Restaurants in Oshawa

She may be from Whitby, but Shelagh Pirkl is no stranger to hot weather and hotter flavours. She spent years eating her way across California, enjoying the fresh, flavourful cuisine of Mexican-American regions. Along the way, she and her husband Darren—a California native—decided to bring their findings north. So they opened Los Cabos Cantina & Grill, which is named after the Baja peninsula to perfectly capture the eatery’s Mexican-Californian cuisine.

Inside, diners feast on everything from corn-dusted red-chili calamari and monterrey club sandwiches to traditional enchiladas blanketed in melted cheese and wrapped in papier-mâché. Chefs can customize meals to the customer’s preferred spiciness level, and they can also create gluten-free, lactose-free, and vegan options. Live music, an outdoor patio, and freshly muddled margaritas lure guests into the eatery’s laid-back Californian atmosphere, though tempers occasionally rise during Leafs games and Monday night football.

Brothers Alex and Mark Rechichi always enjoyed constructing hearty, Dagwood-esque sandwiches, but noticed that most of the breads they employed in these edible masterpieces literally crumbled under the pressure of supporting a glorious quantity of healthy meats, veggies, cheeses, and sauces. Naturally, the brothers fell in love when they discovered the sturdy pita, which was both nutritious and versatile. Flatbread in hands, the two brothers founded Extreme Pita in 1997 with a goal of delivering enormous, structurally sound sandwiches to the masses. Since then, the eatery has spawned franchises throughout the U.S. and Canada, where customers can enjoy a variety of pita-based creations ranging from made-to-order wraps to pizza-style flat bakes to jalapeño cheddar chips. Extreme Pita's locations put an emphasis on reducing their carbon footprint by implementing an array of green practices, such as recycling and reusing, using energy-efficient light bulbs, and warming pitas with the sighs of a dragon.

When they became friends and collaborators, Dr. Avtar Singh Dhanoa and artist Fahim Hamid Ali weren’t just making a personal connection—they were crossing a historic divide created by the ongoing violence between Indian Sikhs and Pakistani Muslims. But despite their different cultures and religions, the two shared a passion for healing religious and political gulfs, and they began bridging that gap with their own partnership. Dr. Dhanoa commissioned Ali to paint artwork for his restaurant, Bombay Bhel Thornhill, that would reflect both of their heritages. Inspired, Ali crafted eight wall murals and 50 tabletop paintings whose subjects range from a woman by a well in a Pakistani village to lovers from famous Punjabi folk tales. The artworks work together to create a unique, welcoming atmosphere that has caught the attention of the Toronto Star and drawn in various local and international diners.

The guests admire Ali’s brushstrokes as they savour traditional Indian cuisine that earned the restaurant four sequential Best of Richmond Hill awards. The culinary team simmers butter chicken and sprinkles ginger and chilies over chicken and beef baked in a tandoor clay oven. Housemade paneer cheese and shrimp nestle in curries that diners scoop up with freshly baked naan or pair with rice. In addition to sating hunger inside the dining room, Bombay Bhel Thornhill caters for parties and barrister sock hops.

Street festivals are often held on the historic streets outside La Grotta on Main, mirroring the culinary festivities that take place daily inside the restaurant. In the kitchen, chefs deftly prepare house-made pastas and gourmet Mediterranean entrees suitable for both lunch and dinner. As meals unfold, waiters swing down from the dining room's white drapes to pour dozens of red and white wines, including a house sangiovese imported from Italy. La Grotta on Main's culinary wizards can also conjure up meals that accommodate special diets. A faux-stone finish wraps around the eatery's interior walls, where the flickering glow of a fireplace spills across decorative plants and white tablecloths. Outside, a pergola overhangs the outdoor patio as diners feast their hungry eyes on vibrant flora and gently poke nearby trees until they pass the salt.

The designers of Kazan Teppanyaki's glowing interior divide the space evenly between teppanyaki tables equipped with Japanese flat grills and round booths bordering centre insets for Korean barbecue. The decor reflects the eatery's extensive menu, which also splits its black-filigreed pages between Japanese and Korean grilled specialties. Chefs tend to sizzling short ribs, black tiger jumbo shrimp, and veggies within cheek-pinching reach of patrons who surround each respective grill during meal preparation. In addition to the aroma of flaming fare and spicy sauces, Kazan Teppanyaki spruces its interior with elegant artwork, smatterings of floral arrangements, and minimalist wreaths fashioned from chopsticks.:m]]

Beneath lemon-hued walls, the cooks at Pho on 7 cut through clouds of steam, which hint at fistfuls of lemongrass, basil, and onions. Bowls of pho ferry slices of beef or chicken, and rice paper bundles up morsels of shrimp, pork, and vermicelli. The eatery fills with chatter and jingling silverware until 5 a.m. on weekend nights, allowing diners to stop in to celebrate after evening revelry or success in getting the moon off their property. Televisions broadcast athletic events, and a collection of board and card games distract waiting diners.