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Attention Torontonians

zuzu

I will be in your fair city April 14-15. I’d love to get insider tips on what to do, where to go, what to eat and all that good stuff. And, perhaps, meet up for drinks.

Chat up your city in comments (because I’m sure that people other than me would like to know). If you’d like to meet up for drinks, coffee or whatever, drop a line at feministe (at) gmail (dot) com.

37 thoughts on Attention Torontonians

  1. Damn. I lived in Toronto for years, but no longer. If you’re going to be staying in the downtown core, I can tell you a lot of things to do, especially in terms of restaurants (although keep in mind that it’s been almost two years since I’ve been there, restaurants change chefs, etc.). If you want to be more specific about what you’re looking for, I can give you a list of ideas.

  2. Hey! I’m from Toronto!

    My sister (also an avid Feministe reader) and I are both free, aside from the usual end-of-semester craziness, and we’d love to meet up for lunch or drinks or what not.

  3. If we meet you, can we get your autograph?
    Kidding.
    partially.

    Do you know where you’re staying? Have you been in the city before? What’s your schedule like?

    My sister and I, and probably some feministe-reading friends, can totally take you out for lunch or drinks or whatever. We’re friendly students. We are familiar with the American language.

    I don’t know how thrilled you are about traditional tourist hotspots like the CN tower, but for the record, that thing is wildly overrated and stupid expensive. And the view at the top is covered by ugly metal netting.

    I suggest hitting up Chinatown, Kensington Market, St. Lawrence Market…there will be quite a few indie filmfests going on, if that’s your thing…the token feminist hangouts are Come As You Are, our co-op sex store, and the Toronto Women’s Bookstore, the feminist hub. And check out http://www.nowtoronto.com for restaurant listings/reviews, events, etc if you want to see what’s what. Also, on the 15th, there’s the wrap party for the rock.paper.sistahz festival, which is all about performance work by black female artists, and it promises food, drinks, live music, etc.

    If you want to pick up some hassle-free EC for any reason, we could do that too. A souvenir or whatever.

    Or, for non-feminist-related stuff, there are lots of neat hole-in-the-wall bars, swanky martini joints, clubs, pubs, indie restaurants, vegan offerings, etc. Name your poison…

    teaspooned (at) gmail dot com

  4. If it’s not obvious, I am the previous commenter’s sister. You can pretty much sum up our personalities by the fact that she wrote “lunch or drinks or what not” and I wrote “lunch or drinks or whatever”.

  6. Woo! I live and go to school here, though I’m actually at the U of T campus out in Scarborough.

    All the hip cool downtown U of T students, though, seem to hang out around in the Annex. Food: Future Bakery. Amazing desserts. The campus itself is cool to check out, especially the older buildings. Very pretty.

    Either side of Queen Street is pretty cool. Queen West gets all the attention these days but I’ve always been partial to Queen East, especially the Beach. Toronto is also called the “city of neighbourhoods” so you’ll have a lot of different ‘enclaves’ to choose from, especially cultural ones – Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, etc. Kensington Market is awesome, there’s tons of interesting stuff there (I always love the Global Cheese Market, and Essence of Life), and St. Lawrence Market on Sunday morning, Cabbagetown and the Gaybourhood are cool as well.

    I’m a fan of the Royal Ontario Museum (but not that godawful “crystal” thing they’ve smacked onto it), the Bata Shoe Museum, Casa Loma, and Spadina House. The Harbourfront Centre, and the Harbourfront in general. High Park. Scarborough Bluffs.

    Avoid Yonge-Dundas Square unless you want to be given a seizure by all the flashing lights or feel like subjecting yourself to a metric tonne of corporate advertising on four sides.

    Other than that, I suggest checking out Torontoist and blogTO if you want to look for upcoming events and the like. Searching the archives of the Toronto LJ Community will also come up with a ton of recommendations from a lot of people.

    I could really ramble on a lot more, because I love this city and there are all sorts of random little things that I enjoy or that amuse me, but I think I’ll stop and let other people contribute. 🙂

  7. You might want to be a little more specific about what you’re looking to do. I don’t want to be an a-hole or start fights about what’s good in Toronto, but I’m not sure I’d send anyone to Future Bakery. I found the deserts there hit or miss, and I couldn’t really take the place after I was about 25 or so. There are much better places in that area.

