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    The Toston

    4.3 (57 reviews)
    ModerateColombian
    Closed 12:00 pm - 6:00 PM

    The Toston Photos

    Business Info

    THE TOSTON ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual

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    Recommended Reviews - The Toston

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    John G.

    I found this little gem of a restaurant in Markham. Latin food is hard to find here, so this Colombian restaurant really stands out. I got the bandeja paisa and fried yucca. The yucca was nice and crisp yet chewy after the initial bite. Portion sizes are quite large. If you are hungry, get the bandeja paisa. You get a little bit of everything with this dish (sausage, beef, egg, rice, beans, plantain, chicharon, avocado), and it is very filling. It was all very tasty. I washed it all down with the Postobon manzana (apple) soda. The owners are very nice and friendly here. Looking forward to my next visit

    Christy S.

    It's my first time to try the Colombia cuisine and I love it and definitely recommend the Toston to you guys!! The boss is so nice and welcoming, they will explain everything in detailed as she knows I'm the first time to try this!! The ambiance of restaurant is so amazing and you can feel like you are in Colombia!!

    Plantains
    Mary Grace W.

    The Toston is a small, family-owned Colombian restaurant near Costco. They offer a lot of classic Colombian dishes for you to try! The owners were super friendly and even recommended their favourites! We came in a party of 5, and because the restaurant was so small we had to squeeze by into one of the tables. The owners were very accommodating however, and helped us move some tables together for more space. This was my first time having Colombian food. The plantains were delicious and well cooked. I also ordered the Toston with Grilled Chicken. It was well seasoned and crispy, however, maybe a little dry. They also included a house salad. I hope to try out their other dishes, such as the arepas one day!

    Cynthia C.

    Nice little local Columbian restaurant near Costco. Came here for lunch and ordered Toston with pulled beef, it was very tasty with fried plantain underneath. Everything was fresh here, the arepas were very tasty as well!

    First bite of empanada, ready to spoon in salsa!
    Patricia T.

    Know that feeling when you take a bite of something delicious and "the feeling" takes you over? You wanna cry, but you don't want to look stupid eating an empanada in Canada? This. Place. Is. Wonderful. I walked in, and the woman behind the counter told me to take a seat and she'd come explain the menu. She was so kind and informative. I ordered the chicken soup and an empanada. She brought the empanada first (beef) along with the BEST salsa I've ever had. It was made to pair with these crisp little pies. She instructed, "Take a bite, and then spoon the salsa inside." When I say it tasted like Heaven... The soup was delicious, as well. It had a green broth and was super flavorful with potatoes and chicken. Just fantastic. The restaurant was very small with only 4 tables. All four were occupied continuously while I was there with a steady stream of take-out customers. Decor was super cute and cozy.

    Ruby A.

    We're thrilled to find Columbian cuisine in uptown Markham. The owners Norma and Alexander, are very friendly, and take great pride in their restaurant. We felt transported to South America, with the cute décor and warm hospitality. We sat outside and Norma brought us Columbian coffee and traditional beef empanadas. My hubby is a coffee lover, so he was a happy camper! The cheese buñuelos were soft and fluffy; I wish we had ordered more! We shared the Bandeja Paisa, which is rice, plantains, sausage, crispy pork belly, beans, avocado, steak, arepa, and a fried egg. The chicharron was a bit chewy, and we prefer our steak on the medium rare/medium side. The Toston with shredded chicken was a nice change from our usual order of pork or beef. The flavors are very authentic, and overall, we had a lovely lunch date. Disclaimer: Empanadas were complimentary, and coffee is included with meals.

    Gabriel S.

    The Toston, the signature dish after which this place is named, is fried flattened plantain with toppings. The version served here seems unique, as the generic Latin American version seems to be called tostones/patacones, is much smaller, isn't always topped and even if topped seems to have different toppings. Had the Pulled Beef Toston. It was good. The plantain was plain-ish yet crispy, so it was a good foil for the pulled beef, which started off simple but whose flavour profile deepened as I had more of it, and ended up being very tasty. The whole thing was served on a banana leaf, which was nice. It came with a refreshing tomato salad and an avocado slice. The empanada was alright. It was made of corn flour (YMMV but I dislike the chewiness) which also gave it a slight sweet edge. The stuffing tasted okay but didn't seem to have much beef. Tried Postobon Apple, a Colombian bottled drink. It tasted sharp and while the first taste was pleasantly apple-y, the after-taste was a bit medicinal, like something you'd get at the dentist. Didn't try the Colombian hotdog or hamburger, but they have pineapple and the hotdog has mozzarella cheese and the hamburger sweet cheese.

