Best Eats!
 

Hey use this thread to share your favorite dining establishments in London. They don't have to be locally owned or anything.

I'm interested in trying out new places so let me know what you think!

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Some of my favorites:

-Chinese? Golden City is probably my favorite place. Good prices and tasty General Tso Chicken.

-Chicken wings? The Final Score was my place, but they've closed. BOOO. Currently I like Poacher's Arms for dry wings and Fox & Fiddle for the saucy stuff.

-Nachos? I've always liked em at Joe Kools.

-Pizza? Now there's a debate. Sopranos is best value, and I like Palasad's wood oven 'za for a moderate price. If you're willing to shell out the big bucks Byron Pizza all the way!

-Sit down place? I think this is still something I need to look for. Most sit-ins in London are big chains. Maybe Micheal's on the Thames but that place is pricey. Or Tiger Jacks?

-Pub? I am a sucker for The Poachers Arms.

-Bar? Player's Sports Bar is a pretty mediocre place, but I kinda like it that way. They also have horse betting there too, which makes for a more unique experience.

-Burger? Gosh they're mostly big chains now. Dandy's by White Oaks is pretty good.

-Sub? Lynn's Bakery makes a mean super sub. Great for sharing, unless you're really hungry.

-Cafe? I like Williams the best. Coffee-wise it's kinda the Goldilocks between Timmies and Starbucks. They also make a really nice blended iced cappuccino for those hot summer days.

-Taco / Mexican? True Taco is where I like to go. If you want Tex-Mex, Lone Star makes a mean Chimichanga.

-Salad? Farm Boy's salad bar is probably my favorite.

-Indian? Maybe the New Delhi Deli in the market? Good curry

-Pad Thai? I'm looking for a place. Wok Box makes dam good Asian food. Small franchised chain, two locations in the city.

-Fries / Fish & Chips? No idea, looking for a place I guess. Maybe Archie's?

-Ribs? The Getaway restaurant at the Western Fair slots is surprisingly good. I also like Boss Hog's but I haven't been there in a long time and I heard it's going downhill.

-Sandwiches? Smoke'n Joe's makes a killer pulled pork sandwich. Steaks has some nice Hot Italian Sandwiches.

-Fried Chicken? Mary Brown's got some big crunch. Any place that does chicken & waffles?

-Pasta? Maybe Bertoldi's?

-Sushi? I guess I'm not picky but I don't like those all you can eat places. Maybe the Hantata Sushi House?

-Breakfast / Brunch? I have no clue, but I heard the restaurant in the Double Tree is good.

-Deserts? Merla Mae all the way!

Let me give this a shot using your own categories:

-Chinese? I am also a fan of Golden City. Haven't really been satisfied with any Chinese food in the city, but it's where I'm landing most often. Chopstick House is also pretty good.

-Chicken wings? I love Wink's. Huge wings, good sauce selection, and very tasty. For some more home-style breaded wings, check out my pizza recommendation.

-Nachos? Can't say, not a big nacho guy.

-Pizza? For either cheap or moderate prices, Nana's Pizza on Dundas St. A tiny hole-in-the-wall joint, but they put a tonne of toppings on, with great prices, and their wings are fantastic. Pizza places aren't supposed to be known for their wings, but Nana's should be. If you want something more expensive, Papa's is great, especially for their panzerotti. Weird hours and cash only, though.

-Sit down place? Garlic's or David's Bistro. I'd probably give David's the edge for the average person, but I love garlic.

-Pub? Plenty of good pubs in this city. Poachers Arms is great. I love Morrisey House. And if I want a cheap night with good in-house food, London Ale House.

-Bar? Same as pub?

-Burger? Burger Burger on Richmond. Limited selection, but what they do, they do extremely well. So well that I'm willing to overlook the fact that it's owned by the same family as The Barking Frog.

-Sub? Only time I go for subs is when I a have no other options, and I tend to go to Subway/Mr. Sub.

-Cafe? Gotta be Fire Roasted. Great coffee, great atmosphere, and if you tire of the coffee, you can slowly wean yourself onto their tapped or bottled beers. Black Walnut is great as well. Locomotive Espresso is also great.

