What are your favourite restaurants in your city?

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by niwell

I think that counter service was more of an aesthetic choice by the owners (sons of the original volo owner Ralph) who feel that a “bar” aught to more than a Toronto thing. I don’t necessarily disagree, but it doesn’t really fit with the vibe/price point of the place. They don’t even have bar seating which in my mind kinda defeats the purpose!

I rarely go to birreria myself unless there’s a big release as I feel like it’s just a bit too expensive, and despite their legitimate contributions to Toronto’s craft beer scene the owners are a bit… much. As wg said the reopened bar volo is more laid back in this respect. While not quite at the same caliber in terms of bottle selections, the tap list at Bar Hop is up there if not better - the King St location is my preferred one. My absolute favourite bar in city - Thirsty and Miserable - is unfortunately closing at the end of December, but offers great beer at a great price point. It is very much a divey beer bar though so cash and counter service only - no mixed drinks! I only sit at the bar if I can help it so works for me.

Beyond that most local places now have a good enough craft beer selection I don’t feel as much of an urge to go far afield to try new things. Unless I’m with more than 2 or 3 other people we usually sit at the bar, but most places do table service.


EDIT: also worth noting that while volo prices are generally very high the price point for Ontario breweries is a bit better. At this point I rarely see the point in paying 1.5x as much for an American hype beer when the local stuff is now just as good.

I'm excited to try the new Volo downtown but I haven't had a chance to go to Toronto since the pandemic.

Sad to hear about Thirsty and Miserable. I love dive bars that have a good beer list.

[JustForTheHalibut]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

I had possibly my worst chain burger at Carl's Jr a few years ago when they had a location in Uptown Waterloo: a greasy, spongy mess with gross "American" cheese. Way back in my early Junction days (2007) I enjoyed Bronto Burger and Jumbo Burger. Cajun fries sound delish ... but hellish if you've got severe gastroesophageal reflux disease: anything fried or spicy is a big Nope.

I haven't been to Popeyes since I would eat at the original Toronto location near Eglinton and Dufferin c. summer 2000.

I've decided to make turkey burgers for Thanksgiving this year: cranberry jelly, mayo, stuffing, ground turkey patties, collard greens on gluten free buns.

I'm the same way, once a business or company leaves town for greener pastures I like to bash the business as well.

I did find a reddit just from a month ago about one Waterloo Carl's Jr fan interestingly enough. I'll post a small excerpt since the post goes on and on about how good Carl's Jr is

A few years after moving to the Waterloo Region, I had to go to do some personal banking in Uptown Waterloo. I was no longer the moody, Newgrounds obsessed preteen I was all those years ago. I was just a moody, now dank meme obsessed adult with a penchant for American fast food and probably some sort of serious underlying depression. After leaving the bank, I froze in my tracks. Across the street moved into one of the shiny new shopping units in Uptown Square was a Carl's Junior. Its store front façade was almost beaming at me in afternoon sun, presenting itself like a lusty vision of a first girlfriend - probably hotter in your memory than she truly was, but what did you know at the time?

Suddenly, I had new lunch plans. I went in, ordered a hamburger meal. The portion sizes were America. The food was delicious. My arteries were upset. I was 13 again. I cried. Carl's Junior - that faint, nostalgic memory on the wind had come back to me. At long last, the temptress was mine again.

The following few months were a blur. I told everyone I knew. I filled out satisfaction surveys for the restaurant, rating them highly. My friends were annoyed with me for constantly suggesting we go eat at Carl's Junior. It was my home away from home. I gained 30 pounds and lost at least 10 years off my life. Every day was a Carl's Junior day. Life made sense again. The staff were always happy to see me, and I also feel they were slightly concerned for my health - both dietary and mentally. I brought everyone I could to Carl's Junior and watch with eyes aglow as they too had their first Carl's Junior experience as Canadians. When I was there, I was home.

https://www.reddit.com/r/kitchener/c..._ode_to_carls/

[Gresto]

Are you from the fish-and-chips place in Bancroft? Good stuff.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by JustForTheHalibut

I'm the same way, once a business or company leaves town for greener pastures I like to bash the business as well.

I did find a reddit just from a month ago about one Waterloo Carl's Jr fan interestingly enough. I'll post a small excerpt since the post goes on and on about how good Carl's Jr is



https://www.reddit.com/r/kitchener/c..._ode_to_carls/

That is almost poetic

[rousseau]

Stratford is known as a theatrical and culinary hot spot. In winter things slow down, though, so we make do with what we have. For example, right now there are thirty-plus cars lined up outside of the newly-opened Burger King in the strip mall on the edge of town.

