Hot dog! This new Junction spot specializes in top-notch street meat
Tino’s is all about those tube steaks
This past May, Venezuelan-born Rafael Bastidas (the owner of Inmigrante, an excellent Latin kitchen in the Beaches) and his wife, Valerie Jil, joined the Junction’s restaurant scene with a loud Get yer hot dogs heeeeeeere!
To the untrained eye, Tino’s—with its bright-orange accents, funky stadium seating and adorable wiener dog logo—appears to be the mom-and-pop sausage shop version of a street-meat vendor. They’re just hot dogs, right? But take a closer look: the roster of juicy dressed-up dogs and super-fun sides are more chef-driven, less roller-grilled. “I came to Toronto 14 years ago and have worked in many Latin kitchens since, including my own,” says Bastidas. “But, since my wife and I had our son, Valentino, we’ve wanted to build a place around family.”
Bastidas decided on hot dogs because of the family-friendly vibes they evoke. “Since I moved to Toronto, I noticed that hot dogs represent family and summer and baseball—and I love that,” he says. “But I also wanted them to be a year-round food, like they are in Latin America, where I’m from.”
At Tino’s, the recipe is simple: pork, beef or veggie wieners stuffed into pillowy house-made potato buns and topped with things like guacamole, corn sauce, various pickles, chimichurri and crunchy potato sticks. There are currently seven internationally inspired dogs, including Mexican, Chilean, Brazilian and, of course, Venezuelan versions, but guests who desire different topping combinations can also go the DIY route.
There are also side dishes beyond the standard french fries—though they have those too, and even in waffle and yuca varieties. Joining the crispy taters are fried chicken pops, plantain croquettes and tequeños, a Venezuelan take on a mozzarella stick, stuffed with melty asadero cheese. For dessert, think milkshakes in unexpected flavours, like dulce de leche and orange cream, as well as homemade cookies and doughnuts that occasionally involve peanut butter and bacon.
Summer may be fleeting, but this hot doggery is here to stay.
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Erin Hershberg is a freelance writer with nearly two decades of experience in the lifestyle sector. She currently lives in downtown Toronto with her husband and two children.
