Chain restaurants can get a bad rap, but if there’s one thing you can’t knock them for, it’s consistency. Like any restaurant, chains have their signature items and some of them are pretty damn good. Here are 10 of our favourites. All restaurants have multiple locations in the city.
Cactus Club
BBQ Duck Clubhouse
A combination of roast chicken, Peking-style duck and prosciutto all layered between slices of pecan fruit bread makes this sandwich anything but a typical clubhouse.
Tuna Tataki
Definitely a Cactus Club classic, this tataki is made with Ocean Wise-approved albacore tuna, topped with a papaya salad, pine nuts and a yuzu vinagrette. Light, fresh-tasting and perfect for summer.
cactusclubcafe.com, @cactusclubcafe
Earls Kitchen and Bar
Bigger Better Burger
The name pretty much says it all. A big, hand-pressed burger dressed with lettuce, tomato and sliced onion served in a big brioche bun. Burger lovers generally have no complaints with this menu standard.
Clam Chowder with Pan Bread
For those rainy days, go for a big bowl of Earls’ New England-style clam chowder. It’s a fairly traditional recipe with chunks of double-smoked bacon for some extra salty goodness.
Joey Restaurants
Baja Fish Tacos
The dish that Joey is most well-known for has to be these tacos. Chopped basa and prawns are served in corn tortillas, guacamole and finished off with a squeeze of lime. This menu item hasn’t changed in years, but why mess with a good thing, right?
Korean Fried Cauliflower
Chunks of cauliflower are fried until golden and crispy and then tossed in a Gochujang and miso sauce that is equal parts sweet, spicy and sticky. These are addicting!
joeyrestaurants.com, @joeyrestaurants
National
Tater Tot Breakfast Poutine
For the grandest of hangovers, look to this calorie-ridden breakfast to cure what ails you. Tater tots, mornay sauce, bacon, cheese curds, bacon and a fried egg. It feels so wrong, but so right.
National Burger
Ground in-house, this no-frills burger can be served to whatever doneness you prefer (a “medium” request for optimal deliciousness, though) and comes in a big bun with classic toppings.
Original Joe’s
Dragon Boat Lettuce Wraps
Reminiscent of a dish that your mom might have found in an Asian fusion cookbook and made you for dinner, these wraps with their mish-mash filling of chicken, cashews, veggies, crispy chow mein noodles and cilantro (all tossed together with lime juice and a peanut hoisin sauce) somehow always hit the spot.
Turkey Club Wrap
Wrap fans out there will love this menu mainstay, which is filled to the max with roasted turkey, bacon, chunks of avocado, tomatoes, lettuce and a healthy slathering of mayonnaise.
originaljoes.ca, @originaljoes