This small shop offers an assortment of latin fares, including pupusas, empanadas, tamales, and ceviche. On weekends, they serve up freshly-made pupusas on a hot plate from the sidewalk. I've ordered the shredded pork and cheese on a few occasions and it always satisfies the cravings. They top it off with a tomato sauce and coleslaw (very delicious pairing), as well as an optional green salsa (spicy). The dish is hearty and comforting with all the South American flavours. read more

Latin Taste - With coleslaw and green salsa - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We were strolling around Kensington Market and we saw these nice empanadas being displayed on the curbside of this restaurant. I got a spicy beef one and it was just ok... The dough was a bit wimpy and not baked fully enough to be firm and crusty. The filling was good but not hot enough. Overall a place for a quick bite but nothing spectacular. read more

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After trying their famous ceviche, I must upgrade the review rating for this place. Now I see why they're well known for their ceviche! They only have special "Latin plate" menu items on weekends. The Peruvian style ceviche was a delicious, satisfying, and full meal on its own. It contained a good amount of white fish, sweet potato, fresh vegetables (lettuce, tomato, red onion, bell pepper, sprouts), and Peruvian large corn kernels which I absolutely love. It brought me back to my days in Peru. They also have a few items on the grill (which they grill right outside). The Grilled Shrimps were excellent. I could see and taste the charred BBQ marks on the shrimps, and they tasted best fresh off the grill. read more

If you are missing a good peruvian breakfast and food, this is the place to come to! so tasty and authentic!

This is an Uber cute little spot in Kensington market. Small and packed with alot of food to go. I had a delicious alfahores. It's cookie with this sweet, luscious Dulce de leche in between. This was one of my favourite things. I had the spinach and cheese empanada. I remember reading someone had not enjoyed this but I thoroughly did. Flavourful is how I would put it I also had their tamales made with chicken. It's not bad but I can say out the items I purchased this was just not as good as the other two. I can say is definitely go back to this little spot read more

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This cute little restaurant is serving up big flavor with their tamales. I sat down for a pork tamal, heated up and served with a pico de gallo-like accompaniment, and ate up in no time. The masa was moist and firm and full of flavor, the chunks of pork were large and tender, and all was served in a banana leaf. I love a good tamal, and even though the shop is very small, there's a ton of sweet and savory items coming out of this beautiful kitchen. read more

Latin Taste - Pork tamal - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

One of the best restaurants ever! Sometimes, I've seen it busy, hesitated just a moment, then headed right across the street to Thirsty and Miserable to enjoy a fresh IPA (like nothing else) while keeping an eye on Latin Taste for my chance to shine. All you gotta do is say "Ola" upon arriving and you will get the rock star treatment, I know I do. It's the kind of place where it helps to befriend the chef so they will take care of you. And man, she sure does it! You can ask about what's happening in the tiny kitchen and get some surprise meal that never knew was your passion. Menu varies by the weekday. I've gone there and had the plastic table pulled out and food plopped down without much waiting and had a fantastic meal! This is not a cheap snack bar, but instead serves quality, hand-made food that can't be replicated by teaching some lackey the moves and then leave them to run your restaurant. Instead there is excellent Peruvian food created by a dedicated family team. Their snacks to go are another excellent option. Love their spicy beef empanadas, so yummy! The other item I love to take home with me are their tamales! So gooooooood! Available in a few varieties, I've tried almost all of them, wrapped with a coloured bow to indicate what variety it is. They are an excellent lunch meal, taking about 2-1/2 minutes in the microwave. Wrapped in a leaf, it's a colourful and wonderful food, made the old-fashioned way by hand, by a South American chef and will put your co-workers mass-produced, and tasteless, over-salted Subway sandwich to shame. read more

Latin Taste - All stocked up. I grabbed two tamales. One chkn and one pork. - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Their Tamales are super delicious, great place overall :) i try to go anytime im near Kensington!

