Cheap eats in Toronto might be the single most important thing to us right now. We don’t need another article telling us about inflation, the constant threats to our economy or anything else about how bleak everything is. Sure, it’s great to be well-informed, but personally, what we need right now is to go out with friends and family to share a laugh and a good time over delicious cheap eats in Toronto that will leave us with a full belly and a not-so-empty wallet.
Lucky for us, there’s an abundance of cheap eats in Toronto, if you know where to look. Kensington Market is the place to find discount just about everything including tacos and other bites. Chinatown is right next door, and brimming with affordable and delicious Chinese food from noodle soup and dumpling shops to Hong Kong-style bakeries.
Given the current climate, Toronto’s best bars and the city’s best restaurants have been expanding on their happy hour deals and special prix-fixe menus to help diners cut down on the cost of their bill.
The restaurants offering the cheapest eats in Toronto have to cut back somewhere, so a lot of these spots are no-fuss, relaxed eateries without all the frills. But while they might be lacking in décor and Instagram-worthy photo ops, the best cheap eats in Toronto don’t disappoint when it comes to flavour. Ask that person out for a wallet-friendly date or meet up with your friends for budget bites — these top spots for the best cheap eats in Toronto have got you covered.
27 Toronto restaurants with cheap eats
1. Big Trouble
460 Dundas St. W., 2nd floor
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This casual cool snack bar seems like something you would find in the Ossington hood, but it’s set in Chinatown — with prices to match the area. It’s one of our favourite all-in-one hangouts, perfect for dates, mates or dancing. It might be a little grungy, but hanging lanterns, neon glowing dragons and booths tucked behind keyhole shaped entryways add a seductive, almost romantic charm to the space.
Almost all of the draft beer and cans come in under $10, and tasty 2 oz cocktails, like the sweet lychee mojito, are $14. Pan-Asian bites like bang bang shrimp and crispy golden tofu are under $10, but if you’re looking to fill up, go for the cheeseburger dumplings at $12 for eight. Snacks and drinks are even more discounted during their daily happy hour from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
2. Juicy Dumpling
Multiple locations
Brian Du
If you’re looking to stuff your face sans sticker shock, there’s no better place than Juicy Dumpling. The restaurant first put down roots inside Dragon City Mall in Chinatown — a potentially risky move in a neighbourhood packed with affordable spots to knock back dumplings. However, the popular fast-food joint, famous for its xiaolongbaos (soup dumplings) is the perfect intersect of delicious and discounted — so much so that they added a second midtown location.
Six steamed soup dumplings will set you back $6, pan-fried green onion pancakes $9 and shrimp wonton soup $14. Warning: Juicy isn’t an exaggeration. Grab a pile of napkins and don’t wear anything that’s dry-clean only.
3. Taqueria Vegana
1543 Dupont St.
Plant-based eats have a reputation for being on the pricier side, but Taqueria Vegana’s taco trios — stuffed with mock meats like soy carne asada, seitan carnitas and capeado oyster mushrooms — are only $17. Or, opt for the Quesabirriras: three mushroom birria quesadillas with broth for dipping.
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Read more4. King Slice
Multiple locations
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These ginormous, spill-off-the-plate slices are more fit for a giant than a king. For under eight bucks, King Slice practically serves you half a medium pizza, masquerading as a slice. The King Slice Special’s cheese pull is the stuff of legends, and the margherita puts their house-made sauce front and centre.
5. Mother’s Dumplings
421 Spadina Ave.
Brian Du
Sure, they have other things on the menu at this Michelin-recommended spot for cheap eats, but as the name suggests, the dumplings are the real draw here, and with 10–12 pieces for under $15, you can’t go wrong. Choose from steamed, boiled or pan fried and fillings that range from the simple pork and chives to more interesting combinations like melon, tofu and vegetable noodle.
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Read more6. Ali's West Indian Roti Shop
1446 Queen St. W.
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A Parkdale staple that’s been around for nearly 50 years, Ali’s Roti dishes hot, fresh chickpea doubles for under five dollars, and steaming, packed dhalpourie rotis with boneless goat, chicken, shrimp and more. If you’re not afraid of a little heat, drench your Buss Up Shut (paratha roti) in their house-made scotch bonnet pepper sauce, then douse the flames with vegan mango-coconut ice cream.
7. Loga’s Corner
216 Close Ave. & 1407 Queen St. W.
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Get a steaming container of Nepalese momos for under $10 at this Parkdale gem for cheap eats. They come steamed or fried, and stuffed with your choice of filling, from beef and chicken to veggie and potato. Don’t forget to add hot sauce, but watch out — it’s beyond tongue tingling. Dine in at the no-fuss restaurant or order takeout.
