My body's overworked
It's just the same I know
When can my body work?
Cold static overload
My body works I know
It's just the same I know
My only difference
is robot influence
Another Tuesday... the last one of 2025 at that... another Taste! As the calendar prepares to flip over into a new year, I thought it might be fun to look back at some of the highlights in what was a record setting twelve months here on West Collier Street (in terms of the volume of articles... the wheels of the content machine keep on spinning, baby!)
While this 'Best Of' will focus mostly on what was covered on the weekly Tuesday reviews, there are a few other places that deserve a well-earned shoutout here as well (for better or worse). We'll get to those specifically at the end... for now, here are the best ten Tuesday Tastes of 2025!
(For the record, I haven't re-read any of my reviews for this article so as to look back on these delicious meals with a more distant, less retroactive perspective. It will also make this entire article considerably less like the clip show I'm trying to avoid it being. Here we go!)
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There's no shame in being merely the tenth best here, especially when keeping in mind the general quality of the Tuesday reviews has swiftly surged upwards as I've run out of most major fast food chains to check out.
Masa Deli is terrific and I also don't feel like I tried what they might be best known/regarded for: their breakfast options. Perhaps a sequel is in order someday to rectify that missing chapter... in the meantime though I will gladly vouch for this very flavourful barbacoa torta (with excellently crispy shoestring fries as well). Definitely worth the visit to Leslieville/Riverside... just have to get there early since they close shop in the mid-afternoon.
A place well deserving of this complimentary placement not via anything here being outstanding, rather that the variety of everything here had such a darn strong baseline of goodness. Maybe the mac and cheese is closer to 'good' than 'great', but everything else here is already making me crave a return visit and it's barely been a month as I type these kind words.
Unlike most entries on this list, Juicy Birds is a brand very much on a expansion rise and so we can only hope their quality doesn't dip like so many others do when a franchise spreads out so fast. For now though, excellent stuff here.
Now comes the difficulty of trying to write a blurb about something I ate nearly a year ago without looking back at my original article about it. January 2025 was a very different time for me, damn it! There were friends I was close with then whom I now curse bitterly... I hadn't once been to Europe yet (nor was I even thinking of such a thing at the moment) and there's a very good chance I was at least slightly drunk when going off to try Daddy's (a freezing cold depressing mid-January night, it's a near certainty for that point in my life).
With the addition of more general sobriety and the perspective of passing time... what do I remember about Daddy's Chicken to place it so highly here? I recall the fried chicken itself being massive (like the sandwich itself being hard to get my jaws into) and incredibly juicy with a notable nudge of pleasant spice. Oh, and the charming older aged lady behind the counter having an 80s dance party...
Anyhow... I'm quite sure that Daddy's Chicken is extremely good. Like, 97 percent sure. Good enough for 8th on this list!
#7. Rosie's Burgers (Port Credit)
I've done so many smash-style burgers in the past couple years for these weekly reviews that a significant majority of them have blended together in my mind. It's why perfectly good places like Matt's Burger Lab or Crack Burger aren't (spoiler) making this Top 10 because while I remember enjoying both of those, there's so little differentiating them in my recollection that I have no urgent desire to soon go back.
Rosie's has done (or did) a good enough job to stick out in my memory and tempt a return visit (I do like any excuse to check out Port Credit). This was a burger I recall enjoying and savouring each and every bite of... which is a good sign methinks. Combined with quality fries and rings together (at last!) this is a pretty safe choice for the 2025 Top 10. Not the best burger I had all year but worthy of an honourable mention at the very minimum.
Another good sign is when the more you think of something you ate, the more fondly you look back upon it. This is near smash burger perfection in regards to composition: every bite is cheesy and beefy, the soft sweet bun keeping it all nice and tight... meanwhile the breaded fried jalapenos are still a stroke of genius on here.
It's a truly awesome burger and one I'll be eager to have again some day soon. Is it the best cheeseburger I had all year though? Well... better keep reading...
It's a little (lot) unfair to even have Piano Piano, an acclaimed restaurant regarded among Toronto's very best... on a list like this at all. When it comes to sheer quality, this should probably be number one and it would be hard to debate that for several reasons.
Their food is indeed amazing (actually went twice this year and the second time was as exceptional as the first visit my review was based on) and you should absolutely check them out if you have yet to go. Especially the Colborne Street location with it's incredible decor...
...nevertheless, I'm putting them fifth on here which I think is reasonable. Everything at this point of the list blew me away regardless... I just subjectively liked these other four places a tiny teeny bit more.
Honestly, these top four could be in any order and I'd have a hard time arguing with myself over it. Heck, the order could easily have changed had I'd been craving something different and particular while writing this thing out.
