The cuisines of the British Isles seem to be on the rise in Toronto lately, with restaurants, bars and shops serving up British, Scottish and Irish specialties popping up across the city. Being a person of British and Scottish descent, I've always been wracked with the sense that my culinary heritage is somewhat, well, lacklustre. Sure, a well-done full English breakfast, fish and chips or haggis (don't knock it till you try it) always hits the spot, but British cuisine — by which I mean that deriving from any country in the British Isles — has largely been regarded with general disinterest, save for the city's wealth of tried-and-true pubs. Nowadays, though, there's a shift happening: businesses, both new and old, are proudly offering everything from pie and mash to Sunday roast, and diners across the city are, shockingly, eating it up. While, for as long as folks of British descent have lived in Toronto, there have always been stalwart restaurants and pubs serving staples from across the pond, there's a real British cuisine renaissance on our hands — however brownscale its fruits may be. Eastenders With well-established pockets dating back decades, the eastern reaches of the city have become something of a de facto hub for British, Irish and Scottish expats, and the tradition has only been continuing with a smattering of newcomers. In Leslieville, Corduroy Lounge made a splash when it opened its doors in late 2025. Somewhere between an experimental mid-century cocktail bar and a neighbourhood pub, here, you can get staples like haddock and chips, pie and mash and Yorkshire puddings, paired with out-of-the-box bevvies. Due north on Gerrard East, Eastend Pie and Mash finds its bread and butter in exactly what its name suggests: savoury pies served with generous scoops of mashed potatoes, slathered in your choice of parsley liquor or gravy. Soon to join the community, The Druid opened near the eastern limit of Queen Street on Friday, Jan. 16, joining a swath of fellow Irish pubs along the street, like The West Cork , The Wolfe Tone and The Roy . Down the city The east side of the city isn't the only area to get a taste of the British food renaissance in recent months, though. Neighbourhoods from downtown to the west side are also seeing a boom when it comes to English, Scottish and Irish foods. At King West's Animl Steakhouse , you can now order a full roast dinner , including thick slabs of prime rib and crispy-edged Yorkshire puddings, every Sunday. At Hotel Le Germain's Mercer Street location, the recently-opened PUNCH serves a one-of-a-kind combination of British and Indian cuisines, inspired by the two countries' centuries of colonial and trade history. Helmed by Executive Chef Mandar Kulkarni, expect kebab-spiced Scotch eggs, butter chicken pot pie, and beef Wellington slathered in curried jus . It's an interpretation of British cuisine you'll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the city. While Chinese cuisine deserves its own share of the credit for this one, it's been largely agreed upon that Ossington's Golden Dragon is responsible for the most authentic Irish-style Chinese food on this side of the pond, so if you've been curious about those spice bags all over your For You Page, this is the place to go. For an all-around traditional pub experience, look no further than the Roxton Pub near the intersection of Dundas West and Ossington. Brought to us by the people behind Ossington's Man of Kent , here you can expect, at the very least, a properly-poured Guinness and some of the best chips in the city. You can even opt to have them served (as real Brits do) with a side of curry sauce for dipping.