I know this because I just went to the pet store there to get cat food.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Stratford is known as a theatrical and culinary hot spot. In winter things slow down, though, so we make do with what we have. For example, right now there are thirty-plus cars lined up outside of the newly-opened Burger King in the strip mall on the edge of town.

I know this because I just went to the pet store there to get cat food.

Do the upscale restaurants close in the winter or is it a matter of catering to out of towners rather than Townes? I know that there are some fine places in Stratford.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Do the upscale restaurants close in the winter or is it a matter of catering to out of towners rather than Townes? I know that there are some fine places in Stratford.

Townes Van Zandt died over forty years ago, so whatever his contribution to the culinary economy here may have been in the past, it's long over.

A lot of the upscale and less pricey independent restaurants do tend to close in January and February because nothing's going on. Though these days things are different with COVID, of course. Lots of places have tried to stay open during snow season with takeout orders only.

It's a bipolar place. The artsy and touristy veneer doesn't conceal the mentality and accoutrements of a standard smallish southern Ontario city, but rather, simply claims parts of the downtown for its own.

[kwoldtimer]

Oops, dashed auto correct!

[MonkeyRonin]

Canada's list of 100 Best Restaurants is back for 2022 after a 2-year hiatus:
https://canadas100best.com/best-rest...-2022-by-rank/

Here's the full list:

1. Published on Main (Vancouver)
2. Alo (Toronto)
3. St. Lawrence (Vancouver)
4. Restaurant Pearl Morissette (Jordan Station, Ont.)
5. Langdon Hall (Cambridge, Ont.)
6. Mon Lapin (Montreal)
7. Edulis (Toronto)
8. Canoe (Toronto)
9. Boulevard (Vancouver)
10. River Café (Calgary)
11. Sushi Masaki Saito (Toronto)
12. Major Tom (Calgary)
13. Bar Kismet (Halifax)
14. Giulia (Toronto)
15. Dreyfus (Toronto)
16. Beba (Verdun)
17. Monarque (Montreal)
18. D.O.P. (Calgary)
19. Shoushin (Toronto)
20. Giulietta (Toronto)
21. L’Express (Montreal)
22. Shokunin (Calgary)
23. Oca Pastificio (Vancouver)
24. Le Mousso (Montreal)
25. Hawksworth (Vancouver)
26. Joe Beef (Montreal)
27. Bernhardts (Toronto)
28. Don Alfonso 1890 (Toronto)
29. Kissa Tanto (Vancouver)
30. Pompette (Toronto)
31. Montréal Plaza (Montreal)
32. La Quercia (Vancouver)
33. Mimi Chinese (Toronto)
34. Scaramouche (Toronto)
35. Est (Toronto)
36. Eight (Calgary)
37. Pluvio (Ucluelet, BC)
38. Bar Isabel (Toronto)
39. Pastel (Montreal)
40. North & Navy (Ottawa)
41. AnnaLena (Vancouver)
42. Hexagon (Oakville)
43. Riviera (Ottawa)
44. Supply and Demand (Ottawa)
45. Pichai (Montreal)
46. Tojo (Vancouver)
47. Testu Sushi Bar (Vancouver)
48. L’Abattoir (Vancouver)
49. Jun I (Montreal)
50. Alice (Ottawa)
51. The Pine (Collingwood, ON)
52. Le Vin Papillon (Montreal)
53. Alma (Outremont)
54. Primal (Saskatoon)
55. Maison Publique (Montreal)
56. Atelier (Ottawa)
57. Beckta (Ottawa)
58. Nora Gray (Montreal)
59. Milos (Montreal)
60. Il Pagliaccio (Montreal)
61. Botanist (Vancouver)
62. Hearth (Saskatoon)
63. Nupo (Calgary)
64. 20 Victoria (Toronto)
65. Marconi (Montreal)
66. The Inn at Bay Fortune (Bay Fortune, PEI)
67. La Tanière (Quebec City)
68. Maenam (Vancouver)
69. Gia (Montreal)
70. Île Flottante (Montreal)
71. La Cabane d’à Côté (St-Benoît de Mirabel, QC)
72. Ten Foot Henry (Calgary)
73. Bearfoot Bistro (Whistler)
74. Maque (Winnipeg)
75. Savio Volpe (Vancouver)
76. Quetzal (Toronto)
77. Les Fougères (Chelsea, QC)
78. Say Mercy! (Vancouver)
79. Baan Lao (Richmond, BC)
80. Enigma (Toronto)
81. Mastard (Montreal)
82. Lulu Bar (Calgary)
83. Close Company (Winnipeg)
84. Beaumont (Montreal)
85. Paloma (Montreal)
86. JinBar (Calgary)
87. Orchard (Calgary)
88. Battuto (Quebec)
89. Araxi (Whistler, BC)
90. Cioppino’s (Vancouver)
91. Elena (Montreal)
92. Alobar (Yorkville)
93. Fogo Island Inn (Newfoundland)
94. Alma (Toronto)
95. Bacchus (Vancouver)
96. Nightingale (Vancouver)
97. Arvi (Quebec City)
98. Foreign Concept (Calgary)
99. Aburi Hana (Toronto)
100. Joso’s (Toronto)