During an afternoon walk in the area, my friend and I saw the food being eaten on the little patio sets in front of the shop. Everyone said the food was delicious so we had to give it a go! We ordered the ceviche (only available on weekends) and the soup of the day. All I can say is "WOW". The ceviche was a well portioned plate of fish, sweet potatoes, Peruvian corn, and plantain chips, topped with some pickled veg. It was fresh and flavourful! I was surprised by how filling it was. The soup. OMG. It was a hearty seafood soup with clams, mussels, fish, calamari, and topped off with a shrimp. The flavour was incredible! We were so lucky to have ordered it because we received the last portion of the day. At least 6 people came in asking for soup but they were officially sold out. I wonder how often they make this soup because I'm coming back for more! Fantastic local business. Highly recommended! read more

Walked around Kensington and came across this small Latin shop. They had a lot of different kind of empanadas so we decided to try their spinach and cheese. Not my cup of tea but the husband said it was really good. Will probably try a different flavour next time. read more

Latin Taste - Empanadas - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Feeling snacky in the market? You've found your spot! Latin Taste is a tight little shop on Baldwin Street with some beautiful counters of food. I came in recently, just a little peckish, and I ordered up a chicken and jalapeno empanada. That savoury little pocket of goodness was just what I needed to get through the hard times. Perfect size with the perfect amount of spice. It came simply, in a white paper bag. Again I use the word "perfect", but it was a perfect handheld piece of food. Thank you. read more

Latin Taste - Chicken and jalapeno empanada - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We walked by Latin Taste during our trip to Kensington Market and decided to stop for some empanadas. We had a chicken one and it was really good. The skin was flakey and thin - just the way we both like our empanadas. They also sell alfajores! I recently learned about these soft, sweet "cookies" and fell in love with them. read more

This is a great little place to get a cheap snack if you're walking around in Kensington market. They have a couple little chairs and tables outside. Not good for a group. Friendly service. Great and tasty empanadas . read more

Latin Taste - Wonderful empanadas - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I'm pretty harsh with Peruvian food. I regularly eat home cooked recipes from Peru at family functions. Seeing the great reviews I was excited to try this place while I was visiting Toronto. It was towards the end of the day so they were out of ceviche. No big deal. They had papa a la huancaina and pork tamales left. Great. Those are my favorites. I ordered it to go. When I got back to the hotel room and dug in, I was unimpressed. The huancaina sauce was kind of bland - didn't taste any aji. And the tamale was just okay. The meat wasn't shredded or even cubed. It was like biting into a huge swath of meat. The saving grace was they left the fat on! It was at least an authentic tamale - it had olives in it. I appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the food. The ladies that were cooking were no doubt Peruvian and the food was freshly made. It just wasn't what I was used to. read more

Popped in for a quick bite with my wife and kids while strolling around the area this wkend. Had no expectations with our order of 4 empanadas (spinach/cheese, jalapeno beef, beef & chicken) They were just alright and quite filling but on the dry & crumbly side and not as flavourfull as we like our food...extra seasoning would help. We were also charged an extra $3 for an Alfajor that we did not order. When brought to their attention the 3 ladies seemed quite annoyed for some strange reason and made it very evident to us all. In any case, I just took the Alfajor instead of the $3 and it was actually quite good. Its too bad that the somewhat unfriendly service overshadowed everything else. Will not be returning. read more

Saw this place by chance, and I made a note to visit sometime soon. I was glad that I dropped by this place to escape the cold! I bought a spinach empanada($2.50) and alfajore for dessert($2). Although the empanada was hot and fresh, the filling was quite small- there was more dough than the filling. I would not have minded if the empanada was smaller. However, alfajore was good! I liked the flaky crust and smooth dulce de leche filling. The service was so-so. A lady was on the phone, so she was distracted while serving me. By the way, there are no chairs inside, so you need to grab your order and eat them on the go. I am not sure I would be back, but you should check it out at least once! read more