    My favorite dish in Toronto was probably the butter chicken at Banjara on Yonge Street (though that’s near The Brass Rail, a strip club that had a big, gaudy front–though that’s also part of Toronto). The butter chicken was sometimes a little greasy, but I never had that problem when I actually ate at the restaurant. The rest of the menu was somewhat uneven, but the mushroom curry and some of the other veggie dishes were good. I remember the bartha wasn’t too good, and the chicken curry wasn’t good the tiems I had it. Another good Indian restaurant is Taste of India on College, directly south of the UofT campus (again, my information is a couple of years old at this point). Babur on Queen St. used to be amazing, but the last time I ate there it had really gone downhill, especially the butter chicken (yes, that’s one of my favorite dishes in the world, but it had also been their signature dish), and had gotten really expensive (but by that I mean like maybe $20CAD an entree). Dhaba on King Street is also good, though a little more expensive.

    Most of the places I ate were like $8-12 for an entree. The Friendly Thai, further south on Yonge from Banjara, was good, as was Young Thailand, somewhere south of College. Real Thailand, at Bloor and Spadina, was always good. The pad thai was really good, but the whole menu was strong. There’s lots of relatively cheap but really good sushi on Bloor between Spadina and Bathurst or thereabouts. I actually think the best when I was there was Sushi Time, which is almost right at Spadina and Bloor. Sushi on Bloor was also good, and there was another good place just east of Spadina, called Crazy California Rolls or something. Hiro Sushi was supposed to be a more upscale sushi place downtown, but I never ate there.

    Actually, the best place for you to go may be Cafe Diplomatico at College and, I think, Grace (?)–no, I think it’s Clinton. The whole menu there is great, and it’s in th emiddle of one of the Little Italies, usually voted one of the most livable neighborhoods in North America. There’s a good Sicilian ice cream place a few blocks west of CD, and there’s a Portugese bakery somewhere around there, Nuova something or other, that’s really good. There’s also a used bookstore, etc., if you just want to stroll around after eating. The Danforth, the Greek neighborhood, would also be really good for that.

    I agree that the ROM is good (and Pho Hung is a really good, cheap Vietnamese place across the street). Kensington and St. Lawrence markets are great, but of much greater interest if you live there (at least I only ever bought food at either place). But definitely worth poking around, if you want to do that; Kensington markety is right off the main Chinatown drag, so you can walk two interesting neighborhoods. By the way, if you want dim sum, Dynasty up at Bloor and, I think, Avenue is really good. Bright Pearl, down in Chinatown, is maybe more “authentic” (though there are plenty of Chinese people in Dynasty), but, in my opinion, not as good. You may or may not want to walk through Yorkville, the sort of yuppie/Eurotrash shopping area. Scarmouche (sp?) is a nice (i.e., pricey) restaurant a little further north than most of the things I’ve mentioned that’s supposed to have a great view of the city. Oh, The Olive and the Lemon is a very good Italian restaurant (though, again, a little more expensive) on Harbourd a few blocks west of Spadina. Momo’s is a Middle Eastern restaurant in the same area that’s decent and cheaper.

    I’m not sure it’s possible to enjoy Casa Loma non-ironically. It’s a castle some Torontonian built because he thought TO wasn’t “grand” enough; it was confiscated by the gov because he couldn’t pay his taxes a few years later. Then again, I used to be able to see it from deck behind my apartment where I would be smoking more or less constantly, so maybe I’m just jaded.

    The waterfront is pretty underwhelming, in my opinion. Aside from restaurant recommendations, I can’t really think of what to tell you. When I start thinking of the city, I just get really nostalgic for the things I used to do or places I used to go (like all the walks I took in my old neighborhood), which would probably be of little interest to you. I would definitely recommend spending one evening at Cafe Diplomatico and then exploring Little Italy a while. As for places to go out drinking, there are a couple of decent pubs/bars north of campus, The Duke of York and The Bedford Academy (notThe Bedford Ballroom, unless you want to play pool), but other people probably have better recommendations. Anyways, those are my recommendations. If you have any questions about any of this, I’d be happy to blather on further.

