King of T.O. Food Courts: Village By The Grange

With the recent renovation completed of the TD Centre "Food Hall", it has been touted to be the city's best food court. As someone once dubbed the "Food Court Connoisseur", I respectfully disagree.

I hereby decree that the Best Food Court in Toronto should, and always will be, the food court at the Village By The Grange.

From OCAD students to office workers to local residents alike, what Frommer's has dubbed the "International Food Market" offers variety and affordable meals on the go. Try as you might, anyone would be hard-pressed to spend more than $10 on a single meal there.

Village By The Grange is also the same building which once housed Ginsberg & Wong - the unforgettable, if not odd, combination of Jewish and Chinese cuisine. Matzo ball soup and chicken fried rice combo! Those were the good old days.

Many of the same vendors have been there for years, like Sakura. But the court has also seen the inclusion of the likes of Island Foods and McDonald's.

By far, the major appeal is the sheer variety of choices that are available. Hankering for cabbage rolls? Try Magic Kitchen. Feeling for fish & chips? Try Al's. How about a kalbi dinner? Try Sate. There's also Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian and Middle Eastern to choose from. A little ways down the hall, there's a Quizno's and Baskin & Robbins there, too.

The king offers in its courts the unique little family-run eateries, as well as some standard fare found in other food courts. Cheap, plentiful and with lots of seats - some under sunny skylights - Village By The Grange stands undisputed amongst the other cookie cutter food courts in the city.

109 McCaul Street