Toronto’s bar and restaurant scene has come a long way since we moved here. We’re going to list a bunch of our favourite places with short descriptions – all of these come highly recommended! Places with multiple locations come first; the rest are roughly arranged from west to east. Click on names to go to their websites.
Multiple locations
Rose & Sons – the original is up on Dupont but there’s a new location on Queen West; it’s old-fashioned diner food done with nothing but the best ingredients
The Burger’s Priest – the best burgers we’ve ever had; find the secret menu online and order from that
Pizzeria Libretto – the original is on Ossington but there are several locations now, including one in the Financial District not too far from Ocho and the Hyatt; this is probably Toronto’s best pizza, in authentic Neapolitan style
Balzac’s Coffee – a great coffee spot but really you go here for the locations; each Balzac’s is completely different and each one is something special
Snake & Lattes – with a couple of locations now, Toronto’s original board game bar is as good as ever; lots of beers and coffees and for a modest fee you can play any of their hundreds of board games.
Harlem Underground – A great brunch place on Queen West (and the original location is on the east side of downtown); try the fried chicken and waffles
Pizzaiolo – This is a chain of pizza places across Toronto; though ubiquitous and fast-foody, this ain’t Pizza Pizza – Pizzaiolo serves some of the best pizza-by-the-slice in Toronto
Jimmy’s Coffee – This is Jessica’s favourite coffee shop, and the great news is that there’s now a bucketful of locations across Toronto
Caplansky’s Delicatessan – the main location is on College but now there’s a new one in Yorkville; this is the best Montreal-style deli outside of Montreal; their smoked meat sandwich is great, and if you’re not worried about the calories add on a smoked meat poutine!
Fancy Franks – Ever want to have bacon, beans, and maple syrup on top of your hot dog? You’ve come to the right place!
Single locations
Indie Ale House – all the way in the junction you’ll find Toronto’s best microbrewery; how lucky that it also makes one of the city’s best burgers
Hopgood’s Foodliner – high-end traditional Nova Scotian cuisine – seafood, of course, but donairs too
Fat City Blues – if a night of N’awlins music at our wedding isn’t enough, travel to this Louisiana jazz bar for great music and great food; only place in Toronto where you can get fried alligator
Bar Neon – now YOU can re-create Matt and Jessica’s first date at this Bloor West bar! Good beer list, great snacks, cool vibe, and a nice private back patio; it’s on a strip of Bloor that’s getting overloaded with great bars and restaurants
The Lockhart – Jess and Matt haven’t been cool enough to get into this Harry Potter-themed bar yet, but they’ve heard that depending on your patience the lineup could be worth it.
Get Well – Matt and Jessica’s favourite Dundas West bar; aside from the beer you’ll find an outpost of the scrumptious North of Brooklyn Pizza in the back alongside old school arcade games
The Communist’s Daughter – a tiny hole in the wall with a great jukebox and live music on weekends; every Saturday afternoon the bartender (also a member of the Lemon Bucket Orchestra) plays trumpet, tells stories, and sings while making drinks
Reposado – a wonderful tequila bar on Ossington that also has a house jazz band on Friday nights; it can be a bit expensive but has Matt’s favourite back patio
Sweaty Betty’s – this was Matt’s favourite bar for years; the bartenders are trained to be comically grouchy and the back patio is one of Toronto’s best
Old School – Jessica loves the brunch at this Dundas West eatery; it’s a high-quality spin on classics like French toast, flapjacks, and bacon and eggs
Dundas Video – a 90s-themed bar; show up here on a Saturday night and they’ll be showing Fresh Prince of Bel Air or Demolition Man, and if you’re lucky you’ll get a turn at the Super NES or Sega Genesis (they have hundreds of games to choose from)
Southern Accent – traditional Cajun food at this Annex restaurant (Jessica’s favourite!); get the jambalaya, trust us
Poetry – A great spot for a romantic night out, this Kensington bar has live jazz every night.
Thirsty and Miserable – A tiny bar in Kensington Market with a great big (and well-chosen) beer menu
Cold Tea – This speakeasy in Kensington is pretty hipster, but it has a great (and great big) patio to sip that PBR on
Bar Begonia – A new bar opened by Anthony Rose of Rose and Sons fame; it’s a charming little bar with great small plates of modern French cuisine
Barhop Brewco – right around the corner from the Hyatt and Ocho; great beer selection and really good snacks and sandwiches (the original Bar Hop is nearby but is smaller and tends to get pretty crowded)
The Towne Crier – close to the Hyatt and Ocho this large bar has an even larger beer list; the focus is on Belgian and German beers, making this one of the best spots in Toronto for fine imported ales
Roll Play Bar – this is an eccentric venue, being a Hong Kong-style hipster bar, and it can sometimes be pretty quiet, but it has a great cocktail list and yummy snacks (the Peking duck flatbread is ah-maz-ing) and, since it’s about a block from Matt and Jess’s place, is their usual hangout (the bar staff all know them by name)
Bar Volo – the best beer bar in Toronto (and sadly closing down at the end of the summer to make way for a condo tower) with an amazing and frequently-rotated selection of (mostly Canadian) microbrews; the sharing platters are pretty great, too
The Senator – a real-life lived-in old school diner; just some good honest food at reasonable prices and a total blast from the past
The Combine Eatery – This restaurant on the Danforth specializes in California cuisine and comfort food; the fish tacos are amazing