  8. Oh, if you find yourself in Chinatown and not in the mood for Chinese (oh, by the way, one of the better, though very spartan, Chinese restaurants in Chinatown was Swatow), you might try the Red Room, a couple of blocks south of College. They had a great bris and avacado sandwhich, and some other good items. It’s basically a run-down bar/restaurant, but good, and open late, if you’re headed home later at night.

  10. Dammit! Toronto’s my hometown and my first love, but I’ve moved away now. Have the best time!

    Gotta concur with Jenna on the Future’s Bakery recommendation. I spent many, many an evening studying in its cozy inner sanctum during my time at U of T. In the evening, if you go around back and walk a bit you’ll find the Green Room, my and my friends’ hangout of choice. Good cheap beer, scuzzy-academic-but-cozy-and-safe atmosphere, decent food. If you’ve got insomnia, there’s also Mel’s, a 24-hour diner on the north side of Bloor between Bathurst and Spadina. They make poutine with chopped Montreal smoked meat on top. It’s heavenly.

    The Chinatown/Kensington stretch is another favourite of mine. (They’re right next to each other.) Go to Spadina station and take the streetcar down to College. Chinatown will be right in front of you, and Kensington is to your right and then down (the two are parallel). The cheese shops are not to be believed, and there are some awesome vintage clothing stores as well (vintage cashmere sweaters for $25 Canadian? Sign me up!). As well, if you decide to walk to College instead of taking the streetcar, you’ll find the Toronto Women’s Bookstore on your right, on the corner of Spadina and Harbord. Great bookshop, and they also have events sometimes. It looks like while you’re there they have a neat-looking series of dramatic readings: here’s the info.

    (P.S. Toronto is the coolest city in the world because one of its main streets rhymes with vagina. I love it.)

    Harbourfront is great too; there are often festivals and events there. You can find them on the Centre’s official webpage. Plus, there’s nothing better than chilling out and watching the boats on the lake. Speaking of the lake, actually, it’s always fun to take a ferry out to Centre Island. It’s an absolutely gorgeous island, and you can rent bikes and ride around it.

    Also as Jenna mentioned, there are a bazillion neighbourhoods to explore. She’s mentioned many of them, and the Gaybourhood is especially awesome: go to Yonge/Bloor subway station, walk down to Wellesley (or just go to Wellesley station, but it’s worth the walk down Yonge), go left one block and you’ve hit the centre of it. Rainbows everywhere. Seriously awesome. As well, if you want to explore a bit up north, take a bus up Bathurst to Wilson and you’ll find the main Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood. Great kosher food around there.

    Oh, and you can’t miss Pacific Mall! It’s the largest East Asian shopping centre outside of East Asia. You’ll have to take a bus there if you don’t have a car, but it’s WELL worth a visit.

    Man, this is making me miss home. 🙁 Anyhow, if you have any more questions feel free to get in touch at the email address I’ve provided. 🙂

  11. I’m from Toronto too! If you are up for local – and generally subversive – entertainment while you are here, the toronto poetry slam is doing a show. More information can be found here: http://www.torontopoetryslam.com/

    There are also loads of amazing vegetarian restaurants in Toronto, if that is of any interest, like vegetarian haven and fresh.

    Other than that, I second a lot of Jenna’s comments. If you decide to have a big feministe meetup while you’re here, hook me up!

  12. Hey, cool. I’ll be going to Toronto this month as well (although later than you are) so I’m glad this thread is here.

  13. Meet up with the writers of Shameless Magazine.

    Their blog has some of my favorite feminist debate on the internet.

    It’s less busy than this site or other major ones, but the dialogue is very thoughtful, extensive, and troll-free, like like the Shrub.com comment section.

  14. Damn, Zuzu!
    I live in Toronto but I’ll be in Galway presenting at the “Irish Feminist Thought” conference when you’re in town.
    Drat. I’m sorry to miss the opportunity to hang out.
    My favorite restaurant is “Rodney’s Oyster House” on King Street (great seafood). In general, there are lots of pubs with tasty salads/sandwiches/pasta dishes throughout the downtown which are inexpensive and comfortable.
    It’s touristy, but going up to the CN Tower for the view is worth it.

