18 street food worth the trip across Canada, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Canada guides.
Carousel Bakery ★ 4.8 · Toronto
financial-district · 93 Front Street E, St Lawrence Market Upper Level 42, Toronto, ON M5E 1C3
Carousel Bakery in St Lawrence Market is the home of Toronto's signature peameal bacon sandwich, the Biancolin family-run counter since the 1970s.
Tip: Closed Mondays with the market. The kaiser is soft; load on the mustards before the bacon stack.
Japadog ★ 4.6 · Vancouver
downtown · 530 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2B7
Japadog's Robson cart since 2005 from owner Noriki Tamura is the Japanese hot dog that defined Vancouver street food, a brick-and-mortar plus city carts.
Tip: Cart only at Burrard and Smithe; the Robson brick-and-mortar has the full menu and seating.
Patty King Bakery ★ 4.5 · Toronto
kensington-market · 187 Baldwin Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1L8
Patty King on Baldwin Street is a family-owned Caribbean patty bakery since 1981, supplying Toronto convenience stores and cafeterias citywide.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The Scarborough location at 39 Progress Avenue is the chain's flagship factory; Kensington is the retail original.
Caribbean Queen of Patties ★ 4.5 · Toronto
the-junction · 1294 Bloor Street W, Toronto, ON M6H 1N9
Caribbean Queen of Patties on Bloor West runs Jamaican beef and chicken patties, the city's reference west-end patty counter under owner Georgie.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The line moves fast; cash discount under $10.
Japadog Burrard cart ★ 4.5 · Vancouver
downtown · Burrard Street at Smithe Street, Vancouver
Japadog's flagship downtown cart at Burrard and Smithe since 2005 is the original location, the lunchtime queue and the city's most-photographed street food.
Tip: Card and Apple Pay accepted; weather closures posted on the operator's Instagram on the morning of the day.
Vij's Railway Express ★ 4.5 · Vancouver
south-granville · Granville Island and rotating locations, Vancouver
Vij's Railway Express is Vikram Vij's food truck since 2010, a Granville Island Saturday vendor, the operator's casual format of the Vij's restaurant kitchen.
Tip: Schedule on the operator's Instagram week of; Granville Island Saturdays through summer is the most reliable stop.
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka ★ 4.5 · Vancouver
downtown · 1690 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6G 1C7
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka on Robson is the Vancouver branch of the Asahikawa-based chain since 2011, the cherry pork chashu and salt-broth shio bowl.
Tip: Counter only; queue tops 30 minutes at peak lunch and dinner. The shio bowl is the kitchen's standard pour.
Banh Mi Tres Bon ★ 4.5 · Vancouver
punjabi-market · 3373 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5R 5L4
Banh Mi Tres Bon on Kingsway is the Khmer Vietnamese counter the city sets its banh mi bar by since 2008, a 10-seat counter, fresh-baked baguettes hourly.
Tip: Cash only; arrive before 12:00 for the freshest baguettes. The pate special is gone by 13:30.
Banh Mi Boys ★ 4.4 · Toronto
queen-west · 392 Queen Street W, Toronto, ON M5V 2A9
Banh Mi Boys on Queen West is the Pham brothers' banh mi counter since 2011, fusion fillings on Vietnamese baguettes plus steamed bao and rice bowls.
Tip: Order at the counter, sit upstairs. Sister Yonge location at 399 Yonge runs the same menu.
Buster's Sea Cove ★ 4.4 · Toronto
financial-district · 93 Front Street E, St Lawrence Market Lower Level, Toronto, ON M5E 1C3
Buster's Sea Cove on St Lawrence Market's lower level has run fish and chips, lobster rolls and oyster po'boys since 1995, the market's seafood counter.
Tip: Lineup runs longest 12:00-14:00 weekends. Standing room only; eat on the market benches.
Khao San Road ★ 4.4 · Toronto
king-west · 11 Charlotte Street, Toronto, ON M5V 2H5
Khao San Road on Charlotte Street has run Bangkok-style street food downtown since 2011, the boat noodles and crispy pad see ew the city standard.
Tip: Reservation-only at dinner. Lunch walks in. Closed Sunday lunch.
Tacofino Burrito Bar ★ 4.4 · Vancouver
gastown · 15 West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1C9
Tacofino on West Cordova since 2014 is the Tofino-origin food-truck-turned-restaurant, Vancouver's reference Baja-style fish taco, four city locations.
Tip: The Gastown branch has a full bar; the original cart in Tofino remains the calendar event.
Tacofino food cart ★ 4.4 · Vancouver
downtown · Burrard Street at Robson Street, Vancouver
Tacofino's downtown cart on Burrard since 2014 is the operator's lunchtime format, the original Baja-style fish taco and the burrito of the day.
Tip: Daily location confirmed on the operator's Instagram; the Burrard cart is the most reliable lunch stop.
Mom's Grilled Cheese Truck ★ 4.3 · Vancouver
downtown · Howe Street at West Pender, Vancouver
Mom's Grilled Cheese Truck on Howe Street since 2011 is downtown's lunchtime grilled cheese cart, a 12-cheese rotation and the city's reference cheese truck.
Tip: Card-friendly; downtown lunch line is busiest 12:00 to 13:00. Soup of the day pairs with any cheese.
Kaya Malay Bistro ★ 4.3 · Vancouver
downtown · 1063 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1V3
Kaya Malay Bistro on Hornby since 2017 is the downtown branch of the Burnaby Malaysian kitchen, a roti canai and Singapore laksa counter the city's reference.
Tip: Counter and small seating; the Burnaby flagship has the larger dim sum-style breakfast.
Uncle Tetsu ★ 4.2 · Toronto
yorkville · 598 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G 1M5
Uncle Tetsu on Bay Street is Toronto's first North American outpost of the Japanese cheesecake brand since 2015, jiggly cotton cheesecakes baked daily.
Tip: Lineup at peak 14:00-16:00. Same-day-only cake; doesn't keep. Sister madeleine and matcha tiramisu shops on Dundas.
Le Tigre ★ 4.2 · Vancouver
downtown · West Hastings Street at Hornby Street, Vancouver
Le Tigre on West Hastings is one of Vancouver's longest-running downtown food trucks since 2012, a Chinese-leaning Crack Salad and rice bowl menu.
Tip: Daily location on the operator's Instagram; weekday lunch only.
Smoke's Poutinerie ★ 4.0 · Toronto
queen-west · 578 Queen Street W, Toronto, ON M5V 2B6
Smoke's Poutinerie on Queen West is the Canadian chain's reference late-night counter, 30 gourmet poutines including butter chicken and Philly cheesesteak.
Tip: Late-night kitchen until 04:00 on Friday and Saturday. Cash and card; late lineup files in after 02:00.