RYP, welcome to the home of the BigBox, cookie cutter restaurants. It's hard to even get a good slice from a mom & pop joint.
I concur with Gormlaith with Nice Bistro, you get a real 'Old World' feel from it, the owners are very nice, and the food is very good.
Bella Notte in Whitby is another favourite of mine, we have always had good food, and excellent service.
You'll find a lot of good rec's in this thread, everything from burgers at Starr Ave. to pizza at Pino's, to steak on a kaiser at Massey's.
While we do swim in a sea of mediocrity (i liked that reference Gormlaith), there is the occasional outcrop of good eats...you just have to look a little harder to find them.

NonStickSteel,
I have no problem paying $10 for a good burger. It's not an everyday thing, nor an every burger thing...occasionally, you need the real thing, and can fill in with others in the meantime. That being said...I have never found Five Guys to be worth the hype. I live in Whitby, and there are a few burger joints I frequent that are decent...Starr Avenue, Shake Rabble and Roll, and Big Guys. My favourite in the area is Patty Shack. They do some awesome toppings, if you want a "gourmet" burger.
I used to go to the Real McCoy on Markham, still served up a homemade patty a couple of years ago. Famous Sam's in Gormley used to be good, but now serve the ubequitous frozen patty too.

Second the Bella Notte recommendation. I have been a few times, and always had a great experience. I particularly like the veal carpaccio and the grilled calamari is awesome!

Just tried out Big Boy Burgers...relatively new (5 months) at the corner of Consumers and Thickson. A righteous burger...Had the Big Boy with all the trimmings. A tad expensive when you get it this way $9, but quite a good size(1/2 pound) and fresh ground, real cheese...etc. Looking forward to trying out the Philly, supposedly made from fresh prime rib. Anyone had it?

Hey Teach! It's been a while, but Angelique's used to have a good breakfast...never tried their lunch, and the Bayly (I think now called Chef Tommy's was pretty good also.

Really TEX? Used to be one of your faves! They have just expanded, took over what used to be Best Friends. Probably been a year or two since I've been there. Have you been lately?

The two Sushi Mountain restaurants used to be different. The one in Whitby was better than the one in Ajax IMHO. Also, is 2min from my house, so very convenient. Admittedly, it was never the best sushi, but was AYCE, and I have a big appetite Will definitely try Kobo and Zen. In Scarborough, I usually go to Ten-Ichi, Tora, or Niji. Thanks for the recs!

I second (or third) on the Patty Shack. Burger artists! The topping selection is incredible, and follow them on Twitter for some excellent bargains!
Sushi Mountain in Whitby I find has declined since new management. I second the Sushi T&T in Ajax, but haven't been there in a while. Tokushima in The shwa is hit and miss, as is Go Believe.

Thanks for the rec's everyone. I am in Halifax on business for a few days, and decided to check this out. Unfortunately, the Westcliffe closes at 6...so not able to have dinner there. Checked out Five Fisherman, but ended up at "the Shoe" Economy Shoe Shop. Bouillabase was awesome, little too much lemon on the veg, but the pan seared haddock was good also.
Maybe will try the Westcliffe tomorrow!
Thanks,

Thanks for the rec, "iheartpie"! I have been waiting to try this place for a while, and I was not disappointed! Had the Mediterranean Pino, truly a pizza pie, you weren't kidding when you said knife and fork! It was reminiscent of Columbo's on the Danforth that we used to frequent. I will definitely be going back.

Thanks for the rec jjmellon! My wife and I just tried this place out. Aside from a little too much salt on the mango salad (IMHO, and I have been on a low sodium diet for the past 4 weeks so...), the food was excellent. We had the ginger garlic shrimp instead of trying the basa (not deep fried...diet...) and it was amazing, great ginger zing, and just enough heat. The green curry was also excellent, very flavourful, aromatic, and spiced just right. Also had the Tom Yum soup, which was very good. We will definitely be back!
We were comparing this to Go For Thai which just opened up on Dundas, just East of Thickson, and it was much better. At Go For Thai we had green curry chicken, which was good, but not great, and bami goreng, which was disappointing.

Thanks Breadcrumbs. I don't get the attraction to 5 Guys. It's a decent burger, but pretty pricey, and I would take a Shake/Rabble/Roll or Starr burger over it. Or "The Mojo" at the Real McCoy in Scarberia. Perhaps I need a second taste?

Just discovered this little gem...had seen the signs for a couple of years. If you're looking for a good deli sandwich, at a very respectable price, this is the place. Some of the items are available hot. Have tried a couple of different soups, and very happy with them. I have been back twice already, and plan on becoming a regular!

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Great Canadian Meat Company
1390 Hopkins St, Whitby, ON L1N, CA

I have lived in Whitby for just a few years now, and moving from the Danforth area in Toronto, it was tough to go from all of that variety to mostly "big box" Whitby. If you're ever in the Coxwell/Gerrard area, try Sidhartha for some excellent indian, or Babu at Shepherd and Markham.
I have tried Nice Bistro only once, but had a most excellent experience. The food was very good, but the ambiance, and the owners were fantastic! Had a real "bistro" feel.
Bella Notte, we hav been there a few times and have never had a bad experience, food is always excellent (love the grilled calamari and the veal carpacchio), and the service has been outstanding.
Starr burger, as others have said, very good burger, reminiscent of the old "Johnny's" inScarborough (which is nowhere near the same now! :>( Beside the burger, try the Philly!
Pita Deli, now also at 5 points in Oshawa, excellent sandwich, monsterous portions, and I like that they slice your (warm) smoked meat to order. Not a fan of their shwarma (no spit){the upright kind}, but their falafel was good.
Like Sushi Mountain, and will try Kobo based on these reviews...especially from Tex Squared who mentioned J-Town and Ten-Ichi which are frequent stops of mine.
Take-out Chinese, Maple Garden has great chicken balls, and Jet Garden is good also.
The Prince used to be good greek, sad they went out of business. Los Cabos was ehhh. I have yet to find really good Mexican in Whitby.
The Sikorski Hall in Oshawa has excellent homemade Polish food every Sunday.

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Pita Deli
1600 Champlain Avenue, Whitby, ON L1N 9B2, CA

I used to call this place Gormley Burger when I was a teenager! Can't remember if it was called Sam's at the time, but I remember it as being a great burger. Went back a few years ago, still a good burger, but lost some of it's lustre for me. Probably built up too much in my head from nostalgiga.

Cali, If you find a good Mexican, please let me know. I have been on the hunt for quite some time. Got turned on to good Mexican while visiting Cali, my wife would be eternally grateful for a tip here!

mmmmm....Toby's, that place would have been perfect for the show, big, juicy burgers.

I would have to second Gale's as a dive destination! For the price, you can't beat it...3 can dine for $10!! Not sure I could see Guy Fierri there, but it is certainly a place I take all visitors to the city/country. I did notice that the prices have recently increased though...$0.75 now for the fried egg sani instead of $0.65...steep! The club is my favourite....not bad shakes either.