse; and a vigorously gamy duck-hen-partridge tourtière, complete with a head and legs peeking out.

In 2015, chef and owner Victor Barry left diners with a sad pit in their stomachs when he shuttered the nearly 30-year-old fine dining establishment Splendido, though he soothed their collective hunger pangs the next year with a new, sophisticated, and family-friendly trattoria. A departure from the gloved service and dainty dishes, Piano Piano kept the soul of Splendido while making Barry’s creations more accessible to the community. At its three locations in the city, the restaurant enchants with staples like bouncy ricotta served with rosemary-studded focaccia and finished with sunflower seeds and chile; paunchy octopus whose downy tentacles have been bathed in fermented garlic honey; and naturally leavened sourdough pizzas, such as the Sweet Hornet, a smoldering whirlwind of fior di latte, spicy soppressata, black olives, and treacly hot honey.

Launching a pop-up in 2018, building a legion of followers on social media, relocating from his Dundas West digs to a plush 26-seater in Kensington Market — through it all, chef Jerome Robinson has stayed faithful to fried chicken. Case-in-point: the lethargy-inducing Big Ass Mac and Cheese, a carb-lover’s dream consisting of five cheeses blended with macaroni and topped with two deep-fried thighs tossed in Carolina butter sauce. Pair it with the creamy cabbage coleslaw, a valiant attempt at your daily vegetables. The ’90s hip-hop vibes and local graffiti from the old space permeate the new one, but now there’s an intimate four-seater rail bar where you can watch all the action unfold in the kitchen.

With its cascading, sculptural lights, Vela’s modernist space imparts a sultry ambience to every meal. The restaurant is an unabashed show pony, but it has substance behind its style. The cuisine is intentionally impossible to pigeonhole. Chef Marvin Palomo’s Moroccan octopus pulsates with a sweet-savory interplay of tamari and togarashi, while the Hokkaido scallops in the crudo act as buttery vessels for nam jim (Thai chile sauce), salty bubbles of trout roe, and cooling cucumber. Don’t miss the award-winning drinks menu, including the Atomic Cocktail, a favorite sipper featuring a healthy swig of Cognac, fino and oloroso sherries, and sparkling wine.

Torontonians are divided over owner Charles Khabouth, but it’s hard to deny the club mogul’s talent for experiential dining. After establishing a successful family of restaurants under his Ink Entertainment brand, Amal returned to his earnest Lebanese roots at his namesake restaurant. Inside the airy space with gilded ceilings and sweeping murals, executive chef Rony Ghaleb tips his hat to old-world charm through a modernist lens. Try the fattoush, which dresses a verdant garden of greens and seasoned fried pita in a zesty dressing of sumac and pomegranate molasses. And don’t miss the signature truffle rakakat: phyllo cigar rolls stuffed with akkawi cheese, mozzarella, and truffle paste, bookended by honey and pistachio.

When plant-based restaurants first descended upon Toronto in the late ’90s, they primarily catered to a niche, healthy audience. Then, Planta founder Steven Salm quietly revolutionized vegetarian and vegan food in the city by making it enticing to staunch carnivores. David Lee, co-founder and executive chef, worked in numerous Michelin-starred restaurants before applying his culinary know-how to the diverse menu, often eliciting counterintuitive praise for how “meaty” dishes taste. While there is one additional location in the city, the Yorkville spot remains a favorite for its all-encompassing global menu, which includes vodka pizza topped with cashew mozzarella, basil pesto, and chile bomba; spaghetti carbonara riddled with crispy mushroom “bacon,” smoked tempeh, almond Parmesan, and coconut-miso-achiote sauce; and mammoth-sized, satisfyingly “buttery” chocolate chip cookies.

For award-winning chef-owner Keith Pears — who has led Team Canada at the Bocuse d’Or for several years — you can call his food whatever you’d like except “Asian fusion” (he prefers the term “thoughtfully remixed”). However you classify his dishes, the food (and modernist, jade-toned space) attracts everyone from the scruffy Gen Z set to Birkin-toting ladies who lunch. Try the fried chicken with honey butter that’s sandwiched between black sesame waffles. Or go for the scrambled eggs, which house scallops and tiger prawns in their soft curds.

