Helena’s Magic Kitchen

tasty home cooking at a reasonable price. Usually, these places oversalt to gain flavor but this place had simple yet delicious dishes.

My favourite place to have lunch in Village by the Grange. The pies and latkes are hot and delicious. I also love their carrots from the salad bar (which consisted of almost all that I didn’t care for). The stuffed chicken was filling. And best of all, it’s reasonably priced!

Terrific place for lunch!
ATMOSPHERE: Homecooked goodness. Located inside the food court at The Grange, the place is a student hub. Amidst various selections here, Helena’s stands out with their food.
SERVICE: Friendly. A lovely couple run this place!
PRICE: Average food court-​type prices. There are lots of options just to order single items, or get combos for lunch which includes 1 main and 2 sides.
FOOD: Fried potato latkes are AMAZING. Served with a huge dollop of sour cream — it’s available as an add-​on or as your main. I also love ALL their savoury pies and quiches. Such a great selection to choose from. But remember: Get there EARLY or they may be sold out of most of their delish pies and quiches.
Their sides are super tasty! You’d think it’s only the mains that keep them going, but don’t overlook the various veggie/​salad side dishes. I’ve been trying to order something different every time — and I’m never disappointed.
Highly recommended.

I really want the couple who runs this place to adopt me. I feel like I’d be so healthy. I always get the salads though, man, the quiches look pretty remarkable. Homecooked, beautiful, healthy food. I really like the side dishes though, they are seasoned just right and I always feel good after. Thanks, food-​court mom and dad!

The lovely couple that run this place are so committed to doing something different. Every day, they prepare delicious, home-​made food that stands a clear cut above the other fast-​food joints in the Grange.
There are actual healthy options here, and delicious, thoughtfully prepared ones at that (their side-​dishes include broccoli, beets, wheatberries, barley, lentils, etc). The portions are generous and the prices are SO reasonable.
My go-​to for lunch in the Grange, hands down!

Best place in the grange by far. Healthy, fresh and tasty food. Totally different style of food than what you usually find in a food court.

The couple who run this place can be seen first thing in the morning prepping all the food, and it’s clear everything is really homemade. Great deals for lunch — have tasted most of the salads which are great. Their chicken of the day is always the same– roasted legs/​thighs with mushroom sauce, but it’s good. Stuffed chicken and the pies are great, and you should def taste the potato pancakes. A nice fresh homemade tasting option for lunch

Wow!!! I absolutely love this place for fast food. Their food is always fresh, my go to food is their salad for under $ 4 and you can choose 3 different salads. I got their large salad before, and you get to choose 5 different salads which is huge! But mmmm it did fill my tummy!
I also love their quiche. Wow they really do make delicious food

I like popping into The Grange for lunches that are radically different from cookie-​cutter sushi joints and sad sandwiches. Not that The Grange is exempt, it just is home to places like Manpuku and Helena’s.
But this review is about the endless reserves of healthy sides (including my favourites, crunchy verdant broccoli and faultless apple slices). It’s about the extraordinary variety of quiches and savoury pies, the pillowy perogies. The people who run this place are so lovely, and the food goes fast with the lunchtime crowd.
I like especially the stuffed chicken with spinach. Always crispy, always delicious. The honey mustard sauce of deliciousness is optional… But let’s be real y’all, the sauce is NEVER optional.

This place is my go to during breaks from classes. Their quiches are great. Their potato lackeys are the best! Their pierogies are also delicious. If their mushroom sauce is offered, take it! Sucks that most stuff sells out during the lunch hour. Cute old couple runs this homemade place.

Not sure what type of sorcery this place employs, but good enough for a quick lunch spot if you’re in a rush and want a healthy bite.
Not much to say about the place itself since it’s a stall in a food court under the Village by the Grange.
I’ve pretty much tried all the quiche offerings they have and regardless of the choice, it’s quite on point. Served with two sides of your choice and you may seriously need a couple minutes make that decision with their impressive spread of sides including beet salad (my fav), potato salad, tomato and cucumber salad, coleslaw, bean salad and others.
Definitely will need to try their latkas on my next visit. They look absolutely delish.

Eastern European grub in the Village by the Grange food court. I expected more smoke and incantations at this Magic Kitchen, but all I got was lunch. Pretty good selection for food court fare: quiche, soups, sandwiches, pies, and literally more side dishes than they can fit on the counter. Bowls of bean salads obscured coleslaws, beet salad and other mixes. The food is decent and the prices aren’t bad (though expensive by this food court’s standards). I’ll go back.
Obligatory Title Pun: One HELL-​eva Magic Kitchen
Menu Readability: Scribbled in chalk overhead.
Need to mention: They make dessert daily.
What this place teaches me about myself: When I heard Eastern European I used to think «strippers.» Now I think «beet salad.» And also strippers.

The once tragic mall at Village by the Grange is now a great place for lunch and people watching. The crowd of Chinatown locals, OCAD hipsters and AGO matrons are there for the international indie stalls in the food court. It’s a quintessential Toronto experience.
Helena’s stands apart with it’s French country kitchen setup. They specialize in savoury pies and superfresh salads. I had a spinach quiche that actually tasted like spinach. The crust was pretty good and the egg filling just right, still moist but not runny. Could have used a bit more seasoning but that’s easily corrected.
Salads sides are absolutely stellar. I tried a barley and white bean mix liberally flecked with fresh minced parsley, as well as one of the best coleslaws I’ve had in a long time.
All this for six bucks! In a city that often overreaches for food trendiness it’s nice to see the basics done correctly.

Helena’s makes, by far, the strangest cabbage roll I’ve ever had.
Considering this place is run by Koreans, I suppose I shouldn’t have put too much hope into the eastern European treat. Instead of baking the rolls in a tomato sauce, the too-​perfectly wrapped tube is steamed and then coated with a tablespoon of tomato sauce afterwards. No fun!
The food isn’t that bad, though: the perogies were great and so were the salads — I highly recommend the beet salad if you’re looking for a healthy bright-​food fix. The roast chicken was nice and moist, and I would consider coming back here for the chicken sandwiches and potato latkes. Yarm. And for a full meal that will cost you less than $ 10, I can’t really complain.
Extremely cute place, with a homey feel other food counters should emulate.