We start with easily our most-recommended food destination, the smorgasbord of Toronto, the St. Lawrence Market. With two floors of 120 food spots, merchants and farmers, it’s no surprise this is where locals say to begin your Toronto food journey. Once named the World's Best Food Market by National Geographic, St. Lawrence Market has been the heart of Toronto's food culture since 1803. It’s got butchers, fishmongers, bakers, cheesemakers, mustard merchants, a Ukrainian deli, a Chinese kitchen, a crepe stand, a cooking school, an art gallery and an old jail in the basement. Our fans said the must-get is the peameal bacon sandwich at Carousel Bakery: cured pork loin rolled in cornmeal, griddled, and served on a fresh Kaiser roll. Toronto's officially designated Signature Sandwich. Start there, then go crazy.

Fans Recommend: The peameal bacon sandwich at Carousel Bakery. Gyro at Messinis. Bagel at St. Urbain Bakery.

A tiny, no-reservations “local red sauce joint,” Sugo in Bloordale Village is one of our fans’ most-recommended neighborhood gems. Opened by Toronto locals in 2017, the idea is simple, classic Italian done fantastically well: pasta, sandwiches, small plates, pizza and an obsessive commitment to sauce…aka sugo in Italian. Rotating pastas and desserts keep things fresh and interesting, and they’ve got a next-door sibling - Bar Sugo - with a wood-burning pizza oven. There’s probably going to be a line. According to our fans, it’s definitely worth waiting in.

Fans Recommend: Vodka rigatoni. Tiramisu. THE PASTA.

The Toronto food scene has depth and range that few other cities can match, and our mini showcase gets rolling with our fans’ next favorite - the Asian-Caribbean soul fusion spot, Patois. The chef/owner is third-generation Chinese-Jamaican, and his place is a direct expression of that cultural mash-up: jerk chicken chow mein, kimchi potstickers, oxtail mac and cheese, dirty fried rice with Chinese sausage, Hong Kong-style waffles at brunch. Mashups made in heaven. The place has the atmosphere too - low lights, glasses clinking and packed most nights with people sharing some of the best and most unique authentic food in Toronto. A guaranteed great night.

Fans Recommend: The Whole Shebang. Oxtail mac and cheese. Jerk chicken chow mein.

An eclectic, nondescript neighborhood dinner restaurant with a neon beer sign in the window and a mystery patio you can reserve to try their tasting menu, our fans’ next rec is the hidden gem Lake Inez. You could describe the food as loosely pan-Asian, they describe themselves as “lots of wine and beer and seasonal nostalgic food that's hard to describe.” The culinary variation here is part of the magic, as one fan described the food with two words: “quality and creativity”. The menu is small, seasonal, and changes regularly. The bar at the back is anchored by a massive stained-glass mosaic of Kate Bush and Virginia Woolf that one of the owners built by hand. The whole thing is an absolute vibe. One of Toronto's most consistently praised neighborhood restaurants.

Fans Recommend: Honey-garlic adobo wings. Tasting menu.

If you’re looking for tacos, our locals’ have one spot that stood out above the rest - the authentic Mexican taqueria Campechano. Opened in 2015 in Toronto’s Fashion District, the obsessions here are freshness and tortillas - they import heirloom corn from Mexico to make their tortillas fresh every day, and they serve their tacos one at a time to make sure you get them hot. That quality has earned them a spot on plenty of lists, including being recognized as a Michelin Bib Gourmand every year since 2022. They’ve also got a second location 10 minutes north in Little Italy. Two chances for our fans’ favorite Toronto tacos.

Fans Recommend: Tacos.

The fans give you your tacos. Now they give you your burgers. Our most rec’d Toronto burger comes from the family smashburger spot Burger Drops. What started in 2018 in backyards and pop up shops has turned into one of Toronto’s favorite burgers, with a permanent spot that’s been open on the west side of the city near the stadium since 2020. Our fans mentioned it as the perfect place for a walkable pregame or postgame nosh. The smashed cheeseburger is done classic - topped with American cheese, pickles brined and hand-cut in-house, griddled onions and their signature Drop Sauce on a potato roll. Verifiable proof that Toronto can do burgers.

Fans Recommend: Smash burger. Cheese fries.

