*By: Deepi Harish*
Toronto’s ever-expanding city gives way to the rise of stylish restaurants to accommodate the growing hungry masses. Locals and visitors are always looking for where they should eat right now. More specifically, desperately wanting to know the names of the trendiest restaurants that serve quality dishes, a uniqueness factor, within a vibrant but not too jam-packed environment. There are plenty of restaurants in Toronto that fit the above bill and are constantly killing it. However, their popularity also makes them difficult to get into, let alone to score that perfect table.
By connecting with chefs and directly contacting a slew of restaurants, we’ve put together a list that will help you navigate some of Toronto’s busiest restaurants, despite their no-reservation policy. You’ll learn the days and times when line ups are bad — requiring tons of patience and comfortable shoes, and not so bad.
Best Days To Get Into Toronto’s Busiest Restaurants That Don’t Take Reservations
Famiglia Baldassarre (122 Geary Ave.)
Scene: Sit in an industrial kitchen and eat the freshest pasta in town
Neighbourhood: Dovercourt Village
Famiglia Baldassarre offers a unique experience because it’s a pasta factory that you can eat in while watching pasta being made and assembled. This is strictly a lunch spot. Line ups start around 11:15am. Their busiest times are 12–3pm every day. Normal wait time is half an hour, however if you come in on a Tuesday you’ll be waiting half the time, give or take.
Khao San Road (11 Charlotte St.)
Scene: Classic Thai, 90’s hip hop and an animated crowd
Neighbourhood: Entertainment District
There’s always a long line of people outside of Khao San Road, even though the prices have gone up significantly from when they first opened. You’re looking at an hour wait on Fridays through Sundays, from 5pm onwards, while on Mondays and Tuesdays expect to wait thirty minutes or less.
Sugo (1281 Bloor St. W)
Scene: Casual, classic Italian, with checkered white and red tablecloths and tiled floors to match
Neighbourhood: Bloordale Village
Sugo is the place to go when you’re craving ladles of classic Italian red sauce. This place is busy every day, with usual wait times hovering around thirty minutes. However, if you’re able to make it on a Wednesday, chances are you’ll get a spot faster than you would on any other day.
Hanmoto (2 Lakeview Ave.)
Scene: Japanese izakaya in a very dark, grungy, limited space
Neighbourhood: Dundas West
If you plan to dine at this creative hole-in-the-wall izakaya, be prepared to wait for one-to-two hours, from around 9–11:30pm. When that happens, your best bet is to put your name on a list, kill time by grabbing a drink nearby and anxiously await Hanmoto’s text. The other option is to go there as soon as they open at 6pm. Overall, Tuesdays are a little more chill, which means the queue to get in is bearable. This compressed spot is great for late-night-eats, as their kitchen is open until 2am.
416 Snack Bar (181 Bathurst St.)
Scene: All over the map eats with a chill hipster vibe
Neighbourhood: Queen West
Photos c/o 416 Snack Bar 
This no-cutlery eatery is all about getting your sensory experience on — eating with your hands. Their busiest days are Thursdays to Saturdays from 6pm to midnight, with a wait time of up to ninety minutes. 416 Snack Bar offers a waitlist with a call back service, so you have the option to leave and come back. Monday nights are generally the least busy, to the point where you may even be able to walk right in, if you’re lucky. Fridays to Sundays from 12–4pm are also quiet, which equals little-to-no wait time.
Kinton Ramen (various locations)
Scene: Good old-fashioned ramen with a bustling staff that shouts out greetings and goodbyes
Neighbourhood: Multiple locations
One of the first ramen shops in Toronto, Kinton Ramen is up to five locations in the city. Ramen lovers are committed to lining up for a solid thirty to forty-five minutes for dinner on Fridays and Saturday nights, while Sundays and Mondays are a bit slower. If you’re down to have an early 5pm dinner or late lunch around 2pm, you can snag a table without waiting, especially at their Bloor West location which is their biggest.
Aloette (163 Spadina Ave. 1st Floor)
Scene: Bistro meets upscale diner vibes
Neighbourhood: Alexander Park
The man behind the upscale Alo, Chef Patrick Kriss, created this sister spot located three storeys below. Aloette carries all the diner classics, such as burgers and sundaes but with a dollop of sophistication. Even their servers wear bowties. Aloette is primarily a walk-in restaurant, unlike Alo which requires months of advance notice. Although every day is different, Mondays through Wednesdays tend to have a lesser wait time, from the hours of 2:30–5pm, perfect for the late lunchers or early dinner people.
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