8. Rol San
388 Spadina Ave.
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It’s a popular late-night haunt, but Rol San in Chinatown isn’t just an encore. Bring a crew and share a cross-section of cheap eats from their large menu. Dim sum is part of the allure — dunk har gow and rice rolls in Rol San’s hot chili sauce — with lots of small plates coming in under $10. And their generous plates (in the $20–$30 range) will stretch your dollar further. While the old location held lots of memories, Rol San’s new location across the street has all the same charms and an even larger dining area.
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Read more9. Banh Mi Boys
Multiple locations
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Since 2011, Banh Mi Boys has been filling Toronto’s bellies with their famous Vietnamese sandwiches. Now with three locations around the city, these simple shops sling two-handers stuffed with braised, fried and grilled meat, house sauces and pickled veggies for $13 or less. For an even cheaper option, their steamed baos go for about $6.50.
10. Sang-Ji Fried Bao
5461 Yonge St.
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Once just a takeout counter with a handful of seats on Byng Avenue, Sang-Ji Fried Bao has moved to a larger space just up Yonge Street (near Finch) and expanded to a second location at Yonge and Bloor for downtown dwellers. Now, you can hunker down at a table while you wait for your piping-hot fried bao to cool. Bite a hole in it first, suck out the delicious, steaming broth and then dig in. You can get four of the crispy balls of heaven for under $10.
11. Jerk King
Multiple locations
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What this fast food joint lacks in frills, it more than makes up for in flavour, with its delicious and authentic Caribbean fare. For about $10, their small meals come with a protein like spicy jerk chicken, crispy fried chicken or (our favourite) oxtail, and a side of rice and peas — and even their small sizes are quite filling. Round out your meal with add-ons like coleslaw, dumplings and fried plantain.
12. Hastings Snack Bar
5 Hastings Ave.
Brian Du
If you’re looking for perogies just like mom used to make (without the unsolicited advice on your dating life), don’t miss Hastings Snack Bar in Leslieville. Ania Garbos and Karolina Conroy, the mother-and-daughter duo behind this lunch counter, sell homemade Polish staples, including kielbasa, perogies and cabbage rolls ($10–$20), but check their blackboard for daily specials.
13. Seven Lives Tacos y Mariscos
72 Kensington Ave.
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For over 10 years, Seven Lives has been slinging their impressively sloppy Baja-style tacos in Kensington Market (where cheap eats abound). Each of their handhelds comes in under $10, and tacos come fully loaded here. Go for the carnitas with braised pork shoulder or their famous Gobernador with smoked tuna and grilled shrimp. Try to park at one of their standing tables to chow down, but if that fails, take your tacos to nearby Bellevue Square Park.
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Read more14. Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu
Multiple locations
Brian Du
With a handful of locations scattered across Toronto, Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu’s authentic Korean eats are easy to get your hands on. Good thing, too, because it’s one of our favourite spots for comfort food. Most tofu and rice dishes are available for $20 or less, like the mouth-watering hot stone pot bibimbap with chopped carrot, juicy beef and mushrooms that sport a perfectly sunny fried egg on top.
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Read more15. Bar Poet
1090 Queen St. W.
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Outfitted with enough fake trees and string lights to make you feel like you’re in an adorable courtyard, Bar Poet takes the cake as our favourite date spot for cheap eats. Split a fairly large $23 pizza with your date. They don’t skimp on the flavours or the toppings. Our favourites are the 5.0, a Hawaiian pizza with bacon, roasted pineapple and pickled jalapeños, and the Microdose, a garlic cream sauce pie loaded with mushrooms, caramelized onions and arugula, and drizzled with balsamic reduction (it’s almost like eating a salad, if the salad was pizza). Cocktails can be on the pricey side, so beer and wine on tap are your best bets to keep your bill low. Check out their weekday happy hour deals to get even more bang for your buck.
16. Hong Kong Island Dim Sum House
248 Spadina Ave.
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Grab a steamed BBQ pork bun, or pineapple bun from this Hong Kong-style bakery on your next visit to Chinatown for just $2.50. Pastries, cookies, cakes and savoury baked goods can be scooped up for as low as two dollars; or, opt for reasonably priced dim sum, like shrimp dumplings or sticky rice pockets with pork.
17. PG Clucks
Multiple locations
Brian Du
PG Clucks claims to have the best fried chicken sandwich in the city, and we’re not about to argue with that. Almost all under $15, their sandwiches come with a large piece (or two) of crispy fried tender chicken with a heaping pile of toppings and a fluffy bun. It’s challenging to get through one of these mammoths on its own, but if your appetite came to play, they have sides too, and you can make it a combo for under $20. The College Street location is just a takeout window, while the Queen Street spot has a small counter you could theoretically eat at. But we say, order on their website in advance and plan to eat elsewhere.