  15. Damn exams! I’m from Toronto but studying in Kingston so sadly, no feministe-y meeting for me *tear*. However, I would like to agree with the Chinatown, Gaybourhood, Kensington, Annex suggestions and add the love of Little India to the mix. Also, my favourite restaurants are: Le Pappillion (at Church and Front, by the St Lawrence Market), this little Chinese food place at College and Spadina (I’ll try and find the name, but seriously 4 people can eat there for $20 and have leftovers) and if you like vegetarian food check out Juice for Life and Fresh which have amazing selections.

    I’d like to put in a plug for the neighbourhood I grew up in “The Beach”, if you forget that Toronto has a waterfront, head down there for a billion coffee shops, parks and tonnes of yuppies with dogs (I know it doesn’t sound that great, but there’s some good walking to be done). Alternatively, jump on a ferry boat and head to the islands if its a nice day, its really neat to see the little cottagey homes and co-ops out there and to see the skyline of Toronto. Plus, who doesn’t love boats?

    As for bars, the green room in the annex is my favourite, something about it just makes me happy, maybe its the pad thai.

  16. sushi sushi sushi.

    Seriously, I don’t know of any place in north america that does quality sushi for such low prices.

    sushi on bloor is pretty good, but if they have rebuilt NewGen (also on Bloor), which I am pretty sure they have you have to go there.

    In a way it ruins sushi, because you spend the rest of your life trying to find a place in your city that does it for that combination of price/quality.

  17. Oh man, Cafe Diplomatico that takes me back. I second Juice for Life and Fresh for vegetarian food, and if they’ve rebuilt New Generation Sushi on Bloor after last year’s fire that’s the best lunch time sushi special. For somewhat fancier sushi that still won’t break the bank, Fujiyama on Baldwin Street is lovely for quiet conversation and a big sushi boat – ask for the nook by the big window, they’ll let you stay as long as you like. Actually, Baldwin Street is a beautiful tiny street packed with good restaurants and a health food store, walking distance from either Chinatown or the University.

    If you eat BBQ duck, the Swatow (on Spadina) at 3am is unbeatable. My favourite Chinese seafood restaurant on Spadina is the Happy Seven on the west side of the street ( not to be confused with the Lucky Seven, probably fine too) if you are not Asian ask for the orange menu which has all the good stuff like squid and spicy salt, they will not give it to you automatically.

    Vegetarian Vietnamese subs with fried tofu sell for $2 Canadian at lunchtime, on Spadina, and they’re delicious if you’re broke or in a hurry.

    I think the Future is fun and a good place to hang out or wait for people because it’s so central.

    The best pastries are at Dufflet Pastries – where do they sell them? – Oh and please please go to Clafouti on Queen West for morning coffe and chocolate or almond croissants or if you want to speak French and admire people’s small dogs.
    OK, done.

  18. I’m a born-and-bred Torontonian, still living here.

    I second reccomendations for the Toronto Women’s Bookstore.

    Clafouti is staffed by the most unfriendly, arrogant, inattentive hipsters by whom it it has ever been my misfortune to pay to be ignored. Except that it may be surpassed (?) by Le Papillion.

    Dufflet’s pastries can be obained at Dufflet’s café, on Queen St. West, west of Bathurst (not far from Come As You Are).

    If the weather’s nice, the Toronto Zoo is a wonderful place to spend the day. It’s a bit of a slog to get there, but it’s worth the bus ride.

    Really, what’s your fancy? We can provide something to appeal.

  19. I also live in Toronto and second (or third) a lot of the recommendations.

    Neighbourhood-wise, I’d add Little India to the pile; it’s a bit hard to get to, but definitely worth it for the food and shopping.

    Foodie places that I don’t think anyone’s mentionedt: Gandhi’s Roti on Queen St. W., King Palace, which is behind a gas station at Richmond and Sherbourne, and Bo De Duyen, which is an entirely vegetarian Chinese and Vietnamese food place. Also check out Little Tibet and Ethiopian House (or any number of great Ethiopian restaurants).

    The Women’s Bookstore is awesome, as everyone’s mentioned. A Different Booklist, Pages, This Ain’t the Rosedale Library, and Bakka area also worth checking out.

    Disagreements: Swatow has really gone downhill and rides on its reputation of being the best Chinese place. Check out Szechuan Garden instead, although it has cockroaches. And Fresh is just bland.

