late night food... One place that has become my frequent go to spot for late night food is Sizzlers on Yonge. Aside from the fact that it is like 2 seconds away from where I live, this place serves all types of food, from burgers and poutines to gyros and fish & chips. Sizzlers also specializes in late night food as they proudly advertise their place being open until 5 am daily. It would also be no surprise to find the place pretty busy at around 3 or 4 am.
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The reason I first tried this place was because the McDonald's at Yonge and College is often super busy especially on weekend nights when everyone is looking for some quick, tasty, cheap food to fill their late night munchies. I usually get their Home Beef Burger ($4.95 + tax), which, at under $5 is an awesome deal to grab a quality open flame grilled burger late at night (or any time of the day). The usual toppings like lettuce and tomatoes are free, but things like bacon and cheese cost a bit more. Another item I often get is the poutine (small- $3.49 + tax, large- $5.99 + tax). I usually get the small, which is the one in the picture, which is more than enough as they fill up one of those aluminum foil containers (I can't even imagine how much more a large one will be lol).
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My friend Tony from school also came here and tried the Gyro Pita ($4.99 + tax), which was basically a pita with a bunch of meat, onions, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce. I didn't try this but it looked like there was plenty of meat and my friend Tony was pretty satisfied with this Gyro. Sizzlers also has fish and chips, which comes in 2 sizes: 1/2 fish ($9.99 + tax) and 1/4 fish ($7.49 + tax). This also comes with a salad and a big plate of fries and tartar sauce. They just use frozen fish pieces (1/2 fish= 2 pieces, 1/4 fish= 1 piece), but sometimes that is exactly what you are craving for!
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As a late night spot, Sizzlers is great as you can even get other items such as t-bone steaks, salmon steaks, ribs and fajita's up to 5 am! I consider this place to be like a better version of McDonald's. Although it is more expensive than Mickey D's, it is a good alternative, as nothing else is usually late at night (or early in the morning). They are open between 11am- 5am everyday and are located just North of College on Yonge. They also offer delivery between 5pm- 5am. Here is their delivery area.
Sizzlers on Yonge
460 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
416-966-4714
pizza... After my previous post about Cora Pizza, I received some comments on the Good Food Toronto Fan Page from Allison and Lulu saying that close by PaPa Ceo's Pizza was much better. With these comments, I had to go and try out PaPa Ceo's. It is actually 2 stores next to Cora's, and both pizza places get a large amount of customers from UofT.
The first thing you notice when you walk into PaPa Ceo's is all there different pizzas that they have on display (they advertise "20 gourmet slices to choose from" on a sign in front of the store). They've even named many of their pizzas after hollywood stars like "Marlon Brando," "Al Pacino" and "Rambo."
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I went with my friend Jackson, as we were planning to play some ball at the UofT Athletic Centre across the street afterwards. As for the pizza, I got a slice of the "Marlon Brando" (toppings: Pesto & Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Ham, Ground Beef, Onions and Mushrooms). Jackson got a slice of the "Rambo" (toppings: Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Ham, Sausage and Parmigion Cheese). Both of these cost $3.99 taxes included and more basic pizzas like a Pepperoni will run you $3 flat. The "Marlon Brando" slice that I had tasted really good, especially with all the toppings that provide plenty flavour (especially the ham!). In comparison to Cora's next door, I think Papa Ceo's wins out with better combinations of toppings and generally tastier slices, although Cora's has their own unique slices and thinner crusts.
PaPa Ceo's is also great for late night pizza runs as it is open everyday from 10 pm- 4 am. They have a couple of ghetto looking tables in the back that probably seat about 10-12 people, which is good enough if you just need a place to chow down the tasty pizza. Since I'm always in the area, I'll definitely be coming back here, although I will still mix it up by going to Cora's from time to time. My preference is definitely still Martino Pizza at Dupont and St. George.
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PaPa Ceo Fine Italian Foods & Pizza
654 Spadina Ave.
Toronto, ON M5S 2H7
Daily 10:00am- 4:00am
Tel: (416) 961-2222
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pizza... I was about to play some pickup baksetball at UofT, but the courts were closed, so me and my friend Will decided to go grab something to eat instead. We wanted something close by, fast and cheap so Will suggested we go to Cora Pizza, which is right by the UofT downtown campus. Cora Pizza is a small pizza shop with the majority of its customers being UofT students. They have barely any seating available except one small table, so expect to grab a slice to go if you come here.
