Home › Food tours › Toronto
Food tours in Toronto: what to eat and which tour to book
Toronto's food is its immigrant neighbourhoods. Half the city was born outside Canada, so the best eating is spread across Chinatown on Spadina, Kensington Market, Koreatown on Bloor, Greektown on the Danforth, Little India on Gerrard, and the strip malls of Scarborough and Markham, where Hong Kong dim sum, Trinidadian doubles, Sri Lankan kottu and Jamaican patties are everyday food. The few things Toronto calls its own are simple: the peameal bacon sandwich, the butter tart and a Jamaican beef patty eaten on the go. The downtown core and the Entertainment District have the highest prices and the least character.
Use this page to decide what to order and which neighbourhood to head for. The tours listed are real GetYourGuide listings, with prices as seen when we checked; prices, schedules and group sizes change, so confirm on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Toronto
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peameal bacon sandwich peameal bacon on a bun | Lean pork loin cured in brine and rolled in cornmeal (originally ground yellow peas, hence the name), griddled and piled into a soft roll with mustard. Toronto's best-known local sandwich. | St. Lawrence Market South, where Carousel Bakery has sold it for decades; also brunch spots and diners. | roughly CAD 10–14 (about €6.50–9) |
| Jamaican beef patty patty | Turmeric-yellow flaky pastry filled with spiced ground beef (also chicken, vegetable or callaloo). Often eaten as a 'coco bread patty', stuffed inside a soft sweet bun. | Caribbean bakeries along Eglinton West (Little Jamaica) and in Scarborough; also sold in convenience stores and the TTC food courts, though bakery ones are better. | about CAD 3–5 each (€2–3.30) |
| Doubles and roti doubles / roti | Trinidadian doubles are two small fried flatbreads (bara) with curried chickpeas and chutneys; roti is a large soft flatbread wrapped around curried goat, chicken or potato and chickpeas. | Trinidadian and Guyanese roti shops in Scarborough, along Eglinton West and in the west end around Bathurst and St. Clair. | doubles about CAD 3–5; a roti roughly CAD 13–20 (€8.50–13) |
| Dim sum 點心 (dim sum) | Cantonese small plates: har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai, char siu bao, rice rolls, egg tarts. Toronto has one of the largest Hong Kong communities outside Asia, and the suburban halls are often better than downtown. | Chinatown on Spadina Avenue downtown, and large dim sum restaurants in Markham, Richmond Hill and Scarborough (Agincourt). | roughly CAD 6–10 per dish; CAD 25–40 per person for a full meal (€16–26) |
| Butter tart | Small pastry shell filled with butter, sugar, syrup and egg, baked until the filling is runny or set; with or without raisins (a long-running argument). | Bakeries across the city and at St. Lawrence Market; small-town Ontario bakeries take them seriously too. | about CAD 3–5 each (€2–3.30) |
| Souvlaki and Greek grill σουβλάκι (souvlaki) | Grilled pork or chicken skewers, pita, tzatziki and Greek salad in the old Greek neighbourhood; the Taste of the Danforth street festival takes over the street in August. | Danforth Avenue between Chester and Pape stations (Greektown). | roughly CAD 12–25 for a pita or plate (€8–16) |
| Korean barbecue and fried chicken 고기구이 / 치킨 | Table-grilled pork belly and beef with banchan side dishes, late-night Korean fried chicken, and sweet hotteok pancakes. | Koreatown on Bloor Street West around Christie station; larger Korean areas in North York along Yonge Street. | roughly CAD 25–45 per person for barbecue (€16–30) |
| Kottu and Sri Lankan short eats kottu roti | Chopped flatbread stir-fried on a griddle with egg, vegetables and curry, plus 'short eats' like fish cutlets and rolls. Toronto has a large Tamil and Sri Lankan community. | Scarborough, especially along Markham Road, Lawrence Avenue East and Sheppard Avenue East. | roughly CAD 12–18 for kottu (€8–12) |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
St. Lawrence Market, Old Town
Toronto's historic food market. The South Market building on Front Street has butchers, fishmongers, cheese shops, bakeries and lunch counters (including the peameal bacon sandwich). The North Market building across the street, rebuilt and reopened in 2025, hosts the Saturday farmers' market and a Sunday antique market.
Kensington Market
A few blocks of Victorian houses turned into cheese shops, fishmongers, spice stores, bakeries, Latin American and Caribbean counters and cafés, west of Spadina. Some streets close to cars on the last Sunday of the month in summer for 'Pedestrian Sundays'.
Chinatown, Spadina Avenue
Downtown Chinatown along Spadina and Dundas: dim sum, Cantonese barbecue shops, hand-pulled noodles, Vietnamese pho and bakeries, next door to Kensington Market.
Danforth Avenue (Greektown)
Long strip of Greek tavernas, bakeries and souvlaki counters, plus newer restaurants of all kinds; easy on the Line 2 subway.
Gerrard India Bazaar
Gerrard Street East between Coxwell and Greenwood: North and South Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants, sweet shops and grocers, one of the oldest South Asian shopping streets in North America.
Scarborough and Markham
Suburban plazas where much of Toronto's best Chinese, Sri Lankan, Caribbean, Filipino and Hakka food is. You need a car, GO train or a long TTC ride, but this is where many locals eat.
