The ultimate guide to Toronto, Canada’s largest and most epicurean city

Welcome back to Two-Night Minimum, a series of city guides for those who want to get to the heart of a place in a short time—be it on a business trip or a weekend vacation. For this Toronto edition, we independently scoped out more than 200 venues and distilled the list down to the very best of the best: Every recommendation below has earned our most discerning stamp of approval.

With only around two dozen highly coveted seats, Edulis fills a small downtown venue that’s dolled up like a granny’s cottage, lined in knickknacks and framed collectables, including menus from Asador Etxebarri and Charlie Trotter’s. By every measurement—from Instagram “best” lists to newspaper star systems—Edulis is considered the top table in Canada’s most epicurean city. And according to those same (copious) sources, it’s also the best Canadian restaurant in Canada.

In May, the restaurant reservations gods smiled upon me with a chance to try Edulis’ ever-changing prix fixe dinner. And with the chefs-owners—husband-and-wife team Michael Caballo and Tobey Nemeth—furiously whipping up everything from kombu-cured amberjack to morels with squab, it was their lead server Philip Shaw who fielded the question that has long laid heavy in my Canadian born-and-raised mind: “What is Canadian-ness?”

“Are we a Canadian restaurant?” Shaw wondered aloud. “Yes, Tobey and Michael are Canadians, but Michael’s cooking reflects his Spanish heritage, and Tobey brings her Hungarian and Chinese roots to the table, too.”

“But isn’t that what Canada is?” I replied, reflecting on the 10 days I’d just spent eating my way through the city’s best murgh makhani (butter chicken) and momos (Tibetan dumplings), plus the requisite bagels, baos and fried-up doubles (West Indian chickpea sandwiches).

Most Americans may think the only cultural difference between them and their neighbors to the north is Commonwealth spelling and those long Fargo “o”s. (In all fairness, we do say “sorry” a lot.) But Canada’s multicultural mentality allows people who speak 160 different languages to coexist within the center of its biggest city and financial hub, with a wide majority of them being newer arrivals. According to the 2021 census, more than half of Toronto’s population was born outside of Canada. That means nobody feels forced to shed their cultural identity to forge a single version of Canadian-ness—and communities exist in tandem, rather than in spite of each other, be they Chinese, Indian, Jewish, Ethiopian, Italian, Caribbean or French Canadian.

For the business traveler or the short-stay vacationer, that creates an ultra-welcoming vibe, even if the notoriously impossible traffic and unabated condo construction are somewhat overwhelming these days. Whether it’s on pedestrian-friendly side streets, in world-class restaurants or among the bevy of lakefront parks, you’ll find that Toronto’s uniting spirit and its vast diversity make it one of the only destinations in the world where locals will instantly treat you not as a tourist but as a neighbor—sorry, neighbour.

Here’s a cheat sheet to help make the most of your visit, whether you have two nights or two weeks.

On weekdays in Toronto, there are two little rituals to observe around breakfast and lunch: a walking coffee from your favorite neighborhood joint on the way into work and a takeaway bite at noontime, be it the latest trendy sandwich, ramen, dumplings, bagel or Jamaican patty. Dinner’s the big deal, and prime seating happens between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Reservations are always essential at the city’s hottest spots, though they’re typically not taken at all on weekend mornings, leading to long lines in front of any place worth its salt. Torontonians love to queue, and these days they’re brunching like it’s New York in 2014.

● Maha’s
Torontonians may win the award for being the biggest brunch stans, making it easy to find a respectable Benedict in any hood. Skip them all. Instead, beeline to Maha’s in Leslieville for their so-called Egyptian falafel. It’s a chickpea patty that wraps around a Scotch egg—a crunchy exterior with a gooey core that’s easily the best bite in town. Making it even better is a heaping portion of cumin-rubbed home fries. Wash it down with a honey cardamom latte.

● Commissary Eats
Toronto’s soaring real estate prices and dense downtown have spawned a culinary particularity: commissary dining, where chefs occupy spaces so tiny, they’re 90% kitchen, with grab-and-go service and (maybe) a sprinkling of tables. The top spots practically have a cult following, such as Famiglia Baldassarre, where homemade pastas change daily; I arrived just ahead of its noontime opening and still needed to wait 50 minutes before ordering. (Whatever they’re serving, get it in the cheesy, buttery “bianco” sauce.) Sushi hotspot Oroshi Fish Co. is another favorite. It dry-ages and butchers all its raw fish right behind the cashier. Stop by for a predinner negitoro made with premium bluefin tuna; there are benches flanking the side-alley entrance.

