A Taste of Toronto

October 28, 2011 2:54 PM

Dearest Mefites, have you any rockin' Toronto nightlife and breakfast/brunch suggestions?

Well hey y'all! I made it to Rochester (checked out the Eastman House & the super-amazing Wegman's. Holy shit, why do other grocery stores even bother to exist? That place is epic!).

Anyway! My friends and I are headed to Toronto tonight and we're looking for a few things:

1) great bar close to the subway and/or U of Toronto with good cocktails and a young, attractive, non-douchey mix of people

2) late-night eats (our friend suggested a buffet crepes place by the hockey museum, but the name is very long and I may have been intoxicated when she told me)

3) great restaurants to eat breakfast/brunch (perhaps in Kensington Market/Queens Row)

4) The *ultimate* poutine place (I've heard good things about Poutini's)

Thanks in advance. And if you want to come hang out with us, MeMail me! We'd love to meet you!

posted by chara to travel & transportation around Toronto, ON (9 answers total)

1. Some nice bars on College St. west of Bathurst (but the douchey types lurk everywhere, so YMMV). Of course, that location may require a streetcar (which is, after all, a Toronto experience).

2. See answer 4.

3. Uh...can't think of one in that neighbourhood.

4. Poutini's is good (see above). Is it "ultimate"? Well, we're not in Montreal, so probably not. ;)
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 3:10 PM on October 28, 2011

3) great restaurants to eat breakfast/brunch (perhaps in Kensington Market/Queens Row)

Auntie's and Uncles, Lippincott at College
Mitzi's Sister, Queen W and Sorauren-ish
La Bella Managua, Bloor just east of Ossington (Nicaraguan fried fucking cheese)
posted by Beardman at 3:39 PM on October 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

I haven't lived in Toronto for years now, but for number 2, your friend might have meant Marché, which inside the same skyscraper as the Hockey Hall of Fame. Apparently it has changed (not just) names once or twice since I was last there, but as recently as 2003 it had lovely crêpes.
posted by sueinnyc at 4:31 PM on October 28, 2011

1) I don't know how you categorize "douche" but there are a number of bars along Dundas near Ossington. Favourites are Red Light, Churchill, Unlovable, Henhouse, Black Dice, Camp 4. Start at Ossington, make your way west to about Brock, or just past. As a warning, none of these places (with the exception maybe of Churchill and Camp 4) really do cocktails, though you can get mixed drinks. Also, they are very hipsterish, so if hipster types are your idea of douchebags, you might want to avoid. If you want a good cocktail, go to Cocktail Bar, also on Dundas West, but east of Ossington. It is near Bellwoods Ave.

3) While I support all of Beardman's suggestions, I would also like to suggest Saving Grace on Dundas West near Bellwoods. There might be a bit of a wait, but you can give your name to the waitress, she'll put you on the list, and you can pop across the street to Ella's Uncle for great coffee.

As for 2 and 4, same answer to both. Poutini's.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 5:14 PM on October 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

I had brunch at Insomnia at Bathurst and a couple of Saturdays ago. I have the "Heaven on Earth" - two BIG pieces of French Toast with cream cheese sandwiched between with strawberries and blueberries as well, served with maple syrup.

It was as close to Heaven on Earth as food can get.
posted by jb at 8:36 PM on October 28, 2011

For late eats with rocking' young people you should go to Sneaky Dees, at College & Bathurst. Also a prety fun bar Open til 4am (last call in Toronto is 2am).
posted by sevenyearlurk at 8:40 PM on October 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Marche used to be called Movenpick (with a scattering of umlauts), so that could be the odd name you vaguely recall.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:07 PM on October 28, 2011

If you want to schlep up towards St. Clair, west of Christie; The Stockyards serves homemade corned beef hash on rye with poached, then flash-deepfried eggs. It can be crowded, though. Call first, to make sure they're up and running.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:23 PM on October 28, 2011

Eggspectation on Yonge, north of Queen is an amazing brunch option if you are waking up near The Eaton Centre. It's an offshoot of a Montreal place and is excellent.

Fanny Chadwicks near Bathurst on Dupont served us a superlative brunch last weekend.

Lakeview Lunch on Dundas St W at Ossington is a good meal option anytime - classic booths, modern menu, great alcohol.
posted by Heart_on_Sleeve at 6:32 AM on October 29, 2011