Food tours in Toronto compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto: St Lawrence & Distillery Food Tour with 6 Tastings | 3 hours | from €75 per person | private | Couples, families or friends who want the route and pace set around them. | Check dates |
| Toronto: Taste Toronto's Best Donuts & Sweet Treats Tour | 2 hours | from €58 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Toronto: Culinary Adventure Co. Food Walking Tour | 2.5 - 3 hours | from €80 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Kensington Market 'Taste the World' Food Tour | 2.5 hours | from €68 per person | — | Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source. | Check dates |
Toronto: St Lawrence & Distillery Food Tour with 6 Tastings
On GetYourGuide · run by Secret Food Tours
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €75 per person
- Rating
- 4.7 ★ from 261 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- private
- Suits
- Couples, families or friends who want the route and pace set around them.
Toronto: Taste Toronto's Best Donuts & Sweet Treats Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by Underground Donut Tour
- Length
- 2 hours
- Price
- from €58 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 53 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
Toronto: Culinary Adventure Co. Food Walking Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by Culinary Adventure Co.
- Length
- 2.5 - 3 hours
- Price
- from €80 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 11 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Included
- 15+ tastings Guided tour Personal purchases Additional food items
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Meeting point may vary depending on the option booked.
Kensington Market 'Taste the World' Food Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by Tasty Tours
- Length
- 2.5 hours
- Price
- from €68 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 10 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Included
- Price includes all food offered on the tour Guide for the experience
- Suits
- Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source.
- Starts
- Look for your guide in the front of the cafe.
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Toronto has limited street-cart food beyond hot dog and sausage carts downtown; the 'street food' here is counter food: patties, doubles, peameal sandwiches, banh mi and dumplings bought from small shops and eaten on the go. Summer festivals and night markets in the suburbs add food stalls.
Sit-down meals
The range is huge, from family-run Caribbean, Chinese and Korean places to expensive downtown restaurants. Reservations matter on weekends at popular places. Menu prices exclude 13% HST, and table-service tipping is expected at roughly 15–18% on top.
Cooking classes
Cooking classes in Toronto are mostly run by cooking schools and private chefs rather than as a tourist staple, often around a theme such as pasta, dumplings or Indian cooking. Check whether you cook hands-on or watch a demonstration, and whether a full meal is included.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | CAD 40–60 (€26–39): patties or doubles, a noodle or dim sum lunch, casual dinner |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | CAD 90–140 (€58–90): sit-down lunch and dinner with a drink, including tax and tip |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | CAD 220+ (€140+): a tasting menu at one of the city's top restaurants with wine |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Very easy. Indian, Sri Lankan, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern and Caribbean restaurants have many meat-free dishes (doubles and channa roti are vegetarian, and often vegan), and vegan restaurants are common downtown and in the west end.
Halal: Very good: the Toronto area has a large Muslim population, and halal restaurants, butchers and shawarma shops are everywhere, especially in Scarborough, Thorncliffe Park, Mississauga and along Gerrard East. Many fast-food chains have halal-certified locations.
Gluten-free: Good awareness, with many menus marking gluten-free dishes. Patties, roti, doubles, dim sum and most pastries contain wheat, and soy sauce (with wheat) is in many Chinese and Korean dishes. Rice-based Indian and Sri Lankan meals are safer bets; ask about shared fryers.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Card machines offering default tips of 18–25% calculated on the taxed total, including at self-service counters. Choose 'custom' and tip about 15% of the pre-tax subtotal at table service; a small tip or none is fine at counters.
- Automatic service charges of 18% or more added to bills for groups (often 6 or more), with a tip line still left open. Read the bill before paying; if a service charge is already there, you do not need to tip again.
- Eating only around the CN Tower, Union Station and the Entertainment District, where chain restaurants charge a premium. Take the subway or streetcar 10–15 minutes to Chinatown, Kensington, the Danforth or Koreatown.
Top tours & activities in Toronto
Rent a car in Toronto
Compare rental cars from local and international companies, with free cancellation on most bookings.
Compare car rentals in TorontoPlan the rest of your Toronto trip
Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
How much should I tip in Toronto?
Tip about 15–18% of the pre-tax bill at table-service restaurants and bars; 20% is generous. Menu prices exclude 13% HST, and card terminals often calculate tips on the total including tax, so use the custom option. At takeaway counters, tipping is optional. For a good food-tour guide, about CAD 10–20 per person is common.
When is St. Lawrence Market open?
The South Market (the main building on Front Street) is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays, with longer hours on Saturday. The Saturday farmers' market is held in the rebuilt North Market building across the street from early morning, and the North Market also hosts a Sunday antique market. Hours vary by day and stall, so check current hours before you go.
Is Kensington Market worth visiting for food?
Yes, if you go to eat rather than to sightsee. It is a few blocks of small independent shops: cheese, fish, spices, Latin American and Caribbean food, empanadas, bakeries and cafés. It combines easily with Chinatown on Spadina next door. Weekends are busiest; weekday afternoons are calmer. On some summer Sundays parts of the market close to cars.
Where do I find the best dim sum in Toronto?
Downtown Chinatown on Spadina is easy to reach, but many locals drive to Markham, Richmond Hill or Scarborough, where large Hong Kong-style restaurants serve dim sum daily. Go at weekend late morning for the full experience but expect a wait; on weekdays some places discount dishes before about 11:00.
How much should I budget for food per day in Toronto?
On a tight budget, about CAD 40–60 (€26–39) covers patties, a noodle or roti lunch and a simple dinner. A comfortable day with two sit-down meals and a drink is roughly CAD 90–140 including tax and tip. Downtown tasting menus start well above CAD 150 per person before wine.
Do I need a car to eat well in Toronto?
No for downtown neighbourhoods: Chinatown, Kensington Market, the Danforth, Koreatown and St. Lawrence Market are all on the subway or streetcar. For the suburban dim sum halls and Scarborough's Sri Lankan and Caribbean strips, a car or ride-hail is much easier, though some are reachable by subway and bus.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.