Top Five: the best butchers in Toronto
Boutique meat shops that sell impeccably sourced cuts
1 Sanagan’s Meat Locker, Kensington Market’s cult-followed butcher shop, pictured above, sells the usual staples (Berkshire and Tamworth pork, dry-aged Angus beef), as well as some more daring proteins, like rabbit, quail and wild boar. 176 Baldwin St., 416-593-9747.
2 At Custodio’s, his namesake storefront, Jason Custodio packs the display cases with raw and prepared seasonal farmed game like wild boar side ribs, ground bison, venison stock and quail marinated in orange juice. 121 Roncesvalles Ave., 647-350-6328.
3 Ben Latchford spent 20 years working in Toronto butcher shops before opening Roast, his own place on St. Clair West, where he sources Tamworth pigs from Perth Pork Products and potato-finished beef from P.E.I. 786 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-657-6278.
4 Côte de Boeuf, Ossington’s Parisian-style butcher, dry-ages all its meat (elk, boar, water buffalo) to concentrate its flavour. Even the birds get a stint in the dry-aging room, giving partridge and guinea fowl a crispier skin. 130 Ossington Ave., 416-532-2333.
5 The long-awaited new location of the boutique butcher Cumbrae’s has finally opened on Queen West. The shop has a ham bar (featuring cured pork from around the world) a dry-aging chamber and a special French rotisserie. 714 Queen St. W., 416-681-1111.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/best-butchers-toronto/&title=Top Five: the best butchers in Toronto&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/best-butchers-toronto-624x395.jpg&description=Boutique meat shops that sell impeccably sourced cuts
[caption id="attachment_303050" align="aligncenter" width="656"] Sanagan's Meat Locker (Image: Dave Gillespie)[/caption]
1 Sanagan’s Meat Locker, Kensington Market’s cult-followed butcher shop, pictured above, sells the usual staples (Berkshire and Tamworth pork, dry-aged Angus beef), as well as some more daring proteins, like rabbit, quail and wild boar. 176 Baldwin St., 416-593-9747.
2 At Custodio’s, his namesake storefront, Jason Custodio packs the display cases with raw and prepared seasonal farmed game like wild boar side ribs, ground bison, venison stock and quail marinated in orange juice. 121 Roncesvalles Ave., 647-350-6328.
3 Ben Latchford spent 20 years working in Toronto butcher shops before opening Roast, his own place on St. Clair West, where he sources Tamworth pigs from Perth Pork Products and potato-finished beef from P.E.I. 786 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-657-6278.
4 Côte de Boeuf, Ossington’s Parisian-style butcher, dry-ages all its meat (elk, boar, water buffalo) to concentrate its flavour. Even the birds get a stint in the dry-aging room, giving partridge and guinea fowl a crispier skin. 130 Ossington Ave., 416-532-2333.
5 The long-awaited new location of the boutique butcher Cumbrae’s has finally opened on Queen West. The shop has a ham bar (featuring cured pork from around the world) a dry-aging chamber and a special French rotisserie. 714 Queen St. W., 416-681-1111.){kind=link}
No Gasparro’s? Ridiculous.
Also… missed Fresh from the Farm!
Oh, hey, Toronto Life, there is an error in the title. I believe you must have intended to call the article “Top Five: the best butchers in Toronto WEST OF YONGE STREET”. There is no other explanation, other than the fact that the author(s) of this piece don’t get around the city very much, to explain why the entries are all concentrated in the west end. Your navel-gazing is particularly amusing when you got to fantastic Cumbrae’s as No. 5, which has been serving Torontonians to much acclaim on Church and Bayview for years, yet you only seemed to include it on your list because it has finally (FINALLY!) opened a location on Queen Street WEST (thus giving you the opportunity to try it for the first time!).
Karena, Toronto Life is unaware Fresh From the Farm exists, as it is so very far away from the west end. It’s even EAST OF THE DON RIVER!
BTW, Toronto Life, you should venture outside your bubble and try the Meat Department on the Danforth.
If you live on the Danforth, try Ellas meat market! I started going to Sanagan’s after I moved from the east and Ellas is cheaper with the same quality
Stock-in-Trade at Greenwood and Danforth is great!! They have a great selection of meat and their staff is amazing. Also, if you’re hungry…you can always pick up one of their premium sandwiches.
must try STOCK AND TRADE on danforth east of greenwood. liver pate to die for chicken or duck
So true! I live by St. Lawrence market but still travel there to get my grass fed meat and bones! It is a great butcher shop/specialty grocer with great service!
Thank you! Although it’s not surprising because Toronto Life, just like Now Magazine (which gets most of it’s ‘research’ from Toronto Life Daily Dish articles) focus on West Toronto 95% of the time. Royal Beef, Stock In Trade come to mind. But don’t exert yourself Toronto Life. We don’t expect any focus outside of the usual areas you concentrate on almost exclusively now.
Cheese Boutique for beef cuts!!
Not sure if this list is top 5 all bunched together or #1 is the best, #2 is the 2nd best etc etc… If the 2nd option is the method used I can only say NO CHANCE Cumbraes is way down at the bottom… Just because some of the shops are new and fresh that does not make the quality of meat any better. Cumbrae’s is still the butcher with the highest quality products I guarantee 100%. Now the price & cost is a whole different story.