    Toston with pulled beef
    David Y.

    I love people who share who/what they are and where they came from with humble pride and genuine celebration. The owners of Toston are these people. It's a small restaurant, maybe sits 12-15 people (including the counter area). But Norma makes sure every square inch of that place transports you to Columbia. She greeted us with a smile, walked us through the menu, gave great tips, and eyes-sparkled as my cousin tried un poquito espanyol with her. We got: - Toston with Pulled Beef: The beef itself was moist and tender, a perfect pairing to the crispy and sweet toston. Side salad was tarty, which added a great additional flavour to the meal. This was a winner! - Fried Fish: Same great toston and side salad. The fish was ok, a bit too fried for me. What does that mean? Glistening, a bit overly crunchy, just a tad dry on the outside (though the meat itself was moist enough). - Yuka Fries: The best of them were milky and chewy. There were some stray ones that were a bit stringy and dry. The side homemade salsa sauce though was chef's-kiss good. - Columbian Coffee: Columbian coffee at its sweet-and-nuttuly best. Thanks Toston for bringing us to Columbia!

    Lonely ole empanada
    Victoria F.

    Colombian food in Markham?! Yes please! This place is a total hole in the wall. It's a small, unassuming, mom-and-pop joint with a small menu. They mainly offer tostons here which are essentially a fried, flattened plantain topped with protein or queso. Not much drink selection here although they do have a fridge of Colombian bottled/juice box drinks. Prices here are very fair, as 1 order is enough for 2 people. You can order takeout or sit in (there's like 3 tables). Service is friendly but pretty minimal and slow. We ordered: Toston with Pulled Chicken (comes with a small salad) $12 - the plantain is generously topped with lots of pulled chicken. The chicken is moderately seasoned with Latin American spices. Some homemade salsa completed this dish. I've never had tostons before but overall it was good. Empanada $1.75 - Filled with potatoes and beef. Not much taste or beef inside. Just a crispy lil package. They serve it with some homemade salsa which makes it taste much better. FYI, they're pre-made and just sit in a warming cabinet. Yuca frites $5 - Fried cassava chunks tossed with salt. Cassava imo is like a less starchy potato. This was the best item of the meal. (It's only good when fresh - the leftovers we brought back were mehhhhh!) Overall it was a pretty average meal - there's nothing really mindblowingly awesome about this place. It is nice to have some variety in this neighbourhood though!

    Toston with pulled beef
    Samantha A.

    After visiting Florida and trying a Columbian restaurant over there I was craving some good Columbian food. I searched for restaurants around me and that's how I came across "The Toston". The couple that run and own the restaurant are so warm and welcoming, they treat you like family. I was also thoroughly impressed with the food here, it's packed with flavor you definitely have to try it for yourself. It was our first time here so we tried a couple items on the menu such as the chicken empanda, the sweet plantain, toston with grilled chicken and toston with pulled beef. I will definitely be back especially since it's so close to home.

    Patricia G.

    This place is really cute! I'd never had Colombian food before and decided to come and try it out. Yum! Location: In a strip mall plaza chocked gull of different businesses! Lots to see here Parking: I came after work during the week so it wasn't so bad! There were a tonne of parking Not sure what it would be like on the weekend though Decor: It's teeny tiny and super cute! There's 5 tables inside and one outside as well as 6 or so bar seats. The walls are red and wood and it is decorated with art and photos from Columbia. It's very cute. Things are made to order, when I was there the owner was working. He's nice! Food: I ordered the traditional Colombian big meal. Beans, sausage, steak, rice, pork belly, egg and avacado. It was ok. I don't think I'd get it again. Nothing really stood out for me as really good just ok and I didn't like some of the food. I really wanted to like it because I like finding new hidden gems. There are a lot of restaurants in the plaza that was busier. I should have realized by that and when I checked in a couple of yelp friends messaged me to tell me where to get better Colombian food.

    Menu
    Sam L.

