If you don’t know Matty Matheson, I’m going to assume you’ve been living under a rock, or at the very least, have quit all things television, social media, and pop culture. Oh, and that you’re not in the know about the best restaurants in Toronto.
Matheson, one of the first chefs in the city to become a household name, is one of Canada’s most recognizable culinary figures. A chef, a restaurateur, an internet personality, and an actor whose messy, unfiltered energy made him the breakout star he is today.
Launching his career, Matheson began building his public persona on VICE’s Munchies days — a YouTube channel created by VICE Media that explores food culture through gritty, character-led lenses. He’s hosted spinoff shows with the same media group, built a YouTube empire, launched his own line of food products through Matheson Food Company, opened countless restaurants across Toronto and beyond, and that’s not even the half of it. Matheson is simply inescapable in this city.
He’s one of the few chefs to make their way from behind the scenes to centre stage (and in front of the camera on FX Production’s The Bear). Covered in tattoos, rocking his signature moustache, and deeply connected in the restaurant world, Matheson represents a version of Toronto’s food scene that carries the weight of this industry. The culinary backbone, representing the unpretentious, seriously diverse, and simply delicious food most Torontonians crave.
While he currently resides in Fort Erie with his wife and children, his ties to the Toronto food scene are undeniable – so naturally, everyone wants to know one thing. Where the f**k is Matheson eating in the city?
Unlike curated “best of” lists, Matheson’s favourite spots tend to represent something deeply personal for him, giving off the kind of energy that feels like you would stumble across these spots after a late night or an aimless Sunday afternoon. From Caribbean family institutions to Chinatown staples, I did the digging so you could do the dining: here are the restaurants Matty Matheson has shouted out, dined at, or publicly worked alongside.
Cafe Polonez
The beating heart of Roncesvalles Ave, Cafe Polonez has been serving traditional Polish comfort food for over 40 years, making it exactly the kind of place that fits Matheson’s taste.
The restaurant has long been known as a neighbourhood institution, serving up hearty plates of pierogi, schnitzel, and cabbage rolls. Bringing the Polish community of Toronto a small slice of home. As the city’s cultural hub, it’s opened its doors multiple times to Polish government leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But according to the owners, Matheson is a regular in this comfort spot — and to me, that means more than Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visiting the restaurant where he participated in a pierogi-making lesson.
King’s Noodle Restaurant
Matheson, if you’re reading this, your Toronto favourites were hard to come by.
In a TikTok interview with microcreator Sean Castillo, Matheson was asked a simple question: ” What are you loving in Toronto right now?
First up on the list: King’s Noodle.
Located in the heart of Chinatown, this long-standing Cantonese spot is famous for its BBQ meats, fresh, springy noodles, and its no-nonsense service. It’s busy, loud, and always reliable. In an interview with the Toronto Star, where he discussed four places Matheson misses whenever he’s out of town, the first on the list was King Noodle for their roast pork and duck. Insiders say this is a go-to neighbourhood spot for chefs and restaurateurs. As a late-night restaurant in the city, Matheson would grab himself a post-shift meal and a round of beers for under 20$. Offering quality, authentic meals and a sense of nostalgia for the chef. This is peak Matheson taste: no frills, all flavour.
Lao Thai
Mentioned in the same interview, and clearly on an asian-cuisine run, Lao Thai is a small, family-run spot near Queen West serving up Laotian home-style cooking. Referring to anything related to Laos, this Southeast Asian cuisine is known for its use of fresh herbs, sticky rice, spicy flavours, and a signature umami flavour derived from pa-dek (fermented fish sauce). Easily confused with its Thai neighbours, Laotian food uses less coconut milk and leans into those bitter, herby, grilled flavours. This spot specifically is known for its Nam Khao, a crispy rice salad, paired with its fried chicken. The kind of comfort food that can comfort you while still bringing you something new.
Again, the pattern is clear: Matheson gravitates towards places that feel organic, raw, and real.
Yummy Yummy Dumplings
The third and final spot from that TikTok interview: Yummy Yummy Dumplings is about as authentic as it gets. This well-loved Toronto staple is a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Huron Street, sandwiched between countless other Chinese-owned spots. Here, aesthetic is not the focus. Just consistently good dumplings made from scratch with every order. Not every meal needs to be a production; sometimes, the best places are the ones you almost miss.
Allwyn’s Bakery
This is one of the few spots on the list that needed no digging; there are no subtleties here. In a 2017 Facebook post, he wrote:
“ALLWYN’S ALWAYS WINS.”
Alongside a photo of the team. This Caribbean chain is a staple to Torontonians, famous for its jerk chicken and stuffed patties. The restaurant has grown from a family spot to a chain with over five locations across Toronto and the GTA, building a cult following.
They’re bold, messy, and flavour-packed, exactly what you’d expect from a Matheson-approved spot. Much like his personality, this spot knows how to catch you off guard and keep you pleasantly surprised.
Island Foods
In an Interview with the Toronto Star, Matheson mentions a restaurant opening he was most excited about: the reopening of Island Foods in 2023.
This decades-old, family-owned and operated institution was forced to close in 2019 due to condo development just before the pandemic. Matheson, alongside many other Torontonians, missed their favourite dishes in the years it was gone. For many, it’s the Trinidadian doubles.
Doubles are a form of Caribbean street food: two fried flatbreads (baras) filled with curried chickpeas (channa) and topped with tamarind, cucumber, and pepper sauces. For Matheson, it was the vegetable dinner plate. Coming in at $11.25 total, Matheson’s hitting us with another budget-friendly showstopper. The bowl starts with a base of coconut-scented rice, green pigeon peas, and a choice of two vegetables. Proof that Matheson lives for a local family business.
The Owl of Minerva
In Matheson’s own cookbook, he reminisces on a kimchi stew he holds near and dear to his heart: one that came to him at 3 a.m.
Local Torontonians are well aware of the fact that he’s referring to the Chinatown location of Owl of Minver a–previously open until the wee hours of the night. However, in the past couple of years, they have shortened their operating hours (now only open until 4 a.m. on weekends). The soup can only be described as warm, bright, and comforting. It is filled with thick, chewy noodles in a salty, briny broth. Matheson searches for comfort food beyond the North American classics.
