Food · Toronto · Canada
What to eat in Toronto
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Toronto, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Dillan Payne, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Start with Peameal bacon sandwich, Butter tart and Jamaican beef patty. Arrive early for the farmers' market and a peameal bacon sandwich, then browse the cheese, mustard and butter-tart counters of the South Market. Menu prices exclude 13% HST sales tax, which is added at the end, before the tip.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Peameal bacon sandwich
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 3
- Tipping
- Tip 15–20% of the pre-tax bill in restaurants and bars, and about 10–15% for taxis and…
- Food experiences
- 4
10 foods to try
Snack
1.Peameal bacon sandwich
Lean back bacon cured and rolled in cornmeal (once ground peas, hence 'peameal'), griddled and piled into a soft bun with mustard. It dates from the city's 19th-century pork-packing days, when Toronto was nicknamed Hogtown.
Where: Carousel Bakery and other counters at St. Lawrence Market.
Dessert · Vegetarian
2.Butter tart
A small, flaky pastry shell filled with a runny mixture of butter, sugar, syrup and egg — an Ontario classic, with fierce debate over whether raisins belong in it.
Where: Bakeries across the city and at farmers' markets, including the bakeries of St. Lawrence Market.
Street food
3.Jamaican beef patty
Flaky, turmeric-yellow pastry filled with spiced beef, a legacy of Toronto's large Jamaican community; locals often order it tucked inside a soft coco bread.
Where: Caribbean bakeries in Little Jamaica on Eglinton Avenue West, in Kensington Market and at corner stores citywide.
Dish
4.Trinidadian roti
A soft split-pea flatbread (dhalpuri) wrapped around curried chicken, goat or chickpeas and potato; a filling lunch that reflects the city's Caribbean communities.
Where: Roti shops in the west end and in Scarborough.
Dish
5.Poutine
Fries topped with squeaky cheese curds and hot gravy. It comes from Quebec but is everywhere in Toronto, from late-night counters to pubs serving loaded versions.
Where: Pubs, diners and food trucks across downtown.
Dish
6.Dim sum
Toronto has one of North America's largest Chinese communities, and weekend dim sum of har gow, siu mai and barbecue-pork buns is a family ritual.
Where: Restaurants along Spadina Avenue in downtown Chinatown, and the large dim sum halls of suburban Markham and Richmond Hill.
Dish
7.Hakka Chinese food
Indian-Chinese cooking brought by Hakka Chinese families from Kolkata: chilli chicken, Manchurian cauliflower and hot garlic noodles, spicier than Cantonese food.
Where: Hakka restaurants concentrated in Scarborough's strip malls.
Dish
8.Souvlaki on the Danforth
Grilled pork or chicken skewers with pita, tzatziki and Greek salad in Greektown, one of the largest Greek neighbourhoods in North America.
Where: Restaurants along Danforth Avenue between Chester and Pape subway stations.
Drink · Vegetarian
9.Double-double and Timbits
A Tim Hortons coffee with two creams and two sugars, often with Timbits, bite-sized doughnut holes — an everyday Canadian ritual rather than a gourmet experience.
Where: Tim Hortons outlets on almost every downtown block and at highway service stops.
Drink · Vegetarian
10.Icewine
Intensely sweet dessert wine pressed from grapes left to freeze on the vine, a speciality of the Niagara Peninsula wineries about an hour and a half from Toronto.
Where: Wine bars, LCBO liquor stores and the wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Food experiences
Saturday at St. Lawrence Market
Arrive early for the farmers' market and a peameal bacon sandwich, then browse the cheese, mustard and butter-tart counters of the South Market.
Winterlicious and Summerlicious
Twice a year, usually from late January and again in July, hundreds of restaurants offer fixed-price lunch and dinner menus, a cheaper way into well-known kitchens.
Chinatown and Kensington food walk
Walk from Spadina's bakeries and dumpling houses into Kensington Market for patties, tacos, empanadas and coffee, all within a few blocks.
Weekend brunch
Brunch is a Toronto institution, with queues outside cafés on Queen Street East, Ossington and in the Annex from late morning on Saturdays and Sundays.
Quick bites and street food
- Peameal bacon sandwich — Carousel Bakery and other counters at St. Lawrence Market.
- Jamaican beef patty — Caribbean bakeries in Little Jamaica on Eglinton Avenue West, in Kensington Market and at corner stores citywide.
Vegetarian options
Of the 10 foods in this guide, 3 are usually vegetarian: Butter tart, Double-double and Timbits and Icewine. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Menu prices exclude 13% HST sales tax, which is added at the end, before the tip.
- Many popular brunch spots don't take bookings; arrive before 10:30am to avoid long queues.
- Book dinner at well-known restaurants a few days ahead, especially Thursday to Saturday.
- The legal drinking age in Ontario is 19, and bars check ID carefully.
- Food courts in the PATH underground and in malls give quick, inexpensive weekday lunches.
Tipping
Tip 15–20% of the pre-tax bill in restaurants and bars, and about 10–15% for taxis and hairdressers. Card machines prompt for a tip; at counter-service cafés it is optional.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Double-double | Coffee with two creams and two sugars |
| The TTC | Toronto's transit system |
| The 6ix | Local nickname for Toronto |
| Washroom | Toilet / restroom |
| Loonie / toonie | One-dollar / two-dollar coin |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Toronto famous for?
Peameal bacon sandwich, Butter tart, Jamaican beef patty and Trinidadian roti. Lean back bacon cured and rolled in cornmeal (once ground peas, hence 'peameal'), griddled and piled into a soft bun with mustard.
+Is Toronto good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Butter tart, Double-double and Timbits and Icewine.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Toronto?
Tip 15–20% of the pre-tax bill in restaurants and bars, and about 10–15% for taxis and hairdressers. Card machines prompt for a tip; at counter-service cafés it is optional.