Combine one of Canada’s most diverse foodie scenes with the age of social media, and you get Toronoto’s food bloggers, reviewers and influencers. Enter Rick Silver (@dicksworld), one of the city’s most popular food bloggers, known for his unfiltered honesty.

With 60,000 TikTok followers and 26,000 on Instagram, Silver roams Toronto, taste-testing every burger, taco, and sandwich he finds. His reviews are direct, crass, tongue-in-cheek, and hilarious, never shying away from the truth. In an era where word-of-mouth can make or break a business, and influencers are often paid or coached to offer only glowing reviews, Silver’s honest approach is a standout. Despite being in his 60s, his content is a hit with younger audiences.

 

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“The demographic definitely skews to 25 to 35-year-olds,” says Silver. “It’s a younger crowd which is great. I don’t know what they see in it, but I’m having a lot of fun.”

Born and raised in Toronto, Silver is the owner of N49, a company that has been building websites since 2000. Alongside their own directories like storage.ca and the newly launched dining.ca, N49 operates OPIO, a review platform that assists small businesses in acquiring more reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook.

“We always aimed to keep reviews genuine, encouraging businesses to embrace even negative feedback as a means to improve,” he explains. “An all-five-star rating doesn’t seem authentic; it’s crucial how you handle and respond to negative reviews, using them as constructive feedback.”

With this background, it’s no surprise that Silver’s personal hobbies and social accounts also involve leaving reviews. Unlike other influencers flooding Instagram and TikTok, his reviews aren’t swayed by free meals but depict his genuine experiences.

“Mostly, it’s just me deciding where to go and trying to represent them positively — assuming it’s a good experience,” he says, emphasizing that he doesn’t engage in paid promotions often. “I avoid that because it comes with an expectation for a positive review and detailed description and that’s not my schtick.”

 

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While Silver isn’t afraid to critique an overcooked burger bun or mention a pricey sandwich — often using dark humour to do so — he’s selective about the reviews he writes and the recipients of those reviews.

“I do try to avoid doing negative reviews on really small places — I don’t want to hurt anybody — but the bigger places can handle it,” he says, noting he doesn’t post a large chunk of the things he eats if it’s not funny or he doesn’t have something positive to say. “I’d like to do more negative reviews only to help those guys because sometimes they just need to know what they’re missing. But really, I just want it to be all in good fun and I don’t want to be negative about any businesses.”

In fact, with Silver’s entrepreneurial background, he’s confident in his ability to improve  Toronto businesses. He flirted with the idea of running for mayor last year, already envisioning a more walkable city with pedestrian-friendly streets. While he ultimately didn’t run, his ideas garnered a positive online reception.

“I enjoyed putting my views out there and I think some resonated with Torontonians,” he says.

While he’ll keep sharing food reviews from his citywide journeys, Silver’s musings on running for mayor have sparked a desire to diversify his content.

“I want to delve into travel and share more about my business,” he says. “But people love the food, so that’s where my focus will mostly stay.”

Who better to trust for your Toronto restaurant reviews than someone who knows food and the city inside out?