AYCE Archives - Global Toronto Eats

Best all-you-can-eat Indian buffet in Toronto

The Host is a venerable Toronto restaurant that also boasts the best Indian AYCE in the city. The draw of AYCE is quantity over quality but this is a rare case where you can get both quantity and quality. This buffet is only offered during Friday lunch hours, so plan your visit accordingly.

Two reasons why this is the best buffet. Every item is good enough to order on its own. That is the hallmark of a great buffet. Even secondary items like naans and dessert are done well. I can’t think of any other AYCE restaurants where everything is a hit. The second reason is that it costs $22.59, which is shockingly affordable. If you need more reasons, it’s consistent in quality and conveniently located downtown.

To be clear, there are slightly better Indian buffets in the Greater Toronto Area which includes Mississauga and Brampton. However, The Host reigns supreme in Toronto proper.

The buffet is hosted in a naturally-lit room at the back of the restaurant. There is plenty of seating space and it’s easy to get a table even though the buffet is popular. It attracts staff from the nearby University of Toronto as well as Yorkville residents.

All-you-can-eat meat in a cheesy rodízio

Copacabana is one of the few places in Toronto to experience a Brazilian churrascaria, rodízio style. A churrascaria is a grilled meat restaurant while rodízio means all-you-can-eat. In Brazil, such restaurants typically have waiters going around tables with different cuts of meats on a skewer. The meat is carved tableside. Outside of Brazil, this sort of restaurant is simply known as rodizio, or a Brazilian steakhouse.

Copacabana is the longest-running rodízio in the Toronto region. However, this branch is not the oldest. It’s the most convenient though, right in downtown Toronto.

Lower floor dining area of Copacabana — Dining area, lower floor

How to eat at a rodízio

The typical rodízio has a buffet where you pick up vegetables, appetizers, and desserts. But that’s not what diners are there for. Waiters roam around the restaurant, brandishing skewers of barbecued meats. Diners use a mechanism on the table to get the waiters’ attention. At Copacabana, this mechanism is a disc. Flip to the blue side “Sim” (Yes) to indicate you want more meat. Flip to the red side “Não” (No) to stop the flow of meat.

Copacabana appetizers — Top right: disc used to indicate whether the diner wants more meat.
Appetizers clockwise from left: cheese bread, roasted brussels sprouts, farofa (toasted cassava flour), feijoada (bean stew), roasted zucchini.

Copacabana also provides each diner with a small tong to grab slivers of meat as they are carved in front of them.

Special orders can be made on request, especially for more expensive items or items that take longer to prepare. The hostess at Copacabana frequently moves around the restaurant and asks diners which items they would like to have. This is a good idea as it reduces food wastage.

Continue reading “Copacabana (downtown)”