10 of the Best Restaurants in the St. Lawrence Market Area

By Richard Silver | Silver Burtnick Milan & Associates, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada

If you want to understand Toronto through food, there may be no better place to begin than St. Lawrence Market.

Food has shaped this neighbourhood’s identity for more than two centuries.

Today, the Market and surrounding Old Town streets combine specialty food merchants, bakeries, and butchers with pubs, bistros, Italian restaurants, and dining rooms in some of Downtown Toronto’s most historic buildings.

So where should you eat?

Here are 10 of our favourites in and around the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood.

1. Biff’s Bistro

Biff’s delivers exactly what you hope for from a French bistro: familiar classics, a comfortable dining room and food that doesn’t need to shout to get your attention.

Go for: Steak frites, French bistro cooking and dinner before a show.

2. Terroni Adelaide

Terroni’s Adelaide location is especially memorable because of its setting inside the historic former York County Courthouse.

Southern Italian food and Toronto history make a pretty good combination.

Go for: Pizza, pasta and the extraordinary building.

3. Amano Trattoria

Amano offers contemporary Italian cooking close to the Market, with handmade pasta and a warm, modern atmosphere.

Go for: Pasta, seafood and date night.

4. Le Petit Déjeuner

This cozy King Street East restaurant has long been known for Belgian-inspired brunch.

The waffles have developed a particularly loyal following.

Go for: Weekend brunch, Belgian waffles and a croque madame.

5. Sukhothai

Toronto’s appetite for regional Thai cooking owes a lot to restaurants like Sukhothai.

The Esplanade location makes it an easy stop for noodles, curries and intensely flavoured Thai dishes.

Go for: Khao soi, pad Thai and curries.

6. C’est What?

Hidden below street level near Front and Church, C’est What? is a Toronto craft-beer institution.

It has the comfortable feel of a place that’s been around long enough not to worry about being fashionable.

Go for: Ontario craft beer and pub food.

7. Bindia Indian Bistro

Directly beside St. Lawrence Market, Bindia brings contemporary Indian cooking to one of Toronto’s busiest food destinations.

Go for: Indian favourites and the convenient Market location.

8. The Keg Mansion? No—the Esplanade

The Keg Steakhouse + Bar on The Esplanade may be part of a national chain, but location matters.

For neighbourhood residents, it’s a dependable choice for steak, drinks, and celebrations within walking distance.

Go for: Steak and a reliable group dinner.

9. Benares

A short walk from the Market, Benares adds another strong Indian option to Old Toronto’s increasingly diverse restaurant scene.

Go for: Butter chicken, curries and vegetarian dishes.

10. St. Lawrence Market Itself

We’re breaking our own rule with number ten.

Because how could we write about eating in this neighbourhood without telling you to eat at the Market?

This is where you can try one of Toronto’s famous peameal bacon sandwiches, buy cheese, seafood, baked goods and prepared foods, and wander among more than a hundred specialty merchants.

Sometimes the best restaurant experience isn’t a restaurant at all.

Go for: A peameal bacon sandwich—and then keep exploring.

Where Toronto’s Food Story Began

St. Lawrence isn’t simply another Downtown Toronto neighbourhood with good restaurants.

Food is part of its history.

The Market dates its roots to 1803, and the surrounding streets contain some of Toronto’s oldest architecture.

Walk a few blocks, and you’ll encounter the Flatiron Building, St. James Cathedral, the Distillery District, theatres, parks and some remarkable residential buildings.

For buyers who want to live Downtown but still want a genuine neighbourhood around them, St. Lawrence has an unusual appeal.

You can buy groceries at one of Toronto’s great markets.

Walk to dinner.

Walk to the theatre.

Walk to work.

And on Saturday morning, walk back to the Market and start all over again.

That’s a pretty compelling definition of Downtown Toronto living.

What’s Your St. Lawrence Favourite?

Now it’s your turn.

What’s the one restaurant—or Market vendor—you always recommend to someone visiting St. Lawrence?

Send your nomination to Silver Burtnick Milan & Associates.

We’ll collect the responses and publish the Torontoism Readers’ 10 Best Places to Eat in St. Lawrence Market & Old Town Toronto.

Because sometimes the best way to understand a Toronto neighbourhood is simply to eat your way through it.

Richard Silver and the Silver Burtnick Milan & Associates team — Jim Burtnick, Francesca Milan, Celia Alves, Jose Sanchez, Bill Johnston and Simran Matta — Sotheby’s International Realty Canada.

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