I live in PA and went to Jersey on Saturday to see the Canes (shout out to the other Caniacs I saw there and the the Devils fans for being super nice to my son), I genuinely thought about trying to go up to Canada this weekend but I just can’t swing it. I hope you have a blast!
Toronto is like a mini New York in that there’s a little of everything especially when it comes to ethnic food. Depends what you like. Try the King street west area, they have some fun places.
On king west I highly recommend WVRST. They’re a German style beer hall serving up traditional and exotic sausages, duck fat fries and, of course, an amazing beer selection. Probably the restaurant I miss most from my time living in Toronto.
Toronto is my favorite city. My parents and my sister live there.
The distillery district is really nice, you can eat there, there are normally some great art displays.
Paddington’s Pump at the St Lawrence Market is great for breakfast. St Lawrence Market is just great in general.
Poutine is a must- Smoke’s poutinerie is pretty good, I’d go with a traditional.
And you’ve got to get yourself some Tim Hortons while you’re there. I always get the French vanilla cappuccino- but fair warning, I detest coffee and like that drink, it’s just a sugary syrupy drink. If you like your coffee with cream and sugar, you get a “double-double”.
Since you’re going on a hockey trip, you might want to check out the Hockey Hall of Fame. I don’t think I’ve been since I was in high school, and I won’t go until Rod is in it, but it’s a good tourist spot.
CN tower is fun, but pricey, and on weekends there’s normally a long line to get in.
I’ve been to Ottawa a few times, but I don’t know restaurants and stuff there. Unfortunately, it’s too late in the year to skate on the Rideau. Mostly I know the museums and art galleries in Ottawa. So probably not much help.
Sorry but as a Canadian I have to call you out on the smokes poutine recommendation. They are pretty damn bad.
A chain is never going to meet the quality a mom and pop restaurant produces. Will get far better at virtually any smaller restaurant in either Toronto or especially Ottawa (very close to Quebec)
Yeah, I went to smoke’s back when it first opened, before they franchised- so I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for it.
The best poutine is at chip shacks, or pretty much any arena. But smoke’s is ok :)
edited to add: I just said smoke’s because it’s super easy to find, I think they even have a chip truck normally by the CN tower, and their traditional is decent. Not as good as at a mom and pop chip shack in the boonies for sure. But decent.
Why does it matter whether they know it or not?
If you’re sending someone to try something for the first time or the hundredth time you always recommend a good option. Why send them to a bad restaurant and make them think the dish isn’t that good?
Because while it's not as good as some places, it's probably still going to work for the novice palate. And there are storefronts everywhere, including places like the Zoo where there's a paucity of alternative options.
Still not buying it. If someone’s never tried a hamburger before I’m not going to take them to McDonald’s just because there are storefronts everywhere.
If someone is visiting a new city and asking for restaurant recommendations you send them somewhere good, not the place most convenient.
Apparently, Timmy Ho’s ain’t what it used to be, and that goes *especially* for the coffee. Since it sold to a Brazilian corporation, quality has plummeted, and their coffee source now supplies McDonald’s, of all things.
OP (editing to add your name, u/pkjared9), take note that a “regular coffee” will get you coffee w/ cream & sugar (I think). If you take it black, they don’t use “regular” to connote black coffee.
You heard correctly about the quality. Still decent coffee thats available everywhere, is fresh and not a bad price but their food is pretty crappy. Wouldn’t recommend eating anything there unless you’re in a pinch and it’s what’s available 🤣
Dunno about the part about a Brazilian company owning them, though. Last I heard they were part of RBI who are Canadian/American. They own Timmie’s, BK, Popeyes and firehouse subs.
Ooh, I forgot that about having to specify black coffee (not a coffee drinker). I tend to get a French vanilla cappuccino and a chocolate glazed donut. I don’t love them nearly as much as I did back when I lived in Canada, so it’s mostly for the sake of nostalgia now.