18. Ozzy’s Burgers
66 Nassau St., Unit ½
Brian Du
In Toronto’s impressive roster of burger joints, Ozzy’s in Kensington is top of the heap. Their towering gourmet burgers go for around $13 a pop and will satiate even the most ravenous city dweller. And they’re big — these bad boys are stuffed with six ounces of prime beef, melted cheese and wacky toppings like chicken wings and tenders. All of Ozzy’s meats are halal, and there are even a few vegan and vegetarian options.
19. The Real Jerk
Multiple locations
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With one location of The Real Jerk in Little Italy and another at Gerrard and Carlaw, both the east and west ends of the city can get their hands on a fried chicken dinner, jerk pork dinner or a ¼ chicken jerk dinner for around $15. The College location also slings jerk chicken sandwiches and jerk burgers for the same price point. Both restaurants have a vibe, outfitted to feel like you’re in the Caribbean.
20. Gushi
Multiple locations
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Chicken is a love language, and we’re head over heels for Gushi. It’s the best place in the city for Japanese fried chicken: golden-brown chunks of joy often marinated in soy, ginger and sake, and coated in potato starch. It’s easy to enjoy a feast here for two for less than $50 — meals, with three pieces of chicken served on a bed of purple rice, go for less than $15 each.
21. Square Boy
875 Danforth Ave.
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Sometimes the solution to all of your problems is shoving a classic, dripping burger in your face. You’ll certainly find plenty of those at Square Boy, The Danforth’s family-owned retro burger restaurant, along with their neighbourhood-favourite gyros and souvlaki. We’re not saying you should, but you could also order a whole boatload of burgers here — all priced at less than $7.
22. The Heartbreak Chef
823 Dundas St. W.
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At this Kensington Market joint, you can get a meal that will fill you up (and then some) without breaking the bank. Chef Jerome Robinson’s fried chicken sammies are next level when it comes to flavour and size. They’re big, bold and beyond comforting. Take the, ahem, Big Ass Chicken Sandwich, for example, which has two pieces of finger-lickin’ good fried chicken topped with sweet pickles and creamy slaw.
the-heartbreak-chef.business.site
23. The Momo House
Multiple locations
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The Momo House puts Himalayan cuisine on the map one momo at a time. Get your fix of scrumptious momos, Tibetan-style filled and steamed dumplings, at any of their three locations. The pillowy soft dumplings at this family-run spot come in a bunch of different offerings (i.e., tossed in a light curry, deep-fried in a spicy-sweet sauce) with vegetarian and popular beef options. Get eight of these pockets of heaven for under $14.
24. The Udupi Palace
1423 Gerrard St. E.
Brian Du
It’s not always easy for vegans and vegetarians to dine out, but Udupi Palace’s menu is completely meat-free and offers flavour lovers bargains aplenty. The menu runs the gamut of curry, thali and uttapam (Indian pancakes), but the appetizers and savoury South Indian crepes are where you’ll get the best bang for your buck. For about $10–$15, you’ll find pakoras, samosas and cone-shaped dosas stuffed with everything from masala to Monterey Jack cheese. Don’t skip the mango lassi.
25. Banh Mi Nguyen Huong
322 Spadina Ave.
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This small, cash-only, to-go sandwich shop on Spadina will serve you a loaded bánh mì for just $5.50. It’s prepared fresh in front of you, crammed with pickled carrots, daikon, cilantro and generous cuts of garlic honey sausage, BBQ pork and chicken, or lemongrass tofu on a buttered bun. There’s also a collection of spring rolls and packaged desserts.
26. Pho Rùa Vàng Golden Turtle
125 Ossington Ave.
Take a stroll down the famous Ossington strip and find pho perfection at this Toronto stalwart. Golden Turtle has been around since 1987, and although its prices have obviously changed since then, you can get a satisfying meal for just over $15. They’ve got plenty of pho on the menu, from rare beef to spicy satay shrimp, but make sure you check out the chef’s specials and fried rice too.
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Read more27. Gus Tacos
Multiple locations
Brian Du
The quickest route to happiness might just be taking a bite out of a taco. Ergo, more tacos equal more happiness, right? At only $6 per handheld, Gus Tacos makes your lunch money go further and is delicious, whether you get it from their Parkdale, Dupont, Kensington, Dovercourt, Scarborough, The Well or other locations. Opt for handmade tortillas stuffed with proteins like like carne asada, grilled fish or barbacoa, with a generous serving of cilantro and onion. Plus, orders come with lime wedges and mild to spicy salsa, so you can customize the tacos to your liking.
