Cleopatra

Rated this place:

977 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M6H1L7

Cheap eats: The falafel, fries, and a pop is only 5 dollars. It's really good - and while the service isn't amazingly prompt, it sure is friendly.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Cheap Eats

Bird

Rated this place:

503 College St., Toronto, ON, ON, M6G 1A5

Trendy bar: On top of Xacutti, Bird is a sleek bar that's great for cocktails with friends. Trendy, but not loud, you can still carry on a conversation while enjoying a few of their specialty drinks. The ginger margarita is perfect in summer.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• trendy bar

Xacutti -- CLOSED

Rated this place:

503 College St, Toronto, ON, M6G1A5

Brunch, Fish and chips: The menu is full of creative (and delicious) twists on classic breakfast favorites. The brunch cocktails they've come up with go far beyond your average mimosa. I love the Ab Fab Royale.

The Bombay Fish and Chips are excellent and unexpected. I think it's only offered on the take out menu but it's an interesting twist on a favourite. The fish is spiced before being lightly battered and served with sweet potato fries. Best part: not too greasy.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• brunch

Forever 21

Rated this place:

302 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M5B1R4

Cheap fashion: We finally have one in Toronto! Since conversion prices still haven't caught up with our strong dollar, you're still getting a better deal if you go to one in the states. But, this is convenient and still cheaper than the competition. Their vintage-inspired and knock-off dresses are the best quality you can get for that price.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Cheap Fashion

Lily of the valley

Rated this place:

496 College Street, Toronto, M6G 1A4

Waxing: It's beautifully decorated, clean and professional. Ask for Perla - born and trained in Brazil, she claims to do the best brazilian in Toronto.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• waxing

Type Books

Rated this place:

883 Queen St. West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1G5

Indie bookstore: I know I have a lot of bookstore faves - I really like books - but I couldn't resist adding another. I don't know how I walked passed this store so many times without going in. Everything about it is perfect, right down to the graphic damask print on the walls. They have a well chosen collection of books with a great selection of design and children's books.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• indie bookstore

Kalendar

Rated this place:

546 College St, Toronto, ON, M6G1B1

Restaurant ambiance: If I were to decorate a place myself, I imagine it would look much like this. I love the art nouveau decor and the beautiful antique mirrors.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• restaurant ambiance

Bo De Duyen Inc -- CLOSED

Rated this place:

254 Spadina Ave #200, Toronto, ON, M5T2C2

Vegetarian chinese food: You won't know that you aren't eating meat. The crispy sheets of bean curd with lemongrass sauce and the chicken balls are among favourites.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Vegetarian Chinese Food

Southern Accent Cajun & Creole

Rated this place:

595 Markham St, Toronto, ON, M6G2L7

Cocktail: They have a drink called the Bourbon Bubbles - a sugar cube soaked in bourbon, dropped in a glass of champagne.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Cocktail

Chanel Boutique

Rated this place:

131 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M5S1R1

Superficial way to make myself feel good: You go in, buy a lipstick and ask them to gift wrap it (which they do for free). Then walk around Yorkville and enjoy the attention from every salesgirl. Afterwards treat yourself to a drink - making sure the bag is visible on the bar.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• superficial way to make myself feel good

Chapters

Rated this place:

2225 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M6S1M7

Chapters location: The Runnymede branch is absolutely gorgeous. I love it when stores do a good job of keeping the original foundations of a building and making it work within its new purpose - rare in large chains. They even still have an old projector up for decoration.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Chapters Location

Art of Time Ensemble

Rated this place:

231 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON, M5J2G8

Music series: The shows feature creative collaborations between pop and classical artists. A highlight this year involved a performance of a Classical Schubert piece followed by original songs by Sarah Slean, Martin Tielli, John Southworth, Danny Michel, and Andy Maize that were inspired by the Schubert piece.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• music series

The Red Room

Rated this place:

