The Southside

Rated this place:

413 Spadina Road, Toronto, ON, M5P 2W1

Definitly Worth the High Prices: My friend and I decided to try out The Southside this past weekend. We looked at the menu before going in and noticed that it was a fairly expensive restaurant however we decided to indulge a little. We sat on the patio which was very pleasant. We both started with soup both of which were excellent- I recommend the French Onion. For mains I had the steak-frites which was perfect. The meat was very good quality and cooked just right. The fries were also very good. My friend ordered the tuna which she enjoyed. The service was also very pleasant. Overall a great place for a special occasion!

Yuzu Sushi and Sake Bar

Rated this place:

326 Adelaide St W, Toronto, ON, M5H 1W7

Great Sushi...Not So Great Service: The food at Yuzu is absolutely perfect, however since they had a large party of 25 to serve the same night our experience was just alright. They have a great selection of appetizers- we had edamame, agedashi tofu, gyoza, and miso soup. They're sashimi was excellent- all the fish was very fresh. As well the dragon maki and yam maki were both really well done. To finish of the night we had green tea ice cream, black sesame ice cream and sake cheese cake which were all great. The only issue with our dinner was the service. They were understaffed so they weren't as attentive as they could have been and they ran out of a few of the desserts we originally ordered. That aside though it is a great sushi restaurant.

I Miss You

Rated this place:

63 Ossington St., Toronto, ON, M6J2Z2

Vintage: This is the kind of vintage store that I find takes a little patience. The store does carry amazing finds like great brand name dresses for great discounts. However, it takes a committed person to sift through all the other- not as fabulous- clothes hanging on racks to find that gem.

Jonathan and Olivia

Rated this place:

49 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON, M6J 2Y9

Every Trendsetters Dream!: This glamorous store is tucked away among vintage stores and tattoo parlors on Ossington. They have a great range of both men and womens fashions including Alexander Wang, Comme des Garcons and Rag & Bone. They have a large selection of jeans and shoes as well as basic tees and long sleeves. They also have a lot of fun summer dresses in addition to sexy little black dresses. There are plenty of funky mens shorts and sweaters too!

Vintage 1

Rated this place:

186 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON

Vintage: Finding a good vintage store has always been a great challenge for me. I tend not to have the patience to sift through rack after rack of clothes to find that one hidden gem. Vintage 1, however, is one of the few vintage stores I've thoroughly enjoyed going to. They stock many similar items to other vintage stores on Ossington but somehow they do it better. At the back of the store are tons of fun tees in every colour. At the front are vintage bags including some brand names such as Gucci and Fendi! They also have a great sunglasses selection for very reasonable prices which is great for a sunglasses addict! (i.e. me)

Badlands Vintage

Rated this place:

104 Ossington Ave., Toronto, ON

Vintage: This small vintage shop is easy to pass by on Ossington but may be worth a pop-in. Their top floor is kind of crowded but there are some worthwhile accessories lying around. Downstairs is a larger space filled with plenty of vintage tees in lots of colours!

Kool Haus

Rated this place:

132 Queens Quay E, Toronto, ON, M5A3Y5

Concert Venue: I was at the Kool Haus last night for a concert. Its a great concert venue because its small (which makes the concert a little more intimate) but big enough that you can have personal space. Everyone tends to crowd near the front to try to get close to the stage but if you stand farther back (or even at the very back) you still have a great view of the stage/band. There is no seating in the main area but there is some in the 19+ section.

Patachou Patisserie

Rated this place:

1120 Yonge St, Toronto, ON, M4W2L6

Bakery: Patachou is a great place for desserts/pastries. Their raspberry tart is one of my personal favorites as well as their eclairs, brioche, and pain au chocolat. In addition, Patachou is a fun place to go for a light lunch. They offer an array of salads, my personal suggestions are the lentil salad, greek salad, and tortellini pasta salad. They also have a great patio!

Aritzia

Rated this place:

280 Queen W, Toronto, ON, M5V2A1

Fun Clothing Store: Aritzia offers a lot of different brands. Its great for basics like hoodies, tanks, and leggings that are good quality. Sometimes the clothing can get a little tedious but there are usually a couple pieces in the store that are different from what is usually stocked.

Le Pain Quotidien

Rated this place:

508 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto, ON, M5N1A5

Pleasant but not Paris: I first came across the "Le Pain Quotidien" chain in Paris where I went to two of their locations for lunch. I absolutely loved the food and was delighted to hear they had two locations in Toronto. The food is pretty good- I particularly enjoy the brunch menu. They also have a lot of great specials like their french toast and make a great homemade lemonade. The coffee isn't great and their prices (mainly for drinks) are fairly expensive.

