After this summer, the definition of patio season needs to be changed. We’d much rather a hearty snack and the promise of tolerably cool weather than baking in the sun, no matter how cold the drink. That’s why September is the best time to visit College Street, Toronto’s reigning champion of alfresco eating.
We all know about Grant van Gameren’s Bar Isabel and Bar Raval and their delicious menu options. However, there are plenty of other highlights to tour for eating and drinking in one of the city’s most diverse ’hoods. With the opening of PG Clucks for fried chicken sandwiches, a niche beer bar called Birreria Volo and B’saha, a Moroccan restaurant, College is getting more attention than it has in a while. Here are six standbys to check out along with the newcomers.
The authentically Italian taken on deep-fried mac 'n' cheese from A3 Napoli
A3 Napoli
The restaurant named after an unfinished Italian highway is one of the highlights of our culinary walking tour of College. All of the permutations on the mothership’s pizza (Pizzeria Libretto co-owns A3 with Porchetta & Co.) are the best bets.
A battilocchio — the half-sized version of the pizza stuffed with ricotta and cured pork and then deep-fried — makes an ideal shareable snack. The frittatina (a fancy, Neapolitan, breaded and fried mac ’n’ cheese) is good but, like the other fried bites, tends to be oversalted. 589 College St., 416-588-6006
The Walton
“Hidden gem” doesn’t go far enough in describing College’s best, if humble, backyard patio. Wood panelling and abundant foliage create a tree-fort-for-adults atmosphere, complete with understated, well-made cocktails and snacks good enough to make them into a meal.
The Algonquin, with its warming Rittenhouse rye and tropical pineapple, is the ideal libation for easing into cooler weather. They do really good cheese and charcuterie, but try as much of the “fisk” menu as you can manage. Inspired by Scandinavia, it keeps the focus on cured and pickled seafood. The Skagenröra (lead photo) is a delightfully light combination of shrimp and creamy dill dressing, served on rye with roe on top. 607 College St., 647-352-5520
The Valentino with bacon
Rudy
Cutely named burgers and a sparse retro decor are the two most obvious characteristics of the recently opened Rudy. Digging deeper, we find that the Valentino, a.k.a. their fried chicken sandwich, is the menu’s high-water mark, especially when it’s “tattooed” — Rudy-speak for adding bacon. 619 College St., 647-748-7839
The Fish Store
For over a decade, this family-owned seafood counter has been showing Little Italy that frills and complicated cooking aren’t necessary for success. Instead, a simple sandwich of grilled-on-the-spot fish and a soft Portuguese bun are the cornerstone of the menu. Your best bet is to go with a more flavourful fish — such as Arctic char — because the vinaigrette can overwhelm more delicate varieties. 657 College St., 416-533-2822
Soi Thai
With open front windows and a supremely colourful decor, Soi Thai feels like an all-weather, indoor patio. The menu draws from every corner of Bangkok’s street food universe and deftly sidesteps any mention of pad Thai, forcing diners to dip into waters outside of their comfort zone.
Draw from the tapas section that includes highlights like lui suan (fresh spring rolls with shrimp), flavour-packed pla tod nam pla (marinated and deep-fried fish) and yum gai zaap (fried chicken bites that get their crunch from toasted rice).
It’s easy to put together a meal of small plates to go with a well-chosen local craft beer, like Muskoka Detour, or Thai iced tea, which is house-made in the traditional style and served in large beer mugs. 651 College St., 647-345-8838
National Bakery & Pastry
With so much savoury, we needed a separate stop just for sweet. The recognizable Portuguese custard tarts are very good, but it’s the other baked goods that really stand out. Order the shatteringly crisp palmier and the coconut bun, which lays the tropical flavour on thickly. 812 College St., 416-536-9981
