Where To Find The Best Street Food In Toronto

The capital of Ontario, Canada, Toronto boasts more than 2.7 million residents, making it the most populous city in Canada. The town runs along the shoreline of Lake Ontario, offering residents and visitors a variety of water sports and other outdoor fun. With all that fun, you can find a lot of street food kiosks, concessions, food trucks, and street vendors around.

But you can find street food in Toronto all over the city, mostly near the major attractions, busy shopping areas, and downtown Toronto near the sports fields and museums. Each neighborhood has its own street vendors that serve specific cuisine popular in that area.

For example, Toronto Chinatown has a variety of Asian food trucks with food like Japanese fried chicken, Little Portugal is packed with Filipino street food such as bifana, prego, and faturas, and in Little Italy, you can find pizza, porchetta, and cannoli. Similarly, Little India boasts a variety of Indian cuisine like chicken tikka, and juicy pork curry.

One of the most popular street food you will find in Toronto is the street meat carts. These artisanal hot dog stands serve some amazing hot dogs as you have never tasted. If you are looking for great Mexican food like tacos and spicy beef topped with hot sauce, try Northcliff Village or Old Toronto.

One place in Toronto you can always get street food or find some food trucks is the World Food Market by the Eaton Centre on Yonge and Dundas west. In fact, there are 18 different kiosks and a variety of food trucks on any given day. With so many, you are sure to find the food truck right for you.

Before you head out to grab some fried chicken sandwiches, street meat, or hot dogs, don't forget to drop off your luggage at a luggage storage locker in Toronto. You do not want to have to drag around your bags while you are out enjoying your favorite Toronto food truck.

The Best Street Food Vendors in Toronto

BeaverTails

Looking for sweets? The pastries at the BeaverTails stall are legendary with fresh BeaverTails from the Classic with cinnamon and sugar to the Strawberry Cheesecake with strawberry jam and graham cracker crumbs. They also serve hot dogs, poutine, and delicious smoothies and ice cream. Look for them on Toronto Island, along the waterfront, and in Old Toronto outside Ripley's Aquarium.

Fully Loaded

Toronto's first fried chicken food truck, Fully Loaded can be found anywhere you see crowds. Find them in Toronto parks, beaches, and major attractions as well as street markets, festivals, and concerts. With eight different chicken sandwiches, snacks like chicken poutine, and salads around Toronto, they are popular for their original and unique recipes. But their specialty is stuffed chicken wings.

Madame Boeuf and Bottle

For some burgers, onion rings, cheese fries, and even shrimp cocktails, Madame Boeuf in Toronto is where to go during the summer. You will find their truck behind Bar Begonia where you can eat at one of the picnic tables or just do a grab-and-go. For dessert, try Ed's Real Scoop ice cream in vanilla, chocolate, or burnt marshmallow. You can also get adult beverages like beer, wine, and cocktails.

Rap's

A local record producer in Toronto's Little Jamaica was tired of not being able to find good jerk chicken anywhere so he decided to open his own full-on restaurant. On Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto, you can find Horace Rose out in front of Rap's cooking jerk chicken and other delicious Jamaican food. Although many Toronto restaurants have closed after the pandemic hit, Rap's is still cooking jerk chicken.

Food Dudes

If your taste buds are looking for something different, find one of the Toronto Food Dudes Trucks somewhere in the city, maybe even where you are staying! The Truck Burger is famous with arugula, bacon jam, and pomme frites topped with Food Dudes secret sauce. You can also get tacos, fish sandwiches, bibimbap bowls, falafels, and sub sandwiches. They even have mac & cheese balls, french onion soup dumplings, and Tijuana street fries.

Woofdawg

What used to be the Toronto Kungfu Dawg is now Woofdawg, the most popular hot dog street food restaurant in Canada. The main restaurant is found on Dundas Street West in Little Portugal and is still run by Stephen Payne. But there are food trucks all over Toronto, especially during the warmer months like summer and late spring. Try a Fried Woofdawg Bologna Sammy, a Chicago Dog, or Hotdog Poutine.

Goodness Gracious

Also known as GG's Burgers, this hip and stylish food truck is located on Lake Shore Boulevard East between Woodbine Park and Woodbine Beach all summer long. You can get the best burgers, hotdogs, fries, and onion rings in Toronto or enjoy a crispy chicken or fish sandwich. For dessert, try a funnel cake or rainbow twinkie. They even have beer and cocktails.

Smash Burgers

This famous burger stall in Toronto is well-known all over Canada because of its certified Angus beef that is never frozen on butter-toasted artisan buns. You can get them topped with a variety of cheeses, toppings, and sauces as well as chicken, salads, and sides too. You can find them near the Whole Food Market or St. Lawrence Market as well as Market 707 and Kensington Market on the south side of Dundas Street.

