The downtown core around Brant Street and Lakeshore Road has the densest cluster of restaurants — a mix of fine dining (Spencer's at the Waterfront for lake views, Pepperwood Bistro on Brant for contemporary Canadian), brewpubs (Nickel Brook and a handful of Beer Store-adjacent spots) and an active independent café scene. Aldershot's Plains Road has a quieter but well-regarded run of independent restaurants.
For something distinctive: the Burlington Centre and Mapleview Centre food courts are nothing special, but the suburban plazas along Walker's Line and Appleby Line carry the area's substantial Italian, Portuguese, South Asian and Chinese populations and reward exploring. Easterbrook's on Plains Road West has been frying excellent fish and chips since 1929.