28 Best Restaurants in Chinatown, Kensington Market, and Queen West, Toronto

The 10- to 16-course dinners here breathed new life into the concept of the tasting menu for many Torontonians, thanks to a chef who channels refined French cooking techniques into beautifully composed plates. Courses from the ever-changing offerings have included striped bass with chanterelles and baby artichokes, Nova Scotia lobster tail paired with romesco and shishito peppers, and rack of pork offset with bing cherries, Swiss chard, and a dusting of pistachios.

These award-winning cakey brioche donuts are fried fresh in the wee hours of the morning, dipped, and then ready to fly off the shelves by the time the converted storefront opens at 8:30 am. From the milky London Fog with an Earl Grey glaze to mini salted caramel Boston Creme bombs, you just can't go wrong.

Known as one of the city's tried-and-true French bistros, this brightly decorated spot lives up to expectations with a menu full of excellent standards, including steak frites, rare venison chop, and mussels in white wine. The long bar at the front of the restaurant is a great spot for drinks or solo dining.

Japanese perfectionism merges with French tradition at this minimalist coffee and pastry shop. The owners are always dreaming up new croissant creations like a flaky croissant cube (that needs to be seen to be believed), and the croffle, a—you guessed it—croissant/waffle hybrid prepared in a half-dozen ways, from churro-caramel sweet to ham-and-pesto savory.

With only 10 seats, this taco joint almost always has long lines, but it's worth the wait. The menu brings the best of SoCal and Tijuana seafood together, featuring taco options like the gobernador (smoked marlin and shrimp), and a vegetarian option with corn fungus (trust us, it tastes better than it sounds).

Downtown Toronto's quintessential dim sum eatery overlooks all of Chinatown from its secret rooftop perch at the Dragon City Mall. Carts with towers of bamboo steamed baskets containing shrimp dumplings or black-bean-sauce chicken feet ("phoenix claws" in Chinese), banquet-size platters of noodles, and traditional delicacies like black or yellow curried cuttlefish are pushed around the hall by gregarious servers who tick off boxes from your order list as they are served. There's also an extensive à la carte menu.

The thin-crust pies at this airy family-run pizzeria are authentically Neapolitan and consistently earn top marks on local (and even global) critics' lists thanks to their fresh ingredients and use of traditional methods. Pasta mains (with gluten-free options) like a fiery Naples-style rigatoni and seafood linguini may take second place but are certainly worth a look.

It takes its name from the city’s most popular area code, so it’s no surprise that 416—a dim, boisterous bar that echoes the general vibe of West Queen West—draws inspiration from the city around it. The menu of inexpensive small plates, best enjoyed with a cocktail or two, is a fun mishmash of cultures, from Jamaican to Chinese to Peruvian, that serves as a one-stop culinary crash course to this city of immigrants.

Like the art gallery in which it's located, this bistro was designed by starchitect Frank Gehry, whose touches are seen in the minimalist decor and geometric ceilings. The dishes themselves, like the Basque-style eggs with chorizo, or grilled cornish hen with dandelion greens on coconut curry, are plated as works of art.

Imagine yourself lost at a Saigon night market at this trendy sandwich and snack bar that specializes in banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches). Not satisfied with the traditional crusty white bread, Banh Haus offers whole-wheat and fried banh tieu (Vietnamese donut) buns as a vessel for fillings like grilled lemongrass chicken, five-spice sweet pork sausage, or deep-fried tiger shrimp. Other modernized street food classics include rice-paper-wrapped summer rolls and green mango salad.

Brothers David, Philip, and Peter Chau have banh mi in their blood—their parents opened one of the original Vietnamese sandwich shops in Chinatown—but they've taken the classic and decked it out with top-notch ingredients such as melt-in-your-mouth pork belly, duck confit, and kalbi beef. Other offerings include Asian-inspired tacos and steamed bao.

Hearty sandwiches stuffed with toppings like mortadella, grilled veggies, and spreads made in-house are accompanied by selections of traditional brioche buns, and creative palm-size Viennoiseries at the local legendary boulangerie. It helps to get there earlier in the day to take score of other baked delights like tomato danishes and quirky chocolate corks.

There's no better place for a quick espresso or another pick-me-up than at the poured-concrete walls of this uber-hip meeting spot, complete with front and back patios. Show up by night for a full-length bar menu of local and imported craft beers and an apothecary of spirits.

Fried dumplings stuffed with juicy shrimp and pork or the health-conscious steamed spinach and black mushroom wrappers are the stars of the show but ordering from the selection of northern Chinese staples is highly recommended too. Top crowd-pleasing picks are the ultra-thinly sliced semi-cooked potato threads cooked in a jolting spicy vinegar, and noodley tofu strips boiled and lightly stir-fried with pork and veggies.

