Around the world in food: where to experience different cultures with Kingston restaurants

By Abigail Beckett

Kingston is home to an array of culinary options, whether you are craving fine-dining, or comfort food, there is a place for everything. What you might not know, is just how diverse these options are. Kingston highlights a range of cultural cuisines to satisfy every craving while allowing you to try new things. Explore tastes from around the world without the need to travel. Check out these culinary niches and find a new favourite.

Downtown

Indian: Namaste Kingston

78 Ontario St.

Taste authentic Indian cuisine with a modern twist at Namaste Kingston. Using flavours from north India, Chef Kumar has created a variety of signature dishes including Kerala-style mussels, lobster malai curry, reserve Angus tenderloin skewer, sea scallop korma, pomegranate tandoori chicken, and lamb rack.

Thai: Mango Thai and Pan-Asian Cuisine

161 Princess St.

This Pan-Asian restaurant focuses on traditional Thai dishes but offers a variety of options. They have dine-in services as well as take-out and delivery options. Whether you are craving spicy Thai curry or spring rolls, Mango Thai has it all.

Caribbean: Sally’s Roti Shop

203 Wellington St.

Sally’s Roti Shop offers authentic Caribbean cuisine. Sally moved to Kingston from Trinidad; she learned to cook by watching her mother in the kitchen. Sally’s is the only traditional Trinidadian spot in Kingston so be sure to check it out. Enjoy rotis, curries, and wraps all made with fresh ingredients.

Greek: Grecos

167 Princess St.

It all started when owner Gus came to Kingston in 1967. He bought his first restaurant called Tropicana in 1972, and 20 years later he opened Grecos. Here you will find lamb, chicken, seafood, home-made tzatziki, souvlaki, and saganaki. Taste foods of the Mediterranean while remaining at home.

Vietnamese: Pho Copstix

137 Princess St.

Pho Copstix has a variety of Vietnamese dishes from pho to vermicelli bowls and rice dishes. Enjoy fresh flavours and ingredients with menu items like crunchy spring rolls and warm noodle soups.

Cambodian: Cambodian Restaurant

161 Brock St.

Since 2004, Cambodian Restaurant has been serving Kingston with authentic and fresh Cambodian and Thai food. Try soups like hot and sour bamboo or dishes like kolab Cambodiana, phanaeng kai, and masaman Curry Chicken.

Korean: Gangnam Style

337 Princess St.

Located downtown on Princess Street, Gangnam Style is your go-to place for Korean cuisine. They have dumplings, Korean rolls, soups, spicy pork, Korean fried chicken, and more. Check out their patio in the summer.

 

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Italian: Casa Domenico

35 Brock St.

Casa Domenico is the perfect spot if you are craving Italian. Casa blends traditional and modern approaches with high quality and fresh ingredients. They have a wide variety of offerings for antipasti, salads, pastas, and mains. They also have a carefully selected wine list that is paired with the menu.

Japanese: Kame Sushi and Bento

156 Division St.

Kame Sushi and Bento is the place to go if you are looking for quality sushi. Their appetizers include spring rolls, edamame, amongst others, as well as maki and specialty rolls. If you have a large group, try one of their sushi sets or platters. They also offer sushi bowls, poke bowls, and ramen.

Lebanese: House of Donair

394 Princess St.

House of Donair is a family-run business that offers classic Lebanese dishes including shawarma, pitas, and more. This authentic Lebanese cuisine is 100% halal. They also offer classic dishes with a twist like the chicken shawarma poutine.

Chinese: Sunflower Chinese Restaurant

41 Montreal St.

Sunflower Chinese Restaurant offers Chinese cuisine with a modern twist by Chef Lin. Whether you are craving combo plates, rice platters, soup, noodles, or chop suey, Sunflower has everything you could ask for.

 

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Japanese: Sima Sushi

66 Princess St.

Sima Sushi focuses on quality ingredients and exciting dishes. Sima offers an assortment of sushi, sashimi, rolls and cooked Japanese dishes. Try appetizers like salmon tadaki, yam tempura, and sushi pizza, and maki options like their oshinko roll, shitake mushroom roll, and butternut squash tempura roll. Some of their specialty rolls include the caterpillar, pink flower, and firecracker.

Cambodian and Thai: Pat’s Restaurant

455 Princess St.

This spot offers a selection of fine Cambodian and Thai cuisine. Pick from a variety of options like pad Thai sai khai, cashew chicken, kako khmer, or tofu and pineapple. Experience the unique tastes of Cambodia and Thailand from the comfort of Pat’s, available for both dine-in and take-out.

Chinese: Silver Wok

373 King St. E.

Open for take-out and delivery, Silver Wok has dinner options for everyone. Try their dinner packages available as 2 – 6 people servings or check out their take-out menu full of classic Chinese options including an array of fried rice dishes, chop suey dishes, chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and vegetarian dishes. They also offer noodles, curry, and combo options. This menu will only leave you wondering what to get next time.