    I’m also partial to the idea of a massive feminist(e) meet-up at Future Bakery, hit-and-miss though it is.

  20. I don’t live in Toronto anymore, but I have a soft spot for Little Italy. The Portuguese bakery that someone is talking about near the Dip (Cafe Diplomatico for those who like lame abbreviations) is the Nova Era bakery. The custard tarts are literally my favourite thing ever. The Sicilian ice cream place is called the Sicilian. Also, a bit east of there, College and Grace, is Utopia, which is a tiny but excellent restaurant with an expansive burger selection.

    …Clafouti’s staff have never been rude to me ever, and they serve the best croissants I have ever had.

    And don’t go to the zoo if you’re only there for a couple days; it will eat up an entire day for you.

  21. Oh man, Come As You Are – I forgot about that place! That area is so fun. If you’re out on the vast expanse of Queen St. West anyways, go to Red Tea Box for afternoon tea.

    I also like Salad King for cheap and delicious Thai food. It’s near Eaton center on Yonge.

  22. True, the Zoo isn’t great if you’re in Toronto for only a couple of days. Unless you like polar bears. I figured I’d throw out the recommendation because I know people who make a point of it on their trips here.

    And Brenda, I’m glad you have not had the same Clafouti experiences that I have. Even though the coffee and croissants are awesome, and it’s right on my way to work, I stopped going there after the third time I had to wait for ten minutes in an otherwise empty shop for the person behind the counter to deign to notice me. The first time I was tolerant, the second time, amused, the third time convinced me that I am clearly insufficiently something-or-other to be served there.

  23. One more former Torontonian piping up, and wishing I were there to meet you!

    Agree with:
    Baldwin Street
    Gandhi’s Roti
    Toronto Women’s Bookstore
    This Ain’t the Rosedale Library
    Pages on Queen
    Come as You Are
    Dufflet’s
    Fresh
    Centre Island
    Harbord St. (west of Spadina)
    Red Tea Box
    Utopia (which has lots of great vegetarian selections, too)

    Disagree with:
    *Future Bakery–yeah, the desserts are fantastic, and it’s conveniently located, but I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to stop there.
    *Cafe Diplomatico–personally, I think it’s the most overrated place in Little Italy. Great patio for people-watching if it’s patio weather, but other than that, it’s got nothing to recommend it that you can’t find a better version of on the same block.
    *Little India–I used to live right near there and found much better Indian food elsewhere in the city. (In addition to Trimurti, mentioned below, there’s Nata Raj on Bloor and Sher-e-Punjab on the Danforth, off the top of my head.) Potentially an interesting shopping destination, though, and not actually that hard to get to–the College/Carlton streetcar becomes the Gerrard streetcar and takes you right there.
    *I don’t exactly disagree with St. Lawrence Market, but it’s really only interesting on Saturday mornings.

    I would also add:

    on Queen West:
    Gypsy Co-Op (Queen and Manning)
    Squirly’s (right nearby) for beer and surprisingly interesting pub food
    Trimurti for better Butter Chicken than any of the places Heraclitus mentioned (Queen & St. Patrick)

    In or near Little Italy (College):
    Aunties and Uncles for brunch (on Lippincott, near College and Bathurst)
    Cobalt or Souz Dal for cocktails (College and Bathurst and College and Grace, respectively)
    Kalendar (College and Markham, I think?)–really yummy filled flat breads and salads, plus a good place for drinks/relaxing/meeting up with people before going elsewhere on College
    John’s Italian (there’s also one on Baldwin St.) if you just want to grab a yummy slice and keep moving

    Near U of T:
    Victory Cafe–decent food, a great reading series if you’re there at the right time, and a huge patio (on Markham, a block south of Bloor)
    Cafe la Gaffe (Baldwin Street)–cozy French, not cheap, but not too expensive, as I recall

    Not near any of the above:
    Golden Thai (Church and Richmond)–get anything with “golden” in the name; I’m pretty sure there’s crack in it.
    Mezes on the Danforth–awesome Greek small plates

  24. Just to enthuse over a few things other people have mentioned–yes, Nova Era. That’s the stuff. Awesome baked goods, and a great place to sit and have a pastry and a cup of coffee or two. Also, Dufflet does have her own pastry shop, down on Queen West, and it is very good. Little Tibet, very close by, is also good, but not quite one of my favorite restaurants in Toronto. Gandhi’s is awesome, and if you live in that neighborhood, you should definitely add it to your take-out rotation. I’m sorry to hear Swatow has gone downhill. Little India is great, but I don’t know if I would try to get out there, especially not by yourself (it’s not on the subway line–or at least wasn’t; I think they were planning on adding more lines?), when there’s so many great things on the main lines.

