More Restaurants
September 29, 2026 Updated Article
The New York Times is officially taking notice of Toronto's food scene. Travel writer Elaine Glusac recently toured the city for 'A Food Lover's Tour of Toronto,' eating her way through Chinatown, Kensington Market and Scarborough to show why our immigrant-driven dining scene is world class. These are the 13 local spots the feature highlighted, from $4.50 banh mi to kamayan dinners eaten with your hands.
The Depanneur is where the New York Times stopped for a Filipino kamayan dinner, a feast eaten with your hands off banana leaves. This Spadina supper club has spent years hosting some of the city's most interesting pop-up dinners and food events.
The $4.50 banh mi is the headline at Nguyen Huong, the cash-only Vietnamese sandwich shop on Spadina the NYT singled out. Crusty baguettes, pickled carrots, cilantro and your choice of meat, made fast and cheap.
Jianbing are China's answer to the crepe, and Jian Bing Club on Spadina does them for $6.99. Crispy, savoury and stuffed, they are one of Chinatown's best cheap breakfasts.
Rol San has been serving all-day dim sum in Chinatown since 1994. Har gow, shrimp cheung fun and fried squid keep the room packed, and the NYT took notice.
This Scarborough takeout counter is cash-only and open Thursday to Sunday, but its Malaysian char kway teow and curry laksa made the NYT's Toronto tour.
Manzou is a family-run Scarborough bakery famous for its impossibly light chiffon cakes in flavours like jasmine oolong and strawberry. Pickup is by scheduled order only.
Wong's is Scarborough's home for Indian Hakka Chinese food: chilli chicken, crispy beef, fried rice and noodles with real heat. A NYT pick for the city's immigrant-driven dining scene.
Moonbean has been roasting specialty coffee in Kensington Market for years. Grab an iced coffee and a fresh-baked boreka from this St. Andrew Street staple.
This tiny Kensington Market shop does Japanese street food right: takoyaki with dancing bonito flakes, bao, karaage and onigiri.
Operating in Kensington Market since 1977, Caribbean Corner stocks the ingredients behind the neighbourhood's Caribbean and Latin American cooking: juices, sodas, spices and fresh tropical fruit.
A family-owned Tibetan cafe in Kensington Market since 2008, known for momos like the cajun chili momo and hearty noodle dishes.
"Made by Mexicans. Loved by Toronto." Gus Tacos on Augusta Ave does fish tacos, carne asada and horchata in the heart of Kensington Market.
Pancho's is Kensington Market's churro bakery: fresh, warm churros loaded with chocolate and cookies.
