Restaurants in Ontario
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360°
You don't need to tell us that dining at the top of the CN Tower is an obvious cliché, and it's damn pricey too, but come on, how can you compete with those views?! Even if the food was ordinary (which it most certainly isn't), there would be no better place in Toronto, if not Canada, for a high-class meal and a conversation about mankind's magnificent achievements. And the elevator ride is free!
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Richtree Market Restaurant
Inside the skeletal BC Place, this rainbow-flag-dappled market-style eatery plates up generous serves to satisfy every whim – cakes, freshly made soups, pizza slices, pasta dishes, roast chicken, fried rice, baked goods, fresh juices and coffee. Contemporary adult Brit-rock (Sting, Clapton et al) lends an air of affluent self-satisfaction to themed eating areas. Most of the pot-plants are real; the parrot in the cage isn't. There's another branch in the Eaton Centre.
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Fressen
The zenith of vegetarian and vegan dining in Toronto, Fressen’s brilliant service and sumptuous brick-and-wood dining room make for an enjoyable night out (even for carnivores). A stylish organic menu picks through world cuisines, depending on season. Weekend vegan brunch is a hit.
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Caribou Restaurant & Wine Bar
Between the confusing haze of wide-set freeways and boxy mega-marts lies one of Thunder Bay’s best dining options. The facade positively reeks of franchise banality; however, the inside is filled with one-of-a-kind touches like white-clothed tables and designer stemware.
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Beckta Dining & Wine
This excellent upmarket option puts an original spin on regional cuisine. The inspired five-course tasting menu ($79) is the collective brainchild of the chef and sommelier. Ingredients are unpronounceable, which must mean they’re gourmet. A second location – dubbed ‘Play Food & Wine’ – has recently opened in the Market district, and offers similar fare with a tapas twist.
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Hoito Restaurant
You’ll think you’ve stumbled into a staff cafeteria in Finland – in fact, that’s how the Hoito started, providing affordable meals to Finnish bushworkers. This Thunder Bay institution serves breakfast until 7:30pm, and lunch starts at 10:45am – though you’ll probably just want to eat the notorious flattened pancakes around the clock. Don’t forget to wish the Hoito a happy birthday – the restaurant celebrated 100 years in 2010, though we don’t think it looks a day over 75…
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Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures
This sensational dining experience, housed in a Tudor-style castle, is the on-site restaurant of the prestigious Cordon Bleu culinary school. Fear not, your meal won’t be cooked by fumbling students; the à la carte dinners are prepared by the well-seasoned instructors and the weekday lunches are crafted by the graduating students. Award-winning menus feature some of Canada’s finest harvests, and the lengthy wine list looks more like an encyclopedia.
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Canoe
Toronto's definitive dining space may still be Canoe, and what a space it is! Sweeping views of choppy Lake Ontario and the Toronto Islands extend from the dining room, about half-mast to the CN Tower. Intriguing regional Canadian haute cuisine is on offer here. Find your sea legs after the elevator ride then tuck into a plate of pan-seared Yarmouth scallops ($23) or Nunavut caribou hind ($44). Reservations essential.
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Brasserie Métropolitain
This trendy hot spot puts a modern spin on the typical brasserie with a swirling zinc countertop, flamboyant fixtures and the subtle oompah-pah from a distant accordion – you’ll feel like you’re dining on the set of Moulin Rouge. ‘Hill Hour’ (4pm to 7pm on weekdays) buzzes with the spirited chatter of hot-blooded politicos as they down discounted drinks and $1 oysters.
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Tacos el Asador
For an authentic taste of old Mexico, tether your horse to a bike rack and sit your saddle-sore behind down in this taco-sized Koreatown canteen. Burritos, enchiladas, nachos, tostadas and guacamole clatter across tiny timber tables beneath Mexican flags. Crane your neck to check the hockey score on the TV and swallow some cold Corona in the same movement.
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Phõ’ Hu’ng
Bloor-Yorkville ( [tel] 416-963-5080; 2nd fl, 200 Bloor St W; subway Museum) Clipped service and infernally busy tables are the price you pay for Phõ’ Hu’ng’s awesome Vietnamese soups. A few dishes may be a touch too authentic for some (what, don’t you like pork intestines and blood?). A fair-weather bonus is the patio.