-Taco / Mexican? I'd agree with True Taco as well.

-Salad? Globally Local on Dundas St. It's a vegan fast food place, supposedly the first of its kind in Canada.

-Indian? Haven't tried New Delhi Deli, will have to give it a shot. Out of all the downtown restaurants (and the one in the farmer's market at the Western Fair District) I'd go with Raja's on Clarence.

-Pad Thai? Bangkok Pad Thai, by a mile. Years ago when I first started going, one of the waiters told me their owner spent __ amount of time (I could swear it was over a year, but I forget exactly) in Thailand learning from all the best cooks there. It shows.

-Fries / Fish & Chips? Haven't been to more than a half-dozen locations, but my favourite would be the pub Scot's Corner. For just fries, my girlfriend swears that Burger Burger has the best fries in Canada.

-Ribs? Never get them outside of RibFest (and then I get about 4 racks over 5 days)

-Sandwiches? High Lunch. Really sketchy area along Dundas, but this place has been in business with the same owner (originally her and her husband, now it's just her) for over 50 years.

-Fried Chicken? I used to love Mary Brown's as well.. the location nearest to me (on Horton/Hamilton) closed a few months back. Didn't even know there was another location for me to try.

-Pasta? I'd agree with Bertoldi's as well. I tend to go to Fellini Koolini's just for the better valie, though.

-Sushi? Ozen. Or 168 if you have a lot of people and want all-you-can-eat.

-Breakfast / Brunch? The Bag Lady. Very quaint. Great decor for conversation.

-Deserts? Marky's Crepes or Chattime Bubble Tea. Or Marble Slab. Or YoYo's Yogurt. Or Hey Cupcake. Pick your dessert, there's a recommendation for it on the line above.

My own addition: Schawarma? Barakat's Downtown, hands down. When I lived in Toronto for a few years, Barakat's was my first and last stop each time I visited London.

Gonna copy pasta here

-Chinese? not sure

-Chicken wings? Pizza Tonite on Wilkins... they're huge, always cooked right, and lots of sauce

-Nachos? Winks

-Pizza? 2 for 1 on the corner of Notre Dame and Viscount

-Sit down place? Super super super partial to Crabby Joes

-Pub? Players on Dundas

-Bar? Players on Dundas

-Burger? I used to recommend Bungalow, but their service sucks shit, and the owner seems to give seats to friends ahead of customers... so I'd say The Works

-Sub? Subway.

-Cafe? not sure

-Taco / Mexican? Mexicactus!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY SHIT x 1000!

-Salad? not sure

-Indian? note sure

-Pad Thai? note sure

-Fries / Fish & Chips? honestly, we had a great dinner at Archies recently. Big portions and fish was great. Shame it stands above others

-Ribs? not sure

-Sandwiches? lots of places around Dundas. Just try em, they're all pretty good

-Fried Chicken? Popeyes... I can't believe how much better their stuff is to KFC

-Pasta? Spageddy Eddys

-Sushi? 168 for all you can eat, though they're busy as hell all the time, and service slows after 2 plates. They try to kick you out by not bringing out food... it's fucking annoying

-Breakfast / Brunch? Mary's Place Restaurant on Dundas!!!!

-Deserts? note sure

My own addition: Try places not recommended too!!! The wife and I make it a point to try things we've never been to or heard of. We have found some great places, and sadly, some dives that surprise surprise, have gone under.

-Chinese? Little Panda (wharncliffe road)

-Chicken wings? no idea

-Nachos? Joe Kools

-Pizza? Dominos! (LOL)

-Sit down place? CHE

-Pub? Molly's

-Bar? too old for this? at 25

-Burger? Bungalow (but they are SO slow)

-Sub? Firehouse Subs

-Cafe? Black Walnut

-Taco / Mexican? Under Volcano

-Salad? Farmboy

-Indian? no idea

-Pad Thai? Mai's Cafe in Wortley Village or Thai-Foon

-Fries / Fish & Chips? this place at aldersbrooke/wonderland near fanshawe

-Ribs? TONYS? LOL

-Sandwiches? N/A

-Fried Chicken? Popeyes

-Pasta? Marshals Pasta

-Sushi? Nov8 is my favourite buffet

-Breakfast / Brunch? Sweet Onion Grill

-Deserts? Under the volcano deep fried ice cream

Great thread idea. And I love how down-to-earth a lot of the suggestions are. I agree with a lot of them. I'm copying and pasting the categories and adding one of my own, and some might be repeats (forgive me if some are out of business...)


