Where to find the best meals for $10 or less in Kensington Market
More Budget Bites
We’re scouring the city—neighbourhood by neighbourhood—to find the best budget-friendly, belly-filling meals at independently run kitchens. In this edition, we bring you our top picks from Kensington Market, a neighbourhood popular with tourists and locals alike for its small shops and restaurants. Here, 10 of our favourite places in the neighbourhood where you can find affordable, filling meals.
Tacos 101
The prices at Julio Campos’s taqueria are low enough to mix and match menu items to make a full meal. Pair a chicken tamale ($5) and a perfectly pineapple-y al pastor taco ($5) for a DIY $10 combo.
More budget bites: A birria taco, two corn tortillas—one on top of the other, for stability—stuffed with slowed-cooked beef stew and garnished with onion and cilantro, plus a cup of consommé on the side for dipping ($6 each).
Eat Nabati
This 100 per cent plant-based spot fuses Egyptian flavours with Canadian ingredients. Everything on the menu is under $10, but the Mama Shawarma pita, stuffed with soy-based “chicken,” pickled veggies, garlic sauce and tahini, is the thing to get ($9).
More budget bites: The Egyptian falafel, rice and lentil bowl ($10).
The Dirty Bird Chicken and Waffles
This Kensington Market chicken kitchen has been churning out crunchy, juicy fried fowl for seven years. Menu must-haves include the half-pound boneless bites with fries ($9.50) or the OG Chicken Sandwich, perfectly crispy boneless thighs and pickles dressed with house aioli on a potato bun ($9.50).
More budget bites: The Dirty Fries, hand-cut taters covered in cheddar cheese, fried onions, special sauce and house aioli ($9.50).
Fresca Pizza and Pasta
Just across College Street, on the market’s northernmost edge, are some of the city’s best New York–style slices. For $5, you can get a saucy, cheesy piece of heaven—large, floppy and begging to be folded in half. Some squiggles of Fresca’s famous garlic-herb sauce add an indulgent layer of flavour.
More budget bites: A margherita calzone ($7.50).
Rasta Pasta
This Kensington Market classic really stretches the limits when it comes to how much food can be crammed into a takeout container. Even a small order of chef-owner Magnus Patterson’s Jamaican Mi Crazy Chicken—his signature jerk chicken meal, served with rice and veggies—is gut-busting in the best way ($10).
More budget bites: The Sicilian, a sandwich stuffed with jerk meatballs in spicy tomato sauce ($10), is Rasta Pasta’s culinary philosophy in panini form.
Egg Bae
There’s nothing better at this breakfast counter than the namesake sandwich, a house-made bun layered with soft scrambled eggs, chives, Muenster cheese, slow-cooked onions and special sauce ($8).
More budget bites: The Bae-Sic, a heftier sandwich that stacks fried egg, pork belly sausage, tomato jam, slow-cooked onions, cheese and Bae Sauce on a house-made bun ($10).
Crumbs Gourmet Patties
Chef-owner Pierre St. Rose’s standard patties, filled with beef or curry chicken, ring in at $4.50 each. But, for a more substantial meal, there are the Upgraded Remixed versions, patties crammed with a slice of cheese and stuffed into coco bread ($6.50). It’s carbs on carbs (on beef on cheese) and we’re here for it.
More budget bites: The Crumbs Pizza Pouch, a beef or curry chicken patty layered with mozzarella cheese and topped with pepperoni ($7).
Ozzy’s Burgers
This fully halal burger joint turns out a lot of over-the-top creations (topped with things like onion rings and chicken tenders), but the cheeseburger, a six-ounce beef patty topped with cheddar, caramelized onions, lettuce, pickles and house sauce, is a classic for a reason ($8).
More budget bites: The house poutine, hand-cut fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy ($8).
Jumbo Empanadas
If regular-size empanadas are great, it follows that jumbo empanadas would be even better, right? This Chilean kitchen’s calzone-size empanadas—giant golden-brown pastry pockets filled with beef, chicken or veggies—are a snack and a half ($6.50).
More budget bites: The Chilean humitas, mashed sweet corn, onion and basil wrapped in corn husks and steamed to perfection ($6).
Saigon Lotus
For just $7, this vegan Vietnamese Thai spot turns out plant-based banh mi on house-made baguettes. We like the sweet and savoury one stacked with caramel seitan and all the pickled fixings.
More budget bites: The spicy, crispy vegan chicken banh mi ($7).
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We’re scouring the city—neighbourhood by neighbourhood—to find the best budget-friendly, belly-filling meals at independently run kitchens. In this edition, we bring you our top picks from Kensington Market, a neighbourhood popular with tourists and locals alike for its small shops and restaurants. Here, 10 of our favourite places in the neighbourhood where you can find affordable, filling meals.