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Saffron Tree
Readers rave about Saffron Tree, an unmissable saffron-hued bastion of spicy delight in the dull hospital wastelands north of Dundas St. Service is utterly polite, and classics like butter chicken and lamb vindaloo won't let you down. There's a 10% discount if you want to get take-out and impress your hotel's management with curry aromas.
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Le Gourmand
A nirvana for foodies, Le Gourmand is a classy grocery store stocking Napa Valley mustards, rare Mexican chocolates and jars of Italian eggplant pesto. Peruse the deli case and pastry shelves, sip a foamy cappuccino or cool off with a homemade gelato. As for breakfast, can we tempt you with a Portobello mushroom and goats' cheese omelette ($9) ?
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Bright Pearl
Walk by the stone lions up to the 2nd floor of Hsin Kuang shopping centre and discover this Cantonese-style banquet hall. Dim sum rules – dozens upon dozens of dishes (dumplings, wantons, satays, pork buns, spring rolls etc, including vegetarian) are wheeled out and enthusiastically proffered. The bathrooms are a source of much pride.
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Future Bakery & Café
Future Bakery stays busy selling budget dishes like cheese crepes and homemade borsht with sour cream. Out on the huge street-side patio, lecture-dodgers slap backs and chug pints or push through all-night study sessions with bowls of café au lait and slabs of caramel cheesecake. Twisted '60s psychedelic pop contorts the airwaves.
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Monsoon
Clean Zen lines, outrageous tropical flowers and mid-century modern designs mix harmoniously in this sexy subterranean lounge. The menu offers a downpour of flavors, listing the likes of halibut seared in ginger-saké sauce or Bangkok bouillabaisse along with lemongrass sorbet to refresh your palate between glorious courses.
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Zak’s Diner
Shoo-bop along to the ’50s music that supplements the Grease-like atmosphere. The kitschy diner is at its best in the middle of the night when the joint fills up for post-party munchies. The club sandwich is a big hit, as are the breakfast items. Wraps are also on offer, so it’s not a total time warp.
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Commensal
Cafeteria-style Commensal sells 100-plus buffet dishes from breakfast to dinner, many of them priced by weight (lasagna is $2.43 per 100g). Fresh salads, hot mains with international flavors, and naturally sweetened desserts are a step above normal cafeteria food. Also accommodates most dietary restrictions.
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Indochine
Simple and unpretentious, this discreet food room is a gem. Signature dishes include the likes of Vancouver crab sautéed in lemon, garlic and wine. Plenty of vegetarian, fried rice and stir-fry noodle options too. Finish with a Vietnamese coffee or a disconcerting-looking purple rice dessert.
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Toast
Beyond velvet curtains is an artsy, old-fangled bistro that’s best for weekend brunch: $12 for eggs Benedict or French toast with cranberries and cream cheese. Relax on the velvet antique couch or dine at one of the Formica tables, and if there’s a wait, check out the local art on the walls.
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Wellington Gastropub
Although ‘gastropub’ sounds like some sort of British indigestion, this up-and-comer is luring foodies to the west end of town with a savvy selection of hearty meat mains served by tatted waiters. The menu rotates daily, offering up the best local produce with a pint of crafted microbrew.
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Siddhartha
Siddhartha's special chicken korma (vegetables cooked with Indian spices and garnished with dried fruit; $9) may sound a bit weird, but it's delicious. So are its classic curries. They're also south of Queen West – same hours, but you'll pay a few dollars more.
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By the Way
An Annex fixture, this cheerful corner bistro has a fusion menu that leans towards Middle Eastern. Although there’s plenty of meat on the menu, vegetarians won’t go hungry. Service is A+ and the wine list features Niagara ice varietals and labels from far-flung Oregon and Australia.
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Horn of Africa
This slightly tattered, local Ethiopian hangout warrants a visit for excellent exotic stews and dishes eaten with injera, an East African flatbread. A combo platter offers samples from all over the menu, including some spicy chicken and succulent vegetarian options.
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Dumpling House Restaurant
Watch dumplings being rolled in the window, then walk right in, sit right down and order a steaming mass of them. Impale steamed or pan-fried pork, chicken, beef, seafood or vegetarian dumplings on your chopsticks, dunk them in soy sauce and dispense with them forthwith.
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