All this cold makes us hungry. Come on, what is it, like 22 degrees out? Here’s 5 random places we’re thinking about this morning, wishing they were handy about now. Should you happen to be nearby, you best pile on in for some grub. And wear a hat for goodness sake if you’re going out!

Steak and kidney pie / Canteen

London

Step in to this Hopper painting of a new-generation diner at Spitalfields Market for lovely pies – they rotate them on and off the menu every day. Comes with mash, gravy and veg. All for a reasonable (for this town) $18. (If you’re going next week and flying BA, check the schedules, what with that anticipated strike mess.)

2 Crispin Place, Spitalfields

Pho / Saigon City

Philadelphia

Pho is pho, but we love sitting in the window at this dive in a divey strip mall just south of downtown, looking out at the mess. Pile on the hot sauce, and don’t forget to order the #709 – a Banh Mi with beautifully fried eggs, pork roll and duck pate on some of the best French bread we’ve ever seen used at a Vietnamese restaurant.

1601 Washington Avenue, (215) 545-3010

Heart Attack On A Plate / Snow City Cafe

Anchorage

It’s like nachos, but for breakfast – a mess of hash browns, piled with bacon, cheese, sour cream, chives, whatnot. Oh, and eggs, if you want. Best chased with a lot of hot coffee from local roaster Kaladi. We went here before attending the start of the Iditarod one year. That was one cold day.

4th Avenue at L Street, Downtown

Blueberry pancakes / Up for Breakfast

Manchester, VT

Forget waiting up front with the crowd, on a really cold day, you don’t need a table. You want to be at that little counter back by the kitchen in this postage stamp of a restaurant that’s one of Vermont’s best for breakfast. Order the blueberry, or anything else interesting. This one time? They had pumpkin pancakes. Those were good too. Mos def.

710 Main Street, (802) 362-4204

Spicy fried rice / Chung Moi

Toronto

South Asian Chinese restaurants are all over New York, but Toronto’s been doing it forever – this Pakistani-Chinese ’70’s period piece is great in the winter time. Get a big pile of something spicy. We liked the fried rice, which was a lot like other fried rice, but with a distinctly South Asian heat.

2412 Eglinton Avenue E, (416) 755-5293