However you want to slice it, sub sandwiches don't get much better than this. Top of my head... Lambo's is in this ballpark, same with Bossa in Montreal (which might be the best one I've ever had) and that's about it. Elite elite stuff here... like a prime rib dinner in sandwich form. Decent breakfast sandwich too, though I'd probably stick with the main submarine courses.
On style alone Heartbreak Chef wins the gold medal. The vibes inside their Kensington location are, as them kids say... immensely appealing. Think I got that right.
They also make incredibly delicious food. Top notch mac and cheese (I mean look at it) and an incredibly memorable fried chicken sandwich (there's a particular seasoning/marinade to it that gives it this very distinctive flavour I don't recall tasting in any other fried chicken). Combined with some sour ranch creamy sauce and plenty of slaw... bring napkins.
Part of me wonders if there's some smash burger fatigue going on here: that I was so pleased to try a new Toronto burger joint that wasn't doing 'the trendy thing' and so have elevated it in my recollection to this high place. Hey, I don't claim to be perfect (and this list is certainly far from it also).
That said, Atomic Burger is indeed excellent on its own merits. An incredibly juicy and flavourful burger patty here with distinct notes of high quality aged cuts of beef. Really damn good stuff, combined with a notably sharp slice of melted actual cheddar and strong supporting elements (pickle, tangy mayo-I-mean-Atomic Sauce)... you've got a simple old fashioned cheeseburger that is simply (see what I did there) delicious.
At this point I'm almost nervous to go back... was it really this good? It's been about a year since I went and wrote my article...
Nevertheless, while like I said any of these top four could be in this top slot... I'm giving the winning edge to Birdie's only because it really is the one I find myself most excited to go back and visit. The strongest craving, as it were. This chicken sandwich was a revelation, a perfectly balanced eating experience, a crispy moment of fried wonder that I still think about now and again. Can it live up to this memory? I doubt it... what can? But I'm extremely confident that it will still be delicious whenever it is I make my return.
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So that's the best of the Tuesday reviews... but what of the overall bests? For instance, neither the most exceptional burger or pizza I tried in 2025 have been mentioned yet. You know what that means... cue the award show music!
BEST BURGER -
BLEECKER BURGER, London, UK
As I'm basically telling anyone and everyone: I can't say for sure that Bleecker is the best cheeseburger I've ever had in my entire life... but I can't think of one that's definitively better either. Even my best memories of In-N-Out pale (or are pale) in comparison. It's ranked second in the world (or merely best in England if you look at sources elsewhere) for very good reason. It's delicious beauty is how simple it is too: just melt in your mouth beef perfection, like the finest steaks. Unreal.
BEST PIZZA -
ANNETTE FOOD MARKET, Toronto (The Junction)
A close call with Piano Piano, Gusto 501, Tony G's in Hamilton, Pizza Sophia in London and Bambino in Dublin all garnering serious consideration. I just happen to really, really like Annette Food Market both as a place and the neighbourhood it's in... while also their pizza has no single weakness. Pillowy crust with the right amount of char, beautifully buttery mozzarella, vivid meats with sharp spices and textures... this is without question a Top 10 pizza in all of Toronto for me, while those others might be more in the Top 15 range.
That said, I'm giving Lorenzo's Pizzeria (just north of Danforth on Pape) the Runner Up trophy and subsequently the winner of the BEST PIZZA SLICE. Really, really damn good pizza from this little spot you could easily miss by walking on the wrong side of the street. Highly, highly recommend.
BIGGEST SURPRISE -
THE REAL McCOY PIZZA
A legendary Scarborough joint known for their burgers... I genuinely ordered this pizza out of completionist curiousity rather than any expectation it would be decent, never mind genuinely good.
And good it was! Very very heavy with the cheese and very doughy... yet with enough quality in the backbone to hold up on a reheat and not go stale or dry either. It's not mind blowing pizza but incredibly tasty for what it is, and for something from an old school burger place? It's good enough I'd go back for just the pizza, honestly.
BEST FRENCH FRIES
Hard to award a "for sure" winner here... I mean after writing like at least seventy of these food reviews this year it's hard enough to remember certain main dishes, nevermind the fries! I'll list a few here that did impress, however:
Juicy Birds
Cabano's Cheeseburgers
Masa Deli
Heirloom Food Truck
Knuckle Sandwich Tater Tots* (I know I know)
Burgers N'Fries Forever
Elijah's Automatic
Woody's Burgers (still upside down)
Birdie's
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THE WORST OF 2025
And now, the moment you've perhaps been waiting for (you sadist you). When writing this many reviews it's inevitable one is going to find some duds and flat lines... and while previous years have thankfully gotten the true tasteless dregs of fast food out of the way, 2025 still managed to bring some vivid disappointments and a couple truly horrific culinary experiences.
