Toronto Restaurant Tips by CheekyDee

Restaurant Name: Amato Pizza

Amato's!!!!!!!!!! Its a very popular local favorite, there's a few of them around now. One on College St. and another on Queen St. West and Bathurst. Open til late late late on the weekends, so you usually see flocks of people after a night of clubbing on the weekends all dressed up and lined up for the pizza in Amatto's. The pizza's great, they give you HUGE slices, and it's cheap! Plus there's a crazy selection to choose from, it's not the typical pepperoni and cheese selections.....ab fab!

Favorite Dish: Pizza pizza and more pizza!

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Theme: Pizza
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: (416) 972-6286
Address: 380 College St.
Directions: College St and Borden St. North side. West of Spadina Ave.

Restaurant Name: Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge is a mid range priced restaurant. mid range to a bit higher of range depending on what you're eating. They have very famous ribs and honey baked beans. There are a few of them around Toronto, one is on Yonge St. at the Eaton Centre. The dark wood floors and beams, dark paint, and leather booths make it a very comfy place to eat. Great selection of various food, and great ambience, can be both a romantic or a family restaurant. It's not too noisy so it's definitely a place to talk.

Favorite Dish: Definitely go with the ribs if you eat them. The have a GREAT avocado sandwich, a very good sushi grade tuna sandwich and some wonderful entree sized salads. I also tried the shrimp cocktail, and let me tell ya, the shrimp were very large, so I was very pleased. I always come out very happy and satisfied whenever I eat here. They also have a killer spinach/artichoke dip with chips (or crisps as the British call them).

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 416-593-9667
Address: St. Catherine's Street.
Directions: On ground level in the old "Eaton's Centre" now Sears.
Website: http://www.batonrouge-restaurant.com/

Restaurant Name: Bier Markt

Food?? what food??!!! As the name suggests, you don't really go to the Bier Markt for food, because literally, that's what it is, a hulargerous market of beer. It's in the lovely Esplanade area where all the British/Irish pubs are, and it's pretty great for its beer selection. Something silly like 300 kinds of lager or something crazy like that, their beer menu alone is like a book. I've been a few times, it's a lot of fun when you go with a bunch of people and just keep trying a different beer from every country you could possibly think of. There's live music on the weekends, and it can get super ultra packed, I've been on a weekday and a weekend, quite different experiences both because of the number of people that were there, but the beer was definitely good.

Favorite Dish: Hmmmmm, just the beer please! I liked the Hoegarden, the glass it came in was almost as big as my head :) Now THAT, is my kind of pint glass

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Theme: Pub/Brewery

Phone: 416-862-7575
Address: 58 The Esplanade, toronto, ON
Directions: About at the corner of Church Street near the Toronto's waterfront

Restaurant Name: Burrito Boyz

The hidden jewel near the entertainment district. People flock to this place before clubbing, after clubbing, and call ahead to pick up just so they don't stand in line for 20 minutes when it gets busy. One time I stood in line for like 20/25 minutes just to get my burrito, but man was it worth the wait!! This little jewel is a tiny take away place, in the lower level of some basement. You'd walk right by it if you didn't notice the lineup or the wonderful smells wafting from the doorway. A definite must if you have a hankering for some burrito's. The first time I saw the cooks using golf tees with numbers painted on them, stabbing the burrito's to keep them shut and keep track of orders, I was mildly amused, and then wondered how sanitary that actually was. But after I at the burrito, I couldn't care less. You won't either once you've had one of these! (i'm kidding, they really do use the golf tees/pegs to keep track of the orders, but they don't actually play with them!)

Favorite Dish: I'm quite keen on the chicken burrito, as well, if you like fish, they have a really great halibut, that's right kids, halibut! burrito! Oh, and another thing, they're open til 4am Thursday to Saturday!

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Theme: Mexican
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 120 Peter St
Directions: Clubland

Restaurant Name: Cora's Breakfast & Lunch

Cora's is great, busy, always busy, specially on the weekends. Its a family restaurant that's open for breakfast/brunch only. It's got a fantastic menu, at very reasonable prices for what you're getting. The food is fresh, creative, presented very very well, service fast, just make sure you get there early on the weekends so you avoid the line up!!! We usually try to get there for 9am on a Saturday morning so that we can get seats or don't have to wait longer than 10 minutes or so. After 9:30 on a Saturday or Sunday morning, the line up starts to creep out the door and out the corner.