    Toston is essentially fried flattened plantain, Columbian style, with your choice of toppings and an avocado on the side. You eat it by cutting or ripping off a piece of the plantain and shoving it in your mouth. It's delicious, tasty, oily, greasy and HEAVY. The Toston is THE best (and maybe only?) place to get tostons in the area. WHAT WE GOT: Combo #2 Toston with Pulled Beef ($16) Fried fish with rice and toston ($18) Yucca frites ($5) Empanada - similar to beef patty ($3) comes with a salsa. WHAT WE LIKED: The tostons were both fantastic. Pulled beef is a winner. Fish was seared well. WHAT WE DIDN'T: Empanada at $3 for a small patty wasn't great value. The salsa was interesting, but might as well save your stomach for the fried goodness of toston. Yucca frites were good, but again, probably ideal to focus on the mains when you're here. WHAT I'D GET NEXT: The special dishes are kind of attention-grabbing too. Bandeja Paisa for $19 looks fantastic... yeah, that'll be what I get next. But it's REAL hard to stray from Combo #2 now that I've had it. Can the beef soup REALLY be worth $15? (apparently comes with rice and a side) Arepas in Columbia compare to tortillas in Mexico; pork arepa for $13? And I wonder about Columbia hamburger ($8)? I mean, it seems pricey but my meal was pretty filling, so could it be worth it? PARKING/ENTRANCE/DECOR/SEATING There was plenty of parking here in the evening, BUT it was during a snow storm sooo... who knows if that was just a lucky fluke on my part. It's a small shop and a bunch of colourful, possibly mismatched signage everywhere with homages to Columbia very prominent. They have a television that was showing a soccer game on the side. Seating is available for quite limited. I imagine busier days it's mostly takeout. SERVICE and WASHROOMS Very, very friendly. They'll take the time to explain things and help you choose. Food took a while to come though, so don't come hungry (or get appetizers if you do - the apps are in a warming tray and NOT made fresh to order like the rest). There's a small washroom is in the back. FOOD If you're on a diet, forget about coming. A lot of the Yelp pictures disguise how prominent the fried, oily plantain is. It's basically the dough on a pizza. So, the toppings and such will catch your eye, rightfully, but the fried goodness is a HUGE part of the meal.

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    2 months ago

    Great Food and friendly staff. Authentic Colombian Food with excellent presentation. I will definitely plan another visit

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    4 years ago

    Amazing and authentic Columbian food, with great customer service. Highly recommend if you want to try something different.

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    The Toston Reviews in Other Languages

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    Esto Es Colombia

    Esto Es Colombia

    (12 reviews)

    Incredibly delicious food, authentically Colombian, big portions, and amazing value for money. The…read moreseafood dishes are filled with various different kinds of high-quality seafood to the brim (more protein than rice). All the staff are so friendly - from the waitstaff to the chefs / owners and kitchen staff, everyone in the restaurant seems to exhibit the Latin American hospitality and friendliness. The place feels homey, cozy, and festive with the music in the background (from the TV screen on the wall), and big photos depicting different places in Colombia along the wall. Ambience is very laid-back and casual, with amazing food that tastes homemade and authentic. It took a while for the food to cook and come out (about 40 minutes) - mostly because of the Cazuela de Mariscos (seafood soup) that took the longest to cook. It was also during a very busy time on a weekend. They seemed to have a constant flow of incoming catering and take-out orders (a good sign), and the restaurant itself was packed. All / most mains come with coconut rice, salad, and tostones (fried plantains). As for drinks, you can order freshly squeezed juices in either water or milk. We ordered the fresh strawberry & blackberry juice in water, as the one in milk would make it more like a smoothie. Each juice order comes in a jug (whether it be a small or large jug). This came as a surprise to us - really good value for such a large volume of juice ($6 for a whole "small" jug that turned out to be quite big, enough to refill each glass a few times for 2 people). The juice itself tasted fresh, natural, and refreshing. Dishes that we tried: 1) Filete de Tilapia con Camarones (grilled tilapia fish fillet & shrimps with coconut rice, plantain, and salad) - Big pieces of fish and lots of small shrimps, in a very delectable sauce. 2) Arroz Marinero (seafood rice with plantain & salad) - Loved this dish. The rice was a bit soupy which I liked. It was a bit like a soupy paella (including the rice) - very delicious and packed with various kinds of seafood. 3) Cazuela de Mariscos (seafood soup with coconut rice, plantain, and salad) - Very creamy soup, like a chowder. I'm not a big fan of chowders / cream-based soups in general, but others liked it and said this was good. 4) SIDE: Ensalada (House Salad) 5) Arepa de Chocolo con Queso (sweet corn dough with cheese) All of the main dishes were EXCELLENT - loved the mixed seafood (fish fillet, shrimps, octopus, squid, etc.). There was so much seafood in every dish. In most places, you get more carbs / rice compared to the protein. Here, it was the opposite. The coconut rice was a bit dry but it's decent - good to soak up the sauces of the main dishes. The salad is just shredded cabbage and carrot with big sliced tomato. I was a big fan of the salad dressing (some creamy mayo-like dressing), but luckily the dressing was only at the top of the salad (the bottom part of the salad remained fresh and crunchy, which I liked). We ordered the Arepa de Chocolo con Queso for to go. It was different than the Venezuelan arepa that I'm used to. The Colombian arepa seemed to be sweeter and more buttery. It probably would've been better if it was eaten right after it was freshly made, and while it was still warm. There was a lot of cheese in the arepa, giving it a nice salty and savoury contrast to the sweet corn dough. After you're done the meal, you go up to the counter to pay (instead of having the bill brought to your table). Great food overall - I would not hesitate to come back.

