When husband-and-wife team Michael Caballo and Tobey Nemeth launched their five-course, heat-at-home concept near the beginning of the pandemic, they sold out within 12 hours. With a staff of two, they’re offering 190 dinners a week, Friday through Sunday. A lot of it is retro food made modern, and it's excellent—even after a spin in the microwave.

This red-sauce joint is co-owned by Conor Joerin, who, along with a group of chef pals known as the Marinara Boys, has made it his mission to give back during the pandemic. His honest-to-goodness spaghetti comes in a rich pork-and-veal ragu, topped with a liberal dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano. It tastes like a hug from nonna, and it’s exactly what we need right now.

This twee Wallace-Emerson joint is now slinging baked goods, salads, sandwiches and dinner entrees to go. Donna’s beloved ham platter has been retooled for takeout as a simple stack of just four things—ham, pickled shallots, Colman’s mustard and some greens—and their signature roast beef sandwich piles paper-thin meat marinated in beef fat and honey onto a crusty Portuguese bun with parsnip, watercress and a house horseradish sauce.

Not long after closing his popular Parkdale diner, owner Grant van Gameren resurrected it as a pandemic-times pop-up. The menu is limited to four burger options, all served on Martin’s potato rolls: beef, vegan, green chorizo and, our favourite, kicky red chorizo topped with a fat slice of pineapple. And don’t forget to order some double-cooked fries, which manage to stay crispy en route.

Chef Jeff Bovis isn’t offering any of his usual seasonally driven plates. Instead, he’s selling DIY meal kits: marinated chickens, fresh pastas and sauces, dips, house-stuffed sausages and loaves of their olive-oil-slathered focaccia. Also available are some high-quality deli goodies like applewood-smoked capocollo and heritage eggs.

Two months after Chantecler caught fire, its temporary sister spot Le Phénix rose from its ashes to serve familiar Franco fare. The half-duck is still the standout. The kitchen breaks down whole Stouffville-sourced pekin ducks. The legs are cured in citrus zest, thyme and salt, then poached in duck fat. The breasts, meanwhile, are cold-smoked over applewood and finished on the stove, medium-rare. A duck demi-glace, compressed apples and a smattering of hazelnuts bring it all together.

Sour, funky and spicy best describes the flavour-packed Thai bites coming out of the Ossington kitchen that ranked No. 1 on our latest list of best new restaurants. Although a bottle of Singha is perfect for washing down tangy papaya salad dressed in unfiltered fish sauce and birdseye chilis, don’t overlook the excellent wine list, which is packed with crushable, offbeat bottles from small biodynamic producers.

The fancy lunch boxes coming out of this Harbord Village sushi spot marry Canadian produce with luxe Japanese proteins such as Wagyu beef and cherry blossom trout (a fish known for its tender pink flesh). Bento boxes overflow with a forager's delight of seasonal finds. And the Sakana Box is a gorgeous arrangement of maki and sashimi that comes with specific instructions detailing which bites gets dunked in the house-made shoyu.

Although all of Labora’s paellas are decadent, it’s the seafood one that has us salivating. Smoked paprika–seasoned bomba rice comes topped with grilled octopus, red Argentinian prawns, calamari, artichokes, capers, baby peas and dollops of saffron-lemon aïoli. To preserve the socarrat—that crunchy base—chef Rob Bragagnolo is baking these bad boys in their delivery trays.

This Queen West watering hole, known for their bar snacks, has blown up their typically tiny dishes. The eggplant parm doubledown—once a three-bite sandwich of tomato, mozzarella di bufala and basil cradled between two quinoa-breaded eggplant rounds—has been super-sized. Slices of pressed-and-salted eggplant are seared, layered with provolone and lemony ricotta and Grana Padano, then roasted. It’s all topped with San Marzano sauce and six eggplant chips.