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Eating Out
Guide to Drinking and Dining in Toronto

Toronto is a great city to eat in. The many ethnic areas offer some of the city's best and cheapest restaurants.
You can really sample the world while dining here. You'll find fast-food, diners, cozy cafés, wide-open patio restaurants, food courts and fine dining in this city...

PRICE GUIDE: (average cost of a main course):
= less than CAD12, = CAD12-20, = CAD20+

Italian

Bar Italia
582 College St
Tel: +1 416-535-3621

Bar Italia offers a selection of Italian dishes as well as delicious snacks. On weekends enjoy live R&B and jazz acts on the second floor.
 
Café Diplomatico & Restaurant
594 College St
Tel: +1 416-534-4637

Enjoy an inexpensive and simple, delicious Italian meal. The patio is open when it is warm and this restaurant always seems full. There is also a dinner special every evening of the week.

Grappa Ristorante
797 College St
Tel: +1 416-535-3337

Warm, cozy atmosphere and simply divine Italian cuisine. If you have questions about what to drink, the ever-present owner knows his wines well.

French

Sassafraz
100 Cumberland Ave
Tel: +1 416-964-2222

The speciality here is French cuisine, jazz brunches, a European garden and a cigar lounge. Enjoy people watching and even catch a glimpse of a celebrity in the refined interior. An extensive wine and champagne list complements the extensive, and expensive, menu.

Kosher

Free Times Café
320 College St
Tel: +1 416-967-1078

The popular Free Times does a great authentic "Jewish Sunday Brunch" with over 40 items to choose from, as well as live Jewish entertainment.

Tex-Mex

The Lone Star
200 Front St West
Tel: +1 416-408-4064

Enjoy a great selection of burgers, Tex-Mex and steak. If you think you are a big eater, Lone Star's 72-oz. sirloin steak challenge might make you think again. You have to eat everything within one hour and must let the restaurant know you are taking on their challenge 24-hours in advance. If you fail the challenge, you will have to pay the full CAD39.99 for your meal, succeed and it comes free.

Milestone's Grill & Bar
132 John St
Tel: +1 416-595-1990.

This restaurant and bar chain offers an amazing selection of meals with American-sized portions. Save room for desert. There is a weekend brunch menu. And don't come here without knocking back a Bellini cocktail or two, a house speciality.

Vegetarian

Fresh by Juice for Life
521 Bloor St West and 336 Queen St West
Tel: +1 416-531-2635 and Tel: +1 416-599-4442

For healthy meals visit this vegan restaurant for an interesting and eclectic menu that takes its inspiration from a variety of global cultures and cuisines. The famous juice bar offers an extensive range of shakes, smoothies and cocktails.

Fusion

Kalendar Koffee House
546 College St
Tel: +1 416-923-4138

Nestled between Starbucks and a gourmet grocery store in Little Italy, Kalendar is has a romantic dining atmosphere. The menu offers light fare for lunch and dinner, and brunch on weekends. Check out the "naanettes" which are wraps made with naan bread. The menu is very vegetarian friendly. If you are looking for a drink to unwind Kalendar has a nice selection of martinis.

Mediterranean

Astoria Shish Kebob House
390 Danforth Ave
Tel: +1 416-463-2838

Watch the chefs cook up big souvlaki skewers in the front window of Astoria before stepping inside to enjoy the tasty Greek platters and big portions that form the cornerstone of this popular eatery.

Jerusalem
955 Eglinton St West, York
Tel: +1 416-783-6494.

Dine here for a Middle Eastern taste and a fun atmosphere. Dip into hummus and babaganouj then enjoy the incredibly fresh and perfectly cooked fish or a combination dinner platter for two.

Japanese

Sushi Time
394 Bloor St West
Tel: +1 416-323-2288

This Japanese restaurant offers great sushi and bento box combos as well as lunch time specials. Make sure to check out their creative versions of the classic California Roll.

Dessert

Future Bakery
483 Bloor St West
Tel: +1 416-922-5875

If you are a dessert lover, the Future Bakery is a must. With trendy décor and a relaxed atmosphere, it is a great place to sit back and enjoy a hot drink and one of the numerous dessert choices. Lunch fare is also offered.

Bars

Toronto's bars are an eclectic mixture of American beer halls and traditional English-style pubs, interspersed with a variety of less mainstream type bars. The best areas to explore to find yourself a traditional style drinking hole is the Entertainment district along Queen Street and Yonge Street.

The variety of bars along here runs the whole gamut, from the wood and brass fittings of an English tavern to the gaudty neon of Toronto's exotic dancing clubs. Ultra-cosmopolitan Toronto's lively gay drinking district is located along Church Street and Wellesley, but the atmosphere is hardly ever exclusive.

Head for the waterfront for good views across the bay to the Toronto islands, there are plenty of café-style bars among the restaurants and entertainment along the front. Meanwhile, several blocks north, upscale Yorkville is home to plenty of cafés and stylish bars if you want to get out of the centre.

Explore any of these areas and you'll have little problem finding a place to suit, but here are a few recommendations of our favourite bars in the city that offer something a bit different from just drinking:

C'est What?
67 Front St East
Tel: +1 416-867-9499
This is a great place to eat, but an even better even stop for an amazing selection of 29 home brews on tap. Check out the hemp ale and the apricot lager. The atmosphere is cozy and there are usually great live bands with an indie-edge.

The Wild Indigo
607 College St
Tel: +1 416-536-8797
Offers a beautiful selection of martinis in a cozy and hip environment. The bartenders are always up for a chat at the bar as you nurse along a drink or two.

Panorama Lounge
55 Bloor St West
Tel: +1 416-967-0000
Located on the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre this bar has an incredible view of the city, an outdoor patio and a romantic feel.

Pilot Tavern
22 Cumberland St
Tel: +1 416-923-5716
A traditional pub among the high-end boutiques, cafés and bistros of Yorkville the Pilot has established its reputation as the hangout for writers, artists and bohmeians. Despite the old timer tavern look it's become quite the chic place to drink.

Indian Motorcycle Café and Lounge
355 King St West
Tel: +1 416-593-6996
Dine downstairs then move upstairs for a drink, DJ and dance floor. There is no dress code or cover here, however, after 21h00, queues to get into the bar can be extremely long. Reservations are recommended for dinner.

The Docks
11 Polson Avenue, at Cherry St
Tel: +1 416-469-5655
This seasonal, after-work, adults' playground is open weekends only until Victoria Day weekend (May 20), then open seven days a week until September. Not only can you drink at the nightclub, but you can sit and play billiards in the pool, hit the climbing wall, go on the giant group swing and play volleyball, basketball or mini golf. There is also a patio restaurant which offers fantastic views over the city skyline.

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