Best Grab & Go Lunch in the Eaton Centre
Toronto’s famous Eaton Centre, right across the road from the Pantages Hotel, is as renowned for its dining options as for its shopping.
Whether you’re looking for a quick lunch in downtown Toronto or the city’s best cheap eats, the historical shopping centre has just the right thing to fuel you up.
Healthy
If fresh, colourful fruits and vegetables are your idea of a perfect lunch, the savants of raw and superfood nutrition at Refuel Juicery will give your energy a jumpstart. Serving cold pressed juices, smoothies, and protein shakes, this Toronto-based chain is popular for its juice cleanses.
Gourmet
Espresso drinks, grab-and-go lunch options and made-to-order smoothies are all on hand here when your energy begins to dip. Ebar is one of several dining options by Nordstrom, which also counts Bar Verde among its offerings in the Eaton Centre. For a quick lunch in downtown Toronto, it’s a great choice.
Pusateri’s has been a Toronto institution for more than 50 years. Founder Cosimo Pusateri brought a Sicilian passion for fine food to Toronto and introduced the city to Waygu beef, Spanish Iberico ham and caviar from the Caspian Sea. Pusateri’s was recently featured on Breakfast Television Toronto (the city’s most popular morning TV program) in a segment on fall food trends. In their newly opened location in Saks, they offer a curated assortment of fine foods and dining options, including a chopped salad bar, a sushi bar, and a café serving authentic Italian cappuccino. Best of all, you can relax at the Champagne bar after an afternoon of perusing the boutiques.
This Italian eatery’s shared plates and pizzas are perfect for lunch on the go. If you have a bit more time, try their Italian classics like Eggplant Parmagiana and Pollo alla Diavolo. Big windows and one of the city’s best hidden patios make it the perfect break from a long day of shopping.
Serving the finest South American cuisine in the city, Leña’s casual lounge is one of downtown Toronto’s best lunch spots, featuring inspired food with unique Spanish and Italian influences and a convivial vibe. An art deco staircase leads down to the lower level lounge, Bar Lala, and a posh dining room invites you to come back for dinner.
For your sweet tooth
Høj Snegl, anyone? This delicious cinnamon-chocolate spiral is crisp on the outside with a soft filling on the inside. Danish Pastry House provides authentic Danish pastries to several locations in the GTA. Traditional Danish dough is light and flaky, with dozens of layers. It’s unsurprising that the Danes are the happiest people in the world!
A delicious truffle by the famed Belgian chocolate company, founded in 1926, may be the perfect post-lunch treat. The Eaton Centre location also offers fine cocoa and luxury gift baskets.
Regardless of your budget or time constraints, the Eaton Centre has a meal for you. And the best part: you can work off the calories by shopping the centre’s three floors. For best results, take the stairs instead of the escalators or glass elevators.