Tacos 101
The prices at Julio Campos’s taqueria are low enough to mix and match menu items to make a full meal. Pair a chicken tamale ($5) and a perfectly pineapple-y al pastor taco ($5) for a DIY $10 combo.
More budget bites: A birria taco, two corn tortillas—one on top of the other, for stability—stuffed with slowed-cooked beef stew and garnished with onion and cilantro, plus a cup of consommé on the side for dipping ($6 each).
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eat Nabati (@eatnabati)
Eat Nabati
This 100 per cent plant-based spot fuses Egyptian flavours with Canadian ingredients. Everything on the menu is under $10, but the Mama Shawarma pita, stuffed with soy-based “chicken,” pickled veggies, garlic sauce and tahini, is the thing to get ($9).
More budget bites: The Egyptian falafel, rice and lentil bowl ($10).
View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Dirty Bird Chicken+Waffles (@dirtybirdto)
The Dirty Bird Chicken and Waffles
This Kensington Market chicken kitchen has been churning out crunchy, juicy fried fowl for seven years. Menu must-haves include the half-pound boneless bites with fries ($9.50) or the OG Chicken Sandwich, perfectly crispy boneless thighs and pickles dressed with house aioli on a potato bun ($9.50).
More budget bites: The Dirty Fries, hand-cut taters covered in cheddar cheese, fried onions, special sauce and house aioli ($9.50).
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fresca Pizza and Pasta (@frescapizzatoronto)
Fresca Pizza and Pasta
Just across College Street, on the market's northernmost edge, are some of the city’s best New York–style slices. For $5, you can get a saucy, cheesy piece of heaven—large, floppy and begging to be folded in half. Some squiggles of Fresca’s famous garlic-herb sauce add an indulgent layer of flavour.
More budget bites: A margherita calzone ($7.50).
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rasta Pasta (@eatrastapasta)
Rasta Pasta
This Kensington Market classic really stretches the limits when it comes to how much food can be crammed into a takeout container. Even a small order of chef-owner Magnus Patterson’s Jamaican Mi Crazy Chicken—his signature jerk chicken meal, served with rice and veggies—is gut-busting in the best way ($10).
More budget bites: The Sicilian, a sandwich stuffed with jerk meatballs in spicy tomato sauce ($10), is Rasta Pasta's culinary philosophy in panini form.
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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eggs Before All Else (@eggbaeto)
Egg Bae
There's nothing better at this breakfast counter than the namesake sandwich, a house-made bun layered with soft scrambled eggs, chives, Muenster cheese, slow-cooked onions and special sauce ($8).
More budget bites: The Bae-Sic, a heftier sandwich that stacks fried egg, pork belly sausage, tomato jam, slow-cooked onions, cheese and Bae Sauce on a house-made bun ($10).
[caption id="attachment_580032" align="alignnone" width="4000"][/caption]
Crumbs Gourmet Patties
Chef-owner Pierre St. Rose’s standard patties, filled with beef or curry chicken, ring in at $4.50 each. But, for a more substantial meal, there are the Upgraded Remixed versions, patties crammed with a slice of cheese and stuffed into coco bread ($6.50). It’s carbs on carbs (on beef on cheese) and we’re here for it.
More budget bites: The Crumbs Pizza Pouch, a beef or curry chicken patty layered with mozzarella cheese and topped with pepperoni ($7).
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ozzy's Burgers (@ozzysburgers)
Ozzy's Burgers
This fully halal burger joint turns out a lot of over-the-top creations (topped with things like onion rings and chicken tenders), but the cheeseburger, a six-ounce beef patty topped with cheddar, caramelized onions, lettuce, pickles and house sauce, is a classic for a reason ($8).
More budget bites: The house poutine, hand-cut fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy ($8).
View this post on Instagram A post shared by four hangry girls (@fourhangrygirls)
Jumbo Empanadas
If regular-size empanadas are great, it follows that jumbo empanadas would be even better, right? This Chilean kitchen’s calzone-size empanadas—giant golden-brown pastry pockets filled with beef, chicken or veggies—are a snack and a half ($6.50).
More budget bites: The Chilean humitas, mashed sweet corn, onion and basil wrapped in corn husks and steamed to perfection ($6).
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nique's Vegan Eats (@niquesveganeats)
Saigon Lotus
For just $7, this vegan Vietnamese Thai spot turns out plant-based banh mi on house-made baguettes. We like the sweet and savoury one stacked with caramel seitan and all the pickled fixings.
More budget bites: The spicy, crispy vegan chicken banh mi ($7).
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