What are your best Cafeteria Recommendations?

[fruglescot]

SEEKING INEXPENSIVE ALTERNATIVES

Is there a Department store, Industrial, Government, Hospital, Courthouse, University or any other obscurely located, public cafeteria that you could recommend for quality and/or value ?

[gillyb]

There is a good cafeteria on the top level of Sears in the Eaton's Centre. A step up from your standard plastic tray (and table and chairs and cutlery) food court setting. The salad/sandwhich combos are great value. Try the parmaham panini - so good!

[OnDaGo]

4th floor of the scotia building at Bay and King has a company cafeteria that while it may not be officially public I would go in their as a contractor and did not have company ID and was never asked for any...

[ghetto_scarlem]

I have been to the 4th floor at Scotia many times. Very good value. I have never even heard of anyone checking for ID.

[fruglescot]

PINSTRIPED
That's good information. Thanks g_s. Now I won't have to check my bankers double breasted suit out of the cleaners the next time I head up there for lunch. Btw do you know if they are just open for lunch or even later ?

[ghetto_scarlem]

Unsure of their hours. I have only been there at lunch.

I like their entree, drink & dessert for $6.75 (approx) deal. Can't really beat that.....

[OnDaGo]

I think they open for breakfast and stay open till at least 4pm

[Julie McCoy]

Not quite cafeteria, but the dining room in Osgoode Hall is another option.

[fruglescot]

Thanks Julie Mc. I've heard that you require a reservation in order to dine there.
Have yuo personally eaten there of late?

[Julie McCoy]

I haven't, but I am friends with someone who works at Osgoode. She is highly complimentary of the whole operation. Not sure on the reservations, but you may well be right.

[thenurse]

The cafe/restaurant at City Hall is decent - open to the public, too.

[halugii]

across the street from OCAD on mccaul and dundas is the village by the grange .. the food isn't amazing, but the places have been there many many years, and the only big chain there is mcdonalds. vietnamese, thai, chinese, japanese, greek, fish & chips, west indian, pizza/pasta, shawarma, schnitzel, juice.............. and a few more i think

[piccola]

The Chinese place is OK, and the pierogies at the Polish place are good.

[thought_for_food]

And the rotis at Island Foods...oh, I drool....

[jilly bean]

The cafeteria in the Toronto Star building (1 Yonge St.) is decent. The food is good, reasonably priced and the view is great.

[fruglescot]

OK. Thanks for the infornmation, jilly bean . We're off to a fast start with your helpful recommendation.

[pearlD]

The cafeteria at The Bay (Bloor & Yonge) makes terrific soups and mini loaves of bread......everything else is not worth writing about. The cafeteria at St. Joseph's Hospital is a very good all round place to eat...always looks fresh and appetizing, lots of choices but the parking lot is VERY expensive so try to find street parking(not easy). I LOVE cafeteria's...particularly in the U.S. and Las Vegas is the BEST!!! (yah, I know ..must be a holdover from my youth and the basement cafeteria at Simpsons/Eaton's...which I remember quite fondly as being allowed to choose ANYTHING after shopping with my Mom!)

[fruglescot]

Thanks for the additional 3 selections for our cafeteria recommendations,
pearlD. I'm familiar with the old Eaton's now Bay cafeteria as I used to work in that building years ago.,.Parking will not be difficult for me as I am a public transportation convert.
Are you off work today as well?

[pearlD]

Permanently off work....am retired but when I am in Toronto (8 months of the year) I do volunteer work at Baycrest and speaking of Cafeteria's ....Baycrest's cafeteria makes AMAZING Chicken Gumbo Soup but I don't remember on what day....they alternate Meat/Dairy days and I never remember which day it is, ..they also make a Sweet Potato' thing 'in their salad bar which is fabulous...I hesitate to call it 'salad' but it's cold , roasted with onions etc...really, really good!

[fruglescot]

Hi PearlD
Are you perhaps referring to sweet potatoe pie or some variation of it?
I'm looking for a pie to celebrate Black History Month.

[pearlD]

No 'frugelscot' it's entirely different...it looks like the sweet potatoes have been roasted and then large chunks fried with onions and simmered with a 'syrup/brown sugar' sauce...quite chunky, very carmelized and killer rich!!

[LovesToEat]

Oooh, thanks for this suggestion - Bay at Bloor/Yonge. I work in the area and I'm always on the hunt for next places to try. I had no idea that location of the Bay has a cafeteria!

[TheGloaming]

Is the Toronto Star cafeteria open to the public?

[piccola]

You really think so? I mean, it's not horrible - the vegetarian option's decent and they have a salad bar - but it's nowhere near spectacular. And the coffee's terrible.

Most of the time, we walk over to the Loblaws on Queen's Quay for lunch.