They serve a wide range of Pizzas, from simple slices($3.50/slice, taxes included) like Pepperoni and Deluxe to specialty ones like the Cha Cha Cha that me and Will got ($4.00/slice, taxes included). I had gotten the Cha Cha Cha before, which is covered in Roasted Chicken, Mushroom, Onions and Red Peppers. This seems to be a very popular slice and it tastes really good. The toppings, giant slices and value definitely make the pizza good here, although I found the slices lacking the proper amount of cheese (I usually love that melting, gooey cheese on my pizza!).
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Cora Pizza is an awesome place for students at the UofT campus as it is so close. They are also open until 2 am on weekdays and until 4 am on Fridays and Saturdays, which makes it a great place for some late night eats, especially when your drunk and need some cheap after partying food!
Cora Pizza
656A Spadina Avenue,
Toronto, ON, M5S 2H7
416-922-1188
late night... For the past month and a half I've been working as a server at the karaoke place, TEN 23. With my late hours, I've been grabbing late night meals after work at Fantasy Eatery. In the early morning (ex. 3-4 am), this Chinese restaurant is an awesome alternative to McDonald's. Fantasy Eatery serves some really good Cantonese style Chinese food and best of all, it is open until past 4 am everyday. I usually come here with my friend Roger (who also works at TEN 23), and we order the same stuff every time.
When we can, we always call in to order a steamed egg with minced pork dish (pictured top left), which takes longer to make. Within the steamed eggs are pieces of minced pork and century egg (aka the thousand year old egg from fear factor), which gives it lots of flavour and tastes amazing when you mix it with rice. Another dish that we regularly order is the Fook Kin Fried Rice (pictured bottom right), which is egg fried rice with a wet sauce poured over it. The sauce gives lots of flavour to the rice and even has tons of shrimp, scallop, barbecue pork and vegetables in it. I don't normally order Manchu Wok style dishes like sweet and sour pork at Chinese restaurants, but Fantasy Eatery makes the best sweet and sour pork in Toronto (pictured top right). The pork is breaded just enough and deep fried to crispiness and then stir fried with vegetables and the sweet and sour sauce.
We usually order about 4 dishes for 3-4 people and it runs us about $10 /person each time (we're more than full each time too!). Other dishes we also get on a regular basis include the pork neck stir fry dish, deep fried large intestine (tastes mad good, if you don't know what it is, you gotta try it!) and some other vegetable dishes. The last time we went there, it was my friend, Karen's birthday and she wanted lobster, so we had a giant lobster stir fried on top of a bed of E-Fu noodles... where else can you eat lobster at 4 am in the morning?!
Fantasy Eatery is located in Scarborough just north of Finch on Midland (in the 3rd plaza north of Finch on the west side). Late nights, it is especially busy on the weekends when lots of people make the trek here to grab food after clubbing and partying. They also have a location in Times Square that closes earlier at 2 am, and I prefer the Midland location.
Fantasy Eatery
3320 Midland Avenue
Scarborough, ON M1V 5E6
(416) 332-0288
wendys... After a long day and a serious nap, I woke up around 11 pm craving some burgers. I've been kind of tired of McDonald's so I headed out to my local Wendy's (Don Mills/York Mills). When people think Wendy's, they usually think of the Baconators because of all those damn commercials, but I gotta stick with the value menu cause that is where the real deal is at (you can get real food for Baconator prices!). My usual order and what I got last night was a Stack Attack Combo (basically same as a double cheeseburger) with sides of a Small Frosty and a Caesar Salad ($3.99 +tax). In addition to that I also got a Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe which has lettuce/tomatoes($1.49 +tax). Wendy's does taste better than McDonald's and the variety of sides is what draws me there everytime (although I have to mix it up with different fast food joints). For a fast food place, Wendy's makes some good Caesar Salad. They give you a box of lettuce with a decent amount of Mozzarella/Bacon Bits with a pack of Caesar sauce and a pack of Croutons on the Side (instructions on how to eat below). It's a good change from fries. They also have baked potato, chili, garden salad, yogurt and mandarin oranges that you can choose from instead of fries as a side.
Quick Notes: If you are planning to order an extra burger/sandwich from the super value menu like I always do, make sure you order the expensive burger (ex. stack attack, which is $1.99) as a combo first since all the combos are $3.99, then add the cheaper burgers after (ex. Jr. Cheesburger Deluxe at $1.49). This way you will save about 50-60 cents. Trust me... it adds up! Gotta be thrifty! Also the drive through closes at 12 am (McDonald 24 hour locations wins here).
