Cafã©s
Dufflet's
Cakes to die for--they supply desserts for a number of the city's best restaurants. Limited seating, but taking out a coffee to go and strolling along this interesting stretch of Queen St is ideal in warmer weather. You can also buy customized birthday cakes here.
Bulldog Coffee
89 granby st, (http://www.bulldogtoronto.com). espresso and espresso based drinks. one of the owner/baristas regularly wins competitions for his latte art. daily 7am-7pm.
The Red Tea Box
696 queen street w. excellent teas, good food, cozy atmosphere, and decadent desserts that look too good too eat. not cheap, but worth the cost. open only for lunch. 416 203 8882.
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Vegetarian
Le Commensal
Downtown. cafeteria style restaurant that even has a small grocery area full of organic, vegan and vegetarian produce. menu is standard, but the portions are generous and the atmosphere is amiable.
Fressen
Queen west. great reviews of this restaurant by locals, who pack the place for its innovative and tasty vegetarian dishes. the gluten roast a kind of faux roast-beef comes recommended and the wine list features organic wines.
Buddha's Vegetarian Food
Bathurst and dundas; 666 dundas west. one portion serves at least 2 very hungry people and costs $8. closed on some tuesdays.
Live Organic Food Bar
The annex. freshly squeezed juices accompany complete meals that cost $35. open tuesday to saturday 11am to 10pm. brunch sunday 11am to 4pm. closed monday and holidays.
Annapurna
The annex
Toronto is a huge city, so all individual listings should be moved to the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. Please help to move listings if you are familiar with this city.
See district articles for further information
Fresh by Juice for Life
The annex & richmond street west. serving mouthwatering servings of salads and juices of inspired combinations. somewhat overpriced but all this healthy stuff does make you feel good.
Interesting food districts
University District
Small section of baldwin street east of spadina, north of dundas has many small outdoor cafes ideal for summer lunches.
Chinatown
Now features many vietnamese and thai restaurants.
King Street between University Avenue and Spadina Avenue has many restaurants appealing to theatre goers.
Queen Street East between Empire and Leslie has a number of casual, trendy restaurants that match the vibe of Leslieville.
College Street to the west of Bathurst has a cheaper set of eclectic restaurants popular with university students from nearby University of Toronto.
Bayview Avenue south of Eglinton, is the location of some of Toronto's best French pastry shops.
Bloor Street to the west of Spadina in the Annex has a similar set of restaurants to College, with a particularly heavy concentration of budget-friendly Japanese restaurants. Most restaurants tend to be very laid back.
The city's largest newspaper, the Toronto Star, once chose the Downsview Park Flea Market food court as the best in the city. Although it is open only on weekends and rather remote, it offers a variety of authentic food from Afghan to Trinidadian and lacks the chain restaurants that dominate the city's food courts. It is located north of downtown, but is accessible from the Downsview subway station on the Spadina line and shares space with over 400 independent retailers.
Farmer's markets
St. Lawrence Market
(http://www.stlawrencemark...) has been bringing the freshest foods into the city for torontonians and visitors alike since 1901. located at jarvis and front, the st. lawrence market stretches over 2 buildings, the 'north market' and the 'south market' - and often over the section of front street between them! the north market is home to a farmer's market, open saturdays year round. it features fresh vegetables in season, preserves, spices and herbs, and direct from the source foods, such as honey direct from the beekeeper or maple syrup from the people who tapped and boiled it, as well as quality ontario wines. the south market has over 50 specialty vendors, with a large seafood section, a dozen butchers, several bakeries, and three very extensive cheese shops. in the basement, there is also a specialty area for handcrafters, and an extensive foodcourt, with merchants often cooking food that they bought fresh that morning from upstairs. the south market is open year round, tue-thu 8am-6pm, fri 8am-7pm, sat 5am-5pm.
Riverdale Farm
(http://www.city.toronto.o...) at 201 winchester street three blocks east of parliament street is a year-round producing farm owned by the city of toronto as part of its extensive park system, open daily for tours, education, and more 9am-5pm. the friends of riverdale farm operate an onsite store and restaurant, shop at the farm and farm kitchen, in simpson house daily 10am-4pm, and a weekly farmer's market (tuesdays, may 10 - oct. 25, 2005, 3:30pm-7pm. riverdale farm is a working farm, with barns and outdoor paddocks, and animals of all types. in an attempt to provide education about farming, the staff is approachable, and will discuss chores as they go through the daily tasks of keeping a farm running. tours are available, or you can wander the 7.5 acres freely.
Surrounded by the extensive fertile farmlands of Southern Ontario, Toronto has an abundance of farmer's markets - one is happening, in season, almost every day. Several markets are year round, while others are seasonal, generally running from May to October.
Other farmer's markets in Toronto:
City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen Street West - Wednesdays, June 1 - October 5, 10AM-2:30PM except June 29 due to Jazz Festival.
East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Avenue - Tuesdays, May 24 - October 25, 9AM-2PM.
Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall - Saturdays, June 4 - October 29, 8AM-2PM.
North York Civic Centre, Mel Lastman Square, 5100 Yonge Street - Thursdays, June 16 - October 20, 8AM-2PM.
Scarborough Civic Centre, Albert Campbell Square, 150 Borough Drive - Fridays, June 3 - October 14, noon-5PM.
The Dufferin Grove Farmer's Market (http://www.dufferinpark.c...), 875 Dufferin Street across from the Dufferin Mall - Thursdays, year round outdoors around the rinkhouse in summer and in the rinkhouse in winter 3:30PM-7PM.
Green Barn Market (http://www.thestop.org/gr...), 601 Christie Street, Saturdays 8AM-12PM located within the restored Artscape Wychwood Barns.
Toronto is generally considered to be one of North America's top food cities. It has the same variety as New York or San Francisco and the compact and safe downtown keeps them closer together. As one of the most if not the most multicultural cities in the world, Toronto has authentic ethnic cuisine like no other city in North America. It is easy to eat out in Toronto and have a superb meal for cheap.