TO delicacy?

July 14, 2006 10:03 PM

Is there Toronto specific food?

I'm originally from Montreal, so I of course miss smoked meat and bagels, which are Montreal specific foods, tremendously, as do pretty much most ex-Montrealers (or visitors to Montreal) that I know. I currently live in Vancouver, and there is little that I would characterize as Vancouver specific food (though I find the food to generally be very good here). I've been to Toronto many times, and am going again next month with my wife, who has never been. She asked me if there were any Toronto specific foods. I couldn't think of any. Are there? Is there any food that many Toronto natives miss when they are away?

posted by birdsquared to food & drink (36 comments total)

I associate peameal bacon with Toronto. I almost never see it in Vancouver.

I also associate chip wagons and hot dog vendors with Toronto. But maybe you have those in Montreal. I only remember going into little holes in the wall for those things in Montreal.
posted by acoutu at 10:08 PM on July 14, 2006

The only thing I can really think of is street meat. It's just not the same anywhere else.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 10:25 PM on July 14, 2006

I nominate bear claws. I first encountered them in Toronto and rarely see them anywhere else.
posted by joannemerriam at 10:57 PM on July 14, 2006

Definitely grab a peameal sandwich from St. Lawrence Market. I don't know if it's necessarily a Toronto-specfic food, but it's most certainly the thing to get at the market.

And yeah, the hot dog vendors.
posted by Robot Johnny at 11:11 PM on July 14, 2006

Well, I've had better dim sum in Toronto than most other North American cities. And while Halifax has some amazing gyros ("doner kebab" there), the street meat in TO is, I think, better quality, cheaper and tastier. And Toronto has an awful lot of good pho places ... but yeah, the peameal sandwiches are excellent and cheap, and I think it is Toronto-specific - you can get it in a few other Canadian and American cities, but it's pretty rare.
posted by luriete at 11:32 PM on July 14, 2006

I never thought peameal bacon wasn't popular in other places than Toronto, but now that I think about it, I haven't really seen it outside of S. Ontario. But Toronto eating, really, means curry one night, sushi another, pho for lunch, and should we go for Ethiopian or Mauritian on Wednesday? There's a lot of variety.

Venturing a bit outside of the city itself, fruit is what the region does best, and it unfortunately won't be in season for your visit. Fresh Ontario apples are great, and peaches from the Niagara peninsula in the fall are amazing (kind of like getting great seafood in Vancouver as opposed to what you get in, well, Toronto). There are also lots of great wineries and cideries (is that a word?) in Niagara, as well as Prince George's County to the east of Toronto.
posted by transient at 11:43 PM on July 14, 2006

As a footnote: there are no chip wagons or other street food sellers in Montreal, and I've never seen peameal bacon here in my life.
posted by zadcat at 12:05 AM on July 15, 2006

I associate peameal bacon with Toronto. I almost never see it in Vancouver.

I always see it in stock at the Buy Low on Fraser near 43rd.
posted by solid-one-love at 1:11 AM on July 15, 2006

When I was visiting TO, the streetmeat (first time I've heard of hotdogs and stuff from wagons referred to as such) really drew me.

Again.

and again, and again.

luriete - stop by Vancouver; we'll show you some Chinese food that's even better.

As for Vancouver specific foods... tempura sockeye rolls?

/would kill for a good smoked meat bagel right now
posted by porpoise at 2:29 AM on July 15, 2006

Smoked meat LOL. I used to say that too, until many New Yorkers kept correcting me with; Corned Beef.
posted by GoodJob! at 3:58 AM on July 15, 2006

One of Toronto's nicknames is hogtown so I lend my vote for the peameal bacon sandwich from St. Lawrence market -- it is a TO delicacy and is one of the first things I had when I moved to Toronto.
posted by maxpower at 4:58 AM on July 15, 2006

Clearly there isn't exactly, as we are all recommending different things.

I was about to say "roti", the Trinidadian take-out that consists of curry wrapped in a flat bread made from Lentils, but that's because I love it, and haven't found it in Connecticut or England - it's not something special to Toronto or beloved there. Just an indication that there is just pretty well every food in Toronto.

The street hot dogs and sausages are very good in Toronto - I used to think that they were copied from New York or something, but then I found out that New York had terrible hot dogs (boiled). All Toronto hotdogs and sausages are flame grilled, and delicious - they are the best I have ever had.

I have to say, I've never seen many peameal bacon sandwiches in Toronto (but I never went to St Lawrence - west end people don't like to cross Yonge St) - I've seen them in Weston, part of the old city of York, which is now technically part of Toronto, but it's an hour long trip from Downtown, and even then they were only available at the weekly Farmer's Market. That said, if they are available somewhere convenience (like St Lawrence), they are pretty damn good. But they are much rarer (and thus have much less daily importance to Torontonians) than the ubiquitous hot dog stands.

Another very Toronto thing are the trucks of Chinese food - like a chip wagon, only for Chinese food. They gather along St George in the middle of the University of Toronto. It's not about the taste - it's about the price and the convenience. But the small, furthest south truck by College (if it's still there) was always the best.

