Top Food Spots

Chicago and Toronto

A Meal That Fits
Your Plans.

A date with the food budget in view. Dinner on your own. A lunch that works for the friend coming with you. Compare named orders, prices and practical details in our focused Chicago and Toronto guides.

Gaijin · Chicago ↗
Gaijin — photograph from the credited source
Photo: Gaijin · Official Website Photograph

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An individual pancake in the West Loop, pasta on Division Street or a seafood dinner on Ossington. Open each restaurant profile for menu examples, service details and source links.

Chicago · West Loop

Gaijin

Gaijin gives a pair of diners an individual-order plan built around Osaka-style okonomiyaki. The posted menu lists tofu with mushrooms and spinach alongside pork belly and bacon, while bok choy can become a shared addition. Choose it when each person wants a main; discuss vegan modifications with the restaurant and plan around its Monday closure.

On The Menu
Tofu Osaka-style okonomiyaki USD $19; pork okonomiyaki $25; bok choy with sesame, garlic, shoyu and fried shallots $10.
Good For
Separate Okonomiyaki Orders For Dinner
Plan Ahead
The official FAQ confirms table and chef’s-counter reservations and vegan preparations requiring modifications. Closed Mondays. Check the actual reservation terms and availability for your date.

For two: tofu okonomiyaki $19 + pork okonomiyaki $25 + bok choy $10 = USD $54 food, or $55.62 with the posted 3% charge. Drinks, dessert, tax and tip are additional. A starting order, not a promise about portions; checked October 13, 2026.

950 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL

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Chicago · Logan Square

Lula Cafe

Lula Cafe gives Logan Square diners a seasonal daytime menu with pancakes, a breakfast burrito and a tofu-and-vegetable scramble. Its Kedzie Boulevard location has a published service fee, so compare the final bill as well as the menu price. Tuesday closure matters when organizing a weekday meal.

On The Menu
Pancakes, breakfast burrito and tofu-vegetable scramble; dinner Pasta YiaYia
Good For
Seasonal Brunch In Logan Square
Plan Ahead
Daytime service: Wednesday–Monday, 9 AM–3 PM; closed Tuesday. Dinner Wednesday–Monday, 4:30–10 PM; full-menu bar service and dinner reservations. No-shows carry a $25-per-person fee.

An $18 burrito plus the published 20% service fee is $21.60 before tax and other purchases. Dinner Pasta YiaYia is USD $21 plus 20% service charge: $25.20 before tax, drinks and optional extra gratuity.

2537 N Kedzie Blvd, Chicago, IL 60647

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Chicago · Wicker Park

Tortello

Tortello’s Division Street restaurant states walk-ins only and serves pasta through a casual counter-service format. Its official menu lists separately priced pasta mains, making it useful when you want a pasta dinner and have no advance reservation.

On The Menu
Tortelli with burrata, butter, sage and hazelnuts; cacio e pepe; spaghetti al pomodoro; focaccia with ricotta and honey
Good For
A walk-in pasta meal with counter service.
Plan Ahead
No reservations; actual seating availability not established. Regular listed closing is 9 p.m.; contact the restaurant before a near-closing arrival.

USD $25 tortelli; 3% wellness charge gives $25.75 before drinks, tax and gratuity. Charge can be removed on request. Focaccia/ricotta/honey is a separate $10 order.

1746 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

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Toronto · Ossington

Foxley Bistro

Foxley is for diners who want to assemble dinner together across several dishes. Sea bream ceviche, lamb-and-duck-prosciutto dumplings, beef cheek curry and eggplant give the suggested order distinct directions. Agree on what to share before adding plates; each additional dish changes the food budget.

On The Menu
Sea bream ceviche with yuzu and shiso; lamb-and-duck-prosciutto dumplings; beef cheek red curry; eggplant with yuzu miso glaze; rice.
Good For
A varied shared order across seafood, meat and vegetables.
Plan Ahead
Use the restaurant-linked Resy page for your date and party size. Sunday is absent from the published hours, so confirm directly before making it a Sunday plan. Discuss dietary preparation requirements with the restaurant.

CAD 84.50 suggested food order for two: sea bream ceviche 24 + dumplings 13 + beef cheek curry 28 + eggplant 16 + rice 3.50. Excludes drinks, dessert, tax and tip. Quantities are not a portion guarantee; checked 13 October 2026.