● Bernhardts
Think Québécoise food is mostly just poutine? Head to this aging Edwardian townhome in Toronto’s west end, which doubles as an exuberant tribute to Montreal’s traditional-style rotisserie poulet and its very specific trappings. Each bird comes with a velvety sauce brune (gravy), a sesame seed burger bun, a sour pickle and potatoes cooked under the drippings. It’s a damn delicious initiation into traditional Canadian flavors you never knew existed. (And you’re not alone if you find yourself asking, “Why the bun?” Montrealers have argued about the reason for its inclusion since time immemorial.)

● 20 Victoria
Bold statement: 20 Victoria is the best restaurant in Toronto, if not all of Canada. (Sorry, Edulis!) It puts preternaturally gifted chef Julie Hyde back on her home turf after tours de force at esteemed European spots like London’s three-Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester. Here, Hyde’s dishes are joyful homages to Canadian seafood and beautifully sauced local vegetables—think bundles of snow crab cut with fresh radish halves and a lemon drizzle.

If you can’t snag a reservation, a few tables along a narrow banquette are often kept for walk-ins. The upside: You’ll face the open kitchen, watch the culinary sorcery in real time and order from an à la carte menu that largely overlaps with the prix fixe options. But the seating is admittedly not very comfortable, and patrons will pass you to reach the restrooms. Just remember, beggars can’t be choosers.

● Dinner on Bloor West
Walk this east-west thoroughfare between the Landsdowne and Christie metro stops to find one of the city’s newer dining hubs. Start with hibachi-ed fish and kimchi at Mhel, a purveyor of East Asian light bites whose Korean Canadian owners have a penchant for fine sake. At Chantecler, a few blocks east, the French standards are so perfectly executed, they make other popular Gallic spots in town feel like Disney-fied bistros (the beef tartare here ranks among the best I’ve ever had). For a nightcap, grab at least one drink at Civil Liberties. There’s no menu; just tell the tatted barkeeps what you like (“brown spirits, refreshing but not sweet,” for instance), and they’ll whip up a compelling concoction as Alanis plays on the speakers.

● Grey Gardens
Tell a Torontonian that you’re going to this Kensington Market mainstay hidden between vape stores and dusty antique shops, and they’ll likely remark on its polarizing chef-owner Jen Agg, a Michelin-hater whose bestselling memoir is called I Hear She’s a Real Bitch. Who cares. With a modish plant store vibe and tightly edited menu, this literal Grey Gardens is a worthy stalwart of the city’s restaurant scene. Get the whipped smoked fish-and-chips starter—an Agg signature—and any of the crudos. If it’s available, the thin slivers of branzino topped with carrot, pineapple and cilantro were my favorite.

● Lake Inez
When I asked one of the owners of Lake Inez about the restaurant’s culinary point of view, he described his dishes as “horny.” And that’s exactly the kind of offbeat answer you’d expect from this East Toronto favorite, with its hipster-saloon decor and shortlist of nine daily dishes. The food is as global as Toronto itself: There’s paté and ballpark pretzels, yellowfin vadouvan and fried skate with aji blanco. From May to November, the “mystery patio tastings” feel like a hangout sesh with the staff in a funky outdoor space. And with the city’s escalating dining prices rivaling those of New York, Lake Inez’s menu has one more winning quality: At C$159 ($118) for six wine-paired courses, it’s refreshingly reasonable.

● A Night out on Dundas West
The legal drinking age in Toronto is 19, leading college-age kids from all over the world to queue in front of every downtown drinking establishment. The strip of bars along Dundas West caters to an older crowd—by which we mean not students. Fuel up with fried corn blossoms, pickles and gailan gomaae (broccoli in sesame sauce) at Imanishi, Toronto’s hippest izakaya. Then grab a cocktail at Cry Baby Gallery, a buzzy drinking hole concealed behind a modern, white-walled art gallery. It makes strong drinks from unlikely glass-mates—whisky and umeshu maybe, or amaro and rum. Nearby, sesame prawn toasts are the perfect late-night nosh at Mahjong Bar, hidden behind another storefront—this time, a faux Chinese takeaway counter. And if you’re over the speakeasy hoopla head to dive-bar Black Dice Cafe for a pint of foamy Asahi and jukebox rock.

● A Primordial Urban Hike
Finding green space in Toronto usually revolves around small parks squared off by the city’s gridiron roads. But that ignores the fact that Toronto claims the largest system of urban ravines in the world, protected by municipal mandate. These deep gorges, carved by the receding glaciers of the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago, add up to more than 40 square miles of terrain (around the size of San Francisco) that snakes right through the city center.