Instructions on how to eat the Caesar Salad:
- Open all Packages (Salad Box, Croutons, Caesar Sauce)
- Dump Croutons package into Salad Box, followed by Caesar Sauce (adjust amount to your liking... the more the tastier, the less the healthier... but hey you're eating at Wendy's already.lol)
- Close Box. Shake Vigourously!!! Shake Vigourously again. Open Box. Enjoy!
brinner... Brinner is the new brunch. By Brinner, I mean getting food at 4am, way after dinner and way before breakfast. So after going to Burrito Boyz, my friends and I were hungry yet again. We had a hotel room at the Sheraton across from Nathan Phillips Square, so we went over to the lone fry truck that was still open (on Queen Street @ Nathan Phillips Square). At 4am on a saturday night, it was not surprising that there was a lineup of about 4-5 people when we got there. These fry trucks make some really cheap food and are known for their poutines and fries. I went for the combo of Hot Dog's and Fries ($4.50) with free gravy. The hot dog was your typical street meat and was decent, but unfortunately gravy ruined the meal for me. The fries were typical "oily fry truck fries", but the gravy was clearly sour and by the time we got back to the hotel and ate in the lobby, we were too lazy to go back and request an exchange. These fry trucks are usually alright, but you gotta be careful with cleanliness. I know many people could care less when its 4 in the morning and they just want some cheap food fast, but you gotta be careful with getting sick. That being said...I can't lie... my affinity for good deals will definitely bring me back to get a poutine here, but I will definitely look out for sour gravy (just nastyyy)!
Quick Note: This is unrelated to food, but a good tip for getting a hotel cheap is to use priceline.com, where you can bid for hotel rooms. My friends used the site and ended up getting the room at the Sheraton, a 4 star hotel, for about $45/night (+ fees, coming to around $60). This is great for tourists and even a good option if you do not live downtown and plan to go clubbing, as you can crash at a hotel within walking distance from clubs, not worry about driving and not worrying about cleaning up after intense pre drinking.
hungerrrr... I had some intense hunger last night after partying it up downtown. As we were walking on Adelaide, we saw Burrito Boyz and it was a must visit. It was around 2:30 and the place was packed with Saturday night party goers lined up and eating in and around the restaurant. Burrito Boyz serves different types of Burritos including steak, chicken, halibut and shrimp in small and large sizes. I chose to go with the Large Halibut Burrito, recommended by a friend of mine from Ottawa who had done intense food research. This was an awesome choice as the fish tasted awesome in a Burrito loaded with beans, cheese, rice, salsa, guacamole, green onions, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers and some other stuff. I never though fish would taste good in a Burrito, but its a definite winner! My friend ordered a steak Burrito, but was accidentally given a Shrimp Burrito in the mass chaos of people trying to get their food. Ironically, the mix up turned out to be good as the Shrimp one is also really tasty especially with the cheesiness of the Burrito.
Quick Notes: The Large Halibut Burrito ($10 flat after tax) was definitely the most popular item at Burrito Boyz as I saw many people order this. If you're planning to go after a night of mad partying, just be prepared to wait for awhile, as these Burritos take awhile for them to make. The order is a 2 stage process, where you wait in line to choose your toppings then wait in line again for them to put the Halibut, shrimp, chicken, etc into your Burrito and grill it up. Large is huge, but when your hungry late at night, you gotta go with large. Other than the Halibut one, the other Burritos are 1 or 2 dollars cheaper. Where is this Mexican burrito haven? It's at 218 Adelaide Street West and its open till 4 am on Fridays and Saturday (and until 9 pm on Sundays, until 11 pm on Thursday, until 10 pm Monday-Wednesday).
late night munchies... Nothing special with this post, just good old mickey d's. Mcdonald's is crap food and leaves a taste in your mouth that doesn't go away but its cheap and always reliable! Usually I will only go to Mcdonald's for their breakfast "mmm. sausage egg mcmuffin!". It was late tonight though and I wasn't sure where to go so I hit up the York Mills/Leslie location (open 24 hrs) at around 1:30 am. As usual, I had to go with the $1.39 value menu- Junior Chicken, Double Cheeseburger and Small Fries (Total after tax was: $4.71).
Quick Notes: Very underated on the value menu are the 2 pies for $1.39. Very good quantity for value ratio! They got strawberry pies right now too which are alright, but apple is still the best. On a not so good note, the new big mac wrap, which is basically a wrap with a big mac patty inside looks like dirt. If anyones tasted that crap, I'd definitely like to hear about it (never know, cause those double cheeseburgers are addictive...)
Update: I haven't tried the "Mac Snack Wrap" yet but I thought I would post a pic so everyone knows what I'm talking about. ughhh, big mac in a wrap...looks so dirty,lol...
