It was our last day in Toronto and we decided to take the long ride from our hotel by the airport into town for one last shot at what could be the best plate of nachos in Canada. I wasn't ready to say that the Beertown nachos were the best on our trip or that the Snooty Fox in Fredericton were the best in Canada. I was ready to have my mind blown and when it's your last day in a big city, you have to make it count. I wanted these nachos to be on my mind while we are trying to land in foggy Saint John and then rushing to work immediately after landing with my ears still plugged up from the plane. Plus, who knows when we will be in Toronto again? It's between Toronto or Quebec City for our fall marathon next year. They are doing a battle in my mind. We went to Squirly's because the editor did some research and saw that Squirly's might be good. This restaurant had previously closed their doors after 36 years and recently re-opened to be Squirly's 2.0. How were t...
Established in 1987, Sneaky Dee's is a Tex-Mex restaurant on College street in Downtown Toronto. It looks like they have a lot of entertainment in addition to the delicious food. Keep in mind that when you go to Sneaky Dee's, you have to pay cash and it has to be all on one bill. We figure that because they are so popular and they are Sneaky Dee's, that they can get away with those requests. We were okay with it since we were dying to get back in there and have what we thought were going to be the best nachos in Canada after having been away from them for eight years.
Eight years can really change a person's tastes, the chef's recipe, the staff, someone's different experiences, and someone's perception. I walked into Sneaky Dee's with great expectations, and I walked out being blown away because there was now a new #1 in Canada and it was not Sneaky Dee's.
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| Sneaky Dee's Northern Blues Nachos - September 2026 |
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| Sneaky Dee's Nachos - May 2018 |
Distribution of Toppings
The distribution of toppings was fair but could be much better. There were more toppings than there were chips so I had to dig in and search for the chips.
Quality
The quality this time was quite a letdown from last time. There was salsa sprinkled all over the chips and it was not very good salsa. Comparing it to some salsa we just had at a previous place where it was homemade, this salsa seemed like some cheap salsa you could get at a grocery store. It was all over the chips so there was no escaping it. The sour cream and guacamole were put right in the middle as well, and all this led to some soggy chips at the bottom. You could not really taste the steak pieces because they were tiny and their flavour just got over powered by all the bacon. There were so many veggies that the veggie to chip ratio was off as well. The nachos were perfectly cooked through and the overall taste was okay.
Value
The Northern Blues nachos are $36. These were the most expensive nachos we had on our trip but they were also the worst nachos we had on our trip. I do not think the value is fair considering the quality and distribution of toppings.
Quantity
They were sufficient to share for supper.
Conclusion
Part of the experience is just being at Sneaky Dee's which is full of interesting graffiti and a punk rock vibe. The milkshakes are also really great. However, going to Sneaky Dee's for the nachos this time was like the Seinfeld finale. What a great show all throughout and then you get to the end and it's like, really? That's how they are ending it? At least the Curb your Enthusiasm ending is satisfying. Not sure if I just spoiled you on those tv shows. I hate spoiling people but at one point, when do you deserve to be spoiled because it was so long ago? I think what changed the most from 2018 to 2026 was that the salsa was everywhere on the chips, the steak was disappointing, and the distribution wasn't great. It just did not live up to the hype that I gave it for many years and there will be a new #1 in Canada.
Nacho Blog Rating: B