-Chinese? Pagoda Palace (Baseline and Wharncliffe)

-Chicken wings? Dawghouse (Wilkins and Wellington)

-Nachos? Can't really say.

-Pizza? I'm obliged to say Byron Pizza because as I grew up, that was the treat. For better value, Piero's on Wharncliffe for takeout or a slice; and Muldoon's for sit-in. And Stobie's or My Cousin Vinny's downtown for a slice. Sorry for my indecision here: in that order of excellence, more-or-less.

-Sit down place? I say Michael's on the Thames. I guess it depends on who your audience is. I consider it pretty reasonable value for the consistently excellent service and food quality. I think it's testament to the quality that people seem to think it's a lot more expensive than it really is. For something a bit cheaper right now, thought, I say Spring's on Springbank. Good service and food selection.

-Pub? Runt Club.

-Bar? Scot's Corner.

-Burger? The wally burger at Prince Albert's! It can be an acquired taste, so plan to go twice.

-Sub? Used to be Mr. Sub in Byron...I'm going to try to get to Lynn's, now!

-Cafe? Cafe Milagro in Byron when it existed. Now, maybe Black Walnut in Wortley.

-Taco / Mexican? Under the Volcano.

-Salad? I'm aware that one can have salad out, but I've never personally done it.

-Indian? Massey's downtown. A friend of mine used to live above it during school. I don't think he ever got tired of the (very faint) aroma, and we all got to like the buffet once in a while. The buffet food is as good as the regular menu, which seems not to be the case with a lot of Indian restaurants.

-Pad Thai? I couldn't say.

-Fries / Fish & Chips? Kipps Lane Fish and Chips.

-Ribs? Boss Hogg's. I haven't been in a while, either, and would be disappointed if it's going downhill...

-Sandwiches? Billy's downtown. Great selection.

-Fried Chicken? KFC?

-Pasta? Muldoon's for classic tomato dishes, or Fellini Koolini's for more interesting stuff.

-Sushi? That place on Wonderland across from the Swiss Chalet, if it's still there. It's all-you-can-eat, but not as bad as some in terms of quality.

-Breakfast / Brunch? Harry's Open Kitchen for breakfast. Or, if we're allowed to go out of town, the Little Beaver.

-Deserts? Not sure.

My addition: Central European, the Budapest. A classic. Genuine Hungarian food, but other choices from other Central European cuisines, too. Great food, great decor, a real experience.

Some of my favorites:

-Chinese? Kambie on Horton - Black Bean Beef with Peppers and Onion or Cantonese Chow Mein.

-Chicken wings? No opinion - too much work to too little pay back on meat :slob:.

-Nachos? Joe Kools.

-Pizza? Now there's a debate. I like Palasad's wood oven and Byron Pizza as well. Also Tony's loads up a Pizza. And by far the BEST Calzones I've ever found are Tonys.! Buddy's and Mancinos in Michigan are truly excellent.

-Sit down place? Mykonos - Great patio in the summer.

-Pub? The great ones are all gone. Oarhouse or Billy T's

-Bar? see above.

-Burger? Chains like Five Guys, Hero, Burgers Priest on the premium side. Dandy's by White Oaks is pretty good as is Harry's in St. Thomas. Summer time fav is Willie's in Clinton.

-Sub? Mr Sub and now Firehouse is an american chain that just opened in London. Sami's Philly Cheese on Jalna. Fav is Mancino's in Port Huron.

-Cafe? Timmies as the Starbucks and Second Cups are over priced.

-Taco / Mexican? Under the Volcano for sit down. Mucho Burrito or Burrito Boyz. Chipolte killed themselves with bad PR.

-Salad? Good variety at Farm boy but pricey.

