The Best BBQ Chicken (Churrasqueiras) in Toronto
The Best BBQ Chicken restaurant in Toronto is open to hotly contested debate. The waters become muddied by a ton of qualifying questions: rotisserie or grill? Hot sauce or sweet? Rice or potatoes? One thing's for sure, nobody knows how to do it quite like Toronto's huge collection of Portuguese grill houses or Churrasqueiras, so pretty much any trip to power centres like Weston, St. Clair West or the Ossington-Lansdowne Corridor will net you no end of opportunity to settle the debate once and for all.
Here are the 12 best, as voted by readers of this site.
Writing and photos by Lindsay Renwick
Churrasco of St. Clair
At the top of Christie Street on St. Clair, Churrascos' tiny storefront houses a wealth of riches. Grilled and rotisserie chicken are available on tap, but call ahead for more specialized menu items like roast rabbit (3 hrs), or suckling pig (3 days). The chicken is juicy with beautifully caramelized skin, the hot sauce is brick red and packs a fiery wallop, and the parisienne potatoes are perfectly encrusted. The bland rice is a weak spot, but do take home a bottle of their homemade vinaigrette. Quarter chicken combo, $7. More...
Sardinha O Rei dos Frangos
Sardinha's location right outside the Delaware St. exit of Ossington Station makes it a tender trap for hungry commuters. Inside, the rotisserie chicken is succulent and juicy, the grilled chicken is smoky and crisped and both pair perfectly with their many side choices. The lemon roast potatoes manage to be browned to perfection and creamy at the same time, the deep-fried parisienne potatoes never fail to please and the rice is rich with oil and sprinkled with black olives. Quarter chicken combo, $7. More...
Churrasquiera Costa Verde
Here, the hens are huge with perfectly crisped skin, moist and evenly cooked. The hot sauce is loaded with red pepper punch, packs a moderate heat and a nice vinegary tang and their side potatoes have an earthy, chicken-fried flavour I couldn't find anywhere else. The location is about to undergo a massive renovation and expansion his summer, so get it while it's hot! Half-chicken platter, $10. More...
Eduarda's
This storefront at Dupont and Symington is part lunch counter, part grocery store. Beware the overboiled steamed vegetables, which loaned a taste to my whole meal as though it had lately been sprayed with a saltwater hose. The rotisserie chicken is ably prepared, but go easy on the oily sweet sauce. The rice has a nice touch of vinegary sweetness to it, and the price can't be beat. Quarter chicken combo, $6. More...
O Bairradino
The staff at this Lansdowne staple tend to be brusque but efficient – don't get in their way and you will get what you want. The grilled chicken is on the dry side, but its enticingly smoky flavour lingers pleasantly on the tongue. Parisienne potatoes have a leathery, toothsome exterior but a rewardingly creamy middle. The rice is bathed in oil, but the garnish of a half-dozen black olives is a nice touch. Half-chicken platter, $10. More...
Gaucho's BBQ
Gaucho's definitely has the most varied menu due to the hefty portions of Brazilian dishes on offer with the Portuguese classics mixed in almost as an afterthought. Plates are beautifully presented, and the chicken is moist and succulent. My companion, a recently reformed veggie, wanted to know if it was possible to request an extra order of just the skin. The rice is dense with southern flavour and the creamy golden homemade hot sauce is a 4-alarm emergency. Quarter chicken combo, $6. More...
George's Deli & BBQ
This Annex stalwart was packed to the gills on a rainy afternoon, and it's no secret why. The window rotisserie unit was jammed with golden, dripping hens and the men behind the counter were serving up an addictive mix of friendly banter and salty, juicy, crunchy goodness. My chicken fairly fell off the bone and they didn't spare the crispy fries or the diner-style gravy. Quarter chicken combo, $7.50. More...
Churrasquiera O Sardinha
The grilled chicken at this Little Italy churrasquiera is naturally a bit tougher than a rotisserie bird, but during the post-lunch lull, it's certainly plentiful. My server's free hand with both the hot sauce and the sweet oil more than adequately compensated, turning the whole meal into a spicy, smoky stew. The parisienne potatoes come golden brown and glistening and the rice is nicely augmented with the addition of both green and black olives. Quarter chicken combo, $8.50. More...
