There are many restaurants in town, mostly Italian due to our enormous Italian population and eh, da besta pizza in Ontario ah? Every where you go to eat offers pizza with the tag "best pizza in town", "reknowned" blah blah blah. So, who has the best of the best pizza in town? It's a hard toss up, I mean hard toss up between a few places since Carmine's closed a few years back. Hands down, they had the best pizza, and the largest panzerotti's in the world. Seriously, get a dump truck to carry that sucker out...Back to the pizza list. I will add that by no means does this list reflect who's the best. I've already stated that Carmine's was the best and we miss Carmine's. Open your yellow pages to the section Pizza and let's have a review, shall we?
PIZZA
1. Traditionally for Saultites:
Mrs. B's is located on East St, has a pretty good pizza for the price.
Aurora's Westside has the same recipe with a tangy, yet spicy, sauce and a thinner crust than Chicago style.
2.
Fratelli's
Giovanni's
and Gigi's - All well done pizzas with the option of whole wheat crusts. They are traditional Italian, lotsa flavour and fresh ingredients and hey, they're family owned group of ristorantes.
3. A shout out to:
Primo's
and Golden Crust . All okay pizza's and offer wings as well.
4.
CJ's
Ubriaco's - a little pricey but good nonetheless.
5.
Service Grill - talk about great price and perfect for the large orders and get-togethers!
6.
Pizza King
Mojo's
Presto
Perfecto
Last on our list is Boston Pizza and the reason being - it's just not Italian. The one thing we Saultites pride ourselves on is the Italian cuisine from all parts of Italy competing with each other and the fact that this "intruder" attempts to make Italian food is just a slap in the face. We love Boston Pizza for other menu items and "finger cookin' with Bill", just not their pizza. Another no-no in the land of pizza is 24-1, Domino's and Gus's Pizza.
So there you have it, our Sault Review on the topic of Pizza . And yes, we may have left out a few of your favourites, but these are our favourites.
ASIAN
Who likes Asian cooking? We all love their variety and zesty flavours. Who knew mangos and oranges go well with meat? I know our faves in this particular order are:
1. Shogun Sushi - all you can eat for a great price that you just can't beat. If you don't like raw fish, no worries because they have lots of other menu items and rice bowls to choose from.
2. Hong Kong - Chinese with flair. Hong Kong's chicken balls rival no other. It's on Trunk Road, east end of town just past Lake St. Not particularly close to anything so if you're a traveller, you may wish to skip this one.
3. Rasoi - Indian Cuisine - can anyone say butter chicken? Take out only and well worth the dough.
4. Bali - Indonesian/Chinese options, lots of curry dishes and lychees for everyone! This little restaurant is on Queen St., heart of downtown and close to lots of entertainment.
5. Woking Chopstick - Chow Mein anyone? Another good restaurant that locals will love but not so for the weary traveller. They are located in the west end of town and far out from Hotels; however, they are close to a little entertainment.
6. Hard Wok Cafe - take out only Chinese located just a few blocks from the International Bridge.
7. JC Sakura - Japanese/Thai Restaurant located in the East End of town, Churchill Plaza. Much like Shogun, JCS adds more sushi, bowls and entrees; soups and salads for your Japanese tastes.
FINE DINING (in no particular order, they are all the best!)
1. Arturo's Ristorante Italiano - Very nice Italian menu, and one of the finer restaurants in town. Arturo's boasts a great location, friendly staff and sumptuous meals. Any place that cooks with white wine is fine in my books.
2. A Thymely Manner - OMG, Rosetta's menu and food rivals no other! Creative, tasty, fresh; D, all the above! Thymely Manner has a wonderful atmosphere and their food is scrumpt-ee-dee-umptious!
3. Fresco European Grill - Located a couple of blocks past the Casino and International Bridge heading west, Fresco is the up and coming Italian Ristorante that deserves the "fine" title. Is it their decor? Is it their creative menu? Is it the friendly staff and owners that greet you when you enter the door? How about D, all the above. We love Fresco's environment and you can't beat that! It's right next to the G.Marconi Hall, popular place with all the Italians who live or visit in town.
4. Cesira's Italian Cuisine What??? Another Italian restaurant, what are the odds? Chances are, 1 in 5 when you're in the Sault. Cesira's is a small but delicious restaurant that offers the finest in homemade pastas. It's in the heart of downtown on the corner of Spring and Albert East and a stone-throw away from the night life on Queen St.
