Listed in Restaurants
Pow Wow Cafe is chef and restaurateur Shawn Adler's sixth project, and with it he's bringing the joy of Indigenous foods to Torontonian taste buds in the form of a taco.The Kensington Market restaurant uses a frybread base for all the tacos: it's a food with origins in the rations Indigenous people were given when they were kicked off their territory by settlers.
The space is small with a minimal little patio under an awning outside and scant seating inside beyond a big front window. The tiny kitchen is open for all to see Adler's assembly of his creations, dunking huge hunks of frybread dough into a deep fryer and chopping them up into rough squares.
You have a choice between beef chili, veggie chili, pork or jerk chicken on your frybread taco ($12), and optional taco-y toppings, as well as the choice to top with an egg for $2. The jerk chicken isn't too hot, the burn melting away gradually and mingling nicely with the sweet mango and creamy goat cheese it comes topped with. 
Of course, we go pretty much all dressed with both our tacos, and familiar toppings like sour cream, fresh diced tomato, cilantro, cheddar and lettuce go well with less conventional, more elevated additions like beets and corn shoots. 
The beef chili is really good, and like the jerk chicken has a little kick with a nice slow burn that isn't too spicy, and is topped with a cumin sour cream.
They also do fantastic brunch here, with items like a sweet potato short stack ($14) and frybread topped with poached eggs, smoked salmon and goat cheese cream sauce ($15). All brunch comes with fruit, salad and peppery homefries. The eggs that top the frybread are poached perfectly, the liquid yolk combining pleasantly with the super creamy sauce. 
There's also a back area with additional seating and a funky barber's chair that seats an additional twelve. With a liquor license, they can serve a limited selection of beer and wine, and champagne for brunch. Otherwise, you can grab an herby homemade cedar soda ($2) or a maple water from Sapsucker ($3). 
Photos by Hector Vasquez
The Fry is home to some of Toronto's most popular Korean fried chicken (KFC). The Annex restaurant is one of a handful of the chain's locations and has what might best be described as an unfinished look that's casual and no frills.
The most popular item on the menu is the Green Onion Chicken ($18.99) and I can see why. It comes as a mound of fried chicken, lightly sauced, bedecked with large quantities of green onion. Definitely a feast for your eyes and your tastebuds.
My personal favourite is the Fried Chicken in Spicy Sauce ($16.99). There really are no words that can adequately express how much I love it. Fried perfectly, and coated with a sticky sweet-spicy sauce, it's the pinnacle of Korean fried chicken excellence.
You can also get this deliciousness in wing form. The Wings in Spicy Sauce ($15.99) comes with a side of crisp fries, which hits that sweet spot of crunchy on the outside but tender and flaky on the inside.
Fried chicken purists should order the Crispy Chicken ($16.99). The name pretty much says it all, and this is by far the dish that has the strongest batter game here. Make sure to get some of their spicy sauce for dipping.
As a side, try the Corn with Cheese ($7.99), served on a hot skillet. While nothing fancy, it goes well with the greasy goodness on the rest of the menu.
Or try out the more Korean-themed Spicy Rice Cake with Seafood ($13.99). The chewy 
It wouldn't be a proper Korean fried chicken joint without some soju. The regular variety ($16.99) is clear and satisfying, but my personal favourite is the Cocktail Citron (13.99) which adds a dash of citrusy sweetness that nicely cuts through the richness of the meal.
Posted by Darren "DKLo" Susilo. When not writing for blogTO he can usually be found tweeting 
Doma is a gem of a restaurant hidden away at Clinton and College in 
His girlfriend Jenna Lee is responsible for the minimalist and aesthetically pleasing interior design and branding for Doma, from the business cards to the eye-catching cutlery in this 43-seat space (and an additional 38 when the front patio is open). Simple, clean lines and light-coloured wood and walls make this a serene, warm and modern place to dine.
Wine, beer and spirits are curated by 
Like the dishes on offer, specially designed house cocktails ($13 each) also incorporate Korean ingredients. The Next Generation, a soju-based mojito-like drink that uses the distinctively Korean perilla leaf, plus ginger beer, maple and lime, has a nice zing and sweetness to it.
