Pai Northern Thai Kitchen
Entertainment District
The line is forKhao soi, and the pad see ew
Toronto's most-waited-for Thai restaurant.
Worth the waitExpect: Up to an hour at dinner
Beat it: Go at weekday lunch, or put your name in early
What's this line for? · Canada
What's this line for in Toronto?
The 11 food lines you'll walk past in Toronto, and what the people in them are waiting for. For each: what to get when you reach the front, how long it usually takes, whether it's worth it, and how to beat it.
See a line? Ask Chef.Take a photo of any line, anywhere, and email it to food@chefamazing.com. Chef writes back with what it's for, what to order, and whether it's worth the wait. Keep Location on so he knows where you are.
Carousel Bakery
St. Lawrence Market
The line is forThe peameal bacon sandwich
The sandwich Toronto is known for.
Worth the waitThe peameal bacon sandwich is the one Toronto dish worth a queue at St. Lawrence Market, and the line moves.
Expect: 15 to 30 min on Saturdays
Beat it: Go early in the week
Bang Bang Ice Cream & Bakery
Ossington
The line is forIce cream sandwiched in a puffy cream puff
The ice cream puff that summer feeds are full of.
Worth the waitReviewers say there's always a line for a reason: the cream puff sandwiches.
Expect: Long lines on summer nights
Beat it: Go in the afternoon
Pizzeria Badiali
Trinity Bellwoods
The line is forA pepperoni slice, or a whole pie
Toronto's most talked-about pizza.
Worth the waitExpect: 30 to 60 min on weekend nights, sells out
Beat it: Go at opening
Lady Marmalade
Leslieville
The line is forEggs Benedict and the huevos
The brunch the east end lines up for.
Worth the waitExpect: 30 to 60 min at weekend brunch
Beat it: Go on a weekday
Bonjour Brioche
Leslieville
The line is forCroissants and a quiche
A French bakery and brunch spot that's been busy for decades.
Worth the waitExpect: 30 to 45 min on weekends
Beat it: Go on a weekday
Sheng jian bao (pan-fried pork buns), four at a time
Sang-Ji Fried Bao
Yonge & Bloor
The line is forSheng jian bao (pan-fried pork buns), four at a time
Pan-fried Shanghai buns with a crisp bottom, watch the soup.
Worth the waitExpect: 15 to 30 min
Beat it: Go mid-afternoon
Mother's Dumplings
Chinatown
The line is forPork and dill dumplings, boiled, and the pan-fried pork buns
Handmade northern Chinese dumplings since 2005.
Worth the waitExpect: 20 to 45 min on weekends
Beat it: Go on a weekday lunch
Uncle Tetsu's Japanese Cheesecake
Downtown
The line is forA whole jiggly cheesecake, fresh from the oven
The jiggly cheesecake that set off Toronto's viral-dessert lines.
Worth the waitExpect: Lines around the block when it opened, 10 to 30 min now
Beat it: Go early afternoon
Kimchi fries and the braised pork belly bánh mì
Banh Mi Boys
Queen West
The line is forKimchi fries and the braised pork belly bánh mì
A Vietnamese-Korean sandwich counter that keeps a lunch line.
Worth the waitExpect: 15 to 30 min at lunch
Beat it: Go after 2pm
Blackbird Baking Co.
Kensington Market
The line is forSourdough and the morning pastries
Toronto's best bread, from a small Kensington Market shop.
Worth the waitExpect: Weekend lines at the market shop
Beat it: Go on a weekday morning
Waits are what people usually see, not live times, and lines move and vanish: check hours before you go. Picked from Chef Amazing's Long lines lists (checked open Oct 23 2026) and checked against the press on 2026-11-12: tablejourney.com · blogto.com · narcity.com.