And the list of just the best new restaurants:

1. Major Tom (Calgary)
2. Osteria Giulia (Toronto)
3. D.O.P (Calgary)
4. Taverne Bernhardt’s (Toronto)
5. Pompette (Toronto)
6. Mimi Chinese (Toronto)
7. Eight (Calgary)
8. Pichai (Montreal)
9. The Pine (Collingwood)
19. Nupo (Calgary)
11. 20 Victoria (Toronto)
12. Gia (Montreal)
13. Say Mercy! (Vancouver)
14. Baan Lao (Richmond)
15. Enigma (Toronto)
16. Mastard (Montreal)
17. Jinbar (Calgary)
18. Orchard (Montreal)
19. Aburi Hana (Toronto)
20. The Restaurant at Phantom Creek Estates (Oliver, BC)



Any thoughts? I don't really understand the methodology, but at least the ones I'm familiar mostly seem to deserve to be on there. Quetzal, Giulietta, Bar Isabel, and Shoushin in particular. A couple glaring omissions at a glance: Pidgin in Vancouver and Actinolite in Toronto. Surprised to see Alma sneak on to the list at #94 though - went there a few months back and found it to be pretty mediocre - basically blandified Chinese food for white people tastes.

Otherwise, unsurprisingly seems to skew a bit more towards the conservative side. A lot of classic (if a bit dated) stalwarts - Edulis, Canoe, Joe Beef, etc. At least for the Toronto selections: perhaps a bit of a preview of the Michelin guide to come?


They also released a list of the best bars in Canada as well:

1. Civil Liberties (Toronto)
2. Botanist (Vancouver)
3. The Keefer Bar (Vancouver)
4. Laowai & Blnd Tger (Vancouver)
5. Atwater Cocktail Club (Montreal)
6. Milky Way (Montreal)
7. El Pequeño (Montreal)
8. Bar Raval (Toronto)
9. The Cloakroom, (Montreal)
10. Dear Friend (Dartmouth)
11. Bar Pompette (Toronto)
12. Proof (Calgary)
13. The Bar at Alo (Toronto)
14. The Coldroom (Montreal)
15. Clementine, (Edmonton)
16. Gift Shop, (Toronto)
17. Mother (Toronto)
19. Bar Mordecai (Toronto)
20. Clive’s Classic Lounge (Victoria)

https://c100bstg.wpengine.com/best-bars-2022-by-rank/

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Canada's list of 100 Best Restaurants is back for 2022 after a 2-year hiatus:
https://canadas100best.com/best-rest...-2022-by-rank/


Any thoughts?

I can only speak with confidence about the Toronto selections and, to a much lesser extent, about Vancouver.

I was also going to say that Actinolite deserves to be on here. Another omission from Toronto is Ten - which is much more vegetable forward, but really belongs in the top tier of Canadian restaurants. It was my favourite dining experience of the past year.

There's some dated ones on the Vancouver list: Tojo, Maenam and La Quercia. A restaurant that's missing that I really enjoyed on my last visit was Mackenzie Room, which is not on this list.

I'm also a little suspicious of their lack of Montreal representation. Montreal only has 2 in the top 20? Calgary has 3? That doesn't seem right.

[niwell]

The list seems pretty good to me but as with most restaurant lists you'll generally have a decent experience at most establishments on there. I view it more as places that are good as opposed to a definitive ranking. Also had better meals at some places than those in the second half of the list - for instance the dinner we had from Bar Mignonette recently was considerably better than Alma. Though the latter was still good.

Ranking bars is harder to me as so many factors that make a "good" bar will vary from person to person and dependent on what type of night you want to have. The list is very cocktail forward, but there's a massive difference between Civil Liberties where you can conceivably show up spontaneously for a drink and some of the others which are more exclusive (or food focused).

[thewave46]

I once went to a bar that took Canadian Tire money at par. Do any of those places have such exclusive perks?

This was also the era one could get change back from a $5 bill when ordering a drink, so ya know. Time and all that.