In Harmony, a perfect aperitif cocktail with Campari, grapefruit, lime, sesame orgeat and toasted rosemary, looks appealing with a sprig of rosemary as garnish, and has a not-too-bitter, surprisingly complex flavour profile (I suspect it's the sesame orgeat and toasted rosemary that keep me intrigued).
Other concoctions of note are the Pear of My Eye, containing Tito's vodka, Disaronno, Asian pear and lemon, along with The Antidote, a tasty mix of Johnnie Walker Red Label Scotch, yuzu, ginger and honey-yuzu marmalade.
We start with an amuse bouche, a potato and garlic espuma with perilla leaf oil and house-made fingerling potato chips, and it's sublime (I pretty much inhale it). 
A beet salad with Asian pear and perilla leaf ($12) looks as good as it tastes. An artistic composition of beet, gochujang, rice vinegar, chili oil, apple, almond and perilla oil, it's a pleasurable combo of sweet, spicy and tart, with molecular gastronomy additions of an apple-flavoured gelatin sheet and chili "oil" powder making the dish more amusing to eat.
My dining companion's favourite of the night is the grilled octopus salad ($21), a mélange of meaty-but-tender octopus, 
Pork jowl ($22) with pickled shallots, perilla leaf pesto, yuzu-gochujang sauce, fingerling potato, lotus root and heritage carrots with maple glaze look almost too good to eat. The fatty pork jowl, with a tantalizing char on top, is first cooked sous-vide for five to six hours. It's a dish that again combines European ideas with Korean ingredients in a way that works.
One of the desserts is a house-made mugwort ice cream ($10) served with pulled-apart pieces of red-bean sponge cake and a torched yuzu meringue. Mugwort is like matcha's more herbaceous cousin. The not-too-sweet sponge cake and the hint of citrus from the meringue provide a pleasing balance to the ice cream's touch of bitterness.
This is a wonderful discovery for those who want to be charmed by a dining experience that ventures off the beaten path, where the journey feels worthwhile in the end.
Photos by Hector Vasquez.
Sammich is a passion project from Armin Kumarshellah and his mother-in-law Liza Chan. We're not talking strictly meat between two slices of bread here: you're not going to find any lunchbox ham and cheese on Wonder Bread. Instead, they provide West Queen West with a range of bunwiches, wraps, hearty sammies and even maki.
The interior is super scarce, so Sammich has to compete based almost solely on the quality of the product and service. There's a salad bar at the front where you can create your own salad or salad wrap. 
The philly maki ($10) are an off-the-menu item one of which they always experiment with on Tuesdays. Sushi rice wrapped in Nori is stuffed with their "Cheese Steak of the North" creates an unexpected play on maki. The seaweed's saltiness works surprisingly well with the savoury meat and house smoky sauce.
Next we get the kubideh ($8.50), a Persian kebab of fire-grilled beef, which comes in a wrap with toppings that borrow from interpretations of other Middle Eastern food: tomato, cilantro, onion, house pickles and garlic sauce. If the maki is maybe the zaniest item we tried here, this is probably one of the tamest and most familiar while perhaps introducing Persian to some people.
The "Mamma's Meatloaf" ($8.50) is a hearty homemade meatloaf manwich, topped with sauteed onions, an onion ring, a fried egg, and house smoky sauce on Texas toast. One dude who orders it while we're there swears he's addicted. It's definitely a savoury bomb with the onion ring and fried egg, and the meatloaf is more herby and flavourful than typically ketchupy.
I'm into the "I Got Seoul" ($8), authentically Korean marinated Kalbi beef, house pickled veggies, cilantro, sesame mayo, and cucumber and Asian slaw on a bun. The cuke and slaw really cut through the sweet spicy meat pleasantly. You can also get this sandwich as a wrap, and the tofu in their "T of U" is marinated in a reduction of the same Kalbi marinade.
There is some bar seating on two sides of the interior, with surfaces and ceiling details of pretty reclaimed wood. Armin's cousin Rena creates serene chalk drawings of the city behind the counter.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
Nord Bistro is a French Bistro with a lot of Canadian influences. Near Dupont and Bathurst, it's a popular pre-theatre destination for the nearby 
The inside is super cozy and rustic, and kinda feels like you just wandered into someone's house with French doors, soothing colours and a long, narrow space.
