Toledo's food story is two-tier: cheap and characterful at the Hungarian and Polish diners in the working-class neighbourhoods (Birmingham, Lagrinka, and the Old South End), and a small handful of more ambitious new restaurants downtown and in the Warehouse District. The signature local dish is the Tony Packo's-style Hungarian hot dog; the runners-up are pierogis, kielbasa, and the city's surprisingly serious craft beer scene.
The pierogi at Manhattan's, the Hungarian potato pancakes at the Original Sub Shop, and the rib platter at Rudy's Hot Dog (a 1920s-era Greek-American institution with three city branches) are the dishes locals get nostalgic about. For something fancier, Registry Bistro on Madison Avenue and Element 112 in Sylvania are the dependable choices for a meal under $50.