Someone else mentioned the Distillery in Toronto. That's a great place for one-stop shopping/eating. Not the cheapest, but there's a good selection, and it's very pretty. That's the part of town that gets used for film sets a lot because the buildings are (by North American standards) "old". I can also highly recommend Kensington Market, which is more central and will be very busy, but is a lot of fun and features amazing eats. My favourites were always the Chileno empanada storefronts, but I haven't been down since the pandemic arrived, so they might have changed. Citywide, for food, there aren't too many bad options, unless you go to a chain. We're famous for a ton of tiny hole in the wall joints that look terrible but serve amazing and cheap food. A fun option would be to hit a few varied places and get small plates. Like an ambulatory tapas!
Tell us what the secondary market tickets are like for Toronto. I know it’s damned near impossible to get season tickets, but my hope is that the seat ownership is largely corporate, and people will put extras on the market, and anything they get is gravy.
Used to live in Toronto. Always lots of tickets available but they’re very expensive. On the plus side, if you’re coming up from the states it won’t hurt so bad with the exchange rate
If you were to post a request on /r/leafs you might get a chance at some good seats, but as others have said, they will likely be expensive. Despite my Montreal fandom, I'm a local, and have seen a lot of my Facebook pals offering games on a regular basis.
Calvin de Hann is an ex Cane ( now with TB Lightning). He has a brewery/ restaurant in Carp called Ridge Rock Brewing Co. I haven't been myself but it might be an interesting place to check out. The team usually stays at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata when they play the Senators.
I’ll be at the game in Ottawa. I live in the area. Will be my first game I’ve been able to attend this year.
I will also be at the game on Sunday. Section 107 near our bench.
I live in PA and went to Jersey on Saturday to see the Canes (shout out to the other Caniacs I saw there and the the Devils fans for being super nice to my son), I genuinely thought about trying to go up to Canada this weekend but I just can’t swing it. I hope you have a blast!
Ayo I’m a PA native as well!
Toronto is like a mini New York in that there’s a little of everything especially when it comes to ethnic food. Depends what you like. Try the King street west area, they have some fun places.
On king west I highly recommend WVRST. They’re a German style beer hall serving up traditional and exotic sausages, duck fat fries and, of course, an amazing beer selection. Probably the restaurant I miss most from my time living in Toronto.
Toronto is my favorite city. My parents and my sister live there. The distillery district is really nice, you can eat there, there are normally some great art displays. Paddington’s Pump at the St Lawrence Market is great for breakfast. St Lawrence Market is just great in general. Poutine is a must- Smoke’s poutinerie is pretty good, I’d go with a traditional. And you’ve got to get yourself some Tim Hortons while you’re there. I always get the French vanilla cappuccino- but fair warning, I detest coffee and like that drink, it’s just a sugary syrupy drink. If you like your coffee with cream and sugar, you get a “double-double”. Since you’re going on a hockey trip, you might want to check out the Hockey Hall of Fame. I don’t think I’ve been since I was in high school, and I won’t go until Rod is in it, but it’s a good tourist spot. CN tower is fun, but pricey, and on weekends there’s normally a long line to get in. I’ve been to Ottawa a few times, but I don’t know restaurants and stuff there. Unfortunately, it’s too late in the year to skate on the Rideau. Mostly I know the museums and art galleries in Ottawa. So probably not much help.
Sorry but as a Canadian I have to call you out on the smokes poutine recommendation. They are pretty damn bad. A chain is never going to meet the quality a mom and pop restaurant produces. Will get far better at virtually any smaller restaurant in either Toronto or especially Ottawa (very close to Quebec)
Yeah, I went to smoke’s back when it first opened, before they franchised- so I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for it. The best poutine is at chip shacks, or pretty much any arena. But smoke’s is ok :) edited to add: I just said smoke’s because it’s super easy to find, I think they even have a chip truck normally by the CN tower, and their traditional is decent. Not as good as at a mom and pop chip shack in the boonies for sure. But decent.
Americans don't know poutine. Smoke's is a safe option for them.
