Best stew in Toronto
When it’s cold outside, there’s nothing that warms you up quite like a hearty stew. The comfort food comes in many variations in Toronto, from beef to fish, so there’s lots of options for anyone craving the slow-cooked meal. Here are the best bets for a steaming bowl of stew in Toronto. [ Photo credit: Jennifer D'Agostino]
The 3 Brewers
100-120 Adelaide St W, Toronto, ON M5H 1T1This spot is a brewery first and a pub second, but you wouldn’t know that from the quality of the menu. Filled with pub classics like onion rings and burgers, it also offers up a mean stew or as they call it: Carbonade Flammande. Made with stewed beef, chunks of carrots, onions, bacon and thyme, the stew also has Amber beer. It’s served with French fries and a toasted baguette.
Biff's Bistro
4 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E 1G4A classic French dish, beef bourguignon is a must-try on the Biff’s Bistro menu. The dish is made with tender chunks of beef, Northern Woods mushrooms, pommes aligot (cheesy mashed potatoes), and finished with a red wine jus. Beef bourguignon became mainstream in North America after Julia Child’s famous recipe was first published in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I think we can thank both Mrs. Child and the chefs at Biff Bistro’s for this splendid dish.
Sin And Redemption
136 McCaul St, Toronto, ON M5T 1W2Another pub on the list, Sin & Redemption’s stew is so good it’s sinful. The Belgian Beer Beef Stew is made with beef tenderloin that is braised in Leffe Brune Abbey beer, with carrots, and onions thrown in. It is, of course, served with Belgian frites. Sin & Redemption recommends a Leffe Blonde draught to accompany the hearty stew.
Ravi Soups
322 Adelaide St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1R1When it’s cold outside, Torontonians know where to head for a warm bowl of soup. While its soups are top notch, we would like to recommend the stew, or rather “RaviStew”. The stew is packed with flavour, made with roasted chicken, baby spinach, mushrooms, wild rice, edamame, roasted yams, cilantro, crispy shallots and loads of root vegetables.
Nang Saigon
450 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1X8Not a traditional stew per se, but nonetheless, Country Style Hungarian’s Chicken Paprikash with dumplings sure hits the spot. The chicken is stewed, but is kept whole and on the bone come service time. The restaurant has been around for an astonishing 54 years. It had a recent overhaul last winter, but still maintains its traditional Hungarian menu.
The Real Jerk
842 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1Y7The Real Jerk has a variety of stews on its menu: oxtail, chicken, pork and goat. The stewed dishes are a fan favourite, and even Drake has praised the stewed oxtail. The restaurant is an institution for any Caribbean-food lover and has been known to host a music video shoot or two.
Tavoos Restaurant
1120 College St, Toronto, ON M6H 1B6Get ready to eat, because Tavoos’ Dizi Sangi is for those who have worked up an appetite. The dish consists of stewed lamb shank, lamb rib, chickpeas, white beans, potatoes, onion and tomatoes. Made and served in stone pots, called “dizi,” it takes a total of four hours for the dish to cook! The Dizi Sangi is served in two courses, the first being the drained broth, to be sipped and soaked up with torn pieces of flatbread, and then the stew is turned into a puree to be eaten with more flatbread and fresh scallions
Urban Herbivore
967 College St, Toronto, ON M6H 1A6Vegetarians rejoice, because you can still enjoy a hearty stew, sans meat! Urban Herbivore offers Moroccan Stew on the veggie-only menu. The stew includes tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, onions, celery, chickpeas, chili, tofu steaks, brown and black rice.
Adega Restaurante
33 Elm St, Toronto, ON M5G 1H1Adega’s Cataplana Fresh Fish Stew starts with a bouillabaisse of mussels, shrimp, clams and squid. The stew is aromatic and packed with flavour! Everything is cooked in a cataplana, a Portuguese steamer that steams all the fresh seafood to perfection. After the fish is steamed, it is stewed in a house-made tomato broth.
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