Fork It is a downtown Peterborough all-day breakfast and lunch room from owner Stephanie Patterson, built around hearty plates, house-cut home fries, and named house dishes like the Fork It Signature Benny, Steak & Eggs, and Crispy Supreme Chicken Waffle Sandwich. It is casual, daytime, and community-minded.

Chef Basel Cuisine is a Peterborough fusion diner built around Chef Basel Selva's broad hand: breakfast plates, pub fare, pizza, pasta, Indian Delight mains, and signatures like Smoked Salmon Tower and Butter Chicken Poutine all share one personal kitchen identity.

The Boardwalk Lounge is a downtown Peterborough board-game cafe with a real comfort-food menu, local drinks, reservations, and a 650-plus game library. Mac and Cheese, Exploding Chicken, cookies, D&D, trivia, and family programming make it a full stay-and-play visit rather than a cafe stop.

Love You, Mean It is a downtown Peterborough dinner room from Sam Sayer and Owen Walsh, with Mack Found leading a share-plate menu that moves from tuna tartare and bone marrow to masala-cured chicken, corn risotto, cocktails, and reservation-ready nights out.

Hanoi House is a Lansdowne Vietnamese kitchen built around long-simmered noodle soups, pork-belly signatures, vermicelli bowls, broken rice, banh mi, gluten-free paths, and owner Susan Tung's local restaurant story.

OMG is a downtown Peterborough shawarma counter with a Syrian-Peterborough founding story, current strengths in Chicken Shawarma Wrap, Aleppo Platter, Mezza Platter, shawarma poutine, family feasts, and vegetarian-friendly falafel and dips.

Downtown Peterborough's Agave by Imperial is a family-run Mexican restaurant and bar built around queso-birria tacos, molcajetes, fresh ceviche, margaritas, happy hour, and a late-night social dining rhythm.

Family-owned Taso's brings Greek plates, Italian comfort food, and stone-baked pizza together in Peterborough. The current menu is strongest when it leans into chicken souvlaki, eight-layer lasagna, Greek fries, and hearty lunch plates built for casual groups.

Rare Restaurant is a chef-led downtown Peterborough dining room from Andrew Lewin and Mai Dong, built around French-leaning steakhouse cooking, adventurous small plates, Saturday prime rib, chef tastings, and private-event hospitality.

Copper Spoons is a daytime neighbourhood diner on Romaine Street, carrying a long-running breakfast-and-lunch address into a newer identity. Its clearest personality sits in three hearty turns on familiar formats—Breakfast Poutine, Breakfast Pizza, and a Grilled Cheese Pulled Pork Sandwich—backed by an approachable $$ price band and a visit that works best when you want comfort food before mid-afternoon.

Soupcon is a weekday Peterborough soup bistro where a changing daily lineup turns lunch into a choice between vegetable-led, vegan, and richer comfort bowls. The single-dollar price band keeps the stop approachable; the practical details are just as distinctive, with 11-to-3 weekday hours and cash-only payment.

Levantine Grill is a Peterborough fast-casual stop for shawarma, falafel, manakesh-style pies, platters, bowls, salads, and sweets. The strongest order starts with the Chicken Shawarma Wrap or Falafel Wrap, then branches into Shawarma Poutine or shareable grill plates.

Gerti's is a downtown Peterborough gastropub established in 2005, with a current official menu built around chef-driven pub comfort, handhelds, features, desserts, pickup, reservations, and heated patio dining.

Tora Sushi is a downtown Peterborough ramen-and-sushi room with a Japanese/Korean menu that runs from Tonkotsu Ramen and Bi Bim Bap to Black Dragon Roll, vegan rolls, gluten-free options, and party trays. It works best as a ramen-first all-day spot with enough breadth for groups, takeout, and mixed dietary needs.

Capra Toro is a downtown Peterborough Italian room built for pizza, pasta, warm focaccia and planned nights out, with weekly date-night and family bundles plus Black 13 for private dining.

Kit Croissanterie & Cafe is a Hunter Street bakery-cafe built around handmade croissants, espresso-based drinks, and a community-first room. The draw is the pastry case: Butter Croissant, Pain Au Chocolat, Ham & Cheddar Croissant, seasonal bakes, and a queer, woman-led sober-space identity.

Downtown Peterborough breakfast-and-lunch cafe with a 1930s gangster room, Famous Eggs Benedict, dollar chips, generous plates, and fast daytime service.

Sam's Place is a downtown Peterborough deli built around house-smoked meats, locally sourced bread and meat, named Samwiches, and a lunch-counter sense of humour that has held its place on Hunter Street since 2010.

The Imperial Tandoor is a family-run Peterborough Indian dining room built around North Indian curries, tandoor plates, naan, biryani, and a substantial Imperial Hakka side menu. Daily happy hour, a full bar, patio seating, parking, and a documented founder/operator story make it stronger for groups and planned dinners than a simple takeout stop.

The Night Kitchen is an independent Peterborough pizzeria built around handmade dough, house pomodoro, pesto and feta sauces, and combinations that push well past a standard pie list. Thai Chicken Pizza, Quebec Pizza and Prosciutto of Happiness show the range, while vegan and gluten-free navigation keeps the menu broad for a mixed table.

A compact East City diner for loaded breakfast plates, peameal-heavy classics, low-price lunch sandwiches, counter seats, and daily 8AM-2PM routines.

NAKA is a Hunter Street Japanese dinner spot built around ramen, izakaya-style starters, rice bowls, sweets, cocktails, sake, and a new-ownership continuity story that keeps the room focused on Japanese comfort and small-plate energy.

Amandala's is a small Water Street dining room for diners who want chef-led, locally grounded cooking without a stiff fine-dining script.

St Veronus is Peterborough's Belgian brown-cafe fixture: mussels, frites, beer-cooked mains, and a deep Belgian bottle list shaped by Roland Hosier and Shannon Mak.

Square Plates Family Restaurant is a modest Armour Road breakfast stop built around a traditional two-egg plate with homefries, Texas toast, and a choice of bacon, ham, or farmer’s sausage. Its morning-to-early-afternoon schedule, dine-in service, pickup, and local delivery make it practical for an uncomplicated daytime meal.