The calamari ($14) is served in a standard style, butterflied to show its elegant rings and grilled. Hot chili maple glaze adds originality to a bistro standby, and the squid rests on some Vietnamese-inspired shredded daikon and a few pickled carrots. It's not too too spicy, and the daikon cuts through with a pleasant radish flavour that complements the heat.
My cocktail is another classic with just a bit of a twist, a ginger cosmo. It's saved from being its typical girly, fruity self by spicy fresh ginger and cherry masala bitters. An orange wedge reminds me of an old fashioned, and brings a much needed old man vibe to this girly drink.
Spaghettini ($21) with a seared calamari puttanesca is also relatively plain, mostly offering up the standard flavours of tomato and basil that complement any pasta. Like the cosmo, it's nothing mind-blowing but I wouldn't kick it out of bed.
The duck confit ($25) is a star here, each element of the dish prepared perfectly as it was meant to be in my eyes. This dish blends Italian, French and Asian with crispy-skinned duck confit, thick mixed mushroom risotto and steamed bok choy. Little mushrooms make the risotto super meaty, and the rice is just the right amount of gluey with just the right amount of bite. 
There's the main dining area and a back bar area that feels very speakeasy-like with an L-shaped construction under low ceilings with a TV playing. This spot only seats six plus two at a table, instilling a feeling of exclusivity and inspiring bursts of communal bar discussion.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
Saks Food Hall by Pusateri's has a location underneath the 
The space has a funnily casino-like quality, extremely luxe and tantalizing, but the subterranean location means there are no windows. Most of the store is outfitted in gleaming white with classy black accents by design heavyweights 
A unique aspect this location takes pride in is the fruit and veggie butcher. It makes a ton of sense when you think about it: we don't expect ourselves to take the time and energy needed to break down pieces of meat, so why put ourselves through any stress with veggies? This station operates free of charge and is designed to encourage healthy home cooking in busy lives.
Daits is the food hall's date bar, the first of its kind in Canada. The dates are all imported from the Arabian Peninsula, and come in a variety of handcrafted flavours like peanut butter and chocolate. Ranging from two for $6 to sixteen for $45, they'd make an interesting alternative to chocolates.
At the chopped salad bar they use a mezzaluna for optimal consistency and flavour. Create your own for $9.99 or choose a signature like a kale caesar for $14.99. This station shares its spot with an equally customizable yogurt bar.
There's a 
Though they've got the dates they're not skimping on the regular chocolate by a long shot with a whole bar dedicated to 
High end olive oils are in the same section, showcasing a balance between sweet and savoury.
Butchered meats are drool worthy, Frenched lamb shanks ($3.53/100g) and Manhattan style beef tenderloin chops ($6.17/100g) presented elegantly.
Some breads are baked in-house, but others come from reputable local bakeries like 
Their fromagerie is a cheese lover's dream with giant wheels of cheese displayed in a fridge, several sections and a helpful guide explaining the differences between fresh to natural rind to blue cheeses. They'll even help you design your own cheese board.
In-store pizza joint Bene is sure to be popular, selling gourmet slices for only $5 - $7 made with Canadian fior di latte cheese, flour from a 150-year-old mill and certified San Marzano tomatoes.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
e11even is a restaurant near the ACC and its sister restaurant 
Unlike a sports bar, the space here is totally elegant, with darker tones and a long communal table that's perfect for celebrations, business meals, or large after-work groups in a more open front area with low tables and more natural light. 
There's also a pretty serious cask cocktail program. 
We try a cask Boulevardier, a drink that's a kind of twist on a Negroni, deep and bittersweet, and ultimately smooth.
The restaurant is apparently famous for their maple sherry double cut bacon ($15), and for good reason. It's the essence of meat candy, the fatty bacon combining with the sweet glaze, topped with thyme for an herby wake-up.
The seared tuna salad ($28) is a bed of crunchy shredded Savoy and mixed greens topped with little chunks of sweet mango, creamy avocado, pickled ginger, sesame seeds and a cilantro vinaigrette (on the salad) and a soy glaze (beneath the ahi tuna).
For an entree the salmon ($35) is a great go-to for fishlovers, basic and easy to execute very quickly at high volumes but without sacrificing some originality and class. It's made with CaJUN spike seasoning and is served with a gluten-free ancient grain salad dressed with a grapefruit dressing, and a charred lemon that adds a little acidity. A grapefruit segment garnish adds pop.