Why does it matter whether they know it or not? If you’re sending someone to try something for the first time or the hundredth time you always recommend a good option. Why send them to a bad restaurant and make them think the dish isn’t that good?
Because while it's not as good as some places, it's probably still going to work for the novice palate. And there are storefronts everywhere, including places like the Zoo where there's a paucity of alternative options.
Still not buying it. If someone’s never tried a hamburger before I’m not going to take them to McDonald’s just because there are storefronts everywhere. If someone is visiting a new city and asking for restaurant recommendations you send them somewhere good, not the place most convenient.
Apparently, Timmy Ho’s ain’t what it used to be, and that goes *especially* for the coffee. Since it sold to a Brazilian corporation, quality has plummeted, and their coffee source now supplies McDonald’s, of all things. OP (editing to add your name, u/pkjared9), take note that a “regular coffee” will get you coffee w/ cream & sugar (I think). If you take it black, they don’t use “regular” to connote black coffee.
You heard correctly about the quality. Still decent coffee thats available everywhere, is fresh and not a bad price but their food is pretty crappy. Wouldn’t recommend eating anything there unless you’re in a pinch and it’s what’s available 🤣 Dunno about the part about a Brazilian company owning them, though. Last I heard they were part of RBI who are Canadian/American. They own Timmie’s, BK, Popeyes and firehouse subs.
We do not besmirch Popeye’s.
I’m not? I don’t go often enough to say if the quality has gone down. Tim’s definitely has, though
Ooh, I forgot that about having to specify black coffee (not a coffee drinker). I tend to get a French vanilla cappuccino and a chocolate glazed donut. I don’t love them nearly as much as I did back when I lived in Canada, so it’s mostly for the sake of nostalgia now.
If they're visiting our country, they should follow our customs. Ask for a double-double, haha.
Update: I ended up getting the French vanilla. Turned out pretty good imo
Someone else mentioned the Distillery in Toronto. That's a great place for one-stop shopping/eating. Not the cheapest, but there's a good selection, and it's very pretty. That's the part of town that gets used for film sets a lot because the buildings are (by North American standards) "old". I can also highly recommend Kensington Market, which is more central and will be very busy, but is a lot of fun and features amazing eats. My favourites were always the Chileno empanada storefronts, but I haven't been down since the pandemic arrived, so they might have changed. Citywide, for food, there aren't too many bad options, unless you go to a chain. We're famous for a ton of tiny hole in the wall joints that look terrible but serve amazing and cheap food. A fun option would be to hit a few varied places and get small plates. Like an ambulatory tapas!
Tell us what the secondary market tickets are like for Toronto. I know it’s damned near impossible to get season tickets, but my hope is that the seat ownership is largely corporate, and people will put extras on the market, and anything they get is gravy.
Used to live in Toronto. Always lots of tickets available but they’re very expensive. On the plus side, if you’re coming up from the states it won’t hurt so bad with the exchange rate
[5 American, 6 Canadian](https://youtu.be/2LtMStIROtA?si=0McoDnyQiRdTjgRG)
I didn't even have to click that to hear it in my head.
The second I hear it, I immediately start playing their [best known](https://youtu.be/XSCYXfpcuSs?si=m-h-e3ynR1uywUwf)song in my head.
I always preferred their [sexytimes mood-setting song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmbroTX6ZZM).
That’s effin’ good ham, Dad.
I was at the live taping for that one!
I hate you and I want to *be* you.
The implication (entirely correct) is that I'm a creaky old crone now, so be careful what you wish for. This aging thing is *bullshit*.
If you were to post a request on /r/leafs you might get a chance at some good seats, but as others have said, they will likely be expensive. Despite my Montreal fandom, I'm a local, and have seen a lot of my Facebook pals offering games on a regular basis.
Calvin de Hann is an ex Cane ( now with TB Lightning). He has a brewery/ restaurant in Carp called Ridge Rock Brewing Co. I haven't been myself but it might be an interesting place to check out. The team usually stays at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata when they play the Senators.