After running out of patience in the past because I was mislead by google maps, I've finally found the place! Small little shop with a very small capacity. Shop had a home feel to the shop. Knew I had to try the empanadas but was overwhelmed by the large selection of fillings. Asked for the recommendation and the lady steered me towards the beef and the chicken. Decided I had to grab a churro and managed to snag the last caramel. Empanadas were simple but packed with full meat flavours that were well seasoned. Firm shell on the outside with a generous portion of meat. Churro was crispy and well flavoured. Definitely keen on coming back and trying the remaining flavours of the empanadas and churros. read more

Had my first tamale from here, real nice , both pork and chicken. The dough or the mazza , nicely done. Tasty,lots of flavour . Thinking I'm going back. Side spicy sauce on the side...... see old be nice . Just saying read more

We walked by this place and it looked amazing. The next day we made it a point to have lunch here. The empanadas were excellent and their tamale was super! The place is tiny but we snagged one of the tables outside, which made for wonderful people watching and listening to street performers. Definitely a must-try if you're in the area! read more

Literally a hole in the wall, but this Latin quick service counter is worth the visit to Kensington market. Must try the chicken empanadas and make sure you get dozen to share with your friends, if you don't have any friends, you will, if you share with some strangers. There were other menu items but I did not try anything else, but based on the 2 lovely ladies behind the counter providing a friendly and authentic experience, I will be back to try everything. read more

Latin Taste - Awesome chicken empanadas - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Randomly stumbled upon this small place while exploring Kensington Market. Had a pretty good spinach empanada (quite a few other flavors were available, too) but the ALFAJORES were TO DIE FOR! Yummy goodness! Dough just as crumbly as it should be and dulce de leche just as gooey as I remember from down south. There were two types available - we had the one with coconut (photo uploaded). At just $2 a piece, these alfajores were a fantastic find. I'll definitely stop by here again next time I'm in Toronto. The place is closed Sundays and Mondays. There is a table and 2 chairs inside, but you can easily eat this stuff on the go, as well. In addition to empanadas and amazing alfajores, the ladies here also sell tamales, tortas / pies, sandwiches, and more. read more

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Came by here on a cold Friday afternoon and tried their churros! Amazing and very fresh! The ladies who work here are so polite and nice. They do only have 3 seats though, and the actual shop is tiny, so it's definitely better to walk around and eat at the same time! read more

Latin Taste - nice churros! - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great empanadas. Amazing churros. Fantastic customer service. The hospitable woman cooking in the back delivered a sample churro to my group after she saw us sitting outside eating the empanadas. It was impressive and made us feel the Toronto love. read more

Latin Taste - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Hands down these are the best empanadas in the Kensington Market area and believe me I have tried them all there!

One small table so no place to really sit. No line. Choice of 3 types for savory pies: beef, chicken or spinach. $3. Beef: delicious and was surprised to taste something like green olives. Pastry was baked perfectly. read more

Latin Taste - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This is literally home cooking. I was greeted by two sweet Peruanas who took care of me. I watched them prepare specialty items and cooked the food I wanted (aji de gallina) right in front of me. This is mostly a bakery, but they also prepare some entrees depending on the day and availability. It seems best to call ahead and see what is available. My peruvian fiance absolutely loved the food and said it simply couldn't be any better/authentic. this is not a sit down restaurant, there are a couple of places to sit but definitely not for actual dining. Craving peruvian? this is it! bonus its near chinatown! read more

A (Peruvian) friend (yes, that needed to be called out..as an testament to authenticity!) brought some goodies from here so I can only offer my take on the food. Tamales - he brought over a selection and all were good, but the one that stood out was actually the quinoa/veggie tamale. It seemed solely made of quinoa (vs masa), and the flavour was remarkable! I couldn't put my finger on it, but it went beyond the typical cilantro flavoured tamales verdes. A definite "must-try"! Empanadas - the fillings were tasty and flavourful, although I wish there was slightly more. My friend said everything there was very authentic tasting - Will be definitely returning for more tamales! read more

One of my fav places in the market. The best empanadas ! Everything is made from scratch.

