Dang It

The Taste of the Danforth, a Toronto institution, has been running for over 30 years (with a COVID and funding interruption) and was a celebrated Greek food & culture festival on the streets of the (east) Danforth, particularly in ‘Greektown’ and beyond. So, as an FOTB-something and oblivious to Toronto street food festivals, I had to check it out.

It was a typical hot Toronto day, humid and sweaty, but all the foods & beverages on offer were a sight for sore eyes, and delicious to boot. Establishments along the street extended their patios, so people could have a seat and enjoy ice-cold items as well. Some entertainment for children, some music, and not too many people. Mind you, at its height, 1,6 million people came to this festival, which lasts only 3 days.

In following years we learned to get there early and work our way backwards. But in the last few years we went, even that wasn’t enough anymore. Too many people, and -unfortunately- not enough Greek food. More and more random food vendors started popping up, with foods you could get at any street food festival, and for outrageous prices to boot.

Needless to say, we now skip the Danforth, and some of the other street food festivals as well (such as Taste of Lawrence). They simply don’t seem worth it anymore. On the other hand, there are literally dozens of such festivals here in summer, and each year there’s a new one or two to try out. Keep an eye out for future posts as I’m sure I’ll cover some we’ve never been to yet. But dang it, the Danforth was a nice thing, as good Greek food is a really nice thing.