Worst Pizza: Aleeza's Pizza, Toronto (York/Weston)
I feel a bit bad about this one, since Aleeza's is a small local business with pretty favourable Google reviews and ratings. Unfortunately I do not share that praise towards their actual pizza, as this was the level of pie I didn't even care enough to finish once it was in my fridge (eventually the four remaining slices finding a more comfortable home in the compost bin a week later). Generic texture, little flavour (especially in the cheese or topping) and just generally an offensively underwhelming pizza. I didn't even consider adding some of my own ingredients at home, that's how little I cared to salvage this thing. Just nothing with taste or presence in the foundation to work with.
Biggest Disappointment: Karachi Pizza
I really had hopes for this one. A compelling fusion of two cuisines that naturally blend together... instead I got an expensive miniature pizza coaster of dry texture and misleading flavourlessness (it looks like there's a lot happening but there really isn't).
Sure, if the cheese was a bit more of a presence (and didn't lose all moisture the second it's exposed to air outside an oven) and if the sauce helped soften up the texture, and if the dough wasn't so stale and brittle, and if the toppings had any kind of zing or punch beyond a singular Middle Eastern-like heat, and if said toppings weren't completely desiccated... maybe you'd have something! Blech. What a let down.
Worst Burger: Burger King Whopper, Schiphol Airport, Netherlands
Even months later, I still don't know what I was expecting (or thinking). Ten Euros for this thing! There aren't even fries on the side or cheese on it! I'm starting to suspect my flight out of this very Amsterdam airport was delayed as punishment for this heinous error.
HONOURABLE MENTION - Wendy's Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger
No real wonder how this limited time item didn't catch on, or why we likely won't ever see it again. Just look at this thing... it's like a Divorced Dad Meme in edible form.
THE WORST REVIEW OF THE YEAR
Quantity often does not equate to an elevated quality, to which I present Exhibit A. While over the years I've reviewed individual items that were considerably worse than anything you see here... I'm not as sure there has ever been this sheer amount of downright bad and tepid food items presented in one place for my consideration.
Beyond the French Toast Sticks, which actually had some utility as a guilty pleasure crispy sweet fried snack... there is nothing here of any redeemable value. The two breakfast sandwiches simply don't taste like actual food (or like anything, really) while this hash brown poutine was so poorly conceived and executed (just drowned in cheap terrible sweet gravy) that I still regret spending real money on it.
I'm not all that certain what Burger King does well anymore (aside from appearing twice on this "Worst" list) but breakfast sure isn't it.
THE WORST THING I'VE EVER REVIEWED
That's right. Because as dreadful as that BK Breakfast experience was... there was something I ordered this past year for a review that was even worse. Hell, substantially worse! Like, so godawfully bad that it might well be the worst thing I've ever received from any restaurant or kitchen in my entire life. At least with most of these bad reviews I still finish eating my order, or if I don't it's because of sheer apathy towards its low unappealing quality.
This, however... this I wouldn't have finished eating if you'd paid me a hundred dollars. I feared for my long term personal health after spending a moment with this thing. It went into the trash after three bites and that was somehow five bites too many. This... this is a whole new level of horrible... the likes of which I hope never to encounter again. I've seen the true darkness now... it has touched my soul and who knows if I'll ever be the same again...
Subway Breakfast Sandwich
I may not like McDonald's or KFC or Burger King all that much and so derive considerable fun at bashing them for their badness... but they're both Michelin Superstars compared to Subway. At least I've enjoyed most other fast food chains at some point in my life... Subway has always totally sucked and this here can't even be classified as "food"... more like something used to insulate an atomic bomb. I still can't believe a sandwich, any sandwich, could be this bad... truly I had yet to explore the advanced depths of shittiness.
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REVIEW OF THE YEAR
The 125th Tuesday Taste - Chicken Nugget Showdown
Finishing on a positive note, here is my personal favourite review I did in 2025... and no surprise it's the crazy chicken nugget adventure thing I did. Trying a dozen different ones in a single afternoon and going from place to place on this bizarre secret mission... plus the feedback and opinions so many friends/fans gave me as it was coming together... the mix of engagement with the sheer insane quirkiness of it made it one of the most fun things I've done since starting these reviews. Plus, it resulted in this insane picture (which took a good twenty minutes to set up and balance right for the record)
Thanks to everyone for reading in 2025! Here's to a new year with a whole set of new adventures (if anyone has any ideas please don't be shy... I only have so many left after 140+ of these). Until next year, stay safe, stay.... oh wait hang on:
Tuesday Tune
You know how some songs are described like being shot out of a cannon? This one is like being shot out like a photon torpedo. This whole album in fact is like some kind of endless, infinite stellar explosion... so great.
...okay that's actually all for now! Enjoy New Year's everyone and until next time... stay safe, stay warm and most of all... don't spill that mustard.
