Ajax, Ontario is a creative and cultural community located on the shores of Lake Ontario, approximately 40 minutes northeast of Toronto, and has a very diverse restaurant scene. In the article below, we have compiled the top five best restaurants (in no particular order!) that encompass the culture and diversity that this town has to offer.
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The Portly Piper Pub
235 Bayly St. W, Ajax, ON
(905) 426-9535
This classic pub-style restaurant is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2020 Traveller’s Choice Award from TripAdvisor. The Portly Piper is a great spot for people who love pub grub, draught beer, and catching the current sports game live on one of their many flat screen TVs. The interior of the pub is comfortable and cozy and gives patrons a place to kick back and relax while enjoying one of the 20 beers on tap and ordering from the restaurant’s modern but classic menu.
If you’re a fan of apps, this menu has over 20 different options! The Portly Piper offers a little taste of everything, ranging from classic apps like mozzarella sticks and deep-fried pickles to more sophisticated apps like crispy calamari and lamb and beef chevaps. If you really love apps, make sure to stop by after 5 p.m. on Wednesdays since they will be 30% off.
As you delve further into their menu, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something that you don’t like. The Portly Piper has a well-developed selection of dinner fare that carries many different options within each category and includes familiar favourites and classic pub fare, as well as pasta, seafood, and more upscale dinner fare, like the steak and lobster. Be sure to try their famous wings if you decide to go here, especially if you stop by on a Monday or Tuesday--the wings are half price on Mondays and 80 cents a wing on Tuesdays!
Maimana Naan & Kabab Restaurant
279 Kingston Rd., Ajax, Ontario
(905) 239-8797
Maimana gets its name from the provincial capital of Faryab in Afghanistan, which is an ancient city well known for being a cultural crossroad between surrounding countries, such as Greece, Turkey, Iran, India, and several Asian countries. As a result of the influence of these many cultures, the city of Maimana has a strongly developed and unique culinary style that combines traditional Afghani cuisine with the different flavours of these countries. Maimana Naan & Kabab restaurant has sought to replicate this experience through its menu, specifically focusing on the Indian, Greek, Afghani, and Iranian flavours. They have created a unique and delectable culinary experience for their customers that you simply won’t find anywhere else. The menu offers a good assortment of dishes suitable for both meat-eaters and vegetarians, as well as having a selection of gluten-free options.
If you’re not sure what to try, your best bet is to order one of their famous kababs! They have a few different types, including the classic and well-known beef shish kabab, as well as the tandoori chicken kabab, and the beef tikka kabab. All of the kabab meals come with either rice or fries, salad, and a fresh piece of naan bread.
If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, order the mantoo as an appetizer to your meal. This dish is a steamed dumpling with savoury ground beef, onion, and red pepper filling, which is served with a yogurt-mint sauce on the side that is reminiscent of tzatziki sauce. Complete your experience with Afghani cuisine by trying the ferni, which is a light milk pudding flavoured with cardamom and topped with walnuts.
Churrasco of Portugal
4-95 Middlecrate Dr., Building D, Unit 1, Ajax, ON
(905) 239-4888
Churrasco is the Portuguese and Spanish name for “grilled meat” and is very popular in Latin America, especially Brazil. This authentic Portuguese restaurant is known around Ajax for its great quality of food, excellent customer service, and large portion sizes. Isabel Correira, who is the head chef and part-owner of Churrasco, offers bona fide, high-quality Portuguese dishes that taste like home at a fair price. When you decide to eat at Churrasco, you can choose to stay in their vibrantly coloured dining area, or take it home with you.
They also offer catering services, so if you really love the food, you can choose to have them cater your next event! The menu consists of items like the bifana (grilled pork cutlet) sandwich, Chilean sea bass with rice and parisienne potatoes, and the classic chicken dinner. One of the more popular dishes on the menu is the seafood platter, but it takes around 45 minutes to cook, so it would be a good idea to call ahead if you’re planning to order this. If you only try one thing, make sure that it is the churrasco chicken with peri-peri sauce!
Odine
269 Kingston Rd. E, Ajax, ON
(905) 686-6888
Lovers of sushi, rejoice! The next restaurant on our list is a Japanese-Thai fusion restaurant called Odine. While the sushi on their menu is definitely a big seller, customers also love their Thai and Chinese dishes that are available. This restaurant is the best place to combine appetizers such as Thai satay skewers, edamame, and gyoza dumplings with entrees like pad thai, a sushi platter, or Thai curry.
Feeling like entertainment with your meal? Order something off the sizzling menu! This entree is brought to your table on a cast iron plate and is still sizzling when it’s set down in front of you. It also comes as a full meal, with your choice of meat, miso soup, salad, and rice. If you’re a fan of having some variety in your meal, then the Bento box is something you’ve got to try. This moderately priced menu item features a little bit of everything: miso soup, salad, chicken dumplings, veggie tempura, steamed rice, 4 sushi rolls, and your choice of meat. That’s a lot of food!
Odine also offers family/party combos, so you can be sure that everyone joining you for dinner will be well fed. Diners have the option of eating in the restaurant or ordering for take-out, and for special events, they also offer catering services.
Casa Verde
49 Old Kingston Rd., Pickering Village, Ajax, ON
(905) 428-6243
Casa Verde, which means “green house” in Italian, is aptly named. This small restaurant is set in a literal green house in Pickering Village, and since opening 30 years ago, is one of the town’s most popular Italian restaurants. Robert Scagliotti is the owner and head chef of Casa Verde and has created a menu of authentic Italian fare that has customers coming back for more.
The house itself is a historical landmark in the village that was once used as a rum runner hideout. The last owner of the house was a woman named Rachael Irish, who moved there in 1921 and was one of the first nurses in the area, specializing in maternity cases. Thanks to this brave woman, countless numbers of women successfully delivered their babies, as she was the only person in the area capable of helping them.
Since then, the house has been updated and renovated into the restaurant that it is today, and is the perfect spot for a romantic evening out. Robert Scagliotti has ensured that his restaurant captures the essence of Italy, from the food on the menu, to the ambiance and music inside. With apps that range from simple bruschetta bread and antipasto plates (assorted meats and cheeses) to the more bold dishes like carpaccio (raw beef tenderloin that is cooked with lemon juice and olive oil) and lumache alla ligure (sauteed snails in a puff pastry), a little taste of Italy is at your fingertips.
Try pasta dishes like the fettuccine a gamberetti, which is fettuccine in a cream sauce served with shrimp, or try one of the delicious entrees, such as the cotoletta alla parmigiana, which is a veal cutlet covered with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese.
If you want to feel the full Italian experience, you must finish off your exquisite meal with a steaming cup of espresso. Because this restaurant is so popular, they do not accept walk-ins, so be sure to call ahead and reserve a table if you’re planning to dine here.