This Opinion article is part of a Narcity content series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
I grew up in Pickering, Ontario and over the years I've visited innumerable little hole-in-the-wall restaurants as well as hidden gems that people outside of the Greater Toronto Area and Durham likely have never heard of.
My family is of Caribbean background, so we've of course visited quite a few places that serve that kind of cuisine and we've also been introduced to so many other great spots outside of that kind of food as well.
From the best roti in the 905 to delicious Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican and more, here are some of the best restaurants in the GTA that you might want to hit up the next time you're taking a visit to the suburbs.
Good Pho You
Price: 💸
Address: 235 Bayly St W Unit 17, Ajax, ON L1S 3K3
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Located just off the 401 at Bayly in Ajax, Good Pho You is tucked into an unassuming-looking plaza that serves some of the best pho I've ever had, and that includes the pho I had while in Vietnam a few years ago.
For about $18, you get a giant serving of soup that'll easily feed you twice, and you can choose from so many customizations.
I love all of their phos, but one of my favourite dishes to order is the Rare Beef and Flank Pho with Tom Yum broth — it's a different kind of rich than their traditional pho broth and feels like a warm, spicy hug, which is especially delicious in winter.
It is a bit snug in there in terms of seating, but ordering your meal to-go is always a great option.
Don't forget to try the kimchi fries!
Chúuk
Price: 💸 💸 — 💸💸
Address: 774 Liverpool Rd, Pickering, ON L1W 1R9
Cuisine: Mexican
Located in Pickering near Frenchman's Bay, Chúuk offers some seriously stylish decor and food that one doesn't often find in the GTA.
Their tacos are absolutely mouth-watering (I particularly love the Baja Fish Tacos!) and they have a wide variety of creative cocktails such as the Ugly Duckling, which is made with rum, lime leaf, tamarind, toasted coconut, lime, angostura.
I personally always go for the Pink Jaguar, which is made with tequila, Cointreau, prickly pear, lime and hibiscus, because a tequila-based bevvy while nibbling on tacos just feels right.
Gourmet Malaysia
Price: 💸 —💸💸
Address: 4466 Sheppard Ave E #101, Scarborough, ON M1S 1V
Cuisine: Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian specialties
Located at McCowan and Sheppard in Scarborough, Gourmet Malaysia has such an extensive menu that you're never going to find yourself getting bored with it.
You'll definitely want to get the classics like Nasi Lemak with Banana Leaf and Sambal Beef with Rice, but if you're at a loss with how to approach the menu, just ask your server and they'll point you in the right direction — I've certainly had to ask for recommendations before as I'm not very familiar with the cuisine and I've never been lead astray.
Mona's Roti
Price: 💸
Address: 4810 Sheppard Avenue East, Scarborough, ON M1S 4N6
Cuisine: Trinidadian
Also around the Shephard and McCowan area is Mona's Roti, which I've been going to for years and years.
From doubles to paratha roti to dahlpuri, there's no one who does it better than Mona's and the prices are extremely reasonable. Their curries and jerk chicken are also excellent — it's basically a one-stop shop for all your Caribbean cuisine needs.
That being said, this isn't a place where you'll find a spot to sit and eat - the inside of this little location is basically standing room only, and there's almost always a lineup that snakes outside of people waiting to pick up their pre-ordered food.
Food Time
Price: 💸 — 💸 💸
Address: 1660 Kingston Rd, Pickering, ON L1V 5R2
Cuisine: Pakistani and Indian
Located at Brock Road and Highway 2 in Pickering, my family has been ordering from Food Time for years.
Their chicken biryani is super flavourful and comes absolutely packed to the brim in a takeout container and their tandoori chicken is spicy and delicious.
They also have really great daily specials to keep your eye on where you can get a few dollars off some of their most popular items like butter chicken and chana masala.
Thai Orchid
Price: 💸 — 💸💸
Address: 1450 Kingston Rd, Pickering, ON L1V 1W9, Canada
Cuisine: Thai and Malaysian
Located at Valley Farm and Highway 2 in Pickering, this Thai restaurant packs a serious flavour punch at a pretty reasonable price.
Their Thai hot and sour soup is delightfully spicy and the green chicken curry is just to die for — whenever I visit my parents in Pickering, this is one of my favourite spots to stop at and I find it comparable if not better than some of the fancy Thai restaurants in Toronto, which is where I currently live.
My favourite feature from Thai Orchid is their lunch special — for about $13, you can get one of their most popular dishes like pad Thai, basil beef, cashew nut chicken and more which comes with a drink and rice, should your meal require it.
Now that's a deal!
Tandoori Flame
Price: 💸💸💸
Address: 8150 Dixie Rd, Brampton, ON L6T 5N9
Cuisine: Indian
And finally, while Tandoori Flame in Brampton isn't exactly a "hidden gem," I'm not sure people are aware of how extremely delicious this buffet is.
The buffet itself is massive, with 150 items, 12 food stations and live cooking and has all the staples of Indian cuisine like samosas, tandoori, various curries and biryanis, and of course desserts like halwa, kheer, rasmalai and gulab jamoon.
I'm not a person with a very big appetite so I sometimes find buffets to be not worth the bang for my buck in terms of how much I'm going to eat, but in this case, the price is absolutely worth it for how authentic, tasty and fresh all of their items are.
Enjoy!
I grew up in the GTA and these are the hidden gem restaurants we don't want you to know about
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