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GuideUpdated July 16, 2026

3 Best Places for Poutine in Toronto

Where to find the best poutine in Toronto — each restaurant rated 4.0★ or higher. Top-rated at 8.6★. Spanning middle eastern and burgers kitchens. Curated by TastyPals.

The best places for poutine in Toronto are Lazeez Shawarma, Duke's Refresher St Lawrence, Fran's Restaurant. Start with Lazeez Shawarma if you want the strongest overall first pick.

By Marcus Chen•3 ranked picks•Published July 16, 2026•Updated July 16, 2026
Methodology•Editorial team
Lazeez ShawarmaDuke's Refresher St LawrenceFran's Restaurant
3 Best Places for Poutine in Toronto
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Top picks at a glance

#1Lazeez ShawarmaMiddle Eastern • Thorncliffe Park • value#2Duke's Refresher St LawrenceBurgers • St. Lawrence Market • $#3Fran's RestaurantDiner • Toronto • $

Who this guide is for

This guide covers the highest-rated spots for poutine in Toronto. Whether you're a local hunting your next regular or visiting and want to eat well, these picks are sorted by quality and review depth.

Quick picks

Lazeez Shawarma
Middle Eastern • Thorncliffe Park
Lazeez Shawarma is an easy middle eastern option in Thorncliffe Park in Toronto to suggest without needing a long explanation. Rocks & Sticks and Shawarma Wrap also give you a decent sense of the menu.
Duke's Refresher St Lawrence
Burgers • St. Lawrence Market
Duke's Refresher occupies a specific and deliberately chosen lane: a 450-seat, 70s-inflected room inside St.
Fran's Restaurant
Diner • Toronto
Fran's Restaurant is a smart brunch call when the morning is supposed to feel a little more like an occasion. Fran's Wings and Poutine also give you a decent sense of the menu.
Browse all Toronto restaurantsBack to Toronto hub
Editorial details
Author: Marcus Chen
Published: July 16, 2026
Last updated: July 16, 2026

On this page

  1. 1. Lazeez ShawarmaView →
  2. 2. Duke's Refresher St LawrenceView →
  3. 3. Fran's RestaurantView →

How the restaurants compare

Editorial restaurant image stand-in for Lazeez Shawarma
Google
Lazeez Shawarma
Thorncliffe Park • Middle Eastern
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
value
Best for
Halal comfort
Mood
Thorncliffe Park
Editorial restaurant image stand-in for Duke's Refresher St Lawrence
Google
Duke's Refresher St Lawrence
St. Lawrence Market • Burgers
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
$
Best for
classic
Mood
St. Lawrence Market
Editorial restaurant image stand-in for Fran's Restaurant
Google
Fran's Restaurant
Toronto • Diner
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
$
Best for
breakfast
Mood
Casual

How we chose

We looked for restaurants that feel like a strong fit for the guide topic, not just the most obvious names in the city. The shortlist favors rooms with clear mood, dependable pacing, and enough distinction to help someone decide faster. Read our full methodology →

Room tone

Lighting, pace, and general energy all need to support the reason someone clicked this guide.

Food fit

We favored restaurants that feel best suited for the moment, not just restaurants with broad reputation.

Useful range

The final list tries to give readers enough variation in neighborhood, price, and style to compare real options.

3 ranked picks

Duke's Refresher St Lawrence — Duke's Refresher occupies a specific and deliberately chosen lane: a 450-seat, 70s-inflected room inside St. Lawrence Market equipped with arcade games, a mini basketball court, and table tennis — not despite its location in one of Toronto's most serious food neighbourhoods, but because of it. SIR Corp, the group behind Far Niente and Reds Wine Tavern, made an intentional counterintuitive bet here, and by most accounts it reads as conviction rather than miscalculation. The room is designed for groups who want forty-plus taps, live music, and the option to play ping-pong between rounds. That is not a hedge toward respectability — it is the concept, committed to without apology. The menu, overseen by Chef Tim Tutton, is structured around dishes that can survive a kitchen running at full capacity on a Friday night — a harder standard than it appears at scale. The Spicy Pig Burger and Haddock Fish & Chips function as the anchors, both reportedly consistent performers under volume. The Poutine has drawn specific and repeated praise in documented customer feedback; given the proximity to Market vendors, diners appear to hold it to an appropriately elevated standard. The Bacon Caramel Mini Donuts are consistently cited as the late-order move — unambiguous in intent, reportedly popular as a closer. The Sweet and Spicy Pizza serves the practical function of accommodating tables that cannot align on a single direction. None of this repositions Canadian pub food; it executes within its register at price-point one, which is the correct ambition for what the room is. Practical considerations matter here more than most. The semi-private spaces are worth requesting for groups above eight — the full floor can render smaller parties acoustically invisible. The bar area reportedly allows more deliberate engagement with the tap list than the arcade side permits. The well-documented local pattern: arrive after the Saturday Market closes, order the Poutine and the Mini Donuts, and get ahead of the evening crowd before 6 p.m. or accept that you have joined the event rather than attended a meal. View restaurant →

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St. Lawrence MarketThorncliffe ParkMiddle EasternBurgersDinerdinnerlunchtakeout

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Save these spots to your Toronto list

Save these spots to your Toronto list in the TastyPals app, then explore similar restaurants when you want a tighter shortlist for the night.

Personalized city picksCleaner shortlistsBuilt for iPhone and Android
TastyPalsTonight
Your taste. Our picks.
Smarter follow-through after the guide: better restaurant context, quicker narrowing, less second-guessing.
For tonight
Date night spots with warm rooms and polished service
Next step
Keep exploring in the app when you want a tighter shortlist