Food Festie: Taste of Danforth

Hey guys!

I meant to post this on Friday but these days have been long and busy. Zzz. Like the title states, I am going to post about the Taste of Danforth! The Taste of Danforth is a Greek food festival that is held in downtown Toronto (Broadview) from August 8 - 10. It is held annually, always in the same place, and includes lots of food, dancing, and performances! The food can range from $2 and up per item from what I saw this year though most of the dishes cost around $5-6 each.

Like I said before, there are some showcase stages in which bands perform R&B, rock, reggae, blues, and more! Each year changes so there is a mix in variety. :) There really is a lot in this festival - I didn't see all of it but I will link the website for you guys in the end to explore. The time I went to the festival was from approximately 7 pm and stayed until 10:30 pm.

Now to the main point!
Views and food we saw/ate:

ASTORIA SLOUVAKI (Blue and white shop)

Some of the Gyro Ingredients

Boyfriend and my Chicken Gyros

Gyros in the making

Close-up on Chicken Gyro

The chicken gyro from Astoria Slouvaki was super tasty! I've been to the Taste of Danforth for many years and each year I always eat one or two of these delicious gyros. Mmm. In case you can't really tell, they have marinated chicken, onions, lettuce, ranch dressing, and some of their own special sauce inside the wrap. Sooo good. The cost for each of these was $6. Pretty good considering the size and taste.

Here are a couple of other restaurants/shops:

Fresh Oysters!

They even had ice cream trucks!

I would really recommend this place (last 2 pictures) called Burger Stomper. I ate here a week ago and IT'S SO GOOD! The best I had was the Smokey Bacon Poutine. It contains caramelized onions, their own special sauce, and fries. Super awesome. It's definitely worth it - in store it's about $8.05 for a big plate. I also heard about their amazing milkshakes which go for $5 for two, though I have yet to try them. If I do, I'll let you know!

Butterbeer! I love the HP reference haha.
Beer stand with a collectible mug

Man dancing to the music as he sells his food goodies

ASTORIA Shish Kebob House

ASTORIA's Cooking Area (yummy smell)

Pork Kebab and a side of bread from ASTORIA

Another shish kebab place

There were a lot of kebab stores so it was really hard to choose from! The pork kebab from ASTORIA was pretty good. I enjoy that they give a slice of bread to tame the stronger flavour of the kebab. It was also great for cleansing your mouth of the heaviness.

Taste of the Silk Road
"The best calamari on the Danforth!"

Server putting calamari in a small holder

Calamari and a form of lemon-y sauce

The calamari from Taste of the Silk Road was really good, especially when it's mixed in with the sauce given. (No extra charge). The total cost was $5 or $6. The lemon sauce complemented the calamari well but only if you don't put too much or it'll become too strong. It tasted really good with just a bit of the sauce, but if you are one to really enjoy dousing your food in sauce, go for it!

One of the many games in the games area (Around Pape)

One of the many games in the games area (Around Pape)

Walking into the games area of the festival

A FERRIS WHEEL! (OMG) 

WARNING** Extremely bad quality photo (LOL)

BOUNCY HOUSE!

They had a HUGE bouncy house, which of course, I took a terrible photo of. (Sorry!) I was on the other side and I forgot to take a better once passing by it again in the front. Heh, bad memory. :c

The rides do require tickets which of course costs money, so if you go to the festival to play some games, remember to buy tickets! Don't waste time lining up only to find out that you need tickets. :S

Fish and Chips

Last thing I ate! I took this when I ate a couple of fries so it looks a bit sparse haha. It cost $3 for fries and one piece of fish which isn't so bad. You can put your own ketchup and mayonnaise on the side which they provide for you on tables. This was the first time I actually had Fish and Chips (the fish part at least) and it wasn't bad. I would try it again if I go to another festival that has this. :)

Celebrity Stage where performers were entertaining us!

Second stage! The Showcase Stage, I believe.

There are a couple of stages, such as the celebrity stage, the showcase stage, and the Greek yogurt stage. I took a picture of two of them - the celebrity and showcase stage. They had lots of music and dancing which made the whole scene and mood really fun.

Feelings: This festival was fantastic as usual! Since I went on a Friday, it wasn't as busy as Saturday and Sunday. There were still quite a bit of people, especially around 7-8 when people got off work and headed to the festival. This festival is great for anyone who just wants to walk around or enjoy food or even both! There's tons of music and lots of games and rides for children to play so it's perfect for families! (or even the simple adult with a young heart haha)

The food was fantastic, especially the gyros! I love it! It was well worth the price for my satisfaction ahha.I realize that some foods may not exactly be worth it (price-wise) as opposed to a restaurant but I always remember that going to a food festival means spending a bit more for not only the food but the ambience as well. This festival can be full new experiences as there are a lot of food that can be new to you. Some for me were the calamari and the variety of music the performers provided.

For those who want to read more up on the Taste of Danforth for this year, here is the link to the website:
http://tasteofthedanforth.com/