A 2022 Guide to Toronto

I recently visited the beautiful city of Toronto and have compiled a list of where to stay, where to eat, and what to do when visiting. Toronto is a big place but this guide will help you figure it out, I made the mistakes so you don't have to!

Toronto is the capital city of Ontario, which is one of the Canadian provinces. This beautiful city is described as being one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world and it is easy to see why! If you are looking for a city filled with great food, nightlife, art, and culture, this is the place for you.

Where to stay in Toronto?

There are plenty of places to stay in Toronto but if looking for somewhere just that little bit special I would recommend 'Ode Toronto'.

This boutique family-run hotel is based in downtown Toronto on Dundas Street and is surrounded by restaurants, vintage shops, bakeries, cocktail bars, and much more. There are five rooms each uniquely decorated by local artists, we stayed in the 'Blue Room'. If that isn't enough, there is a stunning rooftop terrace that overlooks Dundas Street and provides the perfect spot for a mid-afternoon nap or a spot to watch the sun go down with a drink in hand (would definitely recommend this).

I would recommend a visit to 'Death in Venice Gelato' which is directly opposite Ode and sells the most incredible ice cream (try the Mexican Chocolate Mole and Boozy Tirisamu, you can thank me later), and Loveless Cafe which is popular with the locals and sells delicious drinks.

Where to shop in Toronto?

If looking for a place filled with vintage shops, vibrant street art, delightful food and bars then a visit to Kensington Market is in order. The best way to describe Kensington Market is to compare it to Camden Market before tourism took over.

There is simply too much to see in one visit so I would recommend going more than once. If only there for a day, I would highly suggest visiting 'Courage My Love' and 'Exile', absolute vintage heaven!

Where to Eat in Toronto?

There are so many places to choose from that picking just a few is virtually impossible but here is my attempt:

Poutine: Canada is known for creating 'Poutine', a dish consisting of fries, cheese curds and gravy and there are a multitiude of varieties to be found so I sampled a few! The winner for me was 'Knockout Chicken' based in Kensington Market who added strips of fried chicken to the classic dish and turned it into something extra special.

Vegetarian food: While wandering around Downtown Toronto looking for somewhere to eat pasta, we sauntered down a fun looking side street and found the 'Gia Restaurant' which serves only vegan and vegetarian dishes. The prices were rather high but the vegan lasagne and vegetarian risotto were incredible (especially the risotto) and it was a lovely treat, Toronto has plenty of vegetarian and plant based eateries so there is much to choose from.

One almost empty plate of vegetarian risotto and a vegan lasange from the Gia Resturant in Toronto. — As you can see, the risotto was so delicious we forgot to take a photo of it!

Dumplings: There are plenty of places to get delicious dumplings in ChinaTown Toronto but 'Yummy Yummy Dumplings' won our vote, the dumplings were freshly cooked and were affordable to boot!

Mexican: Toronto is filled with delicious street food options but for us, 'La Chingada' is the place to go for Mexican food. They also serve the most delicious Strawberry Margharitas, very refreshing in the heat!

A delicious strawberry margharita served at La Chingada in Toronto. — A delicious strawberry margharita

Icecream: As mentioned earlier, 'Death by Gelato' in Downtown Toronto is the place to go for icecream.

Nightlife in Toronto

Second City: If looking for some Canadian history, 'Second City' is worth a visit. This comedy institution has produced well know stars such as; Mike Myers, Tina Fey, Bill Murray and Colin Mochrie. I would recommend watching 'Mission Totally Possible' which was excellent, we definitely recognised one or two of the comedians!

Handlebar: This excellent bar showcases local music and DJ's and we attended their 'Decades Dance Party' consisting of six DJ's each playing songs from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s. It was a great night and the first time they had hosted this event since Covid started so it was a busy night and ended up with us being pulled onto the stage to dance!

A poster for the 'Decades Dance Party' at The Handlebar in Toronto. — We do love an excuse to dance.

Transport

Toronto is a big place so everywhere is further than planned when walking. To save time and your feet, invest in a Presto which is the Toronto equivalent of an Oyster card and can be used on the trams, buses and subway and topped up when needed.

A colourful car repurposed as a giant plant pot. — I couldn't resist posing next to this repurposed car!

Additional Information

Toronto is mostly a cashless city now but tipping is still expected and to not do so is considered rude, the average is between 15% and 20%, taxes are also added onto the final bill so make sure to account for that when ordering. Most Canadians will take out one dollar bills to use for tips. However, due to there being a charge for withdrawing cash from ATM's (even for the locals) tips can also be added on when paying by card which is what we did to avoid the charge.

There is so much more to see and do in Toronto but it would be impossible to fit it all in one article!