During the summer months, book a group or private tour with Hidden Rivers. They’re all led by founder and local Torontonian Matthew Jordan, who adds fascinating historical and political color to the super-scenic three-hour walks. For those who want to visit the ravines under their own steam—or during the other months of the year—Jordan has created a map of Beltline Trail, his favorite 3-and-a-half-mile hiking route in the city. It orbits Rosedale, Yorkville’s eastern neighbor, where you’ll start at a historical 19th century estate before cutting through urban woodlands and the 50 million-gallon Rosehill Reservoir.

● Sweat It Out With the Locals
At the intersection of fad fitness and clubbing is something surprisingly genuine: an evening of Coldplay and cold plunges at Othership. Here’s the premise: Every Thursday through Saturday, 50 strangers gather for two-hour-long evening socials that flow from sauna to ice bath and back again, all set to rhythmic beats.

Guided classes—some with stretching components, others with aromatherapy and meditation—are also available throughout the day. Or, if you wanna fly solo, you can simply sign up for a free-flow session and enjoy the facilities for an unstructured 75-minute shvitz. But that might miss the point, which emphasizes the mental health benefits of simply making new friends.

Forgot your swim trunks? Make a pit stop by Bather for locally made surfwear displayed in a chic storefront that also sells designer toques (that’s Canadian for “knitted hats”), totes and freshly brewed coffee.

● The Weekend Supper Club
After years cooking in every corner of the Commonwealth (including Heston Blumenthal’s the Fat Duck and local favorite Scaramouche), Ken Yau left the restaurant rat race to create an intimate supper club series called K.Dinners. Four to six weekend days a month, he welcomes 10 guests around one large table in his ceramics studio—Yau makes and sells all his own dishes—to enjoy an Asian-accented multicourse meal. On the long list of things that could include: char siu scallops, congee and salted lime sorbet.

A two-month lead is ideal for snagging a seat, but don’t stress if you miss out. Yau also hosts cooking classes and live music performances, and you can even drop by during the day to purchase plates while he’s busy spinning the pottery wheel on behalf of other restaurateurs.

● Bike the Beaches
The Beaches is one of the city’s liveliest residential neighborhoods, situated along—you guessed it—a series of sandy stretches fronting Lake Ontario. It’s on the eastern edge of the city, easily reachable from downtown by car, tram or foot. Prioritize Woodbine Beach, a popular hangout for sunbathing locals in the warmer months, complete with volleyball courts and a small marina.

From there, grab a shared bike and zip around Tommy Thompson Park, a massive spit that juts 3 miles out into Lake Ontario. The self-dubbed accidental wilderness was created with dredged up earth from the mainland between the 1950s and ’80s. Today, it’s a stop on the migration superhighway to over 300 species of birds. (That makes it worth a stop in the spring and fall, even if the weather isn’t beachy.)

● A Futuristic Museum With Ancient Treasures
The stark, angular Aga Khan Museum, designed by legendary Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, is an art museum unlike many others in the world: Its lavish, 1,200-piece collection spans 12 centuries and three continents, all from the Islamic world. And while there are intricate watercolors and glazed bowls adorned in arabesque waves, it’s objects like parchment manuscripts that document early astronomy and medicine that best highlight the vast contributions of the Muslim world to our modern, global society.

Of course, the museum building itself is a piece of art, too. The convex-cuboid modernist structure is so striking, it’s been used as the backdrop of an alien world in a recent Star Trek franchise. Note that traffic getting to this northeastern corner of town can be heavy; check the drive time if you’re trying to squeeze it in between meetings.

● West Queen West
The westerly portion of Queen Street known as West Queen West, or WQW, has long been the locus of the city’s grunge scene. But these days it’s very Portland post-Portlandia: It’s still one of the coolest neighborhoods in all of Canada, now with a slightly corporatized air.

Start at cool-kid hangout Trinity Bellwoods Park, which is lined with dozens of takeaway eateries. And if it’s nice enough outside, overshoot them all by a block to hit up Wonton Hut, whose steamed shrimp-and-pork dumplings, firm angel-hair noodles and salty Hong Kongese broth will inspire jealousy from other picnickers.

Then it’s time to wander the arterial Queen Street West. Browse the latest releases at Type Books, Toronto’s premiere independent bookshop. Then hit up 18 Waits, one of Canada’s leading men’s boutique fashion brands—the vibe is Saville Row meets lumberjack cottage core with a pinch of Keanu Reeves (very Canadian indeed!).

For a sweet treat while you stroll, pop into Castle & Coal—the sticky, dulce de leche kouign amann is a mouthful (both to order and to eat!)—or Forno Cultura for an apollini; it’s a thin, choux pastry with a with a lemon cream filling. The coffee pairing comes further up Ossington Avenue, a smidge past the neighborhood’s northern boundary, courtesy of dueling barista neighbors, Rooms and Sam James. Both are great.

