These are places I actually suggest to friends and family in town. Here we go, in no particular order:
- Burgers: Get your blessing via the High Priest at the Burger Priest
- French: La Société on Bloor for wonderful, traditional cuisine
- French Bistro: Got to be Biff's - best tartare ever
- Middle Eastern: The thought alone of the apps at Tabülè makes my mouth water
- Pizza: Wood-burning oven? It's a toss-up between the crispy pies Pizzeria Libretto (Ossington) and the east end's yeasty Queen Margherita Pizza
- Pho: Lower down on Ossington, rumour has it that the great Susur Lee used to get his fix at Pho Tien Thanh
- Ramen: Both Sansotei (for the broth) and Santouka (gotta have that jowl) are tops in my books, and I love you can customize "less salt", "less noodles", etc
- Sushi: Hiro has the best lunch, "Sushi for One and a Half" - but Japango has something similar for cheaper.
- Tacos: Hmmm - Grand Electric or La Carnita? Weigh in!
- Thai: Flavorful Thai from the best female chef in the city, Sasi at Mengrai. A cheaper Thai option at Sukhothai - so good for so little; great takeout.
Special Occasions
- Black Hoof: Tip-to-tail like you've never had it before. Must-order: Tongue on brioche.
- Cava: Stellar tapas as you would expect in Spain.
- Chiado: For a quiet, romantic dinner - Upscale Portuguese
- George: For the best meal you ever had. Period.
- Jacobs or Harbour 60: Top steakhouses Jacobs will tell you the genetic breeding behind the cattle, and Harbour Sixty has a Japanese toilet.
- Kaji: True omakase-style.
You better believe we eat at these places as often as we can! I'm basing these lists purely on the food, so there's a wide variation in price, service level, location (stained glass windows vs strip malls) and cuisine.
