Toronto's food scene just got a major shoutout in the New York Times
New York Times columnist Elaine Glusac recently spent a weekend eating her way through Toronto, and she's making a pretty convincing argument for just how multicultural the city's food scene really is.
In an article titled "A Food Lover's Tour of Toronto", the writer endeavours to tell her readers where to eat in Toronto for an authentic food experience.
Admirably, Glusac decided to take the path less travelled, veering away from the buzzy, Insta-worthy hotspots and exploring the city's ethnic enclaves.
She believes those enclaves "offer some of the most interesting varied dining" in the city. She's not wrong.
Over the course of her culinary expedition, Glusac stopped at restaurants, bakeries, food tours and neighbourhood institutions across town, describing some of her experiences as Toronto's "culinary highlights."
She covered a lot of ground, hitting up some low-key destinations a food lover would rejoice at — so, where did she visit?
Glusac began her journey at Depanneur, attending an evening supper club and digging into Filipino dishes like smoked eggplant and salad tofu. She later stopped by Chinese Bakery in Chinatown for a sesame ball and cream-filled bun, which she described as "satisfying snacks."
A supper club at Depanneur. Photo via: Depanneur.
And at Rol San Restaurant, the dim sum and shrimp dumplings were touted as "fresh and warm."
Although this isn't heaping praise, the subtlety of the compliments is definitely taken in good stride.
The writer also joined Toronto's very own Tasty Tours for its "Taste of the World" expedition, which took her to a string of spots showcasing even more of the city's culinary diversity.
The tour, known for frequenting lesser-known spots in Kensington Market, had Glusac and other tourgoers hopping from Moonbean Coffee Company to Takoyaki6ix, Caribbean Corner, Tibet Cafe & Bar, Gus Tacos, and finally Pancho's Bakery for dulce de leche churros.
Photo via: Gus Tacos.
And she didn't stop at just the downtown core. She ventured out to Scarborough, too, where she visited local spots One2 Snacks and Manzou Bakery, as well as Dynasty Centre and Great Fountain Fast Food.
The columnist's visit has definitely left a mark on the local business community. I mean, being covered by an internationally acclaimed publication surely puts small businesses and their hard work on a pedestal.
Tasty Tours even took to its official Instagram account to share the news. "So honoured for our home-grown food tour business to be featured in the New York Times," the caption reads. The team goes on to say that the city, and Kensington Market specifically, is a "multicultural food paradise."
A shoutout for playing a role in the city's multicultural food scene is a huge accomplishment, especially in today's day and age, where social media often outshines authentic, hole-in-the-wall hotspots by promoting dining options that are more about aesthetics than anything else.
A moment like this is almost historical for small business owners in Toronto.