Heel Boy

Rated this place:

682 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M6J1E5

Awesome Shoes: I stumbled upon this store while dress shopping on Queen Street and I am so glad I did. They have a really great variety of shoes in terms of brands and styles. My favorite thing about the store is there wide selection of Toms shoes which are super affordable and comfy. As well they have a lot of gladiator sandals and rain boots including Hunter Wellies.

Buckler

Rated this place:

700 Queen West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1E7

Awesome Men's Clothes: Buckler opened their first official store in Toronto last week. I went to check it out and was amazed by what I found. Buckler has great men's clothes. The shirts are different from what one would typically find. Andrew Buckler, the designer, brings an edgy twist to classic pieces. For example, his white t-shirt that has a slit cut out in the front or a plaid shirt that seems like its inside out. The store also has a great jean selection. The clothes are a little pricey but definitely worth it!

Yaya & Friends

Rated this place:

744 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON

Clothes: This store is great for mixing it up! They have a great range of plain organic cotton tees as well as graphic tees. They also sell Y-3, a brand by Adidas, that sells fashionable sporty clothes. There is a good selection of mens shoes. The prices are fairly reasonable and right now they have a great 2 for 1 sale going on.

Five on Queen

Rated this place:

639 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M5V 2J6

Title: This store is so easy to miss if you aren't looking for it. Five on Queen is just like going to a garage sale- if you search hard you can find some great clothes tucked away and many of the finds are inexpensive. They had a bunch of great graphic tees- especially for men- and a bunch of cool fedoras!

Pizza Banfi

Rated this place:

333 Lonsdale Rd #B, Toronto, ON, M5P1R3

Classic Italian Food: I have been going to Banfi since I was a little kid and it still remains my favorite Italian restaurant in the city. The food is excellent and there is a lot of variety. Their homemade Cesar salad dressing is awesome and they have a great selection of pastas and pizzas so you can always mix it up. The waiters are very friendly and the restaurant has a cozy neighborhood feel. It can get pretty busy around 7 or 8 on a Friday or Saturday night but the wait is definitely worth it.

Hero Certified Burgers

Rated this place:

650 1/2 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1E4

Best Burgers: Hero Burgers is definitely one of the best places to grab a burger in the city. The burgers and fries are great and not too greasy which is always a plus. They offer seven different types of cheese as well as other toppings including guacamole and roasted peppers. The service is friendly and fast which makes it a great place to stop for a quick lunch.

The Village Chill

Rated this place:

325 Lonsdale Ave, Toronto, ON, M4V 1X3

Ice Cream: The Village Chill is a favorite of mine because it has great variety and is situated in the heart of Forest Hill Village. The ice cream, frozen yogurt, and milkshakes are all great. I'm a big fan of chocolate chocolate chip ice cream or Oreo frozen yogurt. The Village Chill is the perfect after dinner place to go during the summer.

The Cat's Meow

Rated this place:

180 Avenue Road, Toronto, ON, M5R 2J1

Fabulous Vintage!: For the past few years I would drive south on Avenue and want to go into the Cats Meow purely because they always have a beautiful window display. A few months ago, I decided to venture in and loved what I found. This store sells vintage clothing ranging from the 1920s to the 1980s with a special emphasis on the 50s through 70s. I've always been a big fan of vintage clothes but find that brand name vintage can be very expensive. A lot of the dresses in the store are affordable and gorgeous. They carry top brands such as Chanel, Hermes, and Dior and have a great accessories selection.

Get outside

Rated this place:

437 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5V2A5

Casual Shoes: Get Outside has one of the largest casual shoe selections in the city. They carry a lot of basics such as Converse, Vans, and Birkenstocks. They also sell a variety of different rain boot brands like Hunter, Cougar, and Chooka and have a great moccasin selection. I love going to this store because the shoes are affordable, practical, and trendy.

Mendocino

Rated this place:

131 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON, M5S 1R8

Great Clothes for Great Prices: Mendocino is hands down one of my favorite clothing stores in Toronto. I find shopping in Toronto can sometimes get a little tedious and many stores end up stocking very similar clothes. Mendocino, however, always has something different that you wouldn't find anywhere else in the city. They have a wide range of clothing from casual day clothes like leggings and graphic tees to really great cocktail dresses. While some of the clothes are a little pricey, you can also find a lot of great buys under $100. Another plus is the store has nine different locations throughout the city.

Montreal Bread Company (MBCo)

Rated this place:

100 Bloor Street West Unit #7, Toronto, ON, M5S 3L3

Fun Lunch Spot: MBCo is a great place to go for a quick light bite! They have a great selection of pastries, salads and sandwiches. A personal favorite of mine is the shrimp and lobster quesadilla. One of their locations in Toronto is in the center of the Bloor-Yorkville neighborhood. Its situated next to a park and the patio is a great place to watch the day go by. There is limited seating both inside and out but you can always get food to go. They recently opened another location in Summerhill at 1095 Yonge St which has more space.