Scarborough is one of Toronto’s great eating destinations, a sprawling, proudly multicultural stretch of the city where some of its most exciting and affordable food can be found.
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From charcoal-grilled Turkish kebabs and Trinidadian roti to Malaysian street food, Tamil short eats, Iraqi shawarma and Montreal-style smoked meat, the neighbourhood’s restaurants reflect the breadth of the communities that call it home.
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Our team of 11 food experts selected the spots below as being extra special: they made our Top 100 Under $100 guide to delicious, affordable restaurants in Toronto.
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Let us know what you think.
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The kebabs hit the table with heat from the charcoal grill still rippling across their surface, smelling like dusk at a summer barbecue.
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heat → hit → barbecue
The Urfa kebab, and the spicier Adana, both have lamb fat mixed in with the beef.
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They’re served on fresh flatbread that’s full of dimples from the baker’s fingertips.
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The bread soaks up the drippings and the smoke.
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The menu goes deep, into crisp, crackling, beef-topped lahmacun flatbreads and cheese-pull pide pizzas bearing shavings of doner meat and creamy pearls of fat.
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The lentil soup is deep orange from sun-dried tomato paste, buzzing with mint and garlic, shockingly tasty.
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A squeeze of lemon brings it into full harmony.
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There’s classic rice pudding, custards and milk cake for dessert, but the kunefe — mild, melted cheese wrapped in wispy pastry strands, soaked in syrup — is a star.
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The goat milk ice cream’s $10 upcharge seems like a lot, until you try it.
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It’s so thick and rich you almost need a knife.
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Address: 3601 Victoria Park Ave. (at McNicoll Ave.)
Most Korean restaurants are known for their specialties: Owl of Minerva for its pork bone soup, for instance, and Finch JungSooNae for its marinated crab.
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This enormous spot, by contrast, does it all, in many cases exceptionally well.
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The gukbap (translation: soup-rice) is a great place to begin, its long-simmered pork broth homey and comforting, its add-ins delicious.
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There’s relatively plain daeji gukbap if you’re feeling fragile, or the nose-to-tail fever dream called soondae gukbap if not.
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Either way, this is food for homesickness, heartache and epic hangovers; don’t neglect the little bowls of chili paste and fermented shrimp — deep-marine umami seasoning — that come alongside.
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At de Chou, they finish their meats in a white-hot wok.
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Among many (many) other dishes, they do KFC here, too.
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It’s good enough, but nobody orders Korean fried chicken at a generalist restaurant.
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For that, they go to bbq chicken.
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Mona’s is always buzzing.
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Groups of teens deliberate on their orders, disgruntled uncles mutter at having to wait in the line, and behind the counters, an army of aunties cooks mountains of enormous, golden, dark-spotted Trinidadian flatbreads.
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Mona Khan has built her quarter-century-old empire on those roti, which they stuff with complex meat, vegetable and mango curries.
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The soft and flaky paratha variety works well with the shop’s spiced curry goat, while Mona’s dhalpuri roti, layered inside with spiced, ground split peas, help to soak up saucier options like the oxtail.
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For many fans, though, the draw here is Mona’s doubles — the beloved Trini street snack of soft bara flatbreads sandwiching curried chickpea chana.
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The breads come notably thick, bright turmeric yellow and deliciously puffed; they’re fried fresh in batches through the day, for a gentle crispness, instead of microwaved as at many other spots.
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(NB: doubles production often doesn’t start until around 11 a.m.)
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Those still-warm breads and the buttery softness of their chunky, well-spiced chickpea filling meld into a perfect bite.
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Say yes to the pepper and tamarind sauces if you like what’s good, then eat them hot at the little counter; doubles this great don’t travel well.
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Contact: 647-340-7099
This tiny, family-run spot is a Malaysian street food standard-bearer.
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The menu is tight, the portions generous, the prices cheap and the cooking consistently great enough that it would be hard to oversell the place.
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Start with the kitchen’s wat tan hor, which shows exactly what a ripping hot wok can do.
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Its flat rice noodles, tender bok choi and chicken arrive perfumed with deep wok hei: that charred, almost campfire smokiness.
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Glossy egg gravy coats every noodle; it’s messy, deeply savoury and meant for slurping.
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The char kway teow offers darker flavours but similar thrills, while One2Snacks’ curry laksa is rich and velvety, its fragrant, spice-laced coconut broth spilled over noodles and tofu puffs.
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Bryan Choy runs the counter while his parents, Chon and Tracy, cook.
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If you see their colourful Malaysian desserts (kuih), do not think twice.
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…and 29 more, not listed.
