Is it NYC? Is it Chicago? Is it Seattle? Nope! It’s Toronto, Canada! What a treat of a city. Toronto first came on my radar when I went to Taste of the Derby in 2013. Of all the chefs in Louisville that night, the nicest of the bunch was Patrick McMurray from Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill (Now Pearl Diver) in Toronto. He filled me in on the amazing food scene up there, and encouraged me to check it out.

Fast forward 5 years and mix in a little love of Drake, a few Canadian friends from business school, and a $200 roundtrip flight to a city neither my boyfriend nor I had ever visited… and voila! We have ourselves a trip.

I have to give a shoutout to everyone in Toronto for being so warm and kind. I felt so welcome, so safe, and hate that the city is dealing with the pain and tragedy of the recent van attack. I hope to go back this summer to show more Toronto love ❤

Days OOO: 1 (or none!) This was one of those trips where I took advantage of zero time difference and strong wifi and worked that Friday.

Where We Stayed: The Adelaide Hotel Toronto… aka former Trump Hotel…aka the future St. Regis.

How We Got There: Porter Airlines for $200! Flight time is less than 1.5 hours direct from DC. Porter flies to what I deem the *Reagan Airport* of Toronto. It’s right next to downtown and easy to get to.

What We Did:

1. Hockey Hall of Fame. Technically Jon went here while I worked and had a hell of a time. He saw the Stanley Cup, a ton of memorabilia, and spent a few happy hours wandering.
2. CN Tower. Used to be the tallest free-standing structure in the world. They’re renovating it because it’s a bit run down, and it’s full of the typical tourist traps like glass floors, green screen photos, and a gift shop. Still, a great view and staple of the Toronto skyline.
3. Distillery District. It felt like we were in Diagon Alley! Bricks everywhere, cafes, restaurants, distilleries, and adorable shops. Jon and I stumbled into Gotstyle, a chic boutique that caters mostly to men but also had a nice selection for the ladies. The best part was meeting Melissa, the founder! She pointed us to these “life changing” pants – the Zanerobes, and Jon was sold the second he put them on. As cliche as it is to say they changed his life, he refuses to wear anything else to work. It’s like how some ladies can get away with wearing the Lululemon Align tights as real pants… but for dudes. Thanks Melissa! I now have my Christmas gifts planned out for several years.
4. Spa Day at the Ritz-Carlton. Was sold on this spa because it has a green tea infused jacuzzi and won spa of the year recently. The “shower experience” (lol) was also cool– rainfall mixed with jets all down the sides so you have about 10 streams of water hitting you at once. Luxury can be crazy. The co-ed hot tub overlooks the CN tower, and there are massive chaise lounges in the waiting area where I could enjoy tea and snacks. My google history is now me looking up massive chaise lounges for our apartment. Normal.

Food and Drinks: We loved everything and there are a lot so I’ll try to keep it brief..

1. Richmond Station. Unconventional, lunch menu, downtown, delicious.
2. CRAFT Beer Market. Huge space, insane amount of beer choices
3. Bulldog Coffee. They do a rainbow latte… CLOSED ON SUNDAYS so I didn’t get to try. Next time!
4. Cluny Bistro & Boulangerie. French, expensive, other-world french onion soup, bougie mimosas, perfect frites, and yummy eggs benny.
5. Balzac’s Coffee. Looks straight out of Harry Potter. Cool art, exposed brick, great coffee.
6. The Distillery. A distillery called the distillery, what do you know? $10 tasting is worth it, the bar is a gorgeous centerpiece.
7. The Lockhart. Harry Potter themed bar! Also super small, and has one of the best cocktails in Toronto: The Betterbeer. Tequila based, doesn’t taste like it, and for someone who hates tequila I seriously crave it!
8. Imanshi Japanese Kitchen. Not a typical sushi spot– think small plates. Curry spring rolls. Beef tataki. Can’t go wrong with anything, really.
9. Reposado Bar. Stopped by for a mango margarita while waiting for our table at Pizzeria Libretto to open up. Recommended by Melissa from Gotstyle. Their bar looks like church windows.
10. Pizzeria Libretto. Technically a Toronto chain which I normally stick my nose up to, but crazyyyy good, certified Neapolitan pizza.
11. Bellwoods Brewery. 10/10 LOVE THIS PLACE. Some of the best beer I’ve ever tried. I even had Jon ask them if we could special order a keg in the states. Waited in line forever.
12. El Rey Mezcal Bar. Get the El Rey Paloma. Try not to freak out about waiting in line.
13. Kensington Brewing Company. Watermelon beer! It sounds gross but it’s NOT. It’s the trademark of this place and made me forget that I was in sub-freezing weather in Canada for a hot second.
14. Cold Tea. Random speakeasy style place in the back of a weird shopping mall thing. Look for a hallway and a red light. Order the Tempura McFly and send me a selfie so I can envy you.
15. Pinkys. Didn’t get here because we chose poutine, but this is a Vietnamese late night eating spot after a fun night out.
16. Smoke’s Poutine. Chain, guilty pleasure. Ordered a bacon cheeseburger poutine which shouldn’t be legal. If you don’t believe it’s good, I watched a bunch of cops roll in, write the manager a ticket, and then wait in line to buy their own poutine before leaving.

Tips:

• Billy Bishop Airport is literally on an island. We arrived pretty late and thanks to customs and baggage were the last people to exit the terminal. I got a little freaked out following signs to the tunnel, and there were other signs leading to taxis. Suddenly we found ourselves on a ferry. Apparently you can walk through the tunnel and it’s really quick, but the ferry does have nice views! We’re just idiots lol.
• Several restaurants don’t take reservations! Waiting in line became a thing, but for us DCers this is normal for us too.
• Don’t drink Steamwhistle beer. It’s the only beer Jon has never been able to finish. Blegh.