DM Blog

Way back in March 2008, I had created a list of ten places to eat in Toronto for a friend of mine. (This list has since become a popular article on my blog.) Number seven on that list was Sardinha O Rei Dos Frangos, which I’ve been to several times since moving back to Toronto last year, but I’ve never remembered to take any photos while I’m there…

And then this week, out of nowhere, some photos from Sardinha magically appeared on my iPhone! OK well actually, I apparently took those photos last week after some blood tests, but I was a very high dose of Ativan (just 2mg causes strong amnesia) so I don’t remember taking the photos, nor do I remember even being there at all. Really. (I don’t recommend taking a high dose of Lorazepam, ever, unless instructed to do so by your doctor. And never without proper supervision – in fact, I should have been taken straight home right after my blood tests – it’s very dangerous…)

Anyways, while I have absolutely no recollection of my last visit there, (even the photos don’t help me remember), I have been to Sardinha enough times to be able to tell you that it’s good food and great value for your money.

I always get the ¼ chicken dinner (with Parisienne potatoes and rice), with the hot sauce on the side. Gotta have the hot sauce! (The photo above is the ½ chicken dinner though, since I was sharing.) And for some reason, I always get it in a to-go container, even though I know I’m going to sit down and eat it there…

Over the years, the quality of the food at Sardinha has gone downhill a little, but they’re still very busy. For instance, they used to make those little potatoes fresh in-house, but now they deep fry them from frozen out of a bag. The chickens they use have also gone down in quality over the years, but most people probably won’t notice a difference. (They used to taste like free-range chickens, now they just taste like regular supermarket chickens.) And the rice used to come with black olives (and shrimp?) but now it’s just made with frozen peas and carrots – cheaper… Nevertheless, the flavor is still great and at $7.50 for the ¼ chicken dinner you can’t complain – it’s still an amazing value. Where else can you get this much good food for that price?

There’s always a constant, never-ending line-up at Sardinha that never seems to get shorter no matter what time of day it is. But the service is very friendly and fast so it goes by really quick.

Next time you’re in the area (it’s right across from Long & McQuade) I highly recommend checking it out.