Scarborough food guide: Hakka, Sri Lankan, dim sum and strip mall gems

Ask Toronto food lovers where the city's best-value eating is, and many will say Scarborough. The vast eastern part of the city is home to communities from across Asia, the Caribbean and Africa, and their restaurants, often hidden in unremarkable strip malls and plazas, serve some of the most exciting food in the country. Scarborough rewards curiosity, a car or a good transit plan, and an appetite.

Where is Scarborough?

Scarborough is the eastern part of the City of Toronto, east of Victoria Park Avenue and north of the lake, stretching up to Steeles Avenue. It is large and suburban, with food spread along major roads such as Sheppard, Finch, Ellesmere, Lawrence, Midland and Kennedy. Line 2 reaches Kennedy station, and buses cover the rest. Driving is easier for a food crawl, though parking at popular plazas fills up at peak times.

What food is Scarborough known for?

Cuisine	What to look for
Hakka	Indo-Chinese dishes like chili chicken, Manchurian and hakka noodles
Sri Lankan	Kothu roti, hoppers, crab curry and short eats
Cantonese and dim sum	Large dining rooms and Hong Kong-style cafés
Regional Chinese	Sichuan, northern dumplings, Shanghainese and more
Caribbean	Jerk chicken, roti, doubles and patties
Filipino	Barbecue skewers, sisig, adobo and bakeries
Middle Eastern and Afghan	Kebabs, shawarma and rice dishes
South Indian	Dosa and thali

What is Hakka food in Toronto?

Toronto's "Hakka" food is mostly Indo-Chinese cooking developed by the Hakka Chinese community in Kolkata, India, and brought to Canada by immigrants who settled largely in Scarborough. It blends Chinese techniques with Indian spices and heat. Classic dishes include chili chicken, Manchurian (fried vegetables or meat in a tangy, spicy sauce), hakka noodles and sweet corn soup. Many Hakka restaurants let you choose your spice level; "medium" is often spicier than you expect.

What should you order at a Sri Lankan restaurant?

• Kothu roti, chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, egg, meat and curry, with a famous clattering sound as it is made.
• Hoppers, bowl-shaped rice-flour crepes, sometimes with an egg in the centre.
• String hoppers, delicate steamed rice noodle nests with curry.
• Short eats, snacks such as patties, rolls and vadai from the counter.
• Crab or mutton curry, rich and spicy.

Is Scarborough good for dim sum and Chinese food?

Very. Scarborough, especially the Agincourt area and the north around Steeles, has large Chinese restaurants serving dim sum on weekends, Hong Kong-style cafés and many regional Chinese specialists. Weekend dim sum is busy; arrive soon after opening.

Why is so much great food in strip malls?

Strip malls offer affordable rent and parking, which suits family-run businesses serving their own communities. The result is that some of Scarborough's best food sits between a dry cleaner and a tax office. Do not judge by the sign; judge by the crowd inside.

Is Scarborough good for cheap eats?

It is one of the best areas in the Toronto region for value. Portions are generous, prices are lower than downtown, and many places are casual counters. Ontario adds the 13 percent HST to restaurant bills. Tip 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax amount at table service; at counters, tipping is optional.

Is Scarborough good for halal food?

Yes. Many Pakistani, Afghan, Middle Eastern and some Hakka restaurants serve halal meat. Ask each restaurant directly about its meat and certification.

What other communities shape Scarborough's food?

Scarborough is one of the most diverse places in Canada, and its food reflects much more than Hakka and Sri Lankan cooking:

• Chinese, from Cantonese dim sum to regional cooking from across China.
• Caribbean, with roti, patties and jerk.
• Filipino, with bakeries, grills and turo-turo style counters.
• Tamil and South Indian, alongside Sri Lankan food.
• Afghan, Pakistani and Middle Eastern restaurants, many of them halal.
• Vietnamese and Thai in plazas across the area.

Much of it is in strip-mall plazas along the major roads. The best way to explore is to pick one area and one or two cuisines, rather than trying to cover all of Scarborough in a day.

How do you plan a Scarborough food crawl?

1. Choose a cuisine theme, such as Hakka or Sri Lankan, or a road, such as Ellesmere or Sheppard.
2. Go with friends and share dishes.
3. Drive or plan transit carefully, since distances are long.
4. Start early on weekends for dim sum.
5. Bring an appetite and some cash, though most places take cards.

What else is in Scarborough?

Beyond food, Scarborough has the Scarborough Bluffs, dramatic cliffs on Lake Ontario with parks and beaches below, and the Toronto Zoo in Rouge National Urban Park. A morning at the Bluffs followed by lunch is a great day out.

On Mosey you can rate the places you ate at in Scarborough and the dishes you ordered, with photos, follow friends who know the area, and keep a list of strip mall gems. Ratings dish by dish are especially useful here, where the sign out front tells you almost nothing.

More guides to read next:

• Mississauga and Brampton food guide: Punjabi, Pakistani and Caribbean food in Peel Region
• Eating alone in Toronto: where to go and how to enjoy it
• Takeout and delivery in Toronto: how to get better food at home

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.