The Rotisserie House
Be prepared to pay a location premium as this Liberty Village hot spot caters mainly to the 9-5 lunch crowd in an under-served area. The chicken is worth the extra expense, thanks to its densely flavorful flesh and lusciously greasy skin. Their garden fresh salad, lightly dressed in a subtly sweet balsamic vinaigrette takes top spot on this list and their varied menu offerings from chicken wings to onion rings makes The Rotisserie House deliciously hard to pigeonhole. Quarter chicken combo with drink $12.50. More...
St. Matthew's BBQ Chicken
This Weston storefront is deservedly busy. The grilled chicken is masterfully blackened without turning tough and the whole combo including potatoes and fluffy, golden rice is mercifully free of the oversalting that is usually a hallmark of Churrasqueira cuisine. Portions are generous and they don't stint on the hot sauce. Quarter chicken combo, $7. More...
Bairrada Churrasqueira
From the outside this College Street grill looks fairly unassuming, but on the inside everything about it is a cut above. Decorous waitstaff serve attractively presented meals on one of the largest and loveliest backyard patios in the neighbourhood. Kicking back at a picnic table with a cold Sagres and an expertly charred half chicken platter is like taking a trip to sunny Lisbon but skipping the 10-hour flight. Half-chicken platter, $10. More...
Alex Rei dos Leitoes
With 38 years in the same location, this Ossington strip takeout counter has watched its fair share of gentrifying upstarts come and go, and has fed them all. The chicken is perfectly char-broiled and coated with a sauce that's deceptively clear in colour, but packs searing heat. Rice is pale but has an unusually creamy, risotto-like consistency and the potatoes are deep golden with good scorch marks. Quarter chicken combo, $6. More...
Comments (40)
I live in NYC now but I used to live around the corner from Churrasco on St. Clair. On occasional (increasingly rare) visits to the neighborhood I always make sure to stop by.
I second the endorsement of George's Deli. Don't forget they have at least one other location, at Dundas St. E. And unless my quick-n-dirty googling is wrong, they're on the Danforth and Queen E. as well...
My uncles old store is #12. I have WAY to many memories hanging around the store and eating Alex's chicken growing up. And the food is STILL tasty. *L*
Barraida shouldnt even be on this list. Their food is inconsistent in portion and flavouring...it tends to be more on the greasy side. Lavrador (Eglinton and Caledonia) should take its place.
And Sardinha should be #1. BEST Churrasqueira chicken I've had, outside of Portugal. And I have some for lunch today. :)
It all comes down to the round potatoes in my opinion. Slightly soggy, not too starchy and salted to perfection, St. Clair wins hands down.
O Bairradino is fantastic. Amazing portions. The BBQ chicken is nice and moist and better than the rotisserie (which can be dry). They are however closed on Mondays, and most of August. Great picnic fare.
Just wanted to point out that the 1/4 combo at Alex Rei dos Leitoes is $6, half is $9. I just moved into the hood and that place hands down has the best chicken I have ever tasted.
it is pretty traditional to close on monday's in portugal, so bairrada doing it isn't too surprising. in august the owners also tend to go home so they close up shop-which is family run. they also have shops elsewhere-including mississauga.
O Bairradino is pretty bad, rice and chicken is dry with little, flavour, cant believe bom appetite on queensway is not mentioned
I agree Bairrada is clearly the best! I go there every week and you can't beat the grilled sardines although the chicken is pretty awesome. I usually ask for veggies instead of the rice and the broccoli they serve is delicious! The patio can be pretty hectic in the summer though! good luck getting a seat! the staff are great too.
My favorite is Eduardo's. I stumbled upon it a few years ago. The vegetables you speak of are my favorite part of the meal, well next to the awesome potatoes and rice all coated in the wonderful hot sauce. I tried the sweet oily sauce you mentioned, but hot sauce is the only way to go.
I guess I will have to try some of the others now,I love living in the middle of all of these restaurants, I won't have to cook dinner for a few weeks now.
To help restore a little east / west balance here, If you're waaay out east, at Danforth Rd & Birchmount, you might try Portugrill. They're pretty good, as I recall. (Disclaimer: I haven't been there in like a year, they could be out of business for all I know. Maybe give them a call before you trek out there :])
Those potatoes are truly the best Parisienne-style potatoes in the city. A friend and I mistakenly ordered a large order to go - it came in those giant aluminum trays you bake turkeys in. We devoured the whole damn thing (we were admittedly stoned) - it was painful, but deliciously painful!
