18 budget eating worth the trip across Canada, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Canada guides.
Carousel Bakery ★ 4.7 · Toronto
financial-district · 93 Front Street E, St Lawrence Market Upper Level 42, Toronto, ON M5E 1C3
Carousel Bakery in St Lawrence Market runs the city's reference peameal bacon sandwich for $9 since 1977, the Biancolin family's counter Key to the City.
Tip: Closed Mondays with the market. Cash and card; the line moves quickly.
Phnom Penh ★ 4.7 · Vancouver
chinatown · 244 East Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z7
Phnom Penh on East Georgia is Chinatown's reference Cambodian-Vietnamese kitchen since 1985, the chicken wings the city's most-photographed budget plate.
Tip: Cash takes a discount; the chicken wings with rice noodle bowl runs $15. Arrive before 18:00 to skip the line.
Mother's Dumplings ★ 4.5 · Toronto
chinatown · 421 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2G6
Mother's Dumplings on Spadina has run northern Chinese comfort food in Chinatown since 2005, Shenyang-born Zhen Feng pressing dumplings by hand.
Tip: Cash and card. The frozen dumpling fridge sells takeaway 50-packs for under $30.
Patty King Bakery ★ 4.5 · Toronto
kensington-market · 187 Baldwin Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1L8
Patty King on Baldwin in Kensington Market runs Jamaican beef and chicken patties for $4 since 1981, the family-owned bakery supplying Toronto convenience.
Tip: Patties $2.50 each, six for $13; the cocoa bread and bun-and-cheese combo doubles as breakfast on the College streetcar.
Japadog ★ 4.5 · Vancouver
downtown · 530 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2B7
Japadog's Robson brick-and-mortar since 2005 is the city's reference budget street-food counter, the Terimayo and Oroshi dogs the city standard since 2005.
Tip: Cart at Burrard takes cash and card; the Robson brick-and-mortar has the full menu and a sit-down counter.
Banh Mi Tres Bon ★ 4.5 · Vancouver
punjabi-market · 3373 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5R 5L4
Banh Mi Tres Bon on Kingsway since 2008 is the Khmer Vietnamese counter the city sets its banh mi bar by, fresh-baked baguettes hourly under $10 a sandwich.
Tip: Cash only; the pate special sells out by 13:30. The dac biet is the kitchen's most-ordered.
Caribbean Queen of Patties ★ 4.4 · Toronto
the-junction · 1294 Bloor Street W, Toronto, ON M6H 1N9
Caribbean Queen of Patties on Bloor West in Bloordale runs Jamaican beef and chicken patties for $5, owner Georgie's reference Caribbean takeout counter.
Tip: Spicy beef patty plus the bun-and-patty combo $5; cash preferred, the takeout queue moves fast at lunch.
Kintaro Ramen ★ 4.4 · Vancouver
west-end · 788 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC V6G 2L5
Kintaro Ramen on Denman is Vancouver's first Sapporo-style ramen shop since 1999, the original tonkotsu counter for under $20, plus a Robson late seating.
Tip: Counter only; line up before 12:00 or after 14:00 to avoid the lunch queue. Cash takes a discount.
La Taqueria ★ 4.4 · Vancouver
downtown · 322 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1K6
La Taqueria on West Hastings since 2009 is Vancouver's reference Mexican counter under chef Marcelo Ramirez Martiarena, four tacos and a horchata under $15.
Tip: Counter-only; order at the till and grab a stool. The Cambie branch is the calmer seat.
Fat Mao Noodles ★ 4.4 · Vancouver
chinatown · 217 East Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z6
Fat Mao Noodles on East Georgia from Angus An since 2018 is a Cantonese noodle counter under $22, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022, a Chinatown late-night seat.
Tip: Walk-ins from 17:00; the kitchen closes 23:30 the latest open in Chinatown post-pandemic.
Pho Hung ★ 4.3 · Toronto
chinatown · 350 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2G4
Pho Hung on Spadina is the Nguyen family's pho counter since 1985, a 30-year broth recipe that keeps bowls under $16 with rare beef and tendon.
Tip: Cash discount under $20. Walks in any time; Saturday lunch the busiest.
Banh Mi Boys ★ 4.3 · Toronto
queen-west · 392 Queen Street W, Toronto, ON M5V 2A9
Banh Mi Boys on Queen West runs fusion banh mi sandwiches for $9 since 2011, plus steamed bao and crispy steamed-rice bowls under $15 a plate.
Tip: Order downstairs, eat upstairs. Sister Yonge location at 399 Yonge runs the same menu.
Sneaky Dee's ★ 4.3 · Toronto
little-italy · 431 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1T1
Sneaky Dee's at College and Bathurst runs the city's reference King's Crown Nachos for $15 since 1987, the upstairs live music venue and downstairs Tex-Mex.
Tip: King's Crown Nachos $14 at 03:00; cash only after 02:00. Upstairs music venue keeps the kitchen rolling till 04:00 Friday/Saturday.
Rol San ★ 4.3 · Toronto
chinatown · 388 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2G5
Rol San on Spadina runs Cantonese dim sum from $5 per plate since 1994, no carts but a tick-the-box paper menu, late-night service until 05:00 on weekends.
Tip: Cash and card. The late-night menu after midnight Friday and Saturday the city's reference dim sum.
Save On Meats ★ 4.3 · Vancouver
gastown · 43 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1G4
Save On Meats on West Hastings is the Downtown Eastside's diner since 1957, a butcher-counter and a 2011 reboot, the city's reference budget diner.
Tip: Sandwich tokens at the counter for $3.50 each, gifted to anyone outside, redeemable for a meal.
Pho Hoa Hung ★ 4.3 · Vancouver
punjabi-market · 3603 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5V 3N5
Pho Hoa Hung on Main Street since 2005 is one of the city's reference Saigon-style pho counters, the brisket-and-tendon bowl under $13 and a long-running.
Tip: Cash and card; the dac biet special pho is the kitchen's most-ordered. Lunchtime is the busier seat.
Donair Town ★ 4.1 · Vancouver
downtown · 550 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2B7
Donair Town on Robson runs the city's late-night Halifax-style donair counter, the East Coast Lebanese-Canadian classic with sweet condensed-milk sauce.
Tip: Open until 02:00 nightly; the donair pizza is the bar-crawl standby. Card-friendly.
Bao Down ★ 4.0 · Vancouver
gastown · 9 West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1C8
Bao Down on West Cordova in Gastown since 2014 is a steamed-bao counter under $18 for three, the city's reference take-out and walk-in dim-sum-style snack.
Tip: Counter only; the BIG Trouble in Little China bao is the kitchen's most-ordered. Patio seats in summer.