rockit.

Top 10 fave food spots in T-dot!

Being as inexperienced as I am of Toronto, I still do have places that I love eating at! Yes, my list is a bit mainstream, but honestly, I don't know what I'd do without these fab places. They're always places I'd have lunch dates at or places I'd go on a beautiful day. They're def. good enough for vistors and peoples on a strict budget (ie STUDENTS!). Holla if you likes!


10. Babur - Right before Duncan St. on Queen, after the Chum building
Great $8 Indian lunch buffet!!! Heavy, yes, but that's what you get for having those random Indian cravings. Ahhhhh...

9. Margarita's Fiesta Room - Baldwin Street
Teehee, another downtown favourite! This little street off Chinatown was maaaaaade for those mid-twenties wonderfuls looking for a good dinner and a good time to chill out with colleagues and friends. Margarita's is kinda pricey... like I said, good for those with full-time jobs, but it's ok; 2 people can share 2 appetizers and 1 margarita that's HUUUUGE and they'll be happy. Makes ME happy anyway.

8. Burrito Boyz - across Peter St?
$7 for an incredibly HUGE, statisfying face-stuffing burrito!! Soooo good... honestly 1/2 of the best places for Burritos!!! I would be surprised if any member of the MC hasn't memorized the entire menu yet ;)

7. Eat My Martini - somewhere on College (Little Italy!!)
Goddam, I'm such a sucker for alcohol, I should have a list of my fave bars and clubs! Eat My Martini's located in pretty Little Italy, avg $5 a martini which is okay, 'cause I'm not exactly sure where to find another Heavenly Kiss or Mars Bars Wonder martini anywhere else!! ALL their drinks are good I tell ya, all!! Then you can have a night stroll through Little Italy, how wonderful!

PS: There's this one waiter that I keep getting, keep forgetting his name but damn is he good! Look for a gay bald super happy man and you're good for the rest of the night!

6. Sauté - St. Andrew Station, the PATH
Right in front of one of the Teriyaki locations I work at, I drool all through lunchtime rush while collecting cash. For all you Italian food lovers out there (hay hay!) you'd love this place; a whole pasta meal, along with a garden/cesar salad and garlic bread for no more than $7 before tax. What makes this place sooooo freaking good is that even though the owner's an Asian guy, he went all the way to Italy to train and make up his own sauces... which explains why Sauté's line-ups are double Teriyaki's at any time of the day!

5. Destiny - Steeles & Kennedy (across from Pacific Mall)
If you're into the Asian-ness, oh gods is this place awesome! Guilty pleasure for sure (since I usually stay away from anything Asian); this Asianized restaurant is full of youngn's drinking bubbletea and playing cards 'til after 12 at night, it's always crowded when I go, and it's such a happy, busy atmosphere. Rockin on Asian pop, it's pretty cool and fun with anyone you go with! Bubbletea + westernized asian food (normal asian food on nice plates with WHITE prices) in a very asian area uptown. Wootang.

I usually come here after a day of asian-ness in P-mall. Haha :)

4. Falafel
Okay, so I've forgotten the name of this place 'cause it's pretty sketch - but it's right by Ryerson on Dundas and booooy is this place the yums! Okay right-in-downtown kinda price, ($6-7) but omg, they're soo good...

3. Red Room - College & Spadina... Chinatown!
I was soooo in heart with this place last summer!! Extremely original little restaurant. A bit dark in the eve. (never been there in the day) but wherever you sit you're bound to be sitting in a chair that no one else is in (ok maybe a couple others). Surrounded by statues of Buddhas, random bookshelves, antiques of stuff while eating your italian/vietnamese/greek/whatever else meal, you'll fo SHO enjoy the hour of hippyness you stay for. Even better, a plate won't be more than $7 before taxes if you're not trying to get fat or broke. I usually leave the place having paid $6 with tax and tips included :)

2. Bubbletea House? - Chinatown
Love this place! Probably the cheapest, but most satisfying cup of bubbletea you can get (that ain't sketch, yo!)

They are awesome; $3.50 for a regular cup of bubbletea, using real frozen fruits blended with ice - so it's a slushie bubbletea, but it's the SAME price as their regular powder-based ones. Amazingly, this place has NO TAX, BABY! WOOTYAH!

Can't resist grabbing a healthy drink there in the afternoon and walking over to the AGO/OCAD campus to study. Wonderful! (in the summer)

PS: since it *does* look sketch compared to 168 across the street, I might've forgotten the store name. Bah! Who cares!

1. Mariko - Yonge St. (just after HMV on Yonge and Dundas, but before 168)
Well whaddya know? Ironically the best place of all is an Asian place (damn my frugality).

Mariko serves Jap stuffs. Lunch comes in a bento box complete with salad+jap vinigrette, 3 pieces of california rolls, soba/deep-friend tofu, your choice of meat/salmon/tempura, and rice. You also get a complimentary miso soup PLUS a scoop of ice cream afterwards and delicious tasting Toronto tap water (only by request) - all for the amazing price of $5.85. HELL TO THE YAH! That's before taxes, but baby if you can find me a place that makes your buck bang any harder than this then give me a holla, yo!


PS: If you order it as take-out, you get 20% off PLUS you don't pay tips AND you get the complimentary soup and ice-cream. As Juan used to say... HOLY MOTHER B!!!

posted by Irene @ 10:45:00 PM