-Indian? Not sure anymore since Curry Garden closed

-Pad Thai? Thai Delight in Covent Market. Thaun Thanh on Huron. Wok Box is ok for fast food asian

-Fries / Fish & Chips? Archies or Olde English?

-Ribs? Tony Roma's .

-Sandwiches? Smoke'n Joe's is good. Ungers on Gainsborough make a excellent wich.

-Fried Chicken? Mary Brown's better then Popeyes or KFC. But not much choice to speak of.

-Pasta? East Side Marios or Spaghetti Eddys

-Sushi? no opinion

-Breakfast / Brunch? Little Beaver makes a good breakfast and has a Sunday Brunch.

-Deserts? Merla Mae all the way!

Good idea for a thread

-Chinese? Green Tea on Wonderland is really good, they have some great traditional menu items as well as your standard "Chinese food" also a great dim sum menu on certain days.

-Chicken wings? no idea not a big wing person

-Nachos? Joe Kools no questions

-Pizza? Tuscano's is amazon, Tony's, and Byron Pizza.

-Sit down place? This is tough, depends what you are looking for but Michael on the Thames is tops for me

-Pub? Does Alibi count??

-Bar? no idea n

-Burger? The Works

-Sub? Not a clue on this one, never eat subs

-Cafe? Williams

-Taco / Mexican? Under the Volcano, oh man I want a chimichanga now with spicy cyan beef :)

-Salad? No idea, only eat salad at hom

-Indian? New Delhi Deli

-Pad Thai? Have not found a place local that is anything special

-Fries / Fish & Chips? Archie's for me is tops, most places have pretty decent fish and chips however.

-Ribs? My house, smoked for 6 hours lol...out Tony Roma's and Montana's are pretty good

-Sandwiches? no idea

-Fried Chicken? Popeyes

-Pasta? Tusacano's again they have some really amazing dishes and very reasonable prices.

-Sushi? do not eat it

-Breakfast / Brunch? Little Beaver / Delmar are my 2 favorites

-Deserts? I agree with merla-mae

Also i will add Helen's Restaurant in Lambeth is amazing, kind of a mix German, Polish, European food. The beef goulash, potato pancakes, pierogies, schnitzel all amazing.

-Chinese? Maybe for sentimental reasons, but Pagoda Palace. Total time warp in there.

-Chicken wings? I would say Final Score too, but will go with Wortley Roadhouse

-Nachos? N/A

-Pizza? Byron Pizza

-Sit down place? TOOK was great - was sad to see it go.

-Pub? Old South Village Pub has become a bit of a constant in my life. Or Chaucer's.

-Bar? Milos. Used to be Call the Office, but now I'm old and crotchety.

-Burger? The veggie burger at Plant Matter Kitchen is brilliant if that's your thing.

-Sub? N/A

-Cafe? Black Walnut. But let's be honest - I suck down a Timmies most mornings.

-Taco / Mexican? Not local, but love the Qdoba on Wellington.

-Salad? I'll go with Farm Boy as well.

-Indian? Jewel of India

-Pad Thai? Mai's

-Fries / Fish & Chips? Probably Walker's Fish and Chips.

-Ribs? N/A

-Sandwiches? Ungers Market

-Fried Chicken? N/A

-Pasta? I'll go with Bertoldis

-Sushi? 168 Sushi

-Breakfast / Brunch? Archie's has always been a go-to.

-Desserts? Hands down Remark's key lime pie

-Chinese? Manchu Wok

-Chicken wings? Final score were the best hands down, But I'll also say Pizza Tonite

-Nachos? Tiger Jacks has the best nachos!

-Pizza? Pizza Pizza

-Sit down place? I'd have to say N/A, don't really have a favourite place.

-Pub? N/A

-Bar? N/A, sorry but IMO bars in London suck.

-Burger? Burger Burger or Union Burger

-Sub? Subway

-Cafe? Probably Tim Hortons.

-Taco / Mexican? N/A, but I've heard some good things about Under The Volcano, want to try it soon!

-Salad? N/A

-Indian? N/A

-Pad Thai? N/A

-Fries / Fish & Chips? Irenes Fish and chips, or my works fish and chips.