There's more private booth-like seating in a slightly elevated area in the back. Beautiful and huge antique mirrors are angled downward to reflect the bustle of patrons and the kitchen. 
Photos by Hector Vasquez
Jules Bistro has 
Chef Strippoli moved here from Lyon many years ago, where he had operated restaurants before. The style here is all straight-up French, no doubt gleaned from those many years. Jules is the name of his son, and Strippoli's own profile adorns the front of luxe menus. Jules Bistro also offers popular brunch and a $28.95 three-course prix fixe menu.
The front of the restaurant is all glass with some bar seating facing out to the street. At first there's a long, elegant stone bar perfect for gathering with friends just for drinks or waiting eagerly for a table with your group, even a large one.
The June 1974 ($16) is based off a French 75, but replacing it with a regular customer's name and birth year. Thus, it's gin-based, made with Dillon's, adding cassis, lemon, and topping it off with brut sparkling wine. It's sophisticated with a fruity, refreshing start and a more bitter, licorice finish.
The salad Nicoise ($15.95) is of course the classic French starter, and there's nothing out of place in this one. Greens are lovingly encircled by beautifully presented potatoes, hard boiled egg, black olives, cucumber, tomato and red onion slices, and topped with a heap of canned tuna. 
Tonight we try the sea bream on special ($32.95), and it seems like a good indicator of typical specials and doesn't stray far from the rest of the menu. It's been seared with tomato, lemon and rosemary inside, which infuses it with a light citrus flavour, with the bone in making it very moist. For fun Strippoli filets it in front of me, pulling segments of fish off bone effortlessly.
The cote de boeuf is one of Jules Bistro's reputable plates for two, a 24-ounce Angus ribeye classically prepared with salt and herbes de Provence for $64. I think you could also bring in a couple more people to make this a lighter meal with even better value. All mains (like the fish special) are served with thin crunchy frites, mixed greens, and savoury traditional ratatouille.
You can see all the way to the back of the restaurant with its open kitchen. There's table seating filling this area, and a chalkboard wall off to one side where guests can look for daily specials like French seafood dishes and cocktails.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
Suup Health Bar is a vegan soup bar that also serves smoothies and burritos near Ryerson. It's a little tucked away under the Aura condo residences, so don't go in there looking for it: simply peek around the side on Gerrard, and you're in a vegan-conscious, health nut paradise.
The interior is charming, casual and bright despite being shunted under one of the very tallest condo developments in the city. Suup operates lunch counter style though everything is made fresh daily, combining the best of homemade healthy foods and quick service.
Their fusion burritos are really more like wraps, but I appreciate the attempt to call it something less ubiquitous and boring. We go for the Banh Mi Chay ($10.95), a flour tortilla filled with brown rice, marinated soy protein that isn't bland or too chewy, cucumber, shredded napa, and picked daikon and carrots. 
I can see myself getting a super-fast smoothie here easily, so I try a berry blast smoothie ($8.95). Add-ons like goji or sea buckthorn are $2. This one's made with fresh bananas and a frozen berry medley, plus just a little ice. It's nothing groundbreaking, but sweet flavours rich with antioxidants are addictive to suck down.
Soup's on! There are an impressive eight gluten-friendly soups on offer ($4.95 - $.8.95), and we try the Bangkok curry. This soup also emulates Thai flavours fairly successfully with bok choy and fresh carrots, and all items use organic ingredients like coconut milk and lime juice where possible. It's aromatic and tastes more like a Thai curry than I thought it would.
They also do a range of salads here, all dressings made in house. We try the Thai crunch salad ($11.95) with marinated soy protein, napa cabbage, red pepper, carrot, curly kale with toasted ramen noodles, almonds and dressing on the side for customizability.
There's some seating at lower tables, and a couple other spots at bar seating facing a window. The view isn't much with Toronto's famous construction providing most of the scenery, but you'll probably be able to live with that if you're sick of struggling with dietary restrictions in the city's core.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
Sweet Addictions Candy is a haven for all things sugary and junk food right near the corner of Dundas and Ossington next to 24-hour diner institution 
The store is organized roughly by section, starting with Pez dispensers in the front corner, to gum on one side and below the counter, moving on to candy with toys attached to one fridge with all kinds of sodas, to cereal and chips in between, to another soda fridge at the back. 