207 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 2Z8

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Toronto · Ossington

La Banane

La Banane’s posted French menu separates raw-bar choices from main courses, allowing a seafood-loving guest and a meat-preferring host to plan different orders. Published celebration and reservation policies add useful details for organising the evening.

On The Menu
East coast oysters; grilled Newfoundland trout; braised lamb shank.
Good For
A raw-bar starter followed by individually chosen mains, or a researched birthday dinner plan.
Plan Ahead
Online booking accommodates up to six; larger groups require a set-menu enquiry. Official policy states no dress code. Read cancellation and celebration terms before booking.

Posted example for two: six oysters CAD32 + trout CAD48 + lamb shank CAD56 + salade verte CAD18 = CAD154, before drinks, dessert, tax and tip. Menu may differ on the visit date.

227 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, ON M6J 2Z8

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Toronto · Kensington Market

Hawker

Hawker gives a Kensington lunch plan a useful choice between weekday sandwiches and a weekend brunch menu. The day changes the included sides as well as the price, so decide when you will meet before choosing the order.

On The Menu
AAA eggplant sandwich; signature smoked sandwich.
Good For
A plant-based lunch with weekday and weekend formats to compare.
Plan Ahead
Use the official booking route. Monday and Tuesday lunch are not part of the published schedule. Check the correct service menu before ordering.

AAA eggplant sandwich CAD15 with house salad at weekday lunch; CAD21 with garden salad and roasted potatoes at weekend brunch. Per dish, before drinks, extras, tax and tip.

291 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2M2

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What Is The Plan?

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Chicago

Dinner for Two in the West Loop With the Menu Math Up Front

Before booking dinner in the West Loop, agree on how you want to eat. A pasta each and a roast chicken to share can cost nearly the same here, but they ask different things of the two people at the table. These four choices show a starting order and the published added charge. Choose your format, then budget for drinks, dessert, tax and tip.

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Chicago

A Wicker Park Dinner When One Friend Eats Vegan

Your vegan friend wants dinner; you want to suggest a place where both of you can order something you look forward to. Start with Handlebar for several plant-based comfort dishes, Sultan’s Market for a falafel dinner, or Big Star for tostadas alongside someone else’s pork tacos. Each solves a different version of the evening. Here is what to order, what the posted prices establish, and how to plan for a seat.

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Chicago

Solo Dinner in Logan Square Without Ordering for a Crowd

You want dinner in Logan Square, not an order designed around whoever might join you. In Logan Square, start with a burger that includes fries, a cafe-classic pasta, or one of Daisies’ separately priced pastas. The useful comparison is the order you can build for yourself, with the restaurant’s added charge included in the planning figure. These three choices give you that starting point—and distinguish a bookable dinner from a bar seat whose availability still needs checking.

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Toronto

Dinner for Two on Ossington With the Food Budget in View

Decide whether you want your own pizza or a tableful of dishes to share before booking dinner on Ossington. Here are three starting orders you can price before choosing: CAD49 for two pizzas and a small plate, CAD84.50 for a mixed order at Foxley, or CAD89 for fish, chicken, bread and fries at Paris Paris. That is food money, not the final bill. Start with the kind of order you both want, leave room for the extras, and check the restaurant’s service days against your plans.

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Toronto

A Little Italy Date Built Around Two Plates of Pasta

If your idea of a date is a pasta each and something to share, start with the order rather than a ranking of romantic rooms. On College Street, Café Diplomatico lets you choose a pasta shape and sauce, Contrada offers a more specific pair of filled or ribbon pastas, and Sotto Voce has a Monday package that changes the spending calculation.

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Toronto

Late Dinner On Queen West: Choose By Food-Service Hours, Not Bar Closing Time

Check the kitchen hours before relying on a 2 a.m. closing time. On and just off Queen West, these three restaurants publish more useful information: La Palette separates kitchen hours from bar service, Bar Poet states its main-menu window, and Fox On John gives its late food menu a start and finish time. Choose around the time you expect to order, then compare the meal. The options stretch from John Street to Dovercourt; a late steak plate near one end and pizza at the other are different plans, even when both fit the clock.

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