10 Best Restaurants in Yonge-Dundas Square Area, Toronto

A Toronto landmark where wheeling, dealing, and lots of eating have gone on since 1959, Barberian's also has a romantic history: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton got engaged here (for the first time). It's one of the oldest steak houses in the city, and the menu is full of classic dishes, such as Caesar salad and jumbo shrimp cocktail. Mains are all about the meat, but the fish of the day and grilled free-range capon are also solid.

Egg Club’s breakfast sandwiches are hailed as some of the best in the city because of their expertly folded eggs, which are housed in a sweet and soft Japanese milk bread called shokupan. Sandwiches are made in an open kitchen before your eyes and sauces are also created in-house. Add the hash brown to your order to experience a sweet and savory, heavenly potato creation.

Watch tasty, filling Chinese noodles get stretched, folded, and beaten by hand to order at this busy and tiny shop, which specializes in Lanzhou-style lamian. Choose from seven types of noodle thickness in a beef broth; most people choose thicker noodles, which allows you to experience their full chewy texture and the soup flavor to cling to them more. The portion size of noodle soups is generous; ordering a small will easily satisfy people with modest appetites, but if you eat a lot dare to get a large or extra-large portion.

Hong Shing has deep community roots: customers swear that they make the best crispy beef and General Tso's chicken dishes in the city, and hometown celebrities Drake and Simu Liu are regulars. For two generations, this family-run Chinese restaurant has served delicious food inspired by China’s many regional cuisines. Chef Tim is a master of the painstaking process of Cantonese-style barbecue—the limited quantities of barbecue meats he makes each day, such as pork and duck, sell out quickly.

When Kinka Izakaya opened in 2009, it quickly defined the Japanese izakaya-style dining experience (drinks and small plates) in the minds of Torontonians; it’s lively, complete with an open kitchen and ultra-friendly staff. The Truffle Carbonara Udon with mushrooms, onions, soft-boiled egg, and truffle oil reaches new heights.

An elegant dining room and formal service with silver serving dishes set the scene for upscale Asian food. The 100-dish inventory features excellent dishes like wok-fried shredded beef tenderloin with sundried chili peppers alongside delicacies dotted with truffle and foie gras.

A long-running favorite for students and shoppers looking for a budget-friendly meal, Salad King occupies a second-floor dining room above Yonge Street. Mains hover at the C$15 mark, including a variety of curries and stir-fries. Favorites range from classic pad Thai to the Islamic noodles, a secret menu item that features coconut penang curry sauce layered over a massive platter of noodles and veggies.

TSUJIRI is a popular Japanese dessert café that came to the city in 2016 and introduced new ways to experience authentic and high-quality Japanese matcha, in the form of innovative drinks and sweets. Popular menu items include their green-tea soft serve, matcha rare cheesecake, and o-matcha espresso.

When this Japanese franchise came to Canada in 2015, people lined up to try their take on cheesecake, which is a little eggier, firmer, and less sweet than the typical New York variety. The company was so successful, they launched several additional locations throughout the city.

The 17 food vendors stationed at this outdoor market provide you with the opportunity to experience the diversity that Toronto is known for at an affordable price; from Caribbean to Nepalese, Indian to Lebanese and more, you can travel the culinary globe here. Opened in 1997, World Food Market is a local landmark that operates 365 days a year; the food is made fresh, and you can eat it under a covered and heated patio. Reflecting the inclusive nature of the city and its people, all food vendors are halal, and their menus exclude pork and alcohol.