What’s on the menu at the Foodie Aisle, Union Station’s new grab-and-go food court
The food options just got better for tourists, downtown workers and commuters (remember commuting?) at the country’s busiest transit hub. Union Station’s new Foodie Aisle (in the Bay Street Concourse) houses local vendors serving some of the city’s favourite fast-casual food trends: dim sum, tacos, fried chicken, roti and smash burgers. People passing through can grab their breakfast, lunch or dinner meal to-go, or enjoy it at one of the dining area’s huge harvest tables. Here’s a look at the current vendors and what to order at each.
Butter Chicken Roti
Here you’ll find the same crowd-pleasing curries that BCR serves at its 20-plus locations in the GTA, all stuffed inside made-to-order roti. Round out the meal with butter chicken wings, chaat or samosas.
What to get:
There’s the signature butter chicken roti that fills its pliable shell with boneless chicken breast in a creamy tomato curry sauce. Also: veg-friendly saag paneer; samosa chaat, a party in a bowl that tops two samosas with chana masala, chutney and spices; gulab jamun for something sweet; and to drink, mango lassi.
Grand Tacos Taqueria
Run by Nancy Manotas of St. Lawrence Market’s Manotas Organics and Fine Foods, Grand Tacos Taqueria offers healthy-ish takes on Mexican classics. Manotas makes her tortillas using organic corn and tops them with a variety of superfoods.
What to get:
If it’s protein you’re after, the Temprano Verdura Power tops organic corn and plant-based cheese with black beans, chickpeas, avocado, tomatillos, local grown greens, and herbs. If we’re talking tacos, there are grass-fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free beef tacos and fish tacos packed with smoked fish from Manitoulin Island. To drink, there’s cold-pressed juice that can be supplemented with all kinds of stuff, like a collagen booster.
Mean Bao
The fifth outpost of this Toronto-born bao specialist serves up a dim sum-inspired menu of steamed-to-order dumplings, rice bowls and, of course, bao stuffed with classic fillings (pork belly) and not-so-traditional (jerk chicken).
What to get:
The pork belly bao is the best-seller, but there’s also a veggie version stuffed with tofu and enoki mushrooms. Also: pork-and-shrimp dumplings and a filling bowl that tops purple rice with two meats (pork belly, braised beef), a soft-boiled egg and edamame.
Mikey’s Smash Burgers
Chef Michael Angeloni (Amano, Union Chicken) gets smashy at his new counter that specializes in burgers made using locally sourced AAA beef (on Martin’s potato rolls, naturally). Sides include seasoned fries, poutine and jalapeño cheese fries.
What to get:
There’s the Classic Bacon, a leveled-up cheeseburger; a stuffed mushroom burger for the meat-free option; and a pastrami patty melt on Texas toast with pickles, secret sauce and lots of cheese.
Union Chicken
Union Station’s second location of this fried chicken joint (it’s not called Union Chicken for nothing) is strictly sandwich-focused.
What to get:
Choose from classics like the OG with maple honey and slaw; the super-spicy Nashville Lightning Hot; or past sandwich specials from their sit-down restaurant, like the Buffalo Blue topped with blue cheese dressing. House-made potato chips are tossed in their signature Route 86 Spice (named after the bus route chef Michael Angeloni used to take to his first-ever kitchen job). To drink, there’s a selection of stuff from The Soda Pop Bros, sugar cane–sweetened soda in flavours like Lime Rickey, Cherry Cola and Polynesian Punch ($3.75 each).
 at the country’s busiest transit hub. Union Station's new Foodie Aisle (in the Bay Street Concourse) houses local vendors serving some of the city's favourite fast-casual food trends: dim sum, tacos, fried chicken, roti and smash burgers. People passing through can grab their breakfast, lunch or dinner meal to-go, or enjoy it at one of the dining area's huge harvest tables. Here’s a look at the current vendors and what to order at each.
Butter Chicken Roti
Here you'll find the same crowd-pleasing curries that BCR serves at its 20-plus locations in the GTA, all stuffed inside made-to-order roti. Round out the meal with butter chicken wings, chaat or samosas.
What to get:
There's the signature butter chicken roti that fills its pliable shell with boneless chicken breast in a creamy tomato curry sauce. Also: veg-friendly saag paneer; samosa chaat, a party in a bowl that tops two samosas with chana masala, chutney and spices; gulab jamun for something sweet; and to drink, mango lassi.
Grand Tacos Taqueria
Run by Nancy Manotas of St. Lawrence Market’s Manotas Organics and Fine Foods, Grand Tacos Taqueria offers healthy-ish takes on Mexican classics. Manotas makes her tortillas using organic corn and tops them with a variety of superfoods.
What to get:
If it's protein you're after, the Temprano Verdura Power tops organic corn and plant-based cheese with black beans, chickpeas, avocado, tomatillos, local grown greens, and herbs. If we're talking tacos, there are grass-fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free beef tacos and fish tacos packed with smoked fish from Manitoulin Island. To drink, there's cold-pressed juice that can be supplemented with all kinds of stuff, like a collagen booster.
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Mean Bao
The fifth outpost of this Toronto-born bao specialist serves up a dim sum-inspired menu of steamed-to-order dumplings, rice bowls and, of course, bao stuffed with classic fillings (pork belly) and not-so-traditional (jerk chicken).
What to get:
The pork belly bao is the best-seller, but there's also a veggie version stuffed with tofu and enoki mushrooms. Also: pork-and-shrimp dumplings and a filling bowl that tops purple rice with two meats (pork belly, braised beef), a soft-boiled egg and edamame.
Mikey’s Smash Burgers
Chef Michael Angeloni (Amano, Union Chicken) gets smashy at his new counter that specializes in burgers made using locally sourced AAA beef (on Martin's potato rolls, naturally). Sides include seasoned fries, poutine and jalapeño cheese fries.
What to get:
There's the Classic Bacon, a leveled-up cheeseburger; a stuffed mushroom burger for the meat-free option; and a pastrami patty melt on Texas toast with pickles, secret sauce and lots of cheese.
Union Chicken
Union Station's second location of this fried chicken joint (it's not called Union Chicken for nothing) is strictly sandwich-focused.
What to get:
Choose from classics like the OG with maple honey and slaw; the super-spicy Nashville Lightning Hot; or past sandwich specials from their sit-down restaurant, like the Buffalo Blue topped with blue cheese dressing. House-made potato chips are tossed in their signature Route 86 Spice (named after the bus route chef Michael Angeloni used to take to his first-ever kitchen job). To drink, there's a selection of stuff from The Soda Pop Bros, sugar cane–sweetened soda in flavours like Lime Rickey, Cherry Cola and Polynesian Punch ($3.75 each).
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