They have every flavour of Crush, from cream soda to strawberry and peach flavours to root-beer-like birch beer. Cans go for $1.25 and they also have a ton of flavoured Cokes and Pepsis and Mountain Dew's infamous "
For those with exotic tastes or a gift for someone who's a little on the eccentric side, they have a whole bunch of crazy bugs encased in candy like these creepy cool scorpions.
The only thing Rafael can't obtain is something that's been discontinued but if you're the kind of person who enjoys marshmallow Fluff sandwiches and despises having to open two jars to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich than you're in luck.
They have every flavour of pop tart imaginable ($4.95): cinnamon roll, cookies and cream, confetti cupcake, red velvet, chocolate chip cookie dough, you name it.
Now that you're an adult, you don't have to beg your parents for the sugariest cereals anymore, you can just buy them for yourself here. Indulge your inner kid with Fruity Pebbles, Frankenberry, and Cocoa both Pebbles and Puffs ($6.99).
Their flavours of chips are insane: I personally was enamoured with a prize-winning bag of biscuits & gravy flavoured Lays ($6.99). They also have sriracha flavour for those addicted to their hot sauce and other crazy options like garlic bread.
Sections are organized roughly by theme, nostalgic era, and country of origin. There are sections of vintage era candies like Cherry Blossoms and Chupa Chups, and a British section in the back corner. The display isn't overly pretty or fancy, but the colourful stock speaks for itself.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
Roywoods is a surprisingly genuine jerk takeout spot below the behemoth of residences on Fort York Boulevard near the base of Bathurst. Close enough to clubby 
The colour scheme is an eye-catching white and blue that makes me think more of a Greek place, but the outside sign is huge and imposing enough to stand out in its monolithic surroundings. The interior is relatively small but has nice big windows, and some bar seating facing those windows.
The classic and most-ordered item here is the jerk chicken plate ($10.99) and this is one of the better ones I've had. Resting on a bed of savoury, sweetly spicy rice and red kidney beans made with coconut cream, the chicken is sublimely moist, the skin crackly and flavourful. It's ladled with a gravy made from the chicken juices and topped with peppery, refreshing slaw.
The jerk chicken sandwich ($8.99) is incredible here, based off one Jay used to eat three times a day, apparently. The bun is coco bread made fresh daily, and you can tell by how soft and airy it is. Inside is the same jerk chicken and the traditional toppings of tomato, onion and more coleslaw along with spicy mayo made by mixing their hot sauce into regular mayonnaise.
Don't skimp on the sauce when you come here, or do if you don't love spice, but these little tubs filled with scotch bonnet liquid gold using peppers from 
The jerk shrimp ($14.99) is a slightly more unusual, but the jerk spices still work in excellent harmony with the seafood, and the tender, butterflied shrimp burst with flavour. We opt for steamed veggies on the side instead of coleslaw, and seasoned simply with salt and pepper they taste pure, homemade and healthful.
They have a variety of drinks you'll only find in a jerk place here, too, like Old Tyme ginger beer, Grace peanut drink, and even pink Ting.
Other than the ledges and stools inside it's just the lunch counter, but they actually have a fairly large nice patio for use when it's warm.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
Katsuya is a Japanese fusion restaurant that specializes in modern takes on 
While the food is Japanese-inspired, the personnel here is unmistakably Korean. You can even hear K-pop songs playing as you sit within the restaurant's four modern minimalistic walls.
The Curry Karaage Thigh ($5.50) is your standard fried chicken appetizer taken up a notch. The fact that it uses dark meat means that each piece is extremely tender. It was missing a dipping sauce, though that was quickly rectified when I requested one and was promptly presented with a wasabi mayonnaise dip.
The Cheese Crabmeat Croquette ($5.50) is just insanely delicious. Packed full of warm mozzarella and crabmeat, along with potatoes and onions with a touch of honey for that slight twang of sweetness, it's immensely satisfying and undoubtedly the go-to appetizer here.
The must-order dishes here are the tonkatsus. The Katsuya Original, with pork loin meat and cheese ($14.75), is a good way to start the journey. The thick light-brown sauce contains a mixture of ten vegetables, five seasonal fruits, and six herbs. It's a rich, savoury sauce punctuated with an undercurrent of fruity sweetness. The meat itself is tender and fried perfectly.