A walk-up fast casual West Indian restaurant that’s been serving the city since 1973 - Island Foods. Founded by a couple who arrived from Trinidad in 1968 with no restaurant experience, this was one of the city’s pioneers in Caribbean food and it’s still going over 50 years later. Which means it has to be delicious. The menu is rooted in the flavors from Trinidad - dhalpouri roti made fresh daily, boneless chicken curry, goat, oxtail, jerk chicken. Also close enough to the stadium to hit pregame. Check out one of Toronto’s unique local legends.

Fans Recommend: The Rotis.

Next up is Hanmoto - an unmarked, low-lit izakaya and cocktails spot that feels like you’re in either in a Tokyo back alley or a very cool converted garage. No reservations. No website. A cozy 30-seat room of bare brick, salvaged furniture and a bamboo bar that plays old-school hip hop and has an open kitchen. The food is izakaya with American inspiration - the Moto Bun is Japanese chicken curry with creamy slaw on a coco bun, the perfect drunken banh mi. They go from oysters to tofu to wings to steak all with some extra twist or wrinkle. Everything arrives one plate at a time. Order a bunch. Crush some of their A+ cocktails in between. An awesome late-night spot as well - it’s open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Fans Recommend: Dyno Wings. Moto Buns.

Like many of its food categories, the Pho in Toronto goes deep. So the most recommended in that bucket means something, and our fans shouted out Pho Ngoc Yen more than any other. A family shop - run by two sisters with their brother as the chef -  the original location opened in an industrial park tucked between an electrical wholesaler, a truck repair shop and a forklift training school. It became a cult favorite and ranked among Yelp's Top 100 places to eat in Canada for eight consecutive years. The main downtown Toronto location, the third in the family's growing operation, opened in 2025. What makes this place stand out beyond crushing the classic and the supreme quality of everything - the menu changes monthly, drawing on seasonal Canadian ingredients worked into distinctly Vietnamese dishes. Way more than just Pho.

Fans Recommend: Braised Beef Short Rib Pho

A legendary local restaurant in Thailand decided to open an outpost on the other side of the planet in 2023, and Toronto’s Thai food scene immediately elevated to a whole new level. Som Tum Jinda has been making Isaan-style northeastern Thai food for over 60 years - that’s papaya salads, fermented fish paste, grilled pork jowl and sticky rice. And it’s gotten Michelin recognition for its effort both in Thailand and in Toronto. Our fans rec’d it as the best Thai in the city. Three locations now, two in the heart of the city and one a little over a half-hour north. If you’re looking for Thai in Toronto, this is your place.

Fans Recommend: Papaya Salad. Pork Jowl Salad. Pad mee

“Canada's OG Hakka restaurant”, Yueh Tung continues our fans’ crazy world tour around the Toronto food scene. Opened in 1986 by a couple who immigrated from Kolkata, India, where the Hakka style Chinese-Indian fusion was developed by the diaspora who settled there. The result is a cuisine that exists almost nowhere else in the world outside of South Asia and Toronto. The chili chicken - the dish this place introduced to Toronto - was mentioned in every recommendation we got. Now run by the daughters of the founders, another awesome family-run local Toronto gem worth checking out.

Fans Recommend: Chili chicken.

We extend our Starting XI with an extra twelfth spot for Toronto - a local institution since 1987 that is half Tex-Mex restaurant and half live music venue - Sneaky Dee's. A landmark in Toronto’s alternative scene, it is the soul of the city’s punk rock and of its nachos. Graffiti-covered walls, late-night hours and some of the best Tex-Mex in the city. Anthony Bourdain namechecked it on The Layover. It’s featured in the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. Truly a special place in the city. Go eat. Go drink. Go listen. A perfect jack-of-all-trades segue spot to the rest of our Toronto list.

Fans Recommend: The nachos.

The “OG dive bar on the Ossington Strip”, Sweaty Betty’s is one of our fans’ most rec’d places to grab drinks in the city. It is the exact watering hole vibe you want - crimson walls covered in mismatched frames of dogs and old movies, vintage furniture across multiple rooms and a hidden heated patio. All with low lights and cheap drinks. It’s a founding member of one of Toronto's densest concentrations of bars, restaurants and indie businesses. The place is beloved and you can feel it - when COVID nearly closed it down in 2021, the community raised $25,000 in three days to keep it alive. A great place to get some pickleback shots with Toronto locals.

