Vena’s Restaurant

My favourite in town has been feeding me and my family for over 20 years since they were a mainstay on Queen West.
Quality and portions have remained consistent. This is an inexpensive meal so I don’t expect fine cuisine, but it’s freshly made, it’s not slathered in sauce or overly salty, and the veggies included are healthy — eat your spinach and squash kids! — so I feel pretty good about taking out from there.
The hot sauce is spicy and vinegary, it’s the perfect compliment.
Finally, the owner has a social conscience, giving away free meals to the poor at least once a year.
I will always be a customer here.

Best roti in TO. Fast and reliable service. Very reasonable. They only take cash though!

I used to live in the area about 20 yrs ago but never tried Venas. I have been to Island Foods, Bacchus, Ram’s Roti shop and a few others all over Toronto. This is by far the worst roti I have ever had. I went during lunch time on a Friday afternoon. It was not worth the money at all. I had a chicken roti. I don’t know why the sign outside says it is the best roti. I would go to another place.
I am shaking my head at the excellent reviews of this place.

I love vena’s. The potato/​spinach/​squash is my go to comfort food. I’ve tried the other places rated higher, I definitely don’t agree. Venas is the best in the city imo

I love the roti from this restaurant. I always get chicken, and sometimes if I’m feeling extra hungry I get double chicken. I have been eating roti here in toronto since I was a little girl and I have to say that Vena’s is the best roti I’ve ever had. The shell is buttery and thick and amazing. The meat is perfect! No bones and cooked to perfection with so much flavour and never all the nasty parts of the chicken just light and dark meat. The gravy is just so flavourful and I love the ratio of potatoes to chicken. Its just sooo good. If you like spice, then have it with the vinegary hot sauce they give you, the two go together just perfectly. This roti is never dry and always packed with flavour. I love this place. The people that own it are friendly and you can taste the love that goes into this food. I know that sounds corny but I mean it, you know you’re getting some good, slow cooked chicken when you eat here. I love this roti so much. I also love that you can get things like squash or spinach or whatever you want in your roti. I don’t get those things because I like mine plain and simple, but my boyfriend does when he goes and he loves it.

Very nice owner, and very good food. One day I didn’t have enough money to pay for my roti, and he said don’t worry about it. I though that was kind. A few days later I paid him the extra, and he was gracious and thankful. Number 1 place for delicious roti’s!

I really like their fast/​good service and deal of $ 5 chicken curry including drink but I must say the flavor is off in the curry and rice. It didn’t really taste fresh and the beans had a bad taste. I must add that they were out of goat curry at 12:30 PM. However it’s worth coming to try the roti since it’s cheap.

This is the one place I visit in Toronto the most often for take-​out food. Absolutely fabulous roti! I usually order the chicken, green bean and potato. Consistently fresh and absolutely delicious! Love the hot-​sauce. The owner is a real nice guy also. Try Vena’s, you’ll love it! I’m definitely hooked. :)

man, the portions are HUGE!
stopped here with a friend before our movie night. they have a good selection of veggie roties. but again one roti is HUGE! I had to share my mixed veggies roti with a friend and both of us were full.
it’s very hot inside the restaurant and you might want to enjoy your roti at home after you pick it up. if not — they have few tables where you can accommodate yourself.
next time I want to try mushroom curry rote. sounds delicious!!!

Yes, this place is yummy. I looove the squash/​potato/​chickpea combination. But those who claim this is the best roti in Toronto have certainly not tried Island Foods… mmm. now that’s a roti. The roti bread here can be a bit on the dry side. At Island Foods, the juice drips all the way down to your elbows.
$ 8 for a roti. Not the cheapest but when you see how big they are it justifies the price.

Vena’s make a nice roti, but I did not find as earth shatteringly, toe curlingly wondrous as other reviewers on Unilocal.My primary argument against Vena’s is their insistence on so blatantly scaling back on the more expensive ingredients in the fillings in order to preserve a low-​ish price point.
Still, if you are in the neighbourhood it is worth a stop. But I wouldn’t stray far off course to get there considering there are so many better options in the GTA.

Fantastic Roti, I usually order the goat with potato and okra and have never been disappointed.
Suggest you plan for takeout as the interior isn’t easy on the eyes. Also remember its cash only, but with every item at $ 9 or under this shouldn’t be a deal breaker.

the Toronto Lover system:
5 stars = Must visit!
4 stars = Really good. I take my friends here.
3 stars = Somewhat worth it… if you have nowhere better to go.
2 stars = Below average. Attend only when necessary.
1 star = Do not visit!
I love roti. I’ve tried it all over this city, from Islington/​Lakeshore to Queen/​Bathurst to Yonge/​Steeles… and in many other cities too. Vena’s makes the best roti in Toronto. I’ve never seen anyone eat inside, and you wouldn’t want to either, unless you’re hankering for a vintage game of competitive Pacman while you eat your lunch.
With a decent dining area, Vena’s would be a 5. The prices are fantastic (chicken roti for $ 7, goat on rice special for $ 6) and the tastes are unbelievable. You will get a little cup with hot sauce when you order the roti: use with caution. But, make sure you use, because it’s so good.
4 stars