-Ribs? Tony Romas.

-Sandwiches? N/A

-Fried Chicken? Popeyes

-Pasta? I'll go with Fellini's, really good!

-Sushi? 168 Sushi

-Breakfast / Brunch? Dennys hands down.

-Desserts? N/A

Let's give this a crack from what I remember of the city.


-Chinese? Golden Dragon in Byron - always fantastic food and the staff are awesome.

-Chicken wings? I would say McCabes - the wings are huge and are always delicious.

-Nachos? Under the Volcano! Fantastic and the guacamole is unreal.

-Pizza? Stobbies for a slice - hands down. Greasy and always reminds me of my university days.

-Sit down place? I would say Springs as well - love that place, the owner is a wonderful guy and the food is incredible.

-Pub? It calls itself a pub so I will as well - McCabes.

-Bar? I would say Robinson Hall? For a fun night out - less students than most in the city.

-Burger? Burger Burger on Richmond was brilliant - not sure if it's still there or not? Quite pricey though.

-Sub? Couldn't say really..

-Cafe? I like Williams downtown for the patio in the summer but nothing beats Timmies...

-Taco / Mexican? Burrito Boyz is great - the quality is superb and the flavor? Oh goodness yes.

-Salad? No idea.

-Indian? I would pick Masseys - great atmosphere and the food is delicious.

-Pad Thai? I'm a sucker for Ben Thanh - I've been going for years and I always enjoy myself.

-Fries / Fish & Chips? No idea.

-Ribs? Smok'n Joes is great, the sauces are unreal.

-Sandwiches? Mama's Italian Sandwiches near Western Fair - they are too big for one person and they are just incredible.

-Fried Chicken? No idea.

-Pasta? 100% without question is Abruzzi on King Street. It's amazing. And the quality of the food is beyond compare in the city. I would say it's as good as Springs or Micheal's on the Thames.

-Sushi? Ozen - it's wonderful - the food is great and the quality is really above and beyond anything your 168 sushis can muster.

-Breakfast / Brunch? Dennys - it might not be easily accessible but those guys know how to do a breakfast.

-Deserts? Merla Mae I saw? Yep completely agree. My childhood was spent in that parking lot getting ice cream all over my hands in the warm sun.

-Chinese? Not sure switch it up a lot

-Chicken wings? Oarhouse, Oliver twists

-Nachos? Fox & Fiddle

-Pizza? I like to switch it up but I really do like Tony's pizza on Dundas St.

-Sit down place? hmm not sure. there is a lot.

-Pub? Oliver Twists

-Bar? barneys in the summer

-Burger? McCabes

-Sub? N/A

-Cafe? N/A

-Taco / Mexican? True Taco on Dundas St. is really great with great owners from South America

-Salad? McCabes

-Indian? not sure

-Pad Thai? Ben Thanh

-Fries / Fish & Chips? not sure

-Ribs? N/A

-Sandwiches? Mamas Hot Italian Sandwiches near Western Fair

-Fried Chicken? N/A

-Pasta? Waldo's at the market

-Sushi? 168 Sushi

-Breakfast / Brunch? Billy's near the market downtown

-Desserts? not sure but the market has a good selection

try the baked wings at Morrissey House. They make all their sauces in house and are great. Half price on tuesdays!

Drove by there last night....they are now closed.

Based on what I've heard from others who eat out in London, I'm not at all surprised. I hadn't been since early 2012 but I had heard there was a change in ownership several years ago and service severely suffered after that.

I always have liked Golden Dragon in Byron, despite them getting busted for having rodents in the kitchen about 10 years ago.

Anyone remember when Merla Mae had a location at the God-awful London Mall? This would have been circa 1996, it was only there for a year or two, but I have many fond memories eating ice cream there.

As much as I like the pizza at Stobie's and was a regular customer for over 10 years while going to high school downtown, while I was at Western and later working downtown, it's a business I can't support. I lost a lot of respect for the owner when he threw a temper tantrum about food trucks several years ago and more recently his support of Down Shift. I likely will not support that business anymore under its current ownership, which is a shame because I often made a point of visiting whenever I came to London long after I moved away.