I miss decent donuts too. The states has some, but Britain is bereft.
posted by jb at 5:05 AM on July 15, 2006

The street meat in Toronto is great, but the chip wagons are better in Ottawa. And peameal bacon can be had anywhere!
posted by Succa at 6:36 AM on July 15, 2006

Wikipedia to the rescue!
posted by shepd at 7:40 AM on July 15, 2006

If you're hankering for street meat, go to the NE corner of Queen and Spadina. There's currently a street meat price war going on. Hot Dogs for a dollar. Sausages for $1.50. I was shocked to see the icky boiled hot dogs in NYC. Shocked and appalled! But finding a good taco truck and being the only guy queued up who didn't speak Spanish made up for it.

Back to Toronto: chip trucks are great, and seem like a southern Ontario thing. Every small town has one, either rolling or permanent. But even the ones that aren't going anywhere are still called chip trucks.

But I'm going to have to agree that Toronto's food soul seems to be the ability to have any food you want from anywhere in the world. Kensington market on weekends is my favourite place to have lunch. Why have just one thing when you can get a falafel and some tempura and an empanada and a fruit smoothie and.......
posted by thecjm at 7:52 AM on July 15, 2006

For the record, chipwagons (fries from a truck) are more notable in Ottawa and Hull than Toronto.

And smoked meat is NOT corned beef. If New Yorkers think so, they're wrong.
posted by mikel at 7:56 AM on July 15, 2006

You should check out this thread from LTH forum, a Chicago based foodie hangout, titled "The Holidays in Toronto (so far...)". Lots of pictures.

here
posted by Jos Bleau at 8:04 AM on July 15, 2006

While it's not exactly Toronto-specific, you do get some pretty authentic Chinese food in TOronto, especially in the 'burbs up north. Like, so authentic that they don't have English speaking staff or English menus.

OK, that's not 100% true, but the best stuff is only on the Chinese menus. I assume it's Cantonese, but I really have no idea. I have never seen places like this elsewhere (ok, in Vancouver - but even San Francisco's chinatown seems pretty assimilated by comparison).

But way-back old-school toronto-specific? Like salmon to Vancover or smoked meat to Montreal? Hm. Tough question. Maybe the peameal. They still slaughter hogs inside the city limits, in the west end. But Toronto is, historically, a British Protestant town, a cultural group not renowned for their cuisine.
posted by GuyZero at 8:25 AM on July 15, 2006

you're from Montreal and you don't miss poutine?

I can't think of anything that's Toronto-specific (grilled hot dog vendors are everywhere, even on on the campus where I work in Buffalo). On the other hand, I can think of several things I can't get in the states that I can get in either Toronto or Montreal:

- mint and orange aero bars
- Lowney Cherry Blossom (one is enough to cause diabetes)
- lime crush
posted by jdfan at 9:25 AM on July 15, 2006

Ditto what mikel said about corned beef and NYCers. Montreal smoked meat is a very distinct (and far superior) variety of corned beef.

But maybe you have those in Montreal.

Hot dog carts were forbidden by the city administration under infamous mayor Jean Drapeau, who thought they (along with newspaper boxes, also absent) made a city look messy. The only hot dog cart in Montreal is the one on the grounds of McGill, only reinforcing the school's reputation.
posted by docgonzo at 10:28 AM on July 15, 2006

Lived in BC and Vancouver all my life (except for a short stint in Ottawa) and I've never even heard of peameal bacon. What is it?

If I was going to pick a food that is 'Vancouver', it would likely be salmon. Of course, that's the food for the entire west coast up to Alaska, so I'm not sure it counts.

As for Toronto, I'll ask my Torontonian friends and report back.
posted by Kickstart70 at 10:46 AM on July 15, 2006

Can't really add much more here, except maybe for the prevalence of the "all day breakfast."

Make that all day, all night, 24 hour breakfast.

Grilled Italian sausages, definitely. With real shredded cheddar cheese. (Only if you ask. It's not exactly legal. And only at the busier stands like spadina/queen and the one outside the eatons centre on queen street.)

Dim sum - when I first moved from HK to Toronto, the dim sum seriously tastes authentic here.

Aside from that, make it multicultural: BBQ duck, noodle soup, falafel, gyro, "spider rolls," a double double and a honey cruller, pad thai, custard tarts.
posted by Sallysings at 11:16 AM on July 15, 2006

btw, you can get awesome smoked meat from Mel's.
posted by Sallysings at 11:17 AM on July 15, 2006

Funny, I never knew our hot dog stands were anything special. This is the kind of question that requires familiarity with a good sample of cities. Otherwise you're just going to assume that your food is standard.

And as for calling hot dog carts "streetmeat", I have never heard that and find it somewhat suspect given that dirtynumbangelboy was the first to use it here;-)

Ontario is definitely Donutland.
posted by orange swan at 11:53 AM on July 15, 2006

Roti.
posted by joeclark at 12:01 PM on July 15, 2006

Is there any food that many Toronto natives miss when they are away?

Here's the Toronto food I miss the most when I'm away:

Jumbo Chicken Satay Burritos from New York Sub.