I wanted to love Vena’s or, at the very least, like it… but after having their goat roti this afternoon, I’ve got to say I’m unimpressed.
The dough was very nice, that much is true — excellent roti. The filling, however, was lacking. Large chunks of bland potato, little sauce, and only a few big hunks of meat. Considering it’s around the same price as Mother India/​Gandhi Cuisine, I was surprised to find it contained maaaaaaaybe ¼ the meat. Taken together, it was a bland, dryish meal of largely dough and potato. Meh.
It was accompanied by a little plastic cup of watery sauce that smelled of potent white vinegar and nothing else. I pitched it – the smell was very off putting. Not sure what it was supposed to be.
Finally, about fifteen minutes post-​roti, my stomach began to hurt. Still hurts, and I’m very bloated. T.M.I? Maybe, but I’m sure inquiring Unilocalers want to know when food doesn’t sit well.
If it weren’t for this last bit I’d have given it 2 stars, with the intention of going back another time (it was the gentleman working, and I hear his wife makes the superior roti)… due to the stomach ache, however, I’m heaping on but a single, lonely, bloated star, and likely will not return.
Sorry, Vena’s :(

Exactly what I expected. Average, greasy West Indian Roti.
Oh sweet Gandhis /​Mother India, I’m sorry, but I had to try Vena’s just once! You need not worry, I’ll never do it again. Promise.

Arguably the best roti in Toronto, Vena’s may be short on ambiance and dining space, but the ingredients are as fresh as you could hope for and the staff offers consistently prompt, friendly service. I’ve sampled roti all over Toronto at this point and the litany of offenses is longer than my arm. Either they use chopped, frozen spinach, pureed squash or otherwise unsatisfactory ingredients. This little corner of the ghetto near Lansdown Sta always delivers the best, most delicious roti ever. If you like it really spicy like I do, you might have a bit of a time convincing the cook, but if you can, it’s well worth it.

Stopped here today on my way back from a rollerblading trip to High Park.
I hate to say it, but, I would have NEVER stopped here had I not read the other Unilocal reviews. The place is pure ghetto inside. Combined with the sketchy neighbourhood means it’s not exactly the most inviting venue.
There are two 2-​seater tables inside, one of which is actually an 80s arcade game. So take out it is.
I tried a veggie roti with butternut squash, chickpeas and eggplant. It was HUGE, pretty tasty and only $ 7 all in. The roti bread was quite good. I didn’t like that the butternut squash was essentially two GIANT pieces of squash rather than cut up into smaller squares, but other than that, great roti.
Mine didn’t even take 10 mins, I probably only waited 3 – 4 mins.
Overall, very good, but I’m not quite convinced that it’s the best roti in Toronto!
PS — Cash only

Flip off, Mother India[1]. Peace out, Gandhi[2]. I got a new favorite roti dive in town and she’s sizzling like a pepperpot. Vena’s serves up outrageously delicious West-​Indian-​style roti, and I’m hooked. Here’s why:
— The roti (flatbread) itself is tastier; the dough seems to have been worked over and over onto itself so that it’s layered and springy; flavorful and tender to the bite but still delightfully resistant like a flirty little bread-​tease.
— The fillings are lighter, flavored by coconut milk instead of the belly-​bombing ingredients like cream and butter at the East-​Indian counterparts
— I can customize the fillings at Vena’s
— I can get goat
— I can add butternut squash
— The combination of spicy goat curry and sweet butternut squash is the kind of mind-​blowing revelation that makes me kick myself for not having discovered it sooner. I am now covered in bruises.
— My roti was as big as a cinderblock and only cost $ 8
— Vena’s does not charge tax
— I can get homemade hot sauce FREE OF CHARGE
You hear that, Gandhi? Vena’s is tastier, cheaper, and throws in little freebies — AND open on weekends — so you can go suck it. I’ve jumped ship and landed off the Caribbean.
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[1] See review:
[2] See review:

Ok — I know it’s voted #1 by Now Magazine… must be when the wife is cooking!
Shame on me but when it’s the husband — your order usually turns out wrong with whole potatoes instead of bite size… and the sauce is watery…
I know she needs a day off or two but can I get her schedule???

Of all the roti joints in all the towns in all the world, I had to walk into this one.
Vena, I don’t know what magic you fold into your roti skin and juicy curries, but you’ve made this gal completely smitten. You take «hole in the wall» and push it to the extreme, with your grease-​laden menu board and tired man behind the counter, but I think that makes you even more tasty, in a way… more hard to get. I like it. So much so that you may be the only reason I’d extend my walking boundary past Bloor and Dovercourt. You hear that? I walked over five kilometres just to reach you today. FIVE KILOMETRES!
And you didn’t disappoint: your roti selections, with the chicken and okra, curried shrimp, huge chunks of tender butternut squash, and your thick and way-​better-​roti-​skin-​than-​Gandhi, you make me love you.
I know the key to the city isn’t mine to give, but if it were, you would be the first recipient on my list. But you already have my heart, and isn’t that enough?
Come on Vena, let’s make babies together.