Queen Mother is one my favourite restaurants for lunch or dinner in Toronto. “That kind of old-looking place?” you say? “Fusion food?” Turn thy nose down and let me properly introduce you.

Behind the weathered facade is a vibrant space bustling with regular patrons, serving up a wide variety of continental and self-proclaimed “Asian Fusion” dishes (yes, all red flags) since 1978. However, please put your flags down, because all the food I’ve tried to date is legitimately delicious, there’s a decent beer selection (and if you just want a small glass of beer to satiate yourself, you can, which is nice), the backyard garden patio is absolutely charming in the warmer months and an unexpected peaceful escape from the noise of Queen Street.

I always seem to return to the Kale, Roasted Tomato and Green Lentil Salad, which I top with chicken breast, but also really like the soups, the Khao Soy Gai (a spicy, gingery northern Laotian chicken curry dish with egg noodles garnished with fresh herbs and vegetables), the classic Pad Thai and the Sticky Rice served with a decadent peanut sauce. 

Service is not always the most expedient, and the brunch is good but nothing to write home about. That aside, however, the Queen Mum is one of my dependable centrally-located standbys for meals later in the day, and I really recommend it!