    They get 2.5 stars…read more Bandeja paisa: steak was decent, crackling was so-so (pretty crispy but not that moist or flavourful). Sausage tasted decent but slightly dry. Egg was a bit overdone & arepa was decent though somewhat crispy  Beans were decent. Plantain was so-so (not crispy or sweet). Pork tenderloin was pretty tasty but tough & dry especially for a tenderloin. Rice was decent, with a slight flavour, but a bit mushy. Plantain was crispy. The restaurant interior was decorated quite nicely but was very warm (in summer) & service was disorganised & some servers didn't speak English well so communication was sometimes difficult. I asked if the pork tenderloin had a sauce; they said no but it came with a tomato & peppers sauce. They also billed me wrongly.

    Rincón Paisa

    Rincón Paisa

    (4 reviews)

    . After a very long wait, the newly opened TTC Line 5 was finally there. I just wanted to hop on…read morethe Line 5 train and see where it could take us. Rincón Paisa already had many positive reviews on major platforms. Plus, I had never had Colombian food . On the storefront, a worker happened to see me taking photos outside and kindly welcomed me to take more. My family and I went into the restaurant. There were many signs showing it is an authentic one: 1. The indoor decoration has a strong Latin American vibe -- wooden furniture, flowers, Latin music, etc. 2. Couldn't understand anything on the menu 3. All customers and workers spoke in Spanish We were there to have brunch. I don't recall exactly which dishes we ordered that day; however, we were super full! The portions of their meals are huge. All the things on the plate were tasty. There were many different ingredients on the plate: plantain, eggs, chorizo, fried pork belly, ground beef, avocado, rice, beans, etc. A very good deal. We might have seemed too unfamiliar with the food, because I didn't even know how to eat Empanadas. After I ordered an Empanada and let the servers in the restaurant watch me eat it awkwardly, a server who I guessed might be the owner treated us to two pastries -- one looked like a ball, and the other was flat bread. I looked them up by AI, and they should be Buñuelo and Almojábana, two cheese pastries from Colombia. I hope it's appropriate, but Buñuelo may be the most delicious cheese bread I've ever had -- it's tastier than the main dishes . I think it's a beautiful local business. If you're curious and haven't had Colombian food before, definitely give it a shot .

    HIDDEN GEM ALERT!!! Was walking around the block to kill some time before an appointment and…read moredecided to pop in because I've never had Colombian food before. I ended up grabbing some empanadas and holy shit these are tasty. They were so fresh and crispy, I got one chicken and potato empanada and one cheese. The chicken one was wrapped in a corn dough and the cheese one was flour I think but both were really, really good-- and cheap! $2.50 per any flavor. They have tamales here too, I'd like to come back to try them. The interior is also very clean and the decor is so cute. Guy with the tattoos and stretched ears at the front was also really nice. I wish I had more time to try a dish!! I saw other peoples' food and it looked so tasty. Great portions and beautiful dinnerware as well. Will definitely be back and highly recommend for a quick bite :)

    The Toston - colombian - Updated May 2026

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