Adrian Ravinsky and David Stewart opened 416 in 2011, before “snack bar” was a household term in Toronto. Since then there have been countless imitators, but 416 remains one of the city’s best destinations for small bites with big flavours. The menu takes inspiration from Toronto’s multiculturalism, with long-standing favourites including Korean fried chicken, a mini reuben sandwich and Momofuku-style steamed buns. This hipster enclave is also notoriously cutlery-free, which resulted in a bit of social media hilarity earlier this year when a customer couldn’t figure out how to eat the deconstructed Caesar salad.
Kanpai takes inspiration from Taiwanese xiaochi – cheap snacks – for its sharable menu. Playfully named small plates like Piggie Smalls (deep fried chunks of pork belly) and Cabbage Patch Kids (a Brussels sprouts salad with citrus-sesame-soy vinaigrette) make for easy nibbling alongside the cocktails and craft beers. Kanpai’s most substantial dish is also its most famous one: the crispy, juicy, flavourful TFC (Taiwanese Fried Chicken). With a hip hop soundtrack and a decor that features plenty of reclaimed wood, the vibe is trendy but approachable enough that it’s not uncommon to see families early in the evening.
Five years on and Oddseoul is still packed with soju-sipping, snack-scarfing patrons. Owner Leeto Han draws upon his Korean-American heritage for the menu of comfort food mash-ups. Traditional Korean dumplings are fried to a crisp and filled with smoked pork belly, while the cheesesteak sandwich is one of the city’s best. And despite how good everything is, the Big Mac-inspired Loosey alone is worth coming back for.
One of the few kitchens on Gerrard that stays open late, Pinkerton’s pairs shareable pan-Asian bites with classic cocktails. Chef Andy Wilson’s small plates menu changes up regularly, but expect most dishes to have an Asian influence – think pork neck pancake with scallions and candied peanut, or laab-style beef tartare with lotus. These eclectic food offerings are balanced by a traditional cocktail menu, which focuses on no-fuss favs like whiskey sours. There’s also a solid line-up of bottled beers, tallboys and wines. The ambiance is buzzing almost every night, with a salvaged traffic light providing a playful reminder of last call by turning from green to amber before switching to red when service has ended for the night.
When Khao San Road owner Monte Wan moved his popular Thai eatery to more spacious digs earlier this year, he transformed the second floor mezzanine into a standalone snack bar with its own menu. The caramel corn, fried chicken and pork jowl are all dangerously addictive, and the cocktails get some serious kick from the likes of Thai chili tincture and ginger syrup. Save room for the coconut custard – you will want seconds.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars went into the build of Grant van Gameren’s College Street tapas bar, resulting in what is possibly the most beautiful eating and drinking establishment in the city. And while the Gaudí-esque interior is a work of art, the food is equally as stunning. There are numerous ways to find satisfaction here, regardless of the time of day: jamon croissants in the morning, Spanish preserves at lunch or a pintxos spread with amontillado-spiked cocktails in the evening. Little Italy is peppered with great restaurants these days, but none are quite as memorable as Raval.