Fish n Chips from Wood Green Fish And Chips.

Bacon Cheeseburger and Onion Rings from Dangerous Dan's.

Pho with grilled pork from Mimi's. (yes, better than Pho 88)

Beef Taquitos from Coyote Willie's. (note: I've been a bit disappointed by everything else I've tried there but man, those taquitos are tasty.)

Chicken Shwarma from King Shwarma.

Chicken or Beef Empanadas from Jumbo Empanada.

Beef Burritos from Tacos al Asador.

Curried Goat from Albert's Real Jamaican.

Man, I'm hungry.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 12:14 PM on July 15, 2006 [1 favorite]

thecjm is completely right about that stand on the NE corner of Queen and Spadina. $1.50 italian sausages blew my mind (ordinarily prices is $2.00-$3.00). The guy also recently got a ticket (I was at the stand when he did) on his car, and could use the business.

Toronto has really good ethnic food. It doesn't have a ton of homegrown stuff because it's got a huge immigrant population who cook their own foods. If you're looking for cheap and good, I suggest wandering around Kensington Market and Chinatown until you find something you like.
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 12:20 PM on July 15, 2006

A few more:

Pad Thai from The Friendly Thai.

Pork Souvlaki or Lamb Gyros from The Friendly Greek.

Indian-style Chicken Roti from Gandhi Cusine.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 12:24 PM on July 15, 2006

<off topic> transient, I think you mean Prince Edward County, not Prince George's County. PEC is about 2 hours east of Toronto and has a growing list of wineries. (Hey, I'm originally from the area, so I've gotta promote where I can!)</off topic>

As for Toronto-specific food, I agree that there is just so much variety that it is hard to think of something Toronto-specific. But I don't like peameal bacon so that's not something I would think of.
posted by melissa at 1:50 PM on July 15, 2006

Peameal bacon, back bacon, and Canadian bacon are all the same thing. I suspect that back bacon is the more common name in Toronto, although according to wikipedia, peameal bacon is more specific.
posted by Chuckles at 2:51 PM on July 15, 2006

Oh ya..

Best pizza in Toronto is at Massimos.

The food court at Village by the Grange has great independantly owned stands (and a McDonald's, ugh). The Greek and the Japanese stands are particularly good.

Harbord fish and chips is pretty cool! (fish and chips in Toronto, same link as above).

I will leave the Chinese restraunt recommendations for another post..
posted by Chuckles at 3:03 PM on July 15, 2006

Toronto also has its own bagels apparently. They have smaller holes, and are less dense than Montreal-style. But yeah, if you want smoked meat you can always go to Mel's on Bloor, west of Spadina. The smoked meat omlette is really good.

Chuckles is right--peameal is actually rolled in corn/peameal, so it's not just any old back bacon.

If you're in the area of Massimos (College/Spadina,) you can always go up Spadina to Harbord and go to either Papa Ceo's or Cora's--I'm a Cora's person myself. Massimo's is good, but lacks variety, and Cora's will give you a 1/4 pie.

Do people order hotdogs? I always just get the sausages. And everyone was right about the Queen/Spadina price war. I was down there for a show the other week, and I thought they were just cleaning out inventory. It was damn cheap.

FYI, Many places here will advertise their "Halifax style" donairs. One place that comes to mind is College Falafel, at College & Ossington.
posted by maledictory at 5:08 PM on July 15, 2006

Thanks for the comments, all. It seems peameal bacon is the winner. I'll mark the first mention as best answer, but really, it is the cumulative effect of people mentioning it that makes it so. I suppose the fact that I've never liked bacon might be a reason why I never noticed it on any previous trips there.

Just to clarify a few things - Poutine is not a Montreal food - it is a province of Quebec food (and I'm not a fan of it anyways, but that's neither here nor there). There are hot dog carts aplenty in Vancouver in the summer. Smoked meat =\= corned beef, and never has. Torontonians may call their round donut shaped bread bagels, but that is an insult to real Montreal bagels (I'm definitely a bagel purist).

I appreciate all the comments on good places to get various types of food, I'll be sure to check some of them out - but both Montreal and Vancouver have a plethora of great ethnic food vendors, so I don't think Toronto has much of an advantage there, especially with respect to Asian food and Indian food in Vancouver, which cannot be beat.

I'm sure my wife will demand to eat a peameal bacon sandwich. Thanks again.
posted by birdsquared at 6:13 PM on July 15, 2006

I tried so hard to withhold further comment, but..

go to either Papa Ceo's or Cora's--I'm a Cora's person myself. Massimo's is good, but lacks variety, and Cora's will give you a 1/4 pie.

Argh! If you think broccoli and artichoke hearts make for good "pizza", then I guess Cora's really is the place for you - their variety is certainly impressive. The thing is, I'm talking about the best pizza.
posted by Chuckles at 10:46 PM on July 15, 2006

Does anyone know if you can get roti in Connecticut or England (Cambridgeshire)?
posted by jb at 3:14 PM on July 16, 2006

Oh god how I miss Cora's pizza...
posted by misozaki at 3:46 AM on July 17, 2006