Although inflation has caused the cost of dining out to soar, there are many standout restaurants in the city with quality food at reasonable prices. And when it comes to restaurant recommendations, who better to trust than a chef — and a Michelin chef to boot!

Chef Kyle Rindinela, recently awarded a Bib Gourmand for Enoteca Sociale.— a much-loved Italian restaurant in Little Portugal and a go-to for housemade pastas, quality wines, and cosy vibes  — recently shared his favourite affordable restaurant in Toronto where two can dine with wine for under $100. Read on to find out which spot he selected.

Chef Rindinella wants to eat at: Mattachioni

“My family and I are weekly regulars for a great lunch of sandwiches on house-made bread, great salads, pizzas and a changing and affordable wine list,” he recently told us.

Mattachioni

Featuring perfectly blistered pizza crust, fresh tomato sauce and gooey mozza flagged with fresh basil? For only $13 three days a week? Somehow the Junction triangle and more recently, Gerrard East has been gifted the dreamiest bodega there ever was. It’s the work of a former Terroni kid, David Mattachioni, who has taken his knowledge and run with it. There’s also an abundance of panini (mortadella stuffed in house focaccia), dolce for sweet and, in true bodega style, groceries —mostly Italian staples, like peperoncini, sugo di pomodora (housemade tomato sauce) and dry pasta. 1617 Dupont St., 1501 Gerrard St. E.

If you want to know where chef Steven Molnar of Quetzal eats cheap, click here, for Rob Rossi of Osteria Guilia click here.  And to find out where chefs Kate Chomyshyn and Julio Guajardo of Fonda Balam get an affordable meal, click here.