 

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Asian Fusion: Miss Bao

286 Princess St.

This Asian fusion restaurant was built with the vision of becoming a zero-waste operation. Miss Bao has achieved this goal by rethinking the traditional restaurant design. From using local and seasonal ingredients, to operational controls like storage, lighting, tableware, and clothing, the restaurant has created something new in Kingston. Some of their menu items include kimchi flatbread, karaage (Japanese fried chicken), sweet shoyu mushroom bao, and spicy Korean BBQ pork.

West end

Vietnamese: Saigon Delights

599 Gardiners Rd.

While the downtown location was the original spot, Saigon Delights has now has three locations in Kingston. The west end location features all your favourites from the downtown spots. Saigon has Kingston’s favourite spring roll and traditional Vietnamese favourites such as meal-size soups (like pho), noodle bowls (like the popular bun cha gio thit nuong), and crepes (banh xeo).

Cambodian and Thai: The Golden Damrei Restaurant

850 Gardiners Rd.

The Golden Damrei Restaurant is a family-owned and operated Cambodian and Thai restaurant in Kingston, in operation since 2011. Chef Ming has taken creative control over the menu to produce the best combination of Cambodian-Thai cuisine. Try their Damrei beef curry, ginger chicken, or pad thai noodles.

Italian: GO Italian

2815 Princess St.

Every once in a while, we all crave Italian food. GO Italian is a west-end gem that features authentic Italian cuisine in a friendly atmosphere. They also have a marketplace where you can find take-and-bake items, dips, and desserts.

Mexican: Mesa Fresca

1347 Gardiners Rd.

Mesa Fresca offers Latin- and Mexican-inspired dishes. Try masa flour tortilla tacos, hand-rolled flautas, coconut shrimp, braised short rib burritos, chicken enchiladas, chimichurri steak, or poblanos raja mussels. All of their sauces, salsas, and guacamole are made fresh in house daily.

Japanese: Sakura Kingston

1350 Bath Rd.

Sakura Kingston is an all-you-can-eat restaurant with over 100 items to offer. The chefs have more than 20 years’ experience, providing you with an assortment of Japanese and Thai foods. Make sure you show up hungry because you will want to try it all.

 

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Indian: 1000 Curry

1525 Centennial Dr.

1000 Curry aspires to offer traditional Indian cuisine to its patrons and provide them with an authentic experience. They highlight the diverse use of flavours such as spicy, sour, sweet, and hot that, at times, are all used simultaneously.

Chinese: Kai’s Delight

680 King St. W.

Kai’s Delight is a family-owned and operate authentic Chinese restaurant in Portsmouth Village. Try some of their specialty dishes including Fish filets in hot chili oil, sizzling beef with black bean sauce, pork chop with spicy salt, and barbecued duck. They offer dine-in, take-out, and catering options.

Greek: The Greek Islands

331 Bath Rd.

Celebrate Greek cuisine at The Greek Islands. The menu features a variety of Mediterranean options like spanakopita, calamari, chicken souvlaki, and Gyro just to name a few! Experience the taste of the Greek islands not far from home.

Afghan: Limestone Kabob House

2511 Princess St.

Limestone Kabob House is an Afghani, Pakistani, Indian, Moroccan and Lebanese-inspired restaurant located on Princess Street. Try dishes like their Afghan bread, paneer tagine, and dal makhani. Limestone Kabob House fuses together a selection of Middle Eastern cuisines offering a unique palette of flavours.

Iranian: Kingston Iranian Food

546 Bath Rd.

Kingston Iranian Food has the best selection of Iranian food. Enjoy fresh bakery bread, kabob sandwiches, lamb shank, and traditional dishes like Gheymeh and Fesenjan. Located on Bath Road (inside Double Double Pizza), Kingston Iranian Food offers dine-in, take-out, and catering.

Mid town

Chinese: Dim Sum Kingston

501 Princess St.

Dim Sum Kingston has a large selection of authentic Chinese foods. They offer both steamed and deep-fried options to satisfy all preferences. Enjoy dumplings, egg rolls, sticky rice and pork, minced beef, and many more dishes.

Pakastani: Rahim’s Cuisine

625 Princess St.

Rahim’s Cuisine started after Rahim arrived in North America and began to miss Pakistani food. He opened the first Pakistani restaurant in Kingston in 2003. Each dish reflects a range of Pakistani cuisine focusing mostly on traditional home cooked meals. The menu includes beef, chicken, lamb, vegetarian and seafood dishes.

Indian: Naan Stop Express

331 – C Bath Rd.

Looking for a quick bite to eat? Naan Stop Express has breakfast, lunch, and dinner options that are traditional tandoori Pakistani/Indian. Stop by for butter chicken, kabobs, biryani, and samosas.

Japanese: Akira Restaurant

83 Aberfoyle Rd.

Akira Restaurant is a sushi spot in mid-town Kingston. They have a wide variety of offerings with different sushi options as well as calamari tempura, sushi pizza, and hotategai sashimi. Try one of their specialty rolls like the kamikaze roll, polar bear roll, or eye of the tiger roll.

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