5. Giovanni's Sha, another Italian restaurant? Yes, *sigh* but this one is a very large restaurant and their Mediterranean Chicken is the best in town. They also have large dinner rooms as well so if you're planning a large dinner meeting, birthday party, etc. they are more than happy to accommodate you.
STEAK HOUSES
Who likes their steak - oh we do!!! Here's a list of great steak places for you to try :)
1. My House - Of course, I grill the best steak in town but here's the real list:
1. Gliss Resto Bar mmmm, they should be listed under fine dining as well, and NO isn't an Italian restaurant. Also known for their crab cakes and serve a fine risotto as well. A bit pricey but it's worth every penny you dish out for their fine menu options and healthy portions as well.
2. Casey's Grill Bar Located in Algoma's Water Tower Inn, (if you're staying at the Water Tower Inn, you don't have to go anywhere for that steak) Casey serves a mean steak and I recommend you try it. Oh, plus they have Mahi Mahi for the adventurous fish lover. It's the only place in town you can get Mahi Mahi :)
3. Solo Trattoria Another restaurant that should be listed under fine dining, but we just can't ignore the steak factor here! Located across the street from the Essar Centre, the location is unbeatable for a great steak with some nice pinot to wash it down with.
4. North 82 Of course, we just had to mention North 82 because they are a steakhouse and their fajitas are so good, Mexico is complaining. Located on Great Northern Road, just past Cambrian Mall if you're heading north, and a few blocks south of Comfort Suites, Water Tower Inn and the Super 8 Motel, it's a great location for any traveller to try.
5. Gino's Family Restaurant This little gem of a restaurant is the furthest north on Great Northern Road, past all the motels, big box stores and the new hospital. It sits just past Third Line East (little Mac store on the corner). If you've never been, it's a must for sure. They also serve really nice prime rib, and I mean NICE prime rib. And you can't beat the price either! This truly is a family restaurant and boasts the largest parking lot around for anyone who is travelling with utility trailers, motorhomes, etc.
6. Docks Riverfront Grill Popular with City Hall Staff, business folks at Bondar Place and walkers on the waterfront boardwalk, Docks' offers a variety of tasty items, steak included and has the best apple sizzler in town. What a way to end a meal by ordering their apple sizzler - settle for nothing else! Located on Foster Drive right next to City Hall and a few blocks from every pub and bar downtown, they are a popular restaurant and bar. So eat a good meal, then retire to the pub side for billiards and live entertainment.
Organic & Diet Conscious
I call it "diet conscious" because those of us with gluten sensitivities, food allergies etc. need somewhere to eat as well. You can try other restaurants and slip your waitress a note to the chef, but these are cafes and restaurants you can trust to serve you the best for your dietary needs. Even if you don't have dietary needs, their menu items are fresh, organic and did I mention delicious? Most restaurants these days have a lighter side to their menus or offer gluten-free items so please ask because Sault restaurants are more than accommodating to their customers needs. We're just friendly like that...gotta be the water.
1. Cafe Natura - Located just around the corner from the Station Mall on Elgin, Cafe Natura has awesome menu items, popular with our arts community and diet conscious individual. Did I tell you about their chickpea cookies? mmmmm, gluten sensitivity was never so delicious!
2. Bar1 Located on Queen St, Bar1 serves a real smoothie like you've never had before!!! They are fitness conscious, so if you're looking to get greasy food, this is not the place for you.
3. Fratelli's & Giovanni's Offers gluten-free pasta, so if it's Italian you're craving, they do offer it.
4. Dish Located on Queen St. east of East St and Queen, Dish's fresh ingredient for a small cafe are rival to none!
5. Frank's Food Co. This little gem of a restaurant is in the heart of downtown on Queen St. Fresh ingredients, cafe style feel and fine dining all in one! Not to mention, they have great baking as well - oops, wasn't supposed to tempt you dieters with baking...
6. Eleven Bistro Located at on Queen St., Eleven Bistro is a new cafe with fresh ingredients purchased from our local City Meat Market. (The cafe has recently been renovated from the former Mom n Pop Shop that used to be one of our favourites.)Friendly staff and great food make this one of the gems located downtown.
And there you have it! There are so many restaurants, cafes and places to eat in town! If I didn't list it, it doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. There isn't a place in town we wouldn't eat at, our community's food is that good. Everywhere you go food is delicious because ay, you're in an Italian town, and Italians are crazy about flavour and food.