[MonkeyRonin]

I haven't been eating out much lately given the soaring costs of food and everything else, but here are a few noteworthy spots in Toronto that I've still been able to enjoy over the last little while:


Kōjin - Momofuku's upstairs sister recently re-opened after being closed through the pandemic, with a revamped menu more focused on local ingredients and small plates. And the airy dining room suspended above University Ave makes for a delightful urban experience.






https://www.tastetoronto.com/news/mo...-table-concept


Orote - creative, modern Korean tasting menus.






https://torontolife.com/food/whats-o...tinolite-alum/


Actinolite - finally tried this place a few months ago, which was ranked Canada's best restaurant a few years ago. Still serves up a creative tasting menu of ever-changing locally-farmed & foraged ingredients.






https://torontolife.com/food/campfir...riendly-patio/


Côte de Beouf - cute little butcher shop/bistro.








https://www.blogto.com/grocery/cote-de-boeuf-toronto/


Library Bar - I'm a sucker for a good high-end hotel cocktail bar, and this one at the Royal York fits the bill perfectly.








https://torontolife.com/food/whats-o...cktail-lounge/


Blood Brothers Brewery - probably my favourite brewery in Toronto right now.




https://www.bloodbrothersbrewing.com/pages/contact


And I haven't eaten here yet, but I'm excited to eventually try Prime Seafood Palace. Matty Matheson's extravagant new spot on Queen St.










https://torontolife.com/food/whats-o...st-steakhouse/

[rousseau]

I like places where there's meat hanging out in the open to be admired.

Wait, did I just say that out loud?

[urbandreamer]

I feel completely alienated by this thread lol. I NEVER eat out: can't afford it, and can't afford to get sick. A few times over the past year I've been tempted to just go to a pub and order food just so I can people watch, then donate the meal to a homeless dude (eg in Calgary during Stampede week, in Victoria and at the Forks.)

Meat hanging in the open .. there's that time I worked in a slaughterhouse in Vancouver so nope not a chance that's appealing....

[rousseau]

How's business at your local Dairy Queen? A pair of transplants from Toronto mentioned to me today how astonished they are by the lineups at the Dairy Queen here, both for the drivethru and the walkup customers. I had to laugh because I've been here so long, and had forgotten that, yeah, I don't think I've seen this anywhere else.

Stratford has no shortage of locations selling ice cream, with everything from old-time scoopers to newfangled variations and even a gelato place, but for some reason the Dairy Queen is always crazy busy with cars lined up out onto the street.

Are we sadly lacking in imagination? Do we not have enough independent places to go to? Or are we just ice cream mad?

[SignalHillHiker]

A Skor Blizzard or Skor McFlurry is one of my favourite things. I don't have a particularly strong sweet tooth, but they're my absolute favourite after plain, UK-imported Cadbury chocolate.

Everything here with a drive-through is always busy. We're trash, especially outside the core

I'm one of those "You're not stuck in traffic. You ARE traffic" idiots. I'll be in the drive-through line if it's raining, getting my McFlurry, disgusted by everyone around me living the same way lol.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by rousseau

How's business at your local Dairy Queen? A pair of transplants from Toronto mentioned to me today how astonished they are by the lineups at the Dairy Queen here, both for the drivethru and the walkup customers. I had to laugh because I've been here so long, and had forgotten that, yeah, I don't think I've seen this anywhere else.

Stratford has no shortage of locations selling ice cream, with everything from old-time scoopers to newfangled variations and even a gelato place, but for some reason the Dairy Queen is always crazy busy with cars lined up out onto the street.

Are we sadly lacking in imagination? Do we not have enough independent places to go to? Or are we just ice cream mad?

Timmins ON and Rouyn-Noranda QC may be the largest places in Canada to not have a Dairy Queens. There is really only the Pine Dairy Bar in Timmins which is really lacking and uninteresting. At least Rouyn has some nice seasonal businesses that offer the typical Quebec-level ice cream cones and sundaes. Some people here blame the cold climate but we do have some hot days but maybe not having a lot of sunshine and many cloudy days makes the difference.

[giallo]

This little spot in the Crystal Mall food court has the best dumplings in Metro Vancouver. If you're ever in Burnaby/Vancouver....hell, anywhere in the Lower Mainland, go to Chao Shou Wang in Metrotown, and order the #1. They're Sichuan-style dumplings, and they can go head-to-head with any dumpling I've ever had in Mainland China/HK/Taiwan.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by giallo

This little spot in the Crystal Mall food court has the best dumplings in Metro Vancouver. If you're ever in Burnaby/Vancouver....hell, anywhere in the Lower Mainland, go to Chao Shou Wang in Metrotown, and order the #1. They're Sichuan-style dumplings, and they can go head-to-head with any dumpling I've ever had in Mainland China/HK/Taiwan.

Those look amazing. Though it's a bit cruel of you to taunt those of us without easy access to delights like this.

Is the peanut thing specific to Sichuan or China as a whole? I haven't been to China, but I've come across a lot of peanut-laden dishes and even peanuts as hors d'oeuvres in the mainland places I've been to.