Shanghai Cowgirl is one of the best diners in Toronto.
It’s located right next door to the Bovine Sex Club and shares the same owners. Open seven days a week from 10:30 am onwards, it closes at midnight Sunday and Monday and 1 am till Thursdays then 4 am Friday and Saturday.
What does this mean?
It means you can get a burger and fries or a decent tuna melt after the bar on weekends, and the place packs up fast.
It’s set up just like a diner, with big vinyl booths, tables on one side and a comfy bar and pick-up kitchen on the other. In the summer, the large wooden back patio gets sun all day long, well into the evening and the staff are all friendly. Everyone’s got tattoos and they listen to a lot of rock-radio a la Eagles Of Death Metal and Weezer on the satellite radio.
The menu is pretty decent with all day breakfast, some asian choices like shanghai noodles, and comfort food in the Things Mom Used to Make section. A burger will run you $9.75 and can easily become a lot more with all the crazy modifications you’ll do. With sides like sweet potato fries and wasabi mayo, it’s easy to turn your burget into almost $20.
The standouts are the traditional diner fare like milk shakes, burgers, club sandwiches and chili as well as the unique dishes like perogies, triple decker grilled cheese and trailer trash sushi: griddled chicken on a bun with wasabi mayo and watercress. Vegetarians have some choice with veggie noodles, salads and veggie burgers. It’s soul food in the city 100%.
The service is like anywhere else, if you’re a regular (80% of the clientele are), then you know all the staff by name. There’s a real scene at the Shanghai where staff eat here on their days off, and go for beers at the Bovine together after work. In fact, a lot of the staff who work at one, do shifts at the other as well as Gasoline Magazine, which has an office above, in the same building, and owned by the same owners.
Luckily though, it remains somewhat secret from tourists because of it’s precarious location at Bathurst and Queen, off the beaten club track.