A family-run neighborhood bar that’s been on the west side of the city in Parkdale since 1972, our fans love The Rhino. Set inside a historic old house on Queen West, this is an encyclopedic beer bar with over 300 bottles from all over the planet. They’ve got three rooms with a bar in front, pool tables and a great patio that runs the length of the building along the street. The beer list spans Trinidad, Croatia, Ukraine, Vietnam, and deep cuts that don't turn up anywhere else in the city. The food is great. Fans said it’s a great option to pregame - an easy bop over to the stadium and a good counter to the more crowded sports bars.

One of Toronto’s longest-running live music venues, operating out of the same building in Chinatown since 1943 - Grossman’s Tavern. The Grossman family ran it for decades, in 1975 a new family took over and has been running it since. And the music has stayed the same: blues, jazz, bluegrass, folk and rock, with a band - The Happy Pals - that’s been playing every Saturday for way longer than you’d think was possible. There’s never a cover charge. There’s always an atmosphere. Dan Aykroyd was a regular in the 1970s - his visits to watch the Downchild Blues Band reportedly inspired The Blues Brothers.

Toronto's only Scottish pub and from what our fans say a pretty damn good one. The Caledonian has been a Little Italy institution for over 15 years, with 300+ single malts, rare Scottish beers on draught and proper Scottish pub food - Scotch eggs, house sausage rolls, haggis with neeps and tatties and a house-made Scottish steak pie. They’ll also do a deep-fried Mars bar if you’re into that kind of thing. Our fans rec’d the food as much as the drinks and as much as the hidden back patio. And apparently Belle & Sebastian stop by when they're in town, which is the only Scottish stamp of approval you need.

Fans Recommend: The Ardbeg Caesar.

One of the city’s oldest licensed drinking establishments, tucked on a narrow one-way residential street since 1927…The Monarch Tavern. Originally a hotel with a liquor license, The Monarch has outlasted just about everything in the city. In the 1970s an explosion sent the front door a full city block down the street. Organized crime and law enforcement are said to have brokered arrangements in the upstairs room, one of its two floors. 20 craft beers on tap, pool, pinball and a standing rule that you're welcome to bring in a veal sandwich from the shop next door. Live music most nights, no cover. Another great option from our local fans to hit some classic Toronto live music and booze.

We start our Watch list where the fans told us to - their most recommended place to peep the beautiful game in Toronto is Liberty Village’s original pub - Brazen Head. A big, modern Irish pub concept with three floors, a garden terrace and multiple patios that is absolutely perfect for big match watching. Liberty Village is a go-to pre and post-match area - only about a 10 minute walk to the stadium - and Brazen Head is your first option there. In addition to its soccer bar bonafides, it’s got an all-day, every day happy hour and a proper pub kitchen - this is the gameday spot.

Fans Recommend: Get there early, it gets packed.

Another pub slots in next, this one your traditional English option in the heart of Queen West - Dog & Bear. A huge floor space with floating screens behind the bar and above, this is the perfect packed-in pub watching vibe. They’ll also fire up a projector for big matches. The city’s West Ham contingent - the Toronto Hammers - call it home. Some Union Jacks, a God Save the King and excellent fish & chips…this place gives you that proper slice of Britain you want when you’re watching footy. And a cheeky one at that. The Three Lions games here will be a proper time.

Toronto goes from Ireland to England to Italy with our fans’ next rec…the legendary Cafe Diplomatico in Little Italy. One of the Dons of Toronto’s Italian neighborhood, this cafe has been open since 1968, starting as a coffee bar for Italian immigrants at a time when outdoor dining wasn’t a thing - the patio was one of the first in the city. And now, during big games, they throw up a huge video board and that patio becomes something between a bar and a street party. That stretch of College Street in Little Italy should be a great spot to post up in general on gamedays. Also, Diplomatico is a cafe first, so it’s open bright and early - 8am daily…espresso in the morning, pints by noon.

Fans Recommend: The gelato. The patio on gamedays.

Founded in 2013 by a wife-and-husband duo who love baseball, the fans get their favorite brewers in the mix - Left Field Brewery. The original location in Leslieville is your small classic tap and bottle shop, while the newer Liberty Village location is the beast gamewatching and beer mecca. Opened in 2023 in a century-old billiard table factory, you’ve got 11,000 sq feet across two floors, 300 seats, 16 draught lines and 29 TVs. The perfect space to watch before you even get to the brewery part. Some of their custom baseball-inspired brews to try: the Eephus, the Bang Bang and the Roger Maris. Another great Liberty Village pregame option, easily walkable to the stadium.