Where to Find the Best Toronto Street Food Spots

World Food Market

Canadians all flock to the World Food Market on Yonge Street to get a variety of cuisines such as Mexican street snacks like mango sticks and elotes, chilaquiles, and Mexican barbecue. In fact, there are 17 street food vendors, restaurants, and kiosks featuring everything from fried chicken at 6ix Fried Chicken to ice cream at Choco Churros.

St. Lawrence Market

Where else can you find so many restaurants in one place? This huge building and its parking lot are filled with more than 100 vendors including dozens of eateries, food trucks, and kiosks serving street food. Located on Front Street West in Old Toronto just one block from Sugar Beach, this is a fantastic place to shop, grab some goodies, and head to the beach for a picnic.

Stackt Market

All of the eateries at the Stackt Market downtown are redecorated shipping containers and every year, they add more so there is always a variety. Some of the current eateries include New Pie Company, Pandoughra's Box, Courage Cookies, and The Breakfast Pantry. There is even a brewery and coffee shop. Find them on Bathurst Street from noon to nine every day but Monday.

Market 707

Also known as Containerized, this group of shipping container restaurants in the city a few blocks from Kensington Market have a variety of foods served from shipping container vendors. Market 707 has everything you can think of. Stuff'D grilled cheese sandwiches, NomNomNom Poutine, Nantana Thai, and Mazar's Afghan Kitchen are just a few of the shipping container eateries along Dundas West. You will be amazed at how Market 707 looks because you cannot even tell that they used to be shipping containers.

Downtown Toronto

One of the largest groups of food trucks and street food vendors in Toronto can be found downtown. All along Queen Street West, you will find the largest number of trucks. Prince Edward's Fries is right by Toronto Eaton Center, Crazy Burrito and Choco Churros can usually be found around Yonge Street and Dundas Street West by Yonge-Dundas Square. And Don Juan's Food Truck and Big Boy Hotdog Stand are right across from the CN Tower.

Kensington Market

At Kensington Market, the shops spread out into the streets of downtown selling all sorts of goodies while the local food trucks and street food vendors sell meat, fresh fruit, bread as well as tons of poutine, ice cream, and empanadas. There is even a place where you can get a freshly opened coconut! Seven Lives Tacos is always there to serve you fresh Mex and Dipped Donuts is right near Bellevue Park where you can relax and eat.

Street Food Festivals

Food Truck Festival of Toronto

Late summer, typically the end of July, the Food Truck Festival of Toronto will have everyone out tasting their street food. It is held at Woodbine Park and the whole thing is completely free. Although, you will have to pay if you want a full meal rather than a sample. Besides the 40+ food trucks, you will also find a beer garden and other beverage stations to enjoy.

The festival also features live music and eating contests, which are always fun to watch if you do not want to compete. Who doesn't want to watch grown men and women shoving dozens of hot dogs down their throats? Some of the usual vendors include Eva's Original Chimneys, Buster's Sea Cove, 6 Spice Rack, and the Apple Fritter Factory.

Taste of the Danforth

Early in August, street food is found all over Toronto but the main food festival at this time is the Taste of the Danforth in Greektown along Danforth Street. The main location is from Chester Avenue to Dewhurst Boulevard. More than 500 thousand participants from 2,500 restaurants show up every year to support the local food business.

It is the largest street food carnival in Canada and typically brings in over 1.6 million people looking for smoked meat sandwiches, poutine, and fresh bread at Mister Greek Meat Market, gyros at Messini Authentic Gyros, and all sorts of great food at Mezes. You will have the chance to enjoy Greek food in a way that you never have before in this Greektown festival.

La Poutine Week

From the first until Valentine's Day in February, over a million people are served up the best poutine in Canada at the La Poutine Week Festival. At more than one location, you and your friends can shop for various kinds of poutine so you can vote for the favorite. The festival is an attempt to support the food business of Toronto and Canada.

Yes, it is a contest to find the best poutine in Toronto at this festival where about 2,500 restaurants, food trucks, stalls, and kiosks are there to win you over. You get to try out poutine in hundreds of different flavors and varieties, some common and some unusual. No matter what, you will surely find something you like here.

Foodalicious Food Festival

For one whole weekend in the middle of June, enjoy food, fun, and beer at the Foodalicious Festival in Toronto. It is held at Downsview Park on Carl Hall Road. Not only do you get to try a bunch of different foods, but there is also live music, carnival games, fun rides, a beer and wine garden, and even contests with cool prizes.

Some of the best food trucks in Canada will be there so come hungry. Previous vendors include the Pizza Wagon, Puff Pastes, Tong Mein, and Smoke's Poutinerie as well as Mustache Burger, Super Empanada, and Funnel Cakes Express.

Food Trucks and More

When you have had your fill of street food, grab a beverage and hang out at one of the parks or beaches. High Park is one of the favorites stretching from the Queensway to Bloor Street with a zoo, train, trails, gardens, and a pond. Toronto Islands is another great park with some of the best beaches in Toronto. Or try Bluffer's Beach, Kew Park, or Sunnyside.