Best tamales, empanadas, and sooo much more. We always make a point of going when we are in the area. Never disappointed. Gotta get there early for the exquisite quinoa tamales, but the traditional ones are excellent too. read more

The best empanadas I've ever tasted. And I've had empanadas in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. These are tender, they're beautifully and amply filled, well-priced, just stunning. They're made in the Peruvian fashion and that tells me I really should visit Peru. Not fried, baked, and I repeat, completely delicious. One of the best things I've had during this trip to Toronto. read more

I looooove this place! Amazing food! Customer service is great! Lorena, the owner is a sweetheart. A few of my favourites: ceviche, spinach and cheese/chicken empanadas, tamales :) yum! read more

I'm from Peru and these tamales are not even close to the real deal like this lady claims them to be. I was so excited and I bought 5 of her "special" tamales, which by the way are pricey $10/each. I went back to my hotel looking forward to try them and what a disappointment! They don't even taste like tamales at all! The chicken inside which should be seasoned, had not flavour! There's not ahi Amarillo or onions or garlic/ ahi panca flavour at all! The tamale itself, doesn't even taste like corn at all. I barely finished one and my hubby ate one and we have 3 left that none of us want to eat. Waste of $$! I also bought 2 empanadas believing that they were chicken like she said , but when I opened them, they were beef, which I don't eat. I'm ashamed that people here think that this is what Peruvian tamales suppose to taste like. Too bad! Even the frozen tamales I had before from a Latino grocery store tasted a lot better and they were half the price. Please lady, if you read this please at the very least YouTube the recipe!!! read more

Honestly the best authentic Peruvian flavour in the city, I have tried almost all the restaurants in Toronto and always left with sadness, thinking that I will never be able to enjoy a real flavour from home until this morning!!! I had papa rellena, empanadas and tamales, brought home arroz con pollo and I will go back to try the Lurin breakfast. The best place in Toronto if you want to enjoy AUTHENTIC Peruvian food!!! read more

Latin Taste - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Me and my friends decided to buy churros here one day and they were amazing. The owner is very friendly and nice. The environment is extremely welcoming. I would definitely recommend. Really good service as well. read more

This little nook reminded me of my mom's Peruvian home cooking. Delicious and freshly made on the spot. The ceviche is beautifully served and the chicken tamale was so savory. The owner was such an inviting and friendly host and chatted with us. The service was A+. read more

Latin Taste - Home style Peruvian ceviche served like a piece of art ! Delish! - Latin American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I love this place. There are very few argentine food places in town and their empanadas are just like my mom makes (and at just $2.50, they are the most affordable in kensington!). Home away from home! The Sandwiches de Miga aren't all that great and a bit overpriced but they're good for the occassional indulgence ;) read more

I have had the churros here while walking around Kensington market and they are great. I think they make everything in house and it always tastes great to me. They have an excellent selection of baked Latin American goods, most of which I don't understand but know are delicious and still warm from when they where baked. Service is always an issue as they get supper busy, and have a tiny shop so having even 3 customers at one time can be a bit much. read more

Excellent excellent excellent Peruvian food. Authentic ceviche. Yummy empanadas. Delicious and authentic papa a la huancainas. Ingredients imported directly from Peru. Very skilled and compassionate chef named Loreena Ramos. You won't be disappointed. Extremely reasonably priced, Made with lots and lots of love. Highly recommended. read more

Great food especially the tamales with the onion salad on the side. The alfajores and empanadas remind me of back home. Great place, great service! I would definitely recommend Latin Taste! read more

Small shop in Kensington. Just dropped in for an empinada and chose the beef and jalapeno. Simple ground beef and mild spicy flavour. At $3.00, t'was quite nice. read more