cityscape
Nine Cheap Eats To Indulge During Pride Month
Satisfy your appetite without spending all your money.
Photo by Victor Shum from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
Pride is awesome, but no matter how you choose to spend your time celebrating the LGBTQ community this month, you’re going to get hungry. There are so many great places to grab a bite to eat in the Village, but a curse of too many choices can be paralyzing. So, we’ve taken the best and cheapest restaurants in the area and compiled the best of cheap eats for Pride Month. Get your belly ready!
Loaded Pierogi
11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
$8 to $16
3.4/5
Do you like pierogis? Of course you do. Barring some kind of intolerance, they’re impossible not to like. And if you’ve never had surf ‘n’ turf pierogi after a long day of walking and dancing at Pride, you’re missing out. If surf ‘n’ turf isn’t your thing, you can get a pierogi at a reasonable priced topped with just about anything you can think of.
Ethiopiques Ethiopian Restaurant
11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
$6 to $17
3.7/5
Ethiopian food might be the most interesting cuisine that many people haven’t tried. With a wide range of starters and main dishes, you can get a pretty good idea of what Ethiopian cuisine is all about. And if you’ve already tried Ethiopian food, Ethiopiques won’t will live up to wherever you had it before. Plus, you can get two stuffed jalapeños for only $1.50, and what more could you possibly want?
Kinka Izakaya
11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
$4 to $10
4.4/5
If your knowledge of Japanese food doesn’t stretch beyond sushi, a trip to Kinka Izakaya might broaden your horizons. You can order from massive lunch and dinner menus, and sit at the long tables and possibly make some friends (which, after all, is what Pride is all about). If you’re not super cash-strapped and want a wider sample of everything this spot can offer, you can get a eight-course meal for dinner for $25, or a nine-course meal for $35.
North of Brooklyn Pizzeria
12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
$5 to $20
3.2/5
Pizza will always be a classic, and though there are a ton of popular chains open on nearly every corner, their pizzas are often subpar. If you’re in the Village and want a slice or a pie that’s better than what you’re used to, head to North of Brooklyn. It’s cheap pizza, which is good enough by itself—plus it’s delicious.
Crepe It Up
7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
$4 to $8
3.6/5
Buying crepes always comes with a bit of regret. They’re amazing, but for how delicious they are they’re pretty easy to make yourself. When you go to Crepe It Up you won’t get this feeling: you just can’t make crepes like they can. They have perfected the whole process, and offer tons of fillings. You can even get creative and build your own crepe with just about anything you want in the middle. Plus, you can get your hands on some waffles and other breakfast food.
The Old Nick
3 p.m. to 2 a.m.
$7 to $15
3.5/5
We’re going a little out the Village for this one, but if you’re looking to a take a little break from the the festivities and want a good, cheap pub to have a drink and some good food, check out The Old Nick. It has a homey down-to-earth vibe, tons of comfortable seating, and most importantly, awesome bar food classics. You can grab everything from poutine to steak sandwiches, and even some vegetarian options. Eat all that, grab a drink, and take in some live music for a good time.
Mimi Restaurant
11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
$5 to $30
4.6/5
Mimi Restaurant has some classic Vietnamese dishes, and massive menu that offers something for everyone. The large menu also offers options for every type of spender: some appetizers are only five dollars, but you can also get a “combination dinner” for more than $25. It’s a lot of food, but it’s so good even meek eaters will wolf all of it down.
Cafe California Restaurant
11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
$6 to $12
N/A
The best part of the Cafe California Restaurant is how fresh everything is. Daily soups that are always on point, fresh salads, and a lot of options that aren’t typical of cafes, like PEI mussels and chicken wings. The space itself is beautiful, but it’s a surprisingly affordable place.
Kathy’s Corner
9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
$4 to $12
3/5
Kathy’s Corner might not be the best place if you’re looking for a nice long sit-down dinner, but if you want a quick bite for absurdly cheap prices, it’s the place for you. Everything is cheap and tasty, and the portions are relatively small, so you can sample a decent chunk of the menu without throwing too much money on the table.