Travel: Toronto Foodie Tour

The Ultimate FOODIE'S GUIDE to Toronto

Looking for a food adventure that’s close to home? Last fall I spent four

days eating and drinking my way through beautiful Toronto. Here’s my

ultimate — breakfast to dinner — guide to the city.

Breakfast

If you’re staying at the Fairmont Royal York — which I highly recommend for its central location and proximity to Union Station, CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium and more — a good breakfast is simply a few steps away from your hotel room. Take advantage of Fairmont Gold: the hotel's premium accommodation that gets you into one of the hotel’s gorgeous, upper level suites and gives you access to the exclusive 18th floor Gold Lounge. Along with the views, cozy fireplace, spacious work and lounging areas, the lounge hosts a scrumptious daily breakfast. No overcooked scrambled eggs or stale bagels here, the buffet varies a little everyday but here is a sample of what you can look forward to: skillet-baked eggs with mushrooms, hot oatmeal complete with all the fixings, waffles, fruit, roasted potatoes, quiches and much, much more.

For a fun and indulgent breakfast, book a pastry tour with Eating Through TO. The Pastry Crawl will bring you to various cafes and bakeries along Queen Street West where you’ll nibble on uniquely flavoured éclairs at Nugateau, Italian doughnuts at Sud Forno, South American traditional hot drink yerba mate at El Almacen and more! The Pastry Crawl is $75 per person and makes for a great birthday get-together or bachelorette celebration. Check out Eatingthroughto.com for all the great small-group food tours.

Lunch

Lunch options are endless in this city. For something a bit different, drop by Eataly. The Italian brand has locations in cities across the globe including New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Paris to name a few, but the Toronto location, which opened less than a year ago, is its first in Canada. Located in the Manulife Centre on Bloor Street, the 50,000 square foot indoor marketplace offers everything from an Italianstyle cafe to a full-scale deli and you can rest assured that you'll find Italian

PHOTOS: KAT WALCOTT

ready-made food, like pizza and gelato, or ingredient, such as truffles and cheese, you are looking for. Best of all, everything is fresh.

Mix a learning experience with good eats by taking a lunch hour cooking class at The Depanneur. This College Street community-driven space is modest in appearance, but bursting with social activity and delicious food. The space is not a restaurant, but a kitchen that hosts various pop-up food events, workshops, private dinners and more – all with the goal of promoting and supporting Toronto’s rich and diverse culinary scene.

One of The Depanneur’s coolest initiatives is Newcomer Kitchen. The program supports refugee women, mostly from Syria and other parts of the Middle East, by providing a space where they can come together and cook traditional meals. The prepared meals are sold online, with all proceeds going back to the cooks and their families. I was lucky enough to spend

CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: Paties

from Sud Forno The pasta counter at Eataly. Wheels of cheese at Eataly. Fresh produce at Eataly. The 18th floor Gold Lounge at the Fairmont Royal York.

some time with two of the amazing women in the program, Nadima and Rahaf, who guided me through a class of making three different types of fatayer — a savoury pastry topped with cheese, meat or veggies — as well as baklava for dessert.

Dinner

Kick off your evening with a pre-dinner drinks walking tour by Drink Toronto. Offering six unique tours exploring different aspects of Toronto’s booming cocktail, beer and wine scenes, this is a great way to learn about the city in a whole new way. I recommend the Underground Pedestrian Walkway (PATH) tour. A worthwhile splurge at $169 per person, this 2.5 hour tour takes you through Toronto’s incredible underground walkway system that connects over 75 buildings and is home to over 1200 restaurants, shops, bars and more. Since this all takes place underground, it is the perfect tour for the cold winter, a rainy spring evening or the blistering hot summer heat. The tour stop at various eateries where you’ll get to sip cocktails, wine and beer, munch on delicious food pairings and more.

For your sit down dinner, the options are endless. Head back to the Fairmont Royal York, conveniently connected to the PATH, and dine at one of the on-site restaurants. Reign is the hotel’s flagship eatery, offering classic Canadian and French fare like roasted duck, scallops, confit and more. Perfect if you’re craving a rich, comforting meal. For some high-quality Japanese delicacies, Benihana is the choice for you. One of over 100 Benihana locations worldwide, but the only location in Canada, this is the spot for beautifully crafted sushi, Japanese grilled steak, and deliciously fresh sashimi. The teppan chefs chop and prepare the food on the table right in If you want to stay out on the town, I recommend Maison Selby. The Sherbourne Street establishment is an upscale French bistro located in the stunning 136-year-old C.H. Gooderham House and its intimate, romantic atmosphere makes it a great spot if you're accompanied by your sweetheart. The menu is full of traditional French delicacies like foie gras, coq au vin and ratatouille, but I especially recommend their onion soup and, for dessert, their to-die-for sticky toffee pudding with crème fraîche ice cream.

Niagara Wine Detour

If you have an extra day to spear, it’s totally worth it to squeeze in time to explore the Niagara region, which includes Niagara Falls and its neighbouring town Niagara-by-theLake. Less than a 2-hour drive from Downtown Toronto, if you beat the traffic, it’s easy to get to and totally worth it.

Start your day off in Niagara Falls with a morning ride on the Niagara Cruises Hornblower for a scenic, up-close tour of the famous falls or, for a more

PHOTO: KAT WALCOTT panoramic view, book a helicopter tour. After that, continue your day with some winery hopping in Niagara-onthe-Lake!

Trius Winery is a Niagara-on-theLake staple and is home to Canada’s largest underground sparkling wine cellar. Not only is the selection of wines top-notch, but the aesthetic of the winery is a millenial’s dream with some of the cutest photo spots like a rose wall, hanging glass bubbles in the entrance of the sparkling wine cellar and more. This is more than a winery, it’s a full experience, so make sure to book a tour at the visitor centre when you drop by. If you're feeling hungry, the winery’s on-site restaurant is very impressive and offers a diverse menu of like roasted duck and pastas, and of course great wine.

Another winery worth a visit is Stratus

Vineyards. Committed to sustainability

PHOTO: NEANT CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Nadima of Newcomer Kitchen. The Royal York Hotel is

located directly across from the VIA Station on Front Street. The Royal York is home to Canada's only Benihana, where you get both dinner and a show!

and low-waste practices, Stratus is part of a growing movement toward “pumpfree” vinification. This means that from the initial crushing to the final bottling, the wine flow using only gravity., not only does this reduce Stratus’ carbon footprint, but the slow, natural flow of the wine is said to produce a higher quality product. .

PHOTOS: KAT WALCOTT

So, have you booked your tickets to Toronto yet? The city and all its wonderful eats are ready to welcome you n

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