Housed inside the former Toronto Stock Exchange building, this splashy steakhouse is unabashedly over-the-top with its soaring library wall of spirits, multi-million dollar meat locker (including Japanese A5 wagyu), and cushy banquette dining. Egyptian restaurateur Emad Yacoub, who runs a meticulous roster of venues in Vancouver and Toronto, has come a long way since earning $4 per hour when he first landed in Canada. He spared no expense at Black & Blue, spending millions on the space and bringing on chef Morgan Bellis to offer showy, table-side Caesar salads, hand-cut beef Wellington, eyebrow-singeing flambees, and splashy seafood towers. 

Since 1995, Canoe has showcased Canadian ingredients from coast to coast. The fancy enterprise calls the 54th floor of the Toronto-Dominion Centre home, offering commanding views of the skyline and high prices to go with them. Executive chef Ron McKinlay traverses the globe for collaborative meals with other chefs, but on Canadian soil, he executes elaborate, hyper-seasonal tasting menus. The Taste Canoe option is an ideal way to explore the Great North through items like supple scallops — tossed with brown butter vinaigrette, aonori, vermouth, crisp apples, and crunchy hazelnuts — or a technically precise rabbit dish featuring an ensemble cast of saddle, filet, loin, heart, kidney, and liver.

Created by wine and culinary expert Marissa Goldstein (who trained at two-Michelin-starred Blue Hill at Stone Barns), the Daughter champions boutique businesses and honors agricultural systems with an extensive library of new- and old-world wines, including more than 120 organic, low-intervention, and sulfite-free varieties from across the globe. Set just outside the upscale neighborhood of Leaside, the minimalist sanctuary offers a tasting bar, cocktail and beer program, a bottle shop, and private event space. To pair with the sips, Goldstein offers seasonal, tapas-style shared plates (an homage to her school days in Barcelona) that include local and imported charcuterie, undulating folds of fresh ricotta and hot honey on house challah, and sandwiches like mortadella sliders finished with showers of aged goat cheese. In the evening, expect more substantial plates, such as littleneck clams infused with spinach cream, chile, and fennel or sticky short ribs with nutty sunchoke puree.

Chef Maha Barsoom opened this Egyptian brunch spot in 2014 with her daughter, chef Monika Wahba, and son, barista Mark Wahba. The east end spot in Leslieville produces a spirited cacophony that’s straight out of the streets of Cairo. There’s usually a line, but patience is rewarded with the tactile pleasures of Maha’s Cairo Classic breakfast platter: intensely aromatic charred baladi bread, piquant ful (stewed, seasoned fava beans mixed with tomatoes and onions) to smear on top, and refreshing tomato-feta salad. The Mind Blowing Chicken sandwich is also bursting with explosive energy: The meat is combined with parsley, onions, and tomatoes, piled onto two squishy buns, and finished with tomeya (garlic sauce), house mayonnaise, and tahini.

Lazy Daisy’s owner Dawn Chapman’s farm-forward philosophy, which stems from her childhood experiences growing up on her grandparents’ farm in Midhurst, Ontario, has made her brunch spot a community fixture in the city’s east end of Leslieville. People clamor for the high-rise biscuit sandwiches. The fluffy cushions embrace decadent fillings such as fried chicken with honey butter and jalapeño cheese, or eggs with portobello mushrooms and vegan cheddar. The free-spirited spot also offers massive platters of comfort food like cinnamon bun pancakes, beefy smash burgers, and bacon grilled cheese sandwiches.

After working in famed spots such as the Lockhart in Dallas, gregarious pitmaster Darien List brought his wealth of knowledge about Central Texas barbecue to Torontonians. Relish in signatures like marbled brisket, cooked indirectly over oak and licked with just the perfect amount of smoke. For a handheld meal, look to the Big D, a Dallasite-approved sammy decked with brisket, turkey, and sausage that’s topped with zippy coleslaw and smoky poblano peppers. Pro tip: Be on the lookout for weekly specials, like List’s Flintstones-sized beef ribs, which conceal craters of fat and spice.