While I'm enchanted by Toronto's top-notch dining spots, I just can't resist the lure of the greasy spoon. You know the kind of place I mean: fluorescent lighting, a bottle of ketchup on every Formica tabletop, vinyl-upholstered booths, and aromas of strong coffee and frying bacon. Some suggestions:

Perhaps Toronto's best-known greasy spoon, Mars, 432 College St. at Bathurst St. (tel. 416/921-6332), sports a neon sign that claims the diner is "Just out of this world." In addition to the all-day breakfast menu, it boasts cheese blintzes, grilled burgers, and a great turkey club. There's another location at 2363 Yonge St., just north of Eglinton Ave. (tel. 416/322-7111), but its kitschy mock-diner decor doesn't hold a candle to the real McCoy.

Avenue Coffee Shop, 222 Davenport Rd. at Avenue Rd. (tel. 416/924-5191), is just up the street from the Park Hyatt and the Four Seasons hotels, which explains the frequent celebrity sightings (signed and framed photos stand as a permanent record of stars' visits). In business since 1946, the Avenue serves a steady supply of omelets, French toast, and hamburgers.

The Goof, 2379 Queen St. E. (tel. 416/694-3605), is officially named the Garden Gate Restaurant. But certain letters burned out of the neon "Good Food" sign, giving this Beaches neighborhood mainstay its name. In addition to the usual diner grub, this spot has star power, as evidenced by recent Jennifer Lopez sightings.