Country: Tibet 
Must-try Dish: Loga’s Corner Pork Momos 
Dinner Guest: Suited Sebastien, Young Matt

Tibetan food has become a top cuisine in our books, and it’s only been discovered through this exploration of Toronto’s international food scene. Although this country has a vast and delicious repertoire when it comes to recipes and flavours, the momo (Tibetan dumpling) is Tibet’s most infamous dish. As Mandrea Bike aims to please, we decided to partake on a public service mission in which we set off to discover the city’s best Momo. 

We headed to Little Tibet on West Queen West where Mandrea Bike alongside Young Matt and Suited Sebastien indulged in some of the Toronto’s most authentic momos, also fondly known as “The Momo Crawl Part 1 – Let’s Start with a Momo-Sa”.

Below are out findings in order of preference:

Loga’s Corner – 216 Close Ave, Toronto, ON M6K 1M3
Rating: 9/10
LLBO: No
Dining Style: Takeout counter with seating

This place has momos that are to die for, and don’t even get us started on their hot sauce. This place feels immediately like there are positive vibes because the owner has a constant smile on his face anytime someone walks in. 

The Mat portion of the Mandrea Bike dynamic duo has eaten here often, and he boasts that it’s his favourite. Loga’s Corner is a go-to spot when a momo craving comes on. The service here is fast with most momos ready to eat, and the less commonly ordered are ready in under 10 minutes. Don’t even go there when it comes to questioning their freshness, as the owner will likely have you touch the top of the foil to show you that they are still hot. 

Whether you plan on taking them back home or eating in, Loga’s corner has a few tables in which you can enjoy their offerings. The flavours are consistently on point, and unlike some of the other momo joints, Loga’s momos keep their integrity by not falling apart. On top of that, the wrapping was steamed to perfection. Can you get any better than that? 

The pork and the potato fillings have the stamp of approval from Mandrea Bike. The potato momos are similarly shaped with a fluffy inside and a slight curry flavour, differentiating it from the traditionally spiced meat momo. These two dumplings contrasted beautifully and gave us a good variety of exciting flavour profiles. 

You must check out Loga’s Corner, and don’t be afraid of ordering anything off the menu as Mat has tasted the majority of the momos, without any disappointment. 

Himalayan Kitchen – 1526 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6R 1A4
Rating: 8.5/10
LLBO: Yes
Dining Style: Sitdown casual dining

It’s no surprise that Himalayan Kitchen was one of our stops during this excursion. We have previously blogged about this incredible restaurant, and since then, Mandrea Bike have both returned on several occasions to dine at this Parkdale gem. 

As this was the last restaurant on the tour, we all had full bellies, though Mandrea Bike was split on which momos to order, and ultimately decided to get both the steamed beef and the crispy chilli momos (dry). As Suited Sebastien was the only Himalayan Kitchen virgin, we looked to him for his unbiased opinion on which of the two he preferred. Whether he did it on purpose to avoid an argument at the dinner table or he really meant it, he judged it a draw in the most Swiss of styles. 

But let’s get to the momos. Although they were both equally delicious, one was served dry with a chili “gravy” and the other served in a more authentic style being steamed. As we said, you can’t go wrong with either and recommend getting both. 

If you say you like food and haven’t been to Himalayan Kitchen, something isn’t right. We honestly dream about this place. For suggestions on other dishes besides Momos check out our post on Himalayan Kitchen.

Tiny Cafe – 10 Macdonell Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 2A2
Rating: 7.5/10
LLBO: No
Dining Style: Takeout counter with limited bar style seating

Tiny cafe truly is tiny. This primarily takeout joint offers a variety of momos from beef, chive and tofu. The venue is perfect for those who want to pick up momos on the go or stay for a quick bite on one of their bar style stools. The flavours offered give a refreshing change from the more classic variety that are more typically served across Little Tibet. As the space is compact, all of the momo making action is done directly in front of you, allowing for a more transparent experience.  The beef momos are often ready to go while the less common types take a few minutes to prepare.

Songtsen Cafe – 1504 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6R 1A4
Rating: 7/10
LLBO: No
Dining Style: Sitdown casual dining

Songtsen Cafe will always hold a special place in our bellies. It was here that Mandrea Bike had our first exposure to Tibetan cuisine, as well as a first experience biting into a momo. Songtsen Cafe is a quaint family-run restaurant located in the middle of Little Tibet and has a wide array of Tibetan dishes to share with Torontonians. To check out our other recommendations, read our post on this fantastic spot: Songtsen Cafe.

This place doesn’t disappoint as the momos here are worth a visit, though if you find yourself grabbing a table, do yourself a favour and order the Tripe or Gyuma – you won’t be disappointed.

Momo House – 1422 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6K 1L9
Rating: 6
LLBO: Yes
Dining Style: Sitdown casual dining

Momo House is new to the roster, and it’s clear by the name what their main focus is. It has the most modern, newly renovated appearance of all the other restaurants on this crawl. The exposed bricks and upmarket vibe made it feel like we had momentarilt stepped out of Little Tibet. 

We enjoyed the momos, though something seemed to have been missing. Whether it was the authenticity of the restaurant’s atmosphere, or a slightly less flavorful filling. It could also have been the hot sauce in which the mild had no kick and fell in line with the concept of trying to appeal to a greater audience who are looking for something less Tibetan. If you’re in the neighbourhood and are looking for something more upscale, you’ve found it!

Tashi Delek Cafe – 223 Jameson Ave, Toronto, ON M6K 1M3
Rating: 5
LLBO: No
Dining Style: Takeout counter with seating

Tashi Delek felt a little like being in Tibet, as there were Tibetan cooks and a constant flow of Tibetan patrons coming through the doors. The walls were painted bright green, which was slightly distracting, but we kept to our mission: momos. It’s not to say that these momos weren’t tasty, but they didn’t hold up to some of the others of the day, mostly because they would crumble after the first bite. Mandrea Bike gives big points to the sauce, which is unique and mild on the spice side but with big flavours. 

OM – 14.39 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6R 1A1
Rating: 4
LLBO: Yes
Dining Style: Sitdown casual dining

OM, or the Orange Restaurant, as we fondly referred to it during the crawl because it was painted orange. Judging by the number of people in the restaurant, one can only assume that these guys know what they’re doing. There’s a full Tibetan menu on offer, but we opted to stick to our original plan – momos. 

Our main observation was that the momos tasted like they were quite heavy on the onion, and although we can’t deny that each one of us are fans of onions, this was overpowering. Going back here and sampling some other options aside from momos on the menu is in the cards, stay tuned! 

As hopping from one Tibetan restaurant to the other was quite filling, we decided to grab a few drinks at Escape Goat. They are known for beer, but we wanted to keep things light so we went the wine route instead. We met Jeremy, the owner, who is an awesome guy, and even managed to put aside our half bottle as we went next door to our reservation at Himalayen Kitchen. As he was impressed to hear about our self guided Momo Crawl, we made plans with him to do another momo tour to his favourite momo spots in the neighbourhood. 

Looking forward to Part 2 of our Momo Crawl,

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)