Looking for budget-friendly dining in Toronto and wondering where to find the best affordable restaurants?
We’re not saying you should, but you could also order a whole boatload of burgers here — all priced less than $7.
If you’re hankering to carb load, try the Mac & Charlie, a franken-grilled cheese stuffed with mac and cheese. And if you must consume a vegetable of some kind, check out the deep-fried Brussels sprouts massaged with a balsamic-honey reduction. Open in Google Maps
Grasping the cost of dining out in Toronto before your visit can save you from shocking post-meal moments when the check arrives. Plus, it helps you explore more culinary delights within your budget.
So grab your buds, and check out this list of the best happy hours in Toronto, where you can soak in that glorious 5 o'clock feeling.
Rachel Adjei is a Ghanaian Canadian chef and food justice advocate who celebrates much of the underrepresented African diaspora in Toronto. She founded the Abibiman Project to support Black food sovereignty initiatives via a range of pantry products, pop-up dinners, and catering — all in the hopes of challenging people’s perceptions of African foods and the narratives surrounding them. At her staple pop-up location at the Grapefruit Moon in the Annex, her ever-evolving dinner menus offer deep-dives into specific African regions, which Adjei contextualizes with information about the corresponding culture.
A post shared by The Wolff Girl (@erikawolfff) This popular eatery is a staple of Queen West and for good reason. The munchies are always tasty and the prices are right at just $5 for a classic grilled cheese, $4.
Congee Queen is a super popular Cantonese restaurant chain in Toronto, and they’ve got a bunch of other restaurants under their brand.
We're on a mission to eliminate food waste without throwing away what matters most–delivering extraordinary meals you'll love
Copy Link Run by chefs David Schwartz and Braden Chong, Sunnys is designated as the younger sibling of Mimi, but aside from a shared origin, the two restaurants are entirely different. Whereas Mimi is robust and romantic, Sunnys is light and lively. Tucked within the bohemian confines of Kensington Market and down a nondescript hallway (with only a cardboard sign on the door), Sunnys plummets diners into a retro-chic Hong Kong cafe, complete with a rambunctious vibe that extends from the dining room to the patio oasis. Slide into a banquette or grab a seat by the chef’s rail to delve into playful dishes from Sichuan, Shaanxi, and the northern provinces of China.
Standout selections by head chef Joseph Ysmael include the Husband + Wife Beef, an addictive inferno of tripe and shank cuts bathed in chile oil and finished with peanuts; chewy silver needle noodles that sing with a backbone of soy sauce and overtures of earthy black mushrooms; gnawable lamb ribs perfumed with cumin; and a favorite, plump cubes of mapo tofu topped with salty nuggets of dry-aged beef, Sichuan peppercorn, and garlic chives. Save room for the soft-serve dessert: a swirly-twirly, soybean-based wonder that gets a bear hug of crushed cinder toffee and a drizzle of mature soy sauce caramel. Open in Google Maps
The city is chock-full with affordable yet delicious dining options. If you’re a foodie on a budget, it’s essential to scope these out:
"Too Good To Go is the perfect solution to the massive food waste problem in our country. By connecting businesses to customers to help minimize food waste we can all do our part and get great food from local companies," Tory continued.
To help combat food waste, Too Good to Go partners with local restaurants, grocery stores, and specialty stores to offer website discounted “surprise bags”.