How did you miss DIAS on St.Clair West & Caledonia. Line-ups every day of the week ! ! Moist, juicy with great side orders.
HEAR YE! HEAR YE!
Hands down the best chicken spot is on Dupont St. & Franklin St. on the southwest corner. Half chicken dinner $7 with any side (round potatoes, rice, mashed potatoes, mixed vegatables) do not forget about the hot sauce. I believe this is the best value and tasty chicken in the city.
If driving, one can take Dundas St. West northbound from Bloor to Dupont junction and make a righthand turn under the bridge. Look to your right when u past the set of lights.
If taking transit, one can take the 26 Dupont bus from either Jane Station or St. George Station and ask the driver to let you off at Franklin St. Or take one of the two buses from Dundas West Station(40 Junction or 168 Symingtion) and get off at dupont and walk east on Dupont if taken 40 bus or west on Dupont if taken 168 bus.
ANYONE WHO TAKES THIS INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE ENJOY THE CHICKEN I HAVE BEEN LOVING SINCE I FOUND THE PLACE.
P.S. sorry but i do not remember the name of the business. LOL
Churrasqueira Do Sardinha - 1213 Dundas Street West - hands down best chicken in Toronto. I am Portuguese and have been to a million, bajillion different churrasqueira joints and this is definitely my favourite. YUM YUM! The chicken is always tender and juicy, the rice and potatoes are never overcooked and the people who run the restaurant are friendly and actually SMILE (big boo to the college st. churrasqueira - the older dude there has grunted at me one too many times!)
depends how hungry you are.......but one bird and a large side (half rice/half potatoes) should be plenty!
Personally, I don't agree with this list at all. It completely missed the best churrasqueira chicken in Toronto: A Meta dos Leitoes at 218 Geary Avenue.
WOW, Kathys Corner on Dundas and Mutual should definitely be on this list, if not top 5. Anyone that goes to Ryerson should know this place. Best chicken, huge portion, and only $5-6
I went to my sisters in Aurora and she ordered from The Chicken Place....I had no idea this place existed and I can tell you guys that it was the best i`ve had out of all the churrasco`s... the Piri-Piri sauce was out of this world !! here is a link www.thechickenplace.ca
"That's right," the man said. "I couldn't remember the word." He was the only t, then high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over. The website currently has more than 175 million active users in amount of visitors, making Facebook the most popular social network, followed by MySpace and Twitter.other human at the loading dock this morning. The man didn't have a name, just a number, like the rest of the robots. Paris, at Night.
Oh, and by the way, Maple IS NOT Toronto! It's called blogTO for a reason. No disrespect to the Red Rooster though.
You haven't tried chicken until you've tried Nandos. It is a chain but they still use the original recipe from Mocambique (Portuguses colony) where the chicken was first perfected.
They have locations in Mississauga and North York and about 400 locations worldwide.It's still not well known over here but make the trip. Get the wild herb hot sauce on the side. Good bye Swiss Chalet
Barraida used to be my favourite but last couple times I went the food was a bit overcooked. Hopefully they'll get their mojo back for patio season.
WORST CHICKEN IN TOWN: Churrasqueira Oliveira
STAY VERY FAR AWAY!! Just had this tonight based on other recommendation. Driest pieces of chicken breast i've had in my life, only managed to eat 1/2 of it because so dry and needed water and we were starving... worst chicken in any form ever sampled. Went to burrito Boyz directly after. Total waste of time and money. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Churrasqueira Do Sardinha (the original one at college st.) is by far my favourite! it's been there forever since I was a kid. Quick service, with tasty chicken.
The BEST chicken by far ... CHURRASQUEIRA DO SARDRINHA 1213 Dundas St West. You have not had chicken until you have had this one TRUST ME!! We take out from there at least twice a week. You should try their codfish dishes as well, amazing and not to mention the other authentic portuguese food that they make. Thanks Luisa and Fernando and of course the employees that work with them for the great food and the great service!
Hands Down they got the first two right. I frequent both the St. Clair Churrasco's and Sardinha on Bloor/Ossington. The cream brulee style cupcakes are fresh and tasty as a finisher!
Meta dos Leitoes on Geary Ave. and Dufferin is still my favorite. I'm out in Scarborough and was pleasantly surprised to have found Portugrill on Danforth and Birchmount...very good chicken, and very friendly staff.
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