Didn’t get enough gifts on your birthday? Here’s a list of some places in Toronto that offer freebies or discounts on your special day. - Dreamstime photo

Provides chef-crafted weight-loss meal delivery plans; offers a complimentary free session with nutrition coaches and dietitians;

Check them out and watch the corresponding episodes to take the journey along with him — or to plan your own.

Copy Link The Scarborough district of Toronto is known for its ethnic diversity — more than half of the district’s residents are immigrants or foreign-born, which has led to a proliferation of different cuisines and restaurants. Peterson heads there in this episode to taste the Middle Eastern pastries at Crown Pastries, a small shop owned and operated by two brothers from Syria, Rasoul and Ismail Salha.

Compounding inflation with other student costs such as housing and tuition makes discounts all the more valuable for students. Here are some of the places that offer student discounts on food.

Rachel Adjei is a Ghanaian Canadian chef and food justice advocate who celebrates much of the underrepresented African diaspora in Toronto. She founded the Abibiman Project to support Black food sovereignty initiatives via a range of pantry products, pop-up dinners, and catering — all in the hopes of challenging people’s perceptions of African foods and the narratives surrounding them. At her staple pop-up location at the Grapefruit Moon in the Annex, her ever-evolving dinner menus offer deep-dives into specific African regions, which Adjei contextualizes with information about the corresponding culture.

Go for the Pulpo a la Mexicana with grilled octopus or their famous Gobernador with smoked blue marlin and grilled shrimp. (They have non-seafood options, too.) And if you can’t get a table, take your tacos to nearby Bellevue Square Park.

What this fast food joint lacks in frills, it more than makes up for in flavour, with its delicious and authentic Caribbean fare. For about $10, their small meals come with a protein like spicy jerk chicken, crispy fried chicken or (our favourite) oxtail, and a side of rice and peas — and even their small sizes are quite filling. Round out your meal with add-ons like coleslaw, dumplings and fried plantain.

Copy Link A philosophy of fearless consumption — with a requisite touch of dark humor — runs as a through line in the work of Beast co-owners and chefs Scott Vivian and Nathan Middleton. Over the years, their restaurant has undergone several reinventions. The current version of Beast acts primarily as a pizza joint, but it also offers group bookings for whole-animal dinners (booked in advance). Diners select a protein and an “adventure level” from low to high, and the chefs get to work showcasing the seasonal bounty of Canada and the versatility of underused “ugly” bits in a zany culinary display.

It’s par for the course these days for steak menus to list the pedigree of meats like a wine list, but the practice was jarring in the early aughts when this steakhouse first splashed onto the scene. For its efforts revising the norm, the restaurant has become a premier spot for decadent steaks and embellished accoutrements. The waitstaff will happily guide you through the heritage breeds, touching on elements like geography, marbling, feed, certification, and more.

Wilbur Mexicana is a popular Mexican restaurant located in the heart of the city. Known for its delicious street food, the restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes, including tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. 

Though it may always be 5 o'clock somewhere, happy hour in Toronto is an excellent opportunity to capitalize on enjoying some amazing discounted food and drinks at some of the city's hotspots, especially after a long day of work.

Copy Link Since 2009, this restaurant with a fast-casual counter has sent a couple thousand famed Portuguese chickens out the door each week. Owned by Carlos Martins and managed by his three sons, including Le Cordon Bleu graduate chef Steven Martins, this spot has all the markers of a family-owned restaurant operation. The family takes care to source ingredients directly from Portugal (such as fresh fish and website seafood), and Papa Carlos makes the rounds glad-handing and toasting with guests like a local celebrity.

Don’t miss their popular hamburger sandwich called “The Holy Chuck,” which is topped with smoked bacon, cheese, and caramelized onions, and you’ll surely come back for more.