I knew it was going to be a good meal when a regular customer invited me to his table to try his food and listen to anecdotes about his love for the restaurant. Drupati Doubles & Roti Shop, located at 975 Albion Road in Etobicoke, inspires this kind of devotion in many of its loyal [...]

Ed Pottinger’s uncle always told him that a knockdown is not a knockout, and he continues to live by those words. Pottinger is the owner of the much loved Riverside restaurant the Real Jerk, which was set to close today after almost 24 years. Not by choice though: the restaurant received an eviction notice Decemeber [...]

Toronto is filled with soulless, concrete buildings. Thankfully, some of them house hidden restaurants dishing up great ethnic food. One such gem is Airima’s Kitchen, which serves homemade Korean cuisine in the bowels of St. Clair subway station. Airima’s opened about six months ago in a food court by the subway entrance and has quickly [...]

For Toronto’s Starving Artists Collective, Monday was truly a red-letter day. The rainy afternoon marked the third installment of their weekly free lunch series, The Artists’ Soup Kitchen, which includes a themed meal and performance. This week’s theme, chosen by artist Tobaron Waxman, was “red,” resulting in an array of crimson culinary delights at the [...]

I was surprised to receive an email from one of my Spice City tipsters about a grocery store in my old neighbourhood with a hot food buffet inside. I must have passed by the place, M&M Fruit & Grocery, a million times. It’s located at 1263 Dundas Street West, just across from the 7-11 at [...]

Sad news for many in the east end today: longtime hangout The Real Jerk has to close up shop soon. The building’s been sold, reports Global, and the new owners have asked The Real Jerk to vacate by the end of the month. Real Jerk proprieters are hoping to reopen elsewhere in Leslieville, and are [...]

When Minh La goes on holidays in Mexico or Cuba, he is often greeted by locals shouting of “chino,” the Spanish word for Chinese. So when Minh opened up a burrito joint with another Chinese-Canadian, Victor Su, they decided to run with the theme, calling it Chino Locos, or “crazy Chinese.” The restaurant is located [...]

Every now and then I stumble across a place in my quest for unusual restaurants that is so removed from my day-to-day realities in downtown Toronto that I feel like I’ve travelled to some far-flung country. If you want a wonderful cultural experience, save yourself a plane ticket and head up to the St. Clair [...]

Along the Markham/Scarborough boundary there are endless rows of modern strip malls filled with Chinese restaurants. Chinese Halal Restaurant, which serves the food of northwest China, is truly special. Chinese Halal Restaurant, also known as the Chinese Beef and Lamb House, was founded by Chef Li, who ran several halal restaurants in northwest China. It [...]

There’s been endless hand-wringing about Toronto’s lack of street food options, but if you know where to go, you’ll find some world-class street eats here. You’ve got to feel a blush of pride in our city when you watch jerk chicken being grilled over coal fires on the sidewalks of Eglinton West. Three rival Jamaican [...]

With the holiday season upon us, local media is full of advice on how to celebrate. From picking the best Christmas tree to a litany of gift guides, there is no shortage of tips. We like to draw our inspiration for holiday cheer from the history, even though it requires traditionalists to wade through pages [...]