The Carbonara Katsu comes with a creamy, bacon-and-seafood infused cream sauce on a chicken cutlet ($16.50). It's a rich dish reminiscent of a much more opulent version of a Chicken Kiev.
My personal favourite is the Terri Mayo Katsu which I get with the double cheese pork tenderloin ($15.75). Stuffed with both mozzarella and cream cheese, the meat is ridiculously indulgent and buttery. Its top coating is layered with a sweet teriyaki sauce and bonito flakes, creating a wonderful 
If you need a break from all the fried goodness, go for the Katsuya Udon ($10.99). Simple but satisfyingly chewy udon noodles come in a nice 48-hour marinated bone broth, served alongside some breaded shrimp.
Posted by Darren "DKLo" Susilo. When not writing for blogTO he can usually be found tweeting 
Safehouse Coffee is an intimate, cool cafe at Dundas and Brock, near a ton of bars, restaurants and music venues. Locals will recognize the signage they've kept up above their window with their own painted sign, which many businesses are doing these days both to pay homage to what's come before and to create a cool contrasting look.
They kept the original ceiling, a fabulously ornate Torontonian style that many renovating businesses discover. The wood for the bar countertop is reclaimed from a Quebec bowling alley. They put in cute hexagon tile and hardwood for floors. 
They brew using 
Their feature espresso ($2.75) and drip ($2 - 2.50) bean rotates, and upon visiting I sample a simple black cup of a Costa Rican blend from 
All their baked goods come from 
Cookies are $2.50 and have fun stuff like Oreos mixed in, and they have muffins for $2.50 as well, including a vegan peanut butter banana option.
They stock 
I love their wall of books and knick knacks, which both looks unusual and has some more interesting fare, like writing by Patti Smith and Rawi Hage as well as Magic Eye books.
Around the front window there's a live edge bar with a few stools. Near the back there's a bigger communal table, still only large enough to fit six or eight if you really squeezed. With WiFi available, I imagine it would be good for group projects or meetings.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
FAMO Sandwiches is doing something really commendable in Toronto: making appealing sandwiches out of alternative cuts of meat. Lesser eaten meats like cheek and oxtail star, which is great: it saddens me to think of any animal sacrificing their delicious body only to have the scrumptious tongue scrapped.
The restaurant near Queen and Sherbourne has a long communal wood table in the middle of the place which abuts the front window with high seating surrounding it. 
The cold brew on tap ($4.50) is from 
The Six ($13) is beef tongue braised for hours in red wine. This is one of Fami's very favourites, on 
They have specials up on a chalkboard, and we opt for the slow braised oxtail with roasted pepper slaw ($15). On the side of this one we get the beet slaw with red cabbage, brightly purple and vinegary with pickled beets. This oxtail special is a little more plain than the tongue, but pairing it with sour beet slaw cuts through any blandness well.
The Famous Lamb ($13) is roasted in foil with cloves, cinnamon and cardamom which gives it a wonderful sweet savouriness, and it's carved into thin strips in front of you before going on a sandwich with turmeric caramelized onions. Representative of Moier and Fami's Persian background, the potent onions combine well with aromatic lamb.
Yes A Burger ($12) is on their menu, literally written that way. I prefer the more original sammies, and though the brisket chuck beef burger is admirable, it's just a touch over where I'd like it to be. I'm glad we got the fingerling fries, though, which are chunky and golden.
Don't miss The Brit ($12), fish tacos with light breading, homemade tartar sauce, homemade fingerling potato chips for crunch and a little slaw for acidity. Give the homemade grilled jalapeno hot sauce a try too!
In addition to masterminding the menu, Fami had a hand in design touches like a large decorative bull's head and funky lighting wrapped around large hanging beams. His kitchen is open for all to see.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
Crepe TO is a creperie near King and Church. They serve up inventive crepes with wild combinations both sweet and savoury in sturdy standing paper cones to eat in, or box up the cones for takeout.
The interior is long and bright, with a big window at the front that the crepe station where Zarafshan gets to work labours. A little cart is in the middle of the station of over a half dozen crepe griddles, allowing them to easily roll oil and ingredients around to different areas.