Fans Recommend: The craft beers.

Our fans second thing & thing classic British public house, this one named after the two sides of a Canadian nickel - is Queen & Beaver. Tucked on a quiet street near Dundas Square downtown, they’ve got two cozy floors in an old Victorian-era building - a restaurant downstairs and a den style upstairs bar. Plus a great patio. All the food is made-from-scratch classic British comfort food, the beers and ales are locally sourced and the fans there are passionate. This is the local neighborhood pub game watching experience you want.

Fans Recommend: The upstairs bar for football. The pies.

A National Historic Site of Canada and the most recommended place in the entire survey - the mazed grid of merchants, shops and restaurants that is Kensington Market. A traditionally immigrant neighborhood that has been uniquely shaped by its combination of inhabitants - starting in the early 1900s, Jewish, Portuguese, Caribbean, and Latin American, all leaving something authentic behind. What remains is a dense, walkable grid of narrow streets lined with vintage shops, specialty grocers, fishmongers, cheese shops, taco stands, record stores and murals. Some of the best food in the city will be found here. Some of the coolest stores. Some of the best people watching. A true definition of a place to explore.

Fans Recommend: Vintage shops. Pedestrian Sundays.

A cluster of 15 interconnected islands in Lake Ontario, a 10-15 minute ferry or water taxi ride from downtown and one of the locals most mentioned places in the city. The Toronto Islands are a truly unique geographical feature for an urban environment, the view of the city skyline looking back from the beaches is one of the great city views in North America. The islands have no cars, five beaches, a small amusement park and large grassy fields. A quick ferry ride takes you to a place that feels like you’ve gone back in time a little. This is your off-day or your dose of nature or just your quick refresh from the city and the games.

Fans Recommend: Bring stuff with you. Rent bikes.

Our fans’ most rec’d Toronto shop is Canada's largest independent record store - Sonic Boom Records. Open since 2001, this local legend has seen a few different Toronto locations but now resides in a two-floor standalone space in Chinatown. The largest selection possible of new and used records, vinyl, CDs, cassettes and everything in between, they also host record-signings, community events and  in-store performances. They celebrate their 25th anniversary this year and will welcome the oncoming masses to taste a little bit of Toronto’s music scene.

Fans Recommend: New and used vinyl.

The local’s favorite music shop and now the local’s favorite book store…Type Books. Opened in 2006 by University of Toronto PhD students who decided to start a book store instead of pursuing academia, they created a community hub and meeting place that’s become a local favorite and expanded with two more locations in the city. The original Queen West spot sits across from Trinity Bellwoods Park - the owners chose it partly for the view, which you can see from inside the store. The curation is excellent, the selections are vast and the window displays are worth a visit on their own. A great place to kill some time or grab a Toronto literary souvenir.

And of course our footy fans couldn’t let us end our list without a soccer shop. Soccer World is Canada’s largest independent soccer retailer, locally owned and operated since 2001 - first out of Oakville before opening its Toronto location in late 2025. Great timing with the summer of soccer Toronto is about to have. The Spadina store is a little more than a mile from the stadium and stocks a ton: official jerseys from every major national team and club, boots, training gear and equipment across all skill levels. Canadian legend Dwayne De Rosario showed up at the store’s opening, what more of a Canadian soccer stamp of approval do you need. Grab a jersey or just check out some of the Toronto footy culture while you’re in town.

We aren’t able to have a list of places to go in Canada without including the Hockey Hall of Fame, so we’re adding one extra place to Explore. Housed inside the landmark 1885 Bank of Montreal building one block from Union Station, the Hall of Fame is 65,000 sq feet of the sport's complete history: trophies, jerseys, sticks, masks, a full replica Canadiens dressing room, interactive shooting and goaltending games and the original Stanley Cup sitting in what used to be the bank vault. Adult admission is around $25. Open year-round, seven days a week. A hockey fan’s fever dream and a great representation of the country’s most beloved sport. No trip to Toronto would be complete without it.

Fans Recommend: The Stanley Cup.