DaiLo is an asian fusion restaurant in Little Italy, Toronto.
DaiLo on College is chef Nick Liu's modern Chinese kitchen since 2014, big-flavour Cantonese-meets-Sichuan plates with a strong cocktail bar program.
Signature dishes: Truffle fried rice, Hakka tasting
Must order: The truffle fried rice and the Hakka tasting menu.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The upstairs bar takes walk-ins; main room books on OpenTable.
Address: 503 College Street, Toronto, ON M6G 1A6
Joso's on Davenport has run Dalmatian Adriatic seafood in Yorkville since 1967, founded by Joso Spralja and now operated by Leo and Shirley Spralja.
Signature: Black risotto, Grilled prawns
Order: The black risotto with squid and the grilled prawns with garlic butter.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The painting on Drake's Take Care album hangs upstairs; book a Saturday table for the full room.
Byblos Downtown on Duncan Street is Charles Khabouth's Eastern Mediterranean room since 2014, family-style plates across the historic Storys Building.
Signature: Eastern Mediterranean small plates, Wood-grilled mains
Order: The mezze board to start and a wood-grilled main from the menu.
Tip: The first-floor bar runs spritzes from 16:00 and accepts walk-ins. Second floor needs a reservation.
Mamakas Taverna on Ossington is owner Thanos Tripi's 85-seat Aegean kitchen since 2015, traditional Greek taverna cooking from scratch each day.
Signature: Whole grilled fish, Saganaki
Order: The whole grilled fish, dressed Aegean style with lemon and olive oil.
Tip: Sister Bar Mordecai sits next door for a pre-dinner drink. Weekend lunch runs into early dinner without a break.
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.
Signature: Boat noodles, Pad see ew
Order: The boat noodles with beef and the pad see ew with extra char.
Tip: Reservations the only way in for dinner; lunch walks in. Closed Sunday lunch.
Pai on Duncan is chef Nuit Regular's northern Thai kitchen since 2014, the khao soi from Chiang Mai that set Toronto's modern Thai standard.
Signature: Khao soi, Pad see ew
Order: The khao soi, northern Thai egg noodles in coconut curry with crispy noodles on top.
Tip: No reservations; expect 45 minutes at 19:00. Lunch 11:30 and 14:30 the easier window; uptown sister at 2335 Yonge.
Mother's Dumplings on Spadina has run northern Chinese comfort food in Chinatown since 2005, Shenyang-born Zhen Feng pressing dumplings by hand.
Signature: Pork and chive dumplings, Green onion pancake
Order: The pan-fried pork and chive dumplings and a green onion pancake.
Tip: Walk-in only; frozen dumpling fridge by the door for takeaway. Cash and card accepted, but cash moves the line faster.