Favorite Dish: Hmmmm, really, everything's so good! Particular faves would be the eggs benny, croquet monsier (dunno if i spelled that right), and the strawberry surprise!

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Theme: Breakfast
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Blue Jays Way
Directions: On the block between Wellington and Front street
Website: http://www.chezcora.com/Main-en/Main-en.htm

Restaurant Name: CN tower Revolving restaurant aka The 360

The 360 Restaurant in the CN Tower is highly famous, the view is breath taking, there's really nothing like it. Go for dinner, the city lights at night make it absolutely beautiful and a great place for a date. The prices are quite expensive, but that's what you get for a revolving restaurant on top of the tallest free standing structure in the world! The food was good, it could have been better, considering the price you paid, but maybe it was just the dish I got. I went again a second time and the food was fantastic, so it's worth it, specially around the holiday season. We went for lunch and they had a fabulous holiday set menu fixed price of 36 dollars, and all 3 courses were fab!! Plus that was definitely a deal, normally 1 entree is over 35 dollars. It's quite an experience, a bit pricey, but luckily I wasn't paying, haha. Although I must say the view was definitely worh it, it takes the restaurant a full hour to spin the full 360, and it was a bit disconcerting in the beginning of the night, the slow movement, I guess if you're a bit delicate, might be wise to take an aspirin in case it gives you a headache. But it really shouldn't. The fun part is going to the women's washroom, and coming out at a different point, trying to find your table again since the floor's turning, haha! Luckily the sections are numbered :-)

Favorite Dish: They did have a great dessert, the dark tower I think it was called, all chocolate and quite lovely! I also had the pork tenderloin medallions with brie, apples, mashed potatoes and beans, absolutely heavenly!! Along with a mushroom soup with mascarpone cheese and a hazelnut tart, mmmmmmmmm, getting hungry thinking about itagain!

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Address: CN Tower
Directions: The CN Tower
Website: http://www.toronto.com

Restaurant Name: Hey Lucy! Cafe

Hey Lucy Cafe is in the heart of the theatre district in Toronto. It's a great place for dinner, or desser, just drinks, or all three! They have a decent selection of food, all reasonably priced, their drink selection is fantastic, and it's a definite martini place, you must try at least one of their martini's. Their desserts are fantastic, I've tried a few of them, I usually come here for after dinner drinks and desserts with my friends. They have all sorts, huge ones to share, cakes, pies, everything you can imagine. It's a cozy little cafe with zebra upholstered booths, a nice bar, usually a good selection of music that you don't have to yell over. The service can sometimes be a little slow, but normally I don't tend to notice because it's the kind of place you get into good conversations with whoever you go with, you just pay attention to attacking that dessert and washing it down with your poison of choice. Cozy and comfy, Lucy's will always be one of my faves....

Favorite Dish: Hmmmm, there's a fudge pizza which is fried dough, hot fudge, ice cream, whipped cream and all this lovely goodness, that's one to share. Any of their cheesecakes are lovely. and they have other huge desserts that I can't remember the names of, but they're huge, and yummy, and an absolute sin in a bowl! But really, who cares, you don't do it everyday right?? Oh, and aside from dessert, they have a great chicken foccacia grilled sandwich and they have yummy calzone's too. Ok, I think that's enough talk, I'm making myself hungry.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (416) 408-3633
Address: 295 King St W
Directions: Theatre district

Restaurant Name: Hot dog vendors

There must be some kind of drug or something in Toronto hotdogs, sausages, or what we like to call street meat. I don't recommend making a regular diet out of this, BUT, occasionally won't kill ya, specially after a pint or two, or three. Everytime I have one of these sinful badboys, all my guilt is taken away after the first bite. Toronto street meat is probably one of my biggest cravings that I must give into every little while, they have veggie dogs, chicken dogs, hotdogs, but what you should really eat are the sausages!! Polish, spicy, German, whatever floats your boat, just eat it with relish, saurkraut or whatever takes your fancy. Enjoy, feast!! It's the best food in town. Oh, and since there's a law banning the sale of cheese in a squeeze bottle, sometimes, if you're smooth talking the vendor, see if he can slip you a bottle, some of them just hide the squeezy cheese underneath the counter, hehe, wink wink, nudge nudge.

Favorite Dish: I like the Polish sausages the best.....

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Theme: Street Vendor
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Anywhere in the downtown core.
Directions: Lots of them all downtown, specially around the Union Station area, some by the Harbour front specially during the summer. Well, during the summer, they're everywhere, but during the winter, Union station is a definite sure place to find them.