If it’s a proper sit-down meal you’re after, try Union, where the dark brick interior and small, ramshackle back patio are totally unassuming relative to the food: masterful nouveau Canadian dishes with a French twist (think elk sliders slathered in mirin and galangal). But no matter what, you can’t leave the area without grabbing a vodka or burrata Margherita slice at Pizzeria Badiali. If you order a whole pie online for pickup, you can skip the inevitable line.

● Riverdale & Leslieville
To get to the Millennial hipster core of Toronto, you have to cross the Don River and the Don Valley Parkway, a soaring ribbon of traffic-addled asphalt. Don’t let that stop you: The twin neighborhoods here are the gateway to some of the city’s most diverse eats and distinctive shopping.

Survey the whole area from the rooftop of the Broadview Hotel—its ’gram-worthy views include the CN Tower and Toronto’s entire downtown core—before setting out to explore. If it’s brunch o’clock, head to Lady Marmalade, a shotgun-style joint with wood-paneled walls, where Benedicts are laden with uncommon fixings like brie or horseradish.

For an espresso on the run, there’s no better choice than Pilot Coffee’s single-origin Colombian brews. But if what you want is a chai and a chair, relax on the patio at the Queen Garden Cafe, tucked under the branches and leaves that spill out from a popular plant shop.

Among the scatter of vintage furniture and clothing boutiques all along Queen Street East, the one not to miss is Good Neighbor, set in a coastal bungalow. Its designer stemware, bath soaps, denim and coffee-table books are so seamlessly displayed that the owner could give a master class in shelf styling.

Next, venture northward into the residential heart of the area, passing Jamaican institution the Real Jerk, where Rihanna and Drake filmed her music video for “Work,” to reach Tropical Joe’s, hidden in the food court at the Gerrard Square Shopping Centre. The curries and rotis are legit, but you’ve made the pilgrimage for the TJ’s Poutine—fries, cheese, jerk chicken and oxtail gravy. Too bad you can’t order an angioplasty for dessert.

“Cottage country” (basically anywhere that you can plunk down a rural home) is sacred to all stripes of Torontonians. But it’s the lakes of Muskoka, 100 miles north, that draw the most envy: It’s where the city’s elite—and Canadian celebs who’ve decamped to the US—flock for weekend breaks. If you don’t have the chalet hookup, drive east 130 miles along the shore of Lake Ontario to Prince Edward County, also referred to as PEC or the County. (Just don’t call it Prince Edward Island, as that’s a totally different place.)

Here you’ll find a small-but-mighty selection of accommodations led by the 10 lakeside cabins at Wander the Resort—with its brand-new Nordic spa—and the art-filled Drake Devonshire. Both cater to visitors who flock to the area for its tranquil beaches, funky artists’ studios and award-winning wineries.

Allocate a lazy afternoon on the Caribbean-like dunes of Sandbanks Provincial Park. Then head into Picton, PEC’s largest town, which is suddenly full of cute eateries, breweries and architectural preservation projects. (The restaurant at the Royal Hotel does an irresistible cheeseburger with shallot butter and frites.)

If you’re considering an off-season visit, make sure to check out the half-dozen sugar shacks in the area to try freshly sourced maple products, or even watch how sap is extracted—tapped—from the tree.

When browsing the wine lists in Toronto’s restaurants, don’t skip past the Canadian wines: They’re shockingly high-quality, and almost none of them make it to the US due to tight importing rules and other convoluted reasons.

And don’t assume that it’s all about British Columbia, either. Ontario’s “Grape White North,” a region that encompasses Niagara and Prince Edward County, produces Burgundian wines but at one-third the price. Here are three standout producers to look for, courtesy of Bloomberg’s resident oenophile, Elin McCoy:

1. “My favorite Niagara producer is Bachelder for silky pinot noirs, Chablis-like chardonnays and bright, juicy gamays that resemble Beaujolais—all are vivid and pure with subtle flavors and a long, long finish.”

2. “Niagara-based Tawse is often named winery of the year inside Canada, but it’s managed to break out internationally with its 2011 chardonnay, which was named the world’s best outside of Burgundy—expect a Chablis-esque minerality with citrusy notes. It also makes great cabernet franc, and solid pinot noir and riesling.”

3. “Norman Hardie in Prince Edward County ranks high for chardonnays and pinot noirs as well. His award-winning wines are poured in more than 40 Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, including Fred in Rotterdam and Zilte in Antwerp.”

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