Budget
By The Way Cafe
Bloor and brunswick, 416-967-4295. 9am-11pm everyday. very popular patio weather-permitting, as well as good food with daily specials at decent prices. the weekend brunch specials are especially good and you can stuff yourself on a specialty omelette with all the sides for under $10. $10-$20.
New Generation Sushi
493 bloor street west, 416-963-8861, mo-th 12pm-1am, fr-sa 12pm-2am, su 12pm-12am. the bloor street west strip between spadina and bathurst plays host to no fewer than five sushi restaurants. all are quite popular and have their own devotees, but new generation sushi is this particular writer's favorite. $5-$24.
Future Bakery
Bloor and brunswick, 416-922-5875, 9am - 2am everyday. popular among students. famous for excellent bread, delectable cakes try the strawberry-mango cheesecake and friendly staff. also serves a complete cheap breakfast all day which is even cheaper for university of toronto students. $10-20 less than $5 for the u of t special.
Massimo's Pizza
302 college street, one block west of spadina, 416-967-0527, sun-thurs 10am-1am, fri-sat 10am-3am. the annex is home to many of the best pizzerias in the city, but this writer particularly recommends massimo's for thick, greasy and cheesy fare. cora's spadina and harbord is more popular among the thin crust crowd, while amato's 380 college west of brunswick offers the widest selection of toppings and is open the latest 4am. a slice and a drink at all of these place will cost around $5.
Harbord Fish and Chips
147 harbord, near brunswick ave, open 11:30-9:00 7 days a week. this friendly hole-in-the-wall serves up fish and chips wrapped in newspaper the old fashioned way. portions are generous and tasty. haddock/salmon meals for one come with freshly-cut chunky fries, a soft drink and coleslaw. dining space is limited to two picnic benches on the outside and a few stools inside. meals start at around $8.
Sneaky Dee's
431 college st at bathurst. open mo-tu 11am-3am, we-th 11-4, fr 11-4:30, sa 9-4:30, su 9am-9pm. inexpensive yet tasty tex-mex fare and cheap pitchers of beer. particularly popular among the post-bar crowd, due to it's absurdly late closing time. live music can be heard upstairs, catering to the punk orientated. $8-15.
Ghazale
504 bloor st. w. next to bloor cinema, 12pm-4am everyday. excellent middle eastern food for incredibly affordable prices. not so much a restaurant as a counter and a lineup, the staff is friendly and quick, and there's always some interesting conversations waiting in the line. many vegetarian options. $5-$10.
Swiss Chalet
Bloor and markham location has now closed, but an express take-out swiss chalet outlet has opened at bloor and spadina., 416-972-6831, (http://www.swisschalet.com) mo-th 11am-10:30pm, fr 11am-11pm, su 11am-10pm. a mega-popular canadian chicken chain famous for their "chalet sauce". get take out and eat it in the park. $10-$25. this is the original location of the swiss chalet brand.
Fresh: By Juice for Life
326 bloor street west at spadina, 416-531-2635, (http://juiceforlife.com), open mo-fr 11:30am-10:30pm, sa-su 10:30am-10:30pm. 20-30 options for fresh juice, running the gamut from immune boost beets, carrot, apple, ginger to elaborate espresso-based smoothies. their food menu is almost entirely vegan, making it an ideal choice for veggie diners, a fact adored or despised by most visitors. food is reasonable, juice can be expensive. $10-$20 juice runs $5/glass.
Midrange
Mount Everest Restaurant
469 bloor st. w. near brunswick, 416-964-8849, (http://www.mteverestresta...). mt. everest specializes in northern indian and nepalese cuisine. excellent lunch buffet before 3pm for $8.95, dinner per person for about $25.
Aunties and Uncles
74 lipincott at college, 416-324-1375, open until 3pm. located at the extreme south end of the annex, this jam-packed little cafe is very popular with the younger crowd for it's simple yet sophisticated meals. also a very popular weekend brunch spot. space is extremely limited and the restaurant closes for all long weekends, so it's best to call ahead. meals from $10.
Free Times Cafe
320 college street, two blocks west of spadina, 416-967-1078, (http://www.freetimescafe.com), open mo-sa 10am-2pm, su 10am-12am. offers a fabulous brunch from 11-3 every sunday featuring an all-you-can-eat buffet of traditional jewish dishes bagels, assorted fish dishes, french toast, croquets, blintzes, danish, pickled salads, etc. very popular, currently costs $16.95 per person. arrive early if you don't want to wait, reservations essential for groups larger than 4. don't eat the night before, and wear loose pants. meals from $15.
Harbord Bakery
115 harbord st., open mo-th 8am-7pm, fr-sa 8am-6pm, su 8am-4pm. very popular for breads, and their famous quiche.
Country Style
450 bloor street west, 416-536-5966. not to be confused with the donut chain, country style has been serving up austro-hungarian dishes for decades and has become somewhat of a legend for the warm atmosphere and old-country authenticity served up by the couple who've run the place from the start. the schnitzels are the biggest in town and are quite tasty, and with generous sides of rice, beets, or potato dumplings. if you have room, crãªpes are a good choice for desert. for the truly gluttonous, the "wooden plate" special, piled high with about as many different meats as can be imagined, will have you thankful for all of the heart research going on nearby. unfortunately, prices aren't what they used to be. $15-$40 for more than you could hope to eat.
Kensington Kitchen
124 harbord st, just west of spadina. open 11:30-11:00 mo-th, 11:30-11:30 fr-sa, 11:30-10:30 su. a popular destination for vegetarians. they offer a delicious mediterranean influenced menu that also caters well to meat-eaters. pricing is reasonable, but not cheap.
Noon Restaurant
1088 bathurst st. at dupont, 647-436-0666, menus, tu-su: 8am-4pm. all-day breakfast and lunch: omelettes, soups, salads, sandwiches, smoothies, espresso, cappuccino. features applegirth smoked salmon. vegetarian options. licensed. $10-$15
Hey Good Cooking
238 dupont street near spadina subway station, 416-929-9140, open 11-9 mo-sa, 11-4 su. a range of excellent dishes and juices.
The Annex has more restaurants packed in per square metre than any other part of the city. Keeping true to Toronto's multicultural flavor, you're likely to find sushi restaurants, pizzerias and falafel stands within a few steps of each other. Whatever you crave, you can find it in the Annex.