Five Toronto takes on schnitzel, the comfort food classic
Including one with house-made brown-butter plum sauce, one with beef tripe and one with roasted lion’s mane mushrooms
Limon
1 Jonathan and Benjamin Mishaev’s mother made them Israeli-style schnitzel when they were growing up. At Limon, they prep it the same way, forgoing the typical European process of pounding the chicken into thin cutlets. Benjamin seasons his with a signature shawarma spice blend to add warmth and depth, then coats it in a mix of panko and traditional breadcrumbs for maximum crunch. Served with a choice of sides. $28. 1968 Queen St. E., limonbeaches.com
Maven
2 Maven chef and owner Shauna Godfrey channels tonkatsu vibes with her schnitzel, brining chicken breasts overnight before coating them in panko for a super-juicy inside and an ultra-crispy outside. Her brown-butter plum sauce—made with salted and fermented plums, shallots, and white soy—is a kind of hybrid between umeboshi and the plum sauce she ate growing up. The dish is accompanied by a dollop of Kozlik’s mustard and a lemon wedge for tang. $32. 112 Harbord St., maventoronto.ca
General Public
3 At General Public, executive chef James Santon pulls off a magic trick by turning this traditional meat-and-potatoes plate into a hearty vegetarian dish. He roasts lion’s mane mushrooms to intensify their flavour and firm up their texture before he pounds, breads and fries them schnitzel-style. A buttery grenobloise adds tangy richness, and pommes purée makes this meatless take stick-to-your-ribs substantial. $35 (side of mushy peas extra). 201 Geary Ave., generalpublic.ca
Linny’s
4 Beef tripe may sound like a divisive base for schnitzel, but at Linny’s, head chef Ethan Rogers went all in on his deli-inspired menu, which uses more than just prime cuts. To make the off-cut more crowd-pleasing, Rogers braises the tripe in fortified chicken stock for up to four hours, then breads it, deep-fries it and serves it with a rich chicken gravy seasoned with garlic and onion to give it that familiar diner-style zing. $32. 176 Ossington Ave., linnysrestaurant.com
Romi’s
5 Romi’s riff on the dish lands somewhere between classic schnitzel and fried chicken. Chef-owner Tomer Markovitz slices a chicken breast in half horizontally, then brines it but skips the flattening step in order to preserve its meaty texture. A panko crust brings the crunch, and mustard plus a special seasoning blend pack in flavour. It comes with a choice of two sides: fries, chopped salad or mujadara rice. $21. 744 St. Clair Ave. W., romisbakery.com
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Jessica Huras is a freelance writer and editor with over a decade of experience creating food, travel and lifestyle content. She’s a content editor for the LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine, and her work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Chatelaine, Toronto Life and Elle Canada, among other publications.
