A 2012 receipt shows how much dining costs have risen

A 2012 receipt from Terroni Bar Centrale is making Toronto food lovers nostalgic—and uncomfortable. A lunch for five people featuring three pizzas, a pasta dish, farinata lingure (chickpea-flour flatbread), and gelato cost $83.75 before tax. With HST, the total was $94.64.

Today, that same meal would run approximately $134 after tax before tip—a nearly 40 percent increase in 14 years. While the jump roughly tracks overall inflation, Reddit users discussing the receipt noted something sharper: portion sizes may have shrunk even as prices rose.

"I definitely remember being filled at Terroni's in 2012," one commenter wrote. "Last time I went, about a year ago, my 8 year old was still hungry after his main course and we had to get an extra pasta to share between the 3 of us."

The observation captures a real tension in Toronto's dining scene. Restaurants like Terroni have managed to keep price increases relatively stable amid runaway food-cost inflation, but diners increasingly question whether they're getting the same value. Paired with rising tipping expectations, dining out in the city costs more than it ever has—both in dollars and in what a full meal actually means.

The city has no shortage of cheap eats for budget-conscious diners, but this receipt is a stark reminder of how far the dollar has fallen.