6 Delicious Restaurants Near Downtown Toronto | Travel Eats

If you've ever been to Toronto, then you know it's a great city with great food. It is one of my favorite cities to visit and my last trip there did not disappoint. All of the restaurants listed below were pescatarian friendly, with options! Whether you're in the mood for an amazing vegan lunch special or a lounge with fire food and an even better view of the CN tower, I've got you covered. Grab your passports and let's take a flight across the border as I share my favorite restaurants near downtown Toronto. 

Travel Eats | 6 Must-Try Restaurants Near Downtown Toronto

1. Mildred's Temple Kitchen

If you're anything like me, you're a sucker for the breakfast "griddles". That's pancakes, french toast and waffles. With Canada producing a majority of the world's maple syrup, I had to find a good brunch spot. I came here without a reservation, because it was a Tuesday. However, the wait was about 40 minutes, which isn't a dig at the restaurant, but a testament to how good this spot was. Usually long wait times make people impatient, I was ecstatic. 

The restaurant was large, with many windows letting in a lot of sunlight. It was bright and spacious. They sold everything from their syrup, to an ingredient box to make their famous blueberry pancake stack at home. I wish I had space in my suitcase, because that's exactly what I ordered and it did not miss at all! Four thick fluffy pancakes stacked on one another topped with whip cream and fresh sweet blueberries. Lots and lots of blueberries. Blueberry sauce dripped down the side of the pancakes. The first bite was no different than the last, sweet, fluffy and tasty. 

Definitely get a reservation, regardless of the day and bring an empty stomach. When it comes to brunch near downtown Toronto, Mildred's Temple Kitchen is a fantastic pick. The pancakes, order of fries, my usual sparkling water with a lime and a 20% tip all came up to about $23 bucks USD. 

2. Planta Yorkville

As a pescatarian, I tend to dabble in a good amount of vegan food. I've had Planta in NYC, I've had Planta in West Palm Beach, but this Toronto Planta was something special. Their interior design is usually fancy. They held my luggage for me in the front and offered me the best sparkling water i've ever had. The restaurant was a large open space that pulled in natural sunlight due to all the windows. I was seated right away. Their $28 lunch special is perfect for a quick lunch date, catching up with a friend/coworker, or if you're like me, passing time alone because you're airbnb wasn't ready. 

For $28 you get 1 starter, 1 signature entree and a choice between a chocolate chip or matcha cookie. I started with the spicy "tuna" roll, which was so fire! It was avocado, toasted coconut and sweet watermelon wrapped in white rice. It was sweet and the watermelon was as fresh as could be. Highly recommend! 

For my entree i grabbed the spicy lumaconi pasta, which is similar to penne alla vodka with a spicy kick. In my opinion the pasta is the best dish on their menu (i've had it at all 3 locations). I finished it all off with a large chocolate chip cookie, and was on my way with a 3 course $28 CAD meal, which is about $21 USD. 

If you are looking for Toronto lunch specials, Planta Yorkville should be at the top of your list. I had it the first day and it remained one of my favorite restaurants near downtown Toronto. Just be sure to go to Planta Yorkville, since Planta Queen is also in Toronto. Same restaurant owners, but Planta Queen is more of an asian themed version. They have the lunch special as well, if that sounds like your type of spot.  

3. Vagabondo

There was no way I could make a restaurant list without an Italian restaurant in Toronto. Vagabondo set the bar pretty high for when I return to this lovely city. It had a modern chic vibe. Another date-night definite. The service here was top tier. They were very attentive, helpful with my questions and made great recommendations. I highly recommend trying their house-made rose sauce! 

The complimentary bread was really good and was done within minutes. The star of the show here was the seafood pasta. Not just your regular old seafood pasta, but the fettuccine pescatore. An enormous portion of fettuccine pasta with mussels, clams, crab, shrimp, scallops and calarmari. They topped it off with fresh garlic and basil and I switched the tomato sauce for their famous rose sauce. Talk about chef's kiss. I finished the meal off with a large piece of tiramisu that was so soft and flavorful. Writing about it now makes me want to check flight prices for next weekend. 