They're especially proud of their naturally sweet and healthy sugarcane juice ($6) which is made using sugar cane imported from Costa Rica every week. It's squeezed fresh to order using a custom machine, and for an additional charge ($0.50 - $2.50) you can add ingredients to your beverage like strawberry, banana, and the popular lemon and mint that we tried.
We get a sweet crepe that isn't pre-assigned on the menu: you're free to customize your crepe with whatever filling you like. 
This one has Nutella, banana, blueberries and strawberries. Zarafshan won't give up his secret crepe ratios, but this elastic, tender one holds all the filling nicely. The cones rip apart in layers to reveal your crepe, which is reinforced with another cone at the bottom.
So they've certainly thought out how to contain the balance of delicacy and fullness that defines a great filled crepe. "The Raptors" ($11.50) is a crepe from the breakfast menu that contains the entire first meal of the day, complete with an egg scrambled right onto the crepe on the griddle. Otherwise it contains fresh mushrooms, spinach, spicy salami, cheddar, tomato pesto and mayo.
They also do fresh watermelon juice here ($6), which is just pureed watermelon and nothing else unless you want to add something else. It's really refreshing in contrast to the spicy meat in some of the crepes. Both drinks have that natural sweetness that's so much more satisfying than artificial.
One wall is exposed brick, and though it's not the original wall it is made from antique British bricks, and much of the accents are reclaimed barn wood. There's lots of seating at high tables at the back and lower tables at the front, and flow from cash to take out to dine-in is smooth.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
Holy Oak Cafe is a local haunt that's been there for me and the rest of the 
There are two prime tables near the window and a functional piano at the front, and this is usually where bands set up to play. Other than the piano there's just one PA system, so performers usually bring the bulk of their own equipment.
They bake from scratch here, and though there are some standards like spanokopita and a menu of sandwiches you're never totally sure what they're going to have when you walk in. We arrive to freshly baked banana chocolate chip muffins ($2.50).
Though uptight Canadians are getting more used to the somewhat European practice, there still aren't many places you can get a coffee and then a beer, or vice versa. Their taps are primarily St. Ambroise, and this is the Cream Ale. Draft is $7 - $8, and they have a variety of European and local craft bottles and cans too, like Collective Arts and Delirium.
You can always depend on Holy Oak's lineup of grilled cheeses, but today we opt for a special kale, sweet potato and chicken soup ($8). All the food here has that homemade feel because that's exactly what it is, and this soup is nicely nutmeggy in its spices, the vegetables tender.
Holy Oak knows how to help you get stuff done: all the coffees are doubles here, like this latte ($4). You can also add a shot of Bailey's for $4.
They make sure to have vegan and gluten/dairy free options, like vegan maple walnut bars and gluten free brownies that are never dry ($3).
It's mostly single tables and chairs though there's some pew seating, and the bar is at the back. Order here and take items to your table, and bring cash because that's all they take.
Photos by Hector Vasquez
Mika Fresh is a restaurant, bake shop and cafe near Bathurst and Lawrence. Amongst chain restaurants and burgers, Mika Fresh is doing healthy home cooking and baking from scratch that borrows from Israeli, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences.
The spot is homey like the food, clean and sensible. There are windows all along the front facing wall with ledge seating. The kitchen takes up half the restaurant's space and is completely open, reminding me more of a community kitchen than a hoity-toity eatery.
Soups also rotate here and there's always one meat and one veggie option ($5 - $11). Today there's a Moroccan soup on, with chickpeas, green lentils, white beans, onion, celery, rice and beef. It's super healthy and satisfying, and the beef adds a little pop of heartiness and richness.
The veggie soup is a butternut squash, slightly less creamy than I'm used to but that's probably healthier. The creaminess I'm missing personally is more than made up for with seasoning that complements the thick yellow butternut puree.
It's really a mix and match style here, so we put together a plate of some typical options. The sea bass fish patty ($11) sits on top of couscous, herby and fishy with a crunch on the outside in a sweet cherry tomato sauce. 
With any meal you get bread and a small dessert, the perfect way to show those baking chops. These breadsticks come in a delicious spicy option.
Mika Fresh bakes a ton of amazing sweets from scratch like authentic rugelach and mamuul ($3 - $3.25 a person catered, or a small bag for $5).
Service is lunch counter style, and though in this area Mika Fresh does a booming takeout business, there are many tables scattered about for eat-in rushes.
Photos by Hector Vasquez