    It’s very Canadian to stand silently and alone in a coffee place for ten minutes waiting for someone to take your order. I, being an American, would have just thrown a chair through the window and then said, “Now, are you going to take my order?…Or do I have to get angry?“

  25. Heraclitus (Jeff), I shall have to remember that tactic. Doesn’t it get expensive, though?

    Little India is on the Gerrard Streetcar route, but not on the subway—it takes about 20 minutes to get there from Yonge & College.

    I’m not a big fan of Nova Era, for some reason. Sad, because it’s right by one of my habitual dance venues, but I just can’t seem to get into their goods. Probably because I don’t like custard.

    Futures is convenient, and a good place for a meetup, but noisy and crowded.

    My favourite Sunday morning/afternoon wander is through Kensington Market, after brunch at Maggie’s. But I live around there, so part of the charm is that it’s all a nice, neighbourhoodly walk.

  28. That’s very funny, syfr. I heard that “huh” is regarded among some Canadians as the American equivalent of “eh,” so I was going to just reply, “Huh?,” but I’m not sure how widely that perception is shared.

  29. I like this. Now I know where to get Dufflet’s pastries in To, from an American blog. Thanks Feministe!

    What do we tell Zuzu about the tax? I always just ballpark an extra 15% onto everything, and if I don’t get charged that, then that’s a nice bonus. There are rules, but they are arcane.

    I don’t want to seem obvious but if you end up in Yorkville or on Bloor west of Bay -these are stores for film stars. This is not what items cost in Canada. I don’t want Zuzu getting taken.

  30. What do we tell Zuzu about the tax?

    Eh. Zuzu lives in New York City, land of high taxes. Well, except for clothes under $100 or so. Had to do something to keep people from going to Jersey to shop.

  31. Wouldn’t have guessed that about tax in NY.

    P.S. Last time I was at Clafouti the owners (?) seemed very nice – perhaps they have hired some hipster rascals.

  32. Also, zuzu gets the taxes back, I think, if she keeps her receipts and fills out the appropriate paperwork, etc, and zuzu’s a lawyer! She must FLOVE the paperwork!

    Sadly, I must inform all that Gypsy Co-op is actually no more. Tsk.

    I’ve only lived in Toronto for a little under a year, and I have to say: Sneaky Dee’s for fabulous Mexican food, at College & Bathurst. Cheap, huge delicious portions, thumbs up.

  34. Dammit, RKMK, I thought Gypsy Co-Op might be a thing of the past, but it’s been a while since I lived there, and it still came up on Google.

  35. I don’t know Toronto all that well, but I’d recommend Amma’s takeout (Sri Lankan food) on Eglington and Kennedy (I think?) in Scarborough. Every time we visit the husband’s family, we get food from there. It’s very good (great veg curries, but try the crab curry and roti if you eat fish) and pretty cheap.

  36. Jeff, I wouldn’t get that as a joke, because I’ve never noticed, “Huh?” I live close enough to Canada to get Canadian TV when the weather is right, and Canadian beer is standard in the bars here.

    Zuzu, I’m dropping you a line because my bf & I will be in Toronto on the 15th for the Loreena McKennit concert, and if you’d like to have an early dinner (say, 5ish), we could meet up.

  37. Red Tea Box! I forgot about that! Definitely go to the Red Tea Box, as their cupcakes are the most beautiful edible things I’ve ever seen. They also have a little tea garden out the back, and are convenient to Come As You Are. Actually, if you want a more “homey” sex store where they offer you tea while you browse, look at Good For Her, on Harbord down the street from the Toronto Women’s Bookstore. I like it even better than CAYA.

    I can’t believe other people have heard of Nova Era, too!

    Wow, you all have good taste in Toronto hangouts. 🙂 And this is making me miss home.

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