King Street West between Bathurst and Spadina runs the city's high-cover restaurant strip. Buca and Bar Buca at 604 King, Lee Restaurant at 497 Richmond, Patois, Byblos and the Soho House Toronto.
Order The 19-ingredient Singaporean slaw and the crispy chicken.
Lee Restaurant on Richmond West is chef Susur Lee's reborn fusion kitchen since 2023, French technique on Hong Kong-Singaporean lines, the room that wrote.
Order The salumi board and a long pasta from the seasonal list.
Buca King West has run modern Italian on the King strip since 2009, chef Rob Gentile's pastas and house-cured salumi in a converted laneway warehouse.
Order The mezze board to start and a wood-grilled main from the menu.
Byblos Downtown on Duncan Street is Charles Khabouth's Eastern Mediterranean room since 2014, family-style plates across the historic Storys Building.
Order The boat noodles with beef and the pad see ew with extra char.
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.
Order The khao soi, northern Thai egg noodles in coconut curry with crispy noodles on top.
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.
Order The tuna pizza and the AB tacos with hamachi.
Akira Back at the Bisha Hotel is chef Akira Back's first Canadian outpost since 2017, the 2nd-floor Japanese-Korean fusion room behind the hotel lobby.
Order The duck a l'orange and a glass from the Loire section.
Lapinou on King West is a French neo-bistro since 2019, Michelin Guide listed, regional French dishes by chef Jamie Ullrich with a focused natural-wine list.
On this list, shown abovePai Northern Thai KitchenKhao San RoadByblos Downtown
Order A pour-over from the rotating single-origin selection.
Quantum Coffee reopened at The Well in 2023 as a science-themed bar, locally roasted single-origins and flat whites for the Front West office crowd.
Order A square of focaccia Romana and a chocolate babka.
Forno Cultura on King West is baker Andrea Mastandrea's Italian bakery since 2013, the King location the main production house for breads, open kitchen.
On this list, shown aboveKhao San Road
Order The Iron Skillet Hash with chorizo and a black coffee.
OEB Breakfast in Liberty Village is the Toronto outpost of the Calgary-born breakfast brand, the SoCal benedict and the Iron Skillet Hash the staples.
On this list, shown abovePai Northern Thai Kitchen
Order A Smoky Margarita on the south terrace.
Kost on the 44th-floor Bisha Hotel penthouse is the Charles Khabouth Mexican-Baja rooftop room since 2017, the CN Tower view and a tequila-and-mezcal driven.