444 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON, M5T 2G8

Cheap sangria: At $15 a pitcher, you've got yourself a nice afternoon.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• cheap Sangria

Up To You

Rated this place:

1483 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON, M4L1E2

Costume jewelry: The store is pretty awesome - it's set up as a functional apartment that you get to browse through and buy from. Like a really big version of the home section in Urban Outfitters, there are a lot of really gimmicky things that are fun to look at but you can immediately talk yourself out of as being things that you don't really "need". It has been months since I was there, though, and I still can't shake the "need" for these dictionary necklaces.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• costume Jewelry

Ammo Videos & Electronics

Rated this place:

662 College St, Toronto, ON, M6G1B8

Indie video rental: Morris, the owner, can find your video on the vaguest of descriptions (it had that guy in it, who was in that one where they did the thing at the place). Good luck with figuring out how the place is organized.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Indie Video Rental

Harbourfront Centre

Rated this place:

235 Queens Quay W, Toronto, ON, M5J 2G8

Free thing to do, Cultural organization, Light show, Weekly reading series: Every weekend they always have fantastic festivals and concerts on - be sure to check out the art gallery inside as well!

Their program always has really creative and interesting events at reasonable prices (often, even free). I want to know who I thank for organizing my favorite musician to play a free concert on my birthday.

Pulse Front light installation has just been extended for an additional week, until June 17th. The flashing of the lights is controlled by the pulse of whoever is holding the controls down at the harbourfront. So, what you're seeing at night is the heartbeats of fellow Torontonians.

There is just something nice about hearing authors read from their own works. Tickets to most readings are $8; Free for students with valid ID.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Cultural Organization
• Free Thing to Do
• Light Show
• Weekly Reading Series

Nataraj

Rated this place:

394 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M5S1X4

Indian restaurant: Their paneer pasanda is amazing.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Indian restaurant

New Ho King Restaurant

Rated this place:

416 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON, M5T2G7

Chinese food: Their portions are huge, they're open until 4am, they deliver, and their prices are great. Get the spicy mixed vegetables with rice noodles.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Chinese food

Sushi On Bloor

Rated this place:

515 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M5S1Y4

Cheap sushi: Excellent service, nicer decor than a lot of the other sushi places in the area. Fantastic fusion rolls and photos of Christopher Walken all over the place (?).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Cheap Sushi

This Ain't The Rosedale Library

Rated this place:

483 Church St, Toronto, ON, M4Y2C6

Indie bookstore: I usually try to buy used books, but when I can't wait for a new release (usually McSweeney's) they always have it here. The upstairs space usually has some great readings and events also.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• indie bookstore

Yellow Griffin Pub

Rated this place:

2202 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M6S1N4

Burgers: They claim to be able to make 1,470 different burgers. With six different types of patties to choose from and 35 house specialties with names that are fun to order, you're bound to find a favourite -mine is the Bollywood burger.

Apple Store

Rated this place:

3401 Dufferin St. (Yorkdale Mall), Toronto, ON, M6A 3A1

Customer service: Any problem I've ever had has been dealt with promptly and effectively. I even got a phone call on the anniversary of the day I bought my computer asking me how I was enjoying it and asking for any suggestions on how they could improve.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• customer service

BMV Books

Rated this place:

10 Edward St, Toronto, ON, M5G 1C9

Bookstore: It's an amazingly organized used bookstore that always has "like-new" copies of recent bestsellers at less than half the price.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• bookstore

10 Spot

Rated this place:

749 Queen St. W, Toronto, ON, M4M1H3

Manicure/pedicure: While it's nice to get a free coffee at most nail spots, a free martini is always better.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Manicure/Pedicure

Reservoir Lounge

Rated this place:

52 Wellington St. E, Toronto, ON, M5E 1C7

Martini: I'm not usually one for sweet drinks, but their specialty martinis are amazing. The Reservoir Red is a chocolate raspberry martini that avoids being too sweet with fresh crushed raspberries.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Martini