The 10 messiest restaurants you can eat at in Toronto

The messiest restaurants in Toronto will make you work for your food. If you like getting your hands dirty, head to these restaurants for some saucy dishes and drippy feasts. 

Here are my picks for the messiest restaurants you can eat at in Toronto. 

Captain’s Boil

Perhaps the city's original mess-maker, this boil bar has four locations where you can don bibs and gloves to toss your seafood in sauce. Expect very few plates here: this DIY experience will have you eating your shrimp off a paper tablecloth. 

Saigon Star

Throw on your bib and a pair of plastic gloves to tear away at this Richmond Hill restaurant's famous curry crab. These guys are swimming in sauce – use the crab crackers for minimal mess. 

James Cheese Back Ribs

Dexterity is needed at this Chinatown restaurant, where you're expected to cut up saucy ribs with scissors while wrapping them in gooey, stretchy, mozzarella cheese – all over a dangerously hot plate. 

Ozzy’s

Prepare to stretch your mouth wider than it's ever gone to devour one of these halal burgers. This Kensington spot serves up towering burgers full of dripping cheese and their signature oozing Ozzy sauce. 

Dirty Bird

Chicken atop maple butter waffles are doused in sweet and tangy sauce here – unless you go with the dry rub wings – but it won't be a clean eat either way. All three of their locations also carry a ridiculously big waffle ice cream sandwich that's a surefire way to make a sticky mess. 

Cheers Cut

Oily, cheesy, and powdery, the Taiwanese fried chicken at this Yonge and Dundas spot are massive filets (they come in XL or XXL) that come stuffed with cheese and coated with two types breading. Use the provided gloves to try and devour these ginormous 12-ounce filets. 

Adamson Barbecue

Texas-style BBQ eats implies eating with your hands, and that's mostly what you'll be doing at this hit restaurant in Leaside. Tear away at their gristly spareribs and juicy, fatty brisket.  

Tinuno

Gorge yourself on a hands-only Filipino kamayan feast at this St. James Town restaurant. Form little balls of delicious garlic rice with your hands and throw it down with pieces of delicious bits of pork belly, all served up atop a layer of banana leaves. 

Morals Village

You can get your hot pot on at this Chinatown restaurant or at its Markham location. Be wary of back splash from the bubbling broths (especially the spicy ones) and drips from the array of dipping sauces provided – a white shirt is definitely not recommended.  

Hot Bunzz

The stuffed baos from this Queen West restaurant may be adorable, but they come topped with a heaping pile of sauces and veggies that make them totally impractical to eat in one bite unless you have an abnormally large mouth. 

by Tanya Mok via blogTO