Andhra Archives - Global Toronto Eats

Freshest South Indian snacks in Toronto

Nestled in an industrial plaza near the Golden Mile is a little stall called Minerva Tiffins. It used to be the only tenant in the desolate food court for a long time. Today, it’s joined by three or four others but make no mistake, Minerva Tiffins is single-handedly running the show here. On the occasions I’ve visited, all the diners went straight for Minerva.

Interior of Minerva Tiffins — Minerva Tiffins

Undoubtedly, word-of-mouth and some media coverage helped, but the reason for its sustained success is its incredibly fresh-tasting South Indian food. Specifically, Andhra snacks. It’s grown so much that it’s moving to a proper restaurant of its own.

This restaurant closed in Autumn 2020. Thanks for the memories!

Affordable Andhra cuisine in a lavish setting

The evolution of South Indian restaurants in non-Asian cities usually starts with pan-Indian eateries serving stereotypical food (think butter chicken and biryani). Then, it branches out to general South Indian restaurants serving dosas and idlis. The first regional specialization to emerge is Tamil cuisine. The majority of cities never get past this stage. If there is enough diner demand and sophistication, Keralan restaurants will appear next. Andhra and Telugu restaurants are rare, with the exception of Hyderabadi biryani shops. Only a few cities outside of India and the Middle East get specialists in the least-known South Indian cuisine, Karnataka.

That’s why I was excited to try Godavari, one of only two Andhra restaurants in the Toronto region. Although they don’t have the full gamut of Andhra dishes (like avakaya, a mango pickle), they offer some regional specialties that can’t be found elsewhere in Canada. Andhra cuisine is one of the spiciest in India. Unfortunately, I can’t comment on the spice levels at Godavari because I did not order any spicy dishes for this visit.

Reception hall at Godavari — Reception hall. A complete change in atmosphere from the outside.

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