Restaurants on Queen Street West are mostly the realm of fast food chains, generic sushi shops and a pair of warehouse concepts, but there are some genuinely amazing restaurants along the busy street as well. You just have to hunt them down amongst all the fabric, clothing and music stores around. 

Here are my picks for the top restaurants on Queen St. West between University and Palmerston.

La Palette

This French restaurant right near Denison has come under fire several times for serving (delicious) horse, but it just seems to make it all the more tantalizing. Expect a little taste of Paris at this place that also does fabulous bone marrow, foie gras and mussels.

Zakkushi

A textbook atmosphere for enjoying izakaya cuisine, including some of the city’s best yakitori has been created at this restaurant at Markham. 

Aloette

Accessible yet upscale bistro fare like steak tartare and shakes can be found at this ultra cool counterpart to Alo just off Queen on Spadina.

Saku Sushi

It can be hard with such a high concentration of sushi places in one area to know which ones are any good, but this spot near Augusta won’t disappoint. 

Rickshaw Bar

Upscale Indian and Southeast Asian cuisine is plated beautifully at this restaurant near Bathurst.

Gandhi Roti

Not only is this spot near Bathurst one of the cheapest and most reliable roti places in the area, it’s also one of the yummiest.

Kinton Ramen

Everyone loves ramen and you can’t go wrong with a bowl of it from this chain with a location at Queen and Cameron.

Lisa Marie

Bar-friendly brunches and dinners including beloved pad thai fries are served at this relaxed spot between Markham and Palmerston.

Banh Mi Boys

Popular consensus is that if you’re craving a Vietnamese sandwich in this neighbourhood, you have to head to the location of this small chain right near Spadina.

416 Snack Bar

This place is just a little off Queen on Bathurst, but handheld bar eats draw lines even longer than those for restaurants with an address right on Queen.