Start with the meal you want
- One ramen bowl with a clear starting price: Ramen Isshin, Queen.
- Chicken, rice and salad in one listed dish: Queen Mother Café.
- A French main with separate kitchen hours: La Palette.
Three orders for one person
Prices are CAD for the stated item, before drinks, dessert, tax and tip. These are menu examples rather than equivalent quantities of food. Additions and other purchases change the bill.
| Restaurant | Individual order | Posted item price | Planning detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramen Isshin Queen | Classic shoyu ramen | 18.50 | Choose the Queen menu, not another branch |
| Queen Mother Café | Ping Gai, with jasmine rice and salad greens | 27.95 | Its menu link has a /takeout/ address; confirm dine-in pricing |
| La Palette | Duck confit with cabbage and potatoes | 45 | Tuesday closure; distinguish kitchen from bar hours |
Ramen Isshin: start with a bowl, then decide on extras
609 Queen Street West · near Bathurst Street
A ramen bowl is a straightforward solo order because you can choose the broth and toppings without assembling dishes for a table. At this branch, the Queen menu lists classic shoyu at CAD18.50, with pork-and-seafood broth, pork belly, marinated egg, bamboo shoots, nori and noodles. Choose it if that combination appeals; a vegetarian bowl is a separate menu choice, not the same order with the meat removed.
The modest starting figure has limits. Extra regular noodles are listed at CAD2.80, taking an 18.50 bowl to CAD21.30 before the other bill components. Start with the bowl you want, then decide which additions deserve your money.
The official Queen branch page lists noon–9 p.m. Sunday–Thursday and noon–10 p.m. Friday–Saturday. Its phone is 647-368-4013. Contact the branch about seating or booking for one; we have not verified a public one-person reservation policy.
Queen Mother Café: let the main include the accompaniments
208 Queen Street West · near University Avenue
Queen Mother Café makes the comparison useful through the components of its Ping Gai: boneless chicken marinated with garlic, coriander and black peppercorns, served with salad greens, jasmine rice and a lime-coriander dipping sauce. The posted menu lists CAD27.95. It is one dish with the accompaniments stated, which is easier to budget than counting an unspecified main and separate sides.
Pick it when you want that chicken-and-rice format. If you want a vegetarian meal instead, the same menu labels its vegetable-curry roti and three-cheese cannelloni as vegetarian; those are different dishes worth considering on their own terms.
The menu is reached through the restaurant’s “Menu” navigation but its URL says takeout, so confirm the price for dining in. The official site gives 416-598-4719 for reservations. Ask for the one-person plan you want rather than interpreting a phone number as an available seat.
La Palette: make the main the occasion
492 Queen Street West · west of Spadina Avenue
La Palette suits the solo diner who wants to spend more on a main rather than assembling a sequence of snacks. Its official menu lists duck confit with braised red cabbage, fingerling potatoes and red-wine gastrique at CAD45. That is the specific order behind this recommendation; a higher price does not, by itself, prove a better dinner.
The menu also distinguishes mussels as an appetiser from a main with frites. Check the unit you are ordering. A smaller starter can be intentional, but it should not be mistaken for the priced main in a comparison.
The restaurant takes dinner reservations by phone at 416-929-4900 and explicitly welcomes walk-ins. That gives you two ways to enquire, with no promise about a particular seat. Tuesday is closed. Read the separately published kitchen hours if you want a later dinner; a late bar does not establish a full meal at that time.
Check the seat after you choose the plate
For one person, decide how much planning matters to the evening. If you want a confirmed table, ask the restaurant whether it takes a booking for one at your chosen time. If a walk-in suits you, keep the arrival time flexible. La Palette publishes a walk-in welcome; that is not evidence of an empty table.
When calling, give the number of diners and the time rather than simply asking whether the restaurant is busy. If a particular seating arrangement matters, ask for it explicitly. The published information does not establish a dedicated counter or guaranteed bar seat for a solo diner.
Keep your next stop in mind. The Queen Mother address is at the eastern end of this shortlist, while Isshin is nearer Bathurst. Choose the address that fits your evening as well as the dish; the guide does not require walking the whole corridor.
Spend on the dinner you want
Start with Isshin if a ramen bowl is the plan, Queen Mother for a chicken-and-rice plate, or La Palette for a French main and a larger food spend. Eating alone gives you the useful freedom to make one choice. Use it to order what you want, then confirm how you will be seated.
We researched official menus, branch pages and booking instructions on 13 October 2026. No restaurant visits or tastings underpin these recommendations.