Enter a Middle Eastern paradise where vegans and the health conscious can feast on delicious mock-meat renditions of classics like chicken shawarma and beef kebabs doused in a variety of flavored tahinis, like beet and lemon. Chef Isra recreated her grandmother's Egyptian recipes so faithfully that not even she can tell them apart.

Located smack in the middle of Kensington Market, locals flock to this highly versatile cultural hub that effortlessly merges brunch restaurant, gelateria, and evening cabaret. The sprawling front and back patio make it an ideal location for soaking in local culture over an umami-rich Japanese omelet and pink sakura latte, or cocktails paired with late-night Latin-themed bites. The choices are truly endless. 

In a neighborhood where the bohemian vegetarian lifestyle is the norm, King's Café has become a mainstay for artists, students, and young professionals seeking vegan grub with an Asian accent. The setting is a serene and airy eatery with wide windows looking out onto bustling Augusta Avenue.

For a unique take on cheap eats, head east of Bathurst to Market 707, a strip of food stalls built out of repurposed shipping containers. Highlights include poutine at Nom Nom Nom; authentic lamb-fat-infused Damascus-style shawarmas and burgers from Chef Harwash; soul-warming Filipino at Kanto by Tita Flips; and authentic Japanese rice balls stuffed with burdock and red miso pork, along with other hearty staples from Omosubi Bar Suzume.

Otto’s brings a nightlife-worthy spin to street snacks. The owners are former club promoters who fell in love with Berlin’s most popular street eats and set about bringing them to Toronto. You can sample shaved-meat-stuffed pita wraps, kebabs, and currywurst (sausages smothered in a ketchupy curry sauce).

Whether you get them baked (in one of four different ways), fried, or raw, oysters are the thing at this casual neighborhood spot. A chalkboard spells out what's fresh and available, along with sizing and price for the beauties. There's a pleasing array of house condiments with which to slurp your choices. Other treats include beer-battered fish-and-chips, lobster rolls, and excellent onion rings. A nice selection of wines and beers, as well as cool, friendly servers, makes for a fun night out.

When you're having a late-night craving for Vietnamese food, this is the place for authentic bowls of pho or hearty curries with a crusty baguette to sop up the sauces. To drink, savor a slow-drip coffee with sweetened condensed milk or an exotic fruit milkshake in flavors like soursop or avocado.

Chef Shawn Adler prepares dinner-plate-covering native "tacos" at his rustic 12-seater café and similarly sized front patio. Mains include piles of toppings for fusion brunch--focused dishes that incorporate everything from Indian curries, poached duck eggs, and edible flowers. If your main dish does not include fry bread, it can always be ordered on the side for the traditional experience.

A laid-back neighborhood institution, the Queen Mother has been popular with art students and broadcast-media types since the 1980s. The food is international, leaning toward Southeast Asian with European accents.

Queen Street West is lined with cafés and restaurants, and one solid choice is the Queen Mother Café, a neighborhood institution popular with art students and broadcast-media types. Serving Lao-Thai and Italian cuisine, the "Queen Mum" is open until 1 am (Sunday until midnight) for wholesome meals and rich desserts at reasonable prices.

The idea here is that traditional Asian street food can exist side by side with modern haute cuisine, against a backdrop of fiery open kitchens and cavernous dining rooms. Experimental entrées borrow European ingredients like cauliflower couscous, maple syrup, and pan-seared foie gras on brioche. The cocktails make use of unconventional ingredients like spiced chamomile mist, bee pollen, and curry-infused gin.

Dishes at this zero-waste, locally foraged, alchemical eatery are on the smaller side but pack the complexity of lead freshly turned to gold. Mainstays on the often-changing menu include a risotto accented with wild Ontario ramps, al dente sweet peas, and pureed asparagus stems (that would otherwise end up in the bin), adding an extra dimension of vegetalia. Or consider an aged garum-loaded venison tartare with house-made miso focaccia.  Dessert might be a deconstructed bowl of vegan rhubarb cake soaked with oat-based crème anglaise, hiding a foamy meringue treasure nested inside.

If there is an equivalent to a fast-paced, casual Hong Kong–style diner in Chinatown, this would be it: the food is inexpensive and honest, and the setting is bright and spare. Diners enjoy heaping bowls of congee and customized noodle soups, including the best fish ball and shrimp dumpling bowls in town.

One of a jumble of Asian eateries clustered on a tiny street opposite Kensington Market, this spacious restaurant is beloved for its two-for-one lobster deals. The crustaceans are delicious and tender, served either with black-bean sauce or a ginger-and-green-onion sauce. You can also choose giant shrimp Szechuan-style or one of the lively queen crabs from the tank.