Potato dumplings, borscht and cabbage rolls are a few of the dishes you’ll find on the menu at Café Polonez, which has been feeding Toronto’s Polish community on Roncesvalles Avenue for more than 30 years. Their pierogis are made in-house and bursting with a selection of fillings, including cheddar and potato or sauerkraut and mushroom. They’re boiled to perfection, topped with crispy fried onions, and served with a dollop of sour cream.

This East Vancouver restaurant is a popular spot for late-night comfort food cravings. While Congee Noodle House serves a number of rice and noodle dishes, there’s nothing quite like a big, hot bowl of congee. The Hong Kong-style minced beef congee is a popular choice, or try the house special with prawns, scallops, squid, and fish stirred in. An order of sweet, fried Chinese doughnuts and steamed rice rolls doused in soy sauce complete the meal.

Marion Street Eatery promises simple dishes in a cozy setting — an ideal spot to settle into on harsh winter nights. Find a variety of soups, salads and burgers on the menu, as well as comfort food staples, like chicken pot pie, meatloaf, and baked mac and cheese. For a truly regional taste, try the bison chili: a rich, tomato-based stew made with local bison, and topped with Havarti, sour cream and fried onions. It’s served with a slice of baked bannock and jalapeño butter.

Saturday Dinette puts a modern spin on southern diner classics. The menu changes seasonally, but popular items like fried chicken, grits, and biscuits are must-try mainstays. Stop in for brunch, and warm up over a mug of local Jimmy’s coffee and a meal that’ll leave you satisfied all day. We love the Jayne Mansfield: a double stack of their signature buckwheat pancakes topped with two pieces of golden, fried chicken and a lemon-thyme gastrique.

For a tasty twist on comfort food staples like burgers, fries, hot-dogs, chili and mac and cheese, head to Burger Royal in Montreal. Here, meat is dressed in everything from mushrooms and Swiss cheese, to guacamole, Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce, and even fried bananas and peanut butter. Indulge in the Mac Attack hamburger or hot-dog, which comes with mac ‘n’ cheese, bacon and ketchup, and indulge even more by ordering a side of poutine topped with smoked meat.

Find traditional German cuisine at Gasthof Old Bavarian, which is a family-run farm-to-table restaurant. Steins of beer help wash down hearty platters of homemade sausages, schnitzel, and spatzle. We love the cream of mushroom schnitzel, which comes with breaded veal cutlets that are fried until golden, and served with a creamy mushroom and herb sauce. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs dish that’ll help combat the chill of an East Coast winter.

Ottawa’s SmoQue Shack serves up ribs, wings, brisket and more, all of which spend time in a smoker before getting smothered in a variety of barbecue sauces. Dig in to spice-rubbed pulled pork doused in a tangy red mop sauce, or share a rack of baby back ribs glazed with a honey-chipotle sauce. A dozen sides, including baked beans, corn bread, onion rings and fried pickles, take this comforting meal to the next level.

There are dozens of restaurants for Vietnamese pho in Montreal, but there’s a reason why locals continue to line up at Pho Bac 97; Portions are large, service is quick, and flavours are rich and inviting. Order up a bowl of the classic beef pho, where thin slices of rare beef are slowly cooked — along with fresh scallions, sprouts, and herbs — in the steaming broth. For a version with added heat, try the bún bò Huế, a beef noodle soup with a spicier, dark broth that will surely kick the cold away.

When vegetarians and vegans crave comfort food, they head to The Wallflower Modern Diner. Here, the vegan carbonara, a meat and dairy-free take on the Italian favourite, is tossed in roasted garlic cashew cream, smoked tofu, peas, and coconut chips. Another creative alternative to a traditionally meat-based dish is the vegan shepherd’s pie, which comes with beans and ground vegetables in gravy topped with mashed potatoes.

Find the trendiest takes on comfort food dishes at Calgary’s Paper St. The restaurant’s menu boasts a ramen burger, crispy fish tacos, and chicken and waffles among its diverse offerings. Try the classic Cubano, where pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard are sandwiched between a toasted hoagie, and served with fries. Another comforting dish: butter chicken. At Paper St, the spiced cream sauce is ladled over basmati rice and served with handmade naan bread and cooling raita.