October 2026
My son, Felix, is living in Toronto at the moment, so recently I took the opportunity to visit him and explore the city’s food scene! One thing I instantly loved about Toronto was its multicultural vibe and its welcoming atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, Toronto’s restaurant scene reflects this diverse community; during our stay, our taste buds were treated to an array of flavours from around the world!..
Following its sister restaurant’s success in Vancouver, The Lunch Lady opened in Toronto’s trendy Ossington district just over a year ago. Having already eaten at and raved about The Lunch Lady, Felix was keen for me to try it during my Toronto visit. It turned out to be one of my favourite restaurants. It’s definitely not the place if you’re after a quieter night out; entering the restaurant, you’re greeted by a bustling, rather noisy dining space with lots of atmosphere! En route to our table, I eyed a few intriguing, mouth-watering dishes. A lot of these dishes were on the popular set menu. There were three of us, so we ordered two set menus and added a couple of extra dishes. It turned out to be a good choice. To start, we were presented with the ‘Chips & Dip’ which were taro crisps served with a spiced green chilli aioli that complemented the slightly sweet, nutty flavour of the taro – they were very moreish! Then there was the ‘Beef Carpaccio’, finely sliced Wagyu beef, peanuts, crispy shallots and a herb & lime vinaigrette; it was fusion food at its best – Vietnamese flavours in the most modern way. The dishes kept coming and each time our taste buds tingled with delight… The ‘Steak Luc Lac’ is their signature dish for good reason; the peppercorn sauce is a Vietnamese take on the French classic, it was fantastic. Meanwhile, ‘Duck Salad’ with tender slices of caramelised duck breast served on a bed of cabbage, banana blossoms and coriander was dressed in a zingy ginger chilli vinaigrette; it was fresh and rather addictive. The ‘Crab Fried Rice’ is also worth a mention, but then again, so are the ‘Octopus Skewers’ and the ‘Garlic Fried Noodles’ – it was all super tasty! Dessert didn’t disappoint, ‘Three Layer Dessert’ was a pandan rice cake with coconut ice cream and strawberry red bean purée – a dream for any sweet tooth.
The Lunch Lady is no ordinary Vietnamese restaurant, it subtly combines Vietnamese flavours with western influences; it’s fusion food at its best and is extraordinarily good! What’s more, it offers good value, so it won’t put too much of a dent in your wallet!
Serving a modern Canadian ‘farm-to-table style’ menu, Richmond Station is, by Toronto standards, a more traditional restaurant. However, reading between the lines, you’ll find a menu inspired by this multicultural city and its surroundings. I must admit that when I dined here, I was absolutely shattered, having had a full day out at Niagara Falls. Arriving at Richmond Station with its warm, welcoming dining room was the perfect end to the day. It has a relaxed vibe and friendly staff; it’s a neighbourhood joint, exactly the kind of restaurant you’d like down the road from home, or in my case, after a day of being a tourist! I was in need of comfort, and so my starter, ‘Butternut Squash & Lemongrass Soup’, was exactly what my soul was searching for. With the zing of lemongrass lifting the butternut and coconut milk base, it was a reviving soup. We also started with the ‘Kale & Autumn Squash Salad’; although this may sound a little too healthy to be really tasty, believe me, with the maple syrup-infused vinaigrette and creamy goat cheese, it felt almost indulgent! Moving on to our main courses, Nick chose their signature ‘STN Burger’. Many restaurants rave about serving the ‘best-ever’ burger, but in this case it was easy to believe; beautifully cooked, medium-rare beef topped with aged cheddar, pickled onions and beet chutney. And, there were of course, crispy rosemary fries with aioli! My main was the healthier option(!), ‘Confit New Brunswick Salmon’; dill beurre blanc, fennel and a pine nut gremolata gave this dish intense, moreish flavours without overpowering the salmon. We also ordered the ‘Dry Aged Tanjo Farms Duck Breast’; enriched with a fabulous duck sausage and a sweet-sour plum jus, again, the flavours were perfectly balanced. Finally, desserts. A ‘Chocolate Basque Cheesecake’, served with red vermouth poached pears – what’s not to like?! And a ‘Caramel Panna Cotta’ that was far from your average panna cotta; served between layers of date cake with tender pieces of stewed apple – marvellous!
On an evening when I was almost too tired to eat, Richmond Station reawakened my taste buds with the most satisfying meal. This is the local restaurant that I’d like in my neighbourhood!
My Dad is from the West Indies, so I have a soft spot for Caribbean food. Toronto is home to a large West Indian community, and so it made sense to check out Chubbys whilst I was visiting. For me, a good goat curry, rice and peas and a plate of plantain is pure comfort food. Chubby’s didn’t disappoint. The bright dining room has ‘beach-shack style’, and the atmosphere is fun and casual. It’s a ‘finger-licking’ place; however, unfortunately for us, the ‘jerk’ dishes were off the menu as their grill had broken! Thankfully, they hadn’t run out of goat curry, and it was good, very good! The fried plantain delivered the sweet punch the curry needed – I was in heaven! Having overindulged on curry and plantain, I didn’t get a chance to try the desserts, but they looked yummy – ‘Rum & Raisin Bread Pudding almost tempted me!
Needless to say, on my next visit to Toronto, I’ll be visiting Chubby’s, hoping to taste their Jerk dishes and puddings!
It’s worth visiting Bar Raval simply to admire the interior. From the outside, it looks like any other bar, but inside you’ll discover a stunning wall-to-ceiling Gaudi-esque woodwork. The design is a homage to Barcelona, which inspires the wonderful tapas they serve. Unfortunately, they don’t take reservations, so getting a table is trial and error. We went in the late afternoon and, having missed the lunchtime crowd, were seated straightaway. We were only planning on having drinks; however, seeing their tapas menu, we couldn’t resist ordering a couple of dishes! The ‘Steak Tartare’ topped with conserved mushrooms and seasoned with piquillo hot sauce, was absolutely delicious. Of course, you can’t have Spanish tapas without ordering ‘Patatas Bravas’, and at Bar Raval, they didn’t disappoint. They weren’t your traditional cubes of fried potatoes; instead, they were thinly layered, pressed and crisped potato slices cut into small wedges and topped with their in-house Bravas sauce with a touch of garlic mayonnaise – they were incredibly moreish!. ‘Hakurei Turnips & Snow Pea Leaves’ was a revelation, who knew turnips could taste this good?! Served on Mojo Verde (a green herb and garlic sauce), and with a sprinkling of Spanish goat cheese, it was an unforgettable dish. Finally, something sweet. There was only one dessert option, ‘Basque Cheesecake’, which is always a winning dish and at Bar Raval it definitely didn’t disappoint!
Next time I visit Bar Raval, it will be with an empty stomach so I can try their whole menu!
A Couple More Recommendations…
For Thai cuisine, you can’t get better than Pai, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner. It’s a lively restaurant which offers great service and value for money. The menu includes traditional Thai dishes such as Satay Chicken, Green Chicken Curry, Papaya Salad and Pad Thai; we tried all of these! Flavours were clean and beautifully balanced.
Uh Bar
Pre-dinner cocktails anyone?.. You’ll find Uh Bar hidden in a basement in the trendy Ossington district. Once you find the unassuming door and descend the stairs, you’ll be warmly welcomed. The oak and concrete room is fashionably cool, but not so cool that you can’t relax. We perched at the bar and enjoyed cocktails, which were a fresh, modern take on the traditional… we could have easily missed our dinner reservation!