4. Writer's Room Bar

If you're looking for romantic date night, a grown laid back vibe and breath taking views of downtown and the CN tower (with a balcony), Writers Room Bar is your spot. A picture truly wouldn't do the view justice. Located on the rooftop of the Park Hyatt Hotel, this place was stunning. I went on a weekday and it was pretty empty. I was seated right away and decided to hang by the bar. Out of any place on this list, if I wanted to get dressed up and wow someone for a first date, this would be my pick. 

I don't drink, but still enjoyed the lounge. The food was actually really good and for my drinkers, the drink menu is extensive. I started off with a garlic stuffed cheese bread as an appetizer. This was not your normal Domino's type of cheese bread. I enjoyed the tastes of fresh cheese, garlic cloves and a homemade spicy marinara. I also likely set a world record with how quickly I finished this dish. 

For my entree I went with the Octopus. It was served with a 'nduja vinaigrette (which I would learn is a type of italian sausage, so next time i'll be sure to omit it) and these tasty marinated artichokes. The octopus was melt in mouth tender and had a spicy kick to it. 

This was a good bang for buck, since all together my food came up to around $60 CAD which is about $45 US dollars, add in two Heineken 0s and a 20% tip for a total of $63 USD. 

5. Chubby's Jamaican Kitchen

I'll go out there to say I don't need to try them all to know Chubby's Jamaican Kitchen is a contender for the best Jamaican restaurant in Toronto. With a large Jamaican population in Toronto, I didn't expect anything less than great. I'm a big fan of Jamaican cuisine since growing up in Brooklyn it was all around me.  I sat at the bar and enjoyed the authentically themed restaurant playing songs I would hear back home in Brooklyn. 

This restaurant did everything right. The staff were having fun and engaged in conversations with the customers. It started with the refreshing Island sunshine drink made of pineapple, apple, orange, tumeric and a hint of lime. For my entree I got the pan seared snapper filet.

The fish was topped with dried mango slices, and a sweet brown stew. It sat on perfectly cooked sweet potatoes and greens (celery and spinach) in a creamy, garlicky coconut sauce. It came with a side of Jamaican rice and peas packed with flavors of all spice, coconut and some spicyness from the scotch bonnet. The stars of the show were the mango pepper sauce and papaya guava pepper sauce. You have to ask for the sauces separately, but I beg you, please do not forget! Lastly, I finished up with a carrot cake that included an amazing coconut meringue and buttercream icing topped with fresh shavings of carrots and vanilla ice cream. This was the perfect meal. 11/10

This is another restaurant I recommend making a reservation for. I walked in around 1pm on a Wednesday, and it was packed. Rightfully so. All together, with a 20% tip of course, the meal came up to $56 USD.

6. Eggtastic

Last but definitely not least, Eggtastic! This restaurant was a little further out from the downtown Toronto area, but was worth the uber fare. Since this breakfast spot was on the smaller side, I understood the 20 minute wait. I recommend reserving a table if you can. Their website gives you the option.

This restaurant's menu did simplicity well. Pictures could not do the taste of the food justice. I ordered two plates here. The first was a stack of biscoff pancakes. Yes, the delta cookie biscoff. It was a stack of fluffy pancakes topped with biscoff crumbs, whip cream, and a biscoff cookie butter sauce. I barely touched the syrup, since the cookie sauce was more than enough. It had a consistency like peanut butter and was very good.

I was pleasantly shocked by the second poached egg dish. I am not a fan of poached, eggs but I couldn't deny the flavor here. A garlic hollandaise sauce, with seasoned crispy mushrooms and spinach, topped the poached egg. It sat on guac and warm soft bread. It was flawless. The dish also came with a side salad and home fries topped with a middle eastern spice blend. 

All that food, water with a lime and the usual 20% tip came up to a $41.18 USD brunch. I can shamelessly say I finished both meals and made my way to the Art Gallery of Ontario. 

Final Thoughts On Toronto

Toronto is a beautiful city, and there's no doubt it has amazing food. I've had some of my favorite dishes here and maybe the best Jamaican restaurant i've ever tried. I stayed in the downtown area so everything was relatively close. Hopefully, when you head out there, you get to try all these restaurants and more! 

These are 6 of my favorite restaurants near downtown Toronto!

Did you add these to your list for your upcoming Toronto trip? Are you from there and have some additional recommendations for my next visit? Or maybe you've tried these spots and want to share your opinion? Leave a comment below and let me know. 

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