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The Late Night Cowgirl
You either stumble upon it or have to hunt for it, and it seems you either love it or you hate it. The unassuming Shanghai Cowgirl Diner is either a great hit or a bad miss.
Lucky for us, Torontoist has had only good times at the trendy late night spot on Queen West. Open till 4am on weekends, it’s a great place to stop in for a reliable meal or decent drink any time.
But to be fair, the food is good but not great, the prices are reasonable but not spectacular for what you get, and the service isn’t always perfect. But the atmosphere is laid back and retro cool, without being over-the top. And most importantly, it’s reliably fun and reliably open. That’s what matters.
Like on New Year’s day, when the regular breakfast spot down the street wasn’t open, Shanghai had a DJ spinning great old tunes for the deco diner’s hungover customers, and all the staff were in their PJs–a pyjama party to ring in the new year. Can’t beat that.
From the vinyl-covered bar stools and booths to the shining lunch counter and the too-cool lack of signage on the street, Shanghai is a 50s diner with a great soundtrack that draws a good crowd. The diner look goes well with the short-order kitchen mentality, but the menu surpasses basic greasy-spoon fare.
Torontoist’s favourite are the shanghai noodles (veggie & egg, chicken, BBQ pork, or shrimp) for 7-10 bucks, and you can never go wrong with their all-day breakfasts. The customizable burgers with Shanghai’s famous wasabi mayo or the straight-up grilled cheeze sandwiches are apparently great too.
Compared to the quirky pricing system (like $2.39, $8.91, etc) what you see is what you get with their menu choices. Choose from under the sections like “things mom used to make,” “almost healthy,” “our famous burgers” and “asian choices”—it’s pretty simple, pretty affordable, and pretty freakin good all round. Oh, and the menu makes no secrets with its “fried or deep fried?” warning and by calling dishes “ghetto chicken” and “trailer trash sushi” (grilled chicken sandwich). Diets beware.
And although patio weather seems lightyears away, Shanghai’s patio out back is a great sunny nook when it’s open, highly recommended for a lazy lunch.
Again, to be fair, it’s not too big a stretch to call Shanghai a bit trendy. But in its defence, it’s surprisingly low key. It’s hard to find unless you know where it is (what, without an actual SIGN and all), but it’s worth checking out. Or if you’re wandering Queen West and want to try something different, odds are Shanghai’s open and you’ll have a good time.
Shanghai Cowgirl
538 Queen Street West
416-203-6623
Photo: Toronto.com