St. Urbain Bagel Bakery

Rated this place:

895 Eglinton W, Toronto, ON, M6C2C1

Bagel: Sweet and chewy boiled and baked Montreal-style bagels of this ilk cannot be found by any other name here in the Tdot. They're distributed to lots of shops and bakeries around town - keep your eyes peeled and your cream cheese ready.

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

Bedford Academy Inc

Rated this place:

36 Prince Arthur Ave, Toronto, ON, M5R1A9

Enviro social: The Green Drinks get-together hosted there, every other Wednesday evening, is a fun way to meet social innovators of all description.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• enviro social

Toast Restaurant

Rated this place:

993 Queen St E, Toronto, ON, M4M1K2

Kitschy resto decor: I love all the vintage toasters, salt & pepper shakers, the retro menu covers, fancied up formica tables, and other past-times ephemera.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• kitschy resto decor

Stonesplace

Rated this place:

1255 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M6K1L5

Dance party: Their Shake a Tail night, with soul, funk, and danceable goodness of all beat and cadence, will connect you with your inner rug-cutter.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• dance party

Cheese Magic

Rated this place:

182 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON, M5T1L8

Cheese shop: The guys who work there are generous with the samples, savvy on the cheese front, and have some kind of voodoo power to find your perfect partner, cheesily speaking.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• cheese shop

Leslie Street Spit

Rated this place:

Leslie St & Lake Shore blvd E, Toronto, M4M1B4

Walk by the water: It's really scenic and beautiful. As a relatively new Torontonian, I didn't discover it til my last marathon course took me there. Really a hidden gem.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• walk by the water

Essence

Rated this place:

141 King Rd #1, Richmond Hill, ON, L4E3L7

Local spa: The staff are great - friendly yet consumately professional. The range of services is impressive, the vibe is calming and relaxing but not too chi chi, and the prices are reasonable

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• local spa

Gandhi Roti

Rated this place:

554 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M5V2B5

Roti: If you died after one of their butter chicken roti, it would have been a worthy last meal.

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

Fresh By Juice For Life

Rated this place:

894 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J1G3

Restorative winter juice, Sweet potato fries, Vegetarian lunch special: Hook me up with a Lung Lover or Singer's Saving Grace anytime the wind blows cold my friend! Mmm. Good for throat, and for my taste buds.

There's something about deep frying a sweet potato that really makes it stand out from the other tubers. So sweet. So delicious. And, with Fresh's miso gravy - like you've died and gone to side-dish heaven.

Little did I know until life as a freelancer happened (hence free for weekday lunching) that Fresh has one of their yummy bowls and one of their restorative juices half price every day for lunch. That means for just a few bucks you can have a really healthy and delcious mid-day repast that'll get your through whatever the afternoon may throw at ya.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• sweet potato fries
• restorative winter juice
• vegetarian lunch special

Clandestino

Rated this place:

249 Crawford, Toronto, ON, M6J2V7

Cross-stitch: The Crafty Like a Fox kits there, by a local designer, are totally rad. They come in 3 series - hard core chicks, soft core chicks, and ladies lunch. A great way to be edgy and domestic at the same time - coolass needlepoint.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• cross-stitch

Dupont Subway Station

Rated this place:

278 Dupont Street, Toronto, ON, M5R1W1

Subway station: The murals, the lighting, the whole thing just makes me happy.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• subway station

Ella's Uncle

Rated this place:

916 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J1W1

Cookie: Jennifer bakes like a star. The crack cookie - yeah, it's called that for a reason. Hooked from the first bite. And the peanut butter cookies and spicy little hermits - yummers.

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

Pain Perdu

Rated this place:

736 St Clair W, Toronto, ON, M6C1B3

Croissant: It is the most flakey, buttery, delicious crescent-shaped thing you can eat.

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

XO Music Studio

Rated this place:

693 Bloor W, Toronto, ON, M6G1L5

Private box karaoke: The song selection is current, the staff are accomodating, the funny little shower caps for mics keep you germ free while you croon, and 'cause any place i can make like a rock star is fine by me.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• private box karaoke

Musa

Rated this place:

847 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON, M6J1V6

Moussaka, Waiter: Meat, potatoes, bechamel sauce - all perfection. The portion is mighty generous though. Share.

Rockabilly style, singing skills, theatrical delivery of daily specials, quick duck outs to "get his laundry" (that is, have a cigarette) - this guy can do it all AND get your order right. it's like dinner and a show, when you only banked on dinner.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• moussaka
• Waiter

Tacos El Asador

Rated this place:

690 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M6G1L2

Tacos: The El Salvadorian family at the helm has been doing it right for 13 years and counting. Tacos, papusas, tamales, and all kinds of other Mexican faves, cooked homestyle, are worth the trip to Little Korea.

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

Bandido's Mexican Restaurant-CLOSED

Rated this place:

371 King St W, Toronto, ON, M5V1K1

Cheap eats, Mexican restaurant: Homemade soup or salad and a mexican entree for like $6 at lunch. and all delicious, and served with hospitality and usually a story. deal.

Everything is made from scratch, delicious, and served with real hospitality. I've been entertained by the owner's stories many times, and delighted by his generous comps. One of the best lunch deals around! Cheap and mucho yummy.

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

Island Foods

Rated this place:

275 Dundas W, Toronto, ON, M5T1G1

Roti: This is the shit. Chicken roti and spicy ginger beer.

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

The Outer Layer

Rated this place:

577 Queen W, Toronto, ON, M5V2B6

Iou makeout session coupon, Stationery shop: Who doesn't wanna make out? Seriously. Pick one of these up for V-Day, or save it for later. The folks at Outer Layer are committed to you locking lips with someone - these saucy little coupons are free. Help yourself by the cash.

They've got arty cards and kitschy gifts for all occasions.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• IOU makeout session coupon
• stationery shop

Brick Street Bakery

Rated this place:

55 Mill Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 3C4

Green baker, Sandwich: All the bread is homebaked on the premises using organic ingredients. i'm not sure if all the pastries use organic ingredients as well, but the bread is outstanding. arguably the best whole-grain baguette in town, care of the bakery's resident French baker Mike. It's on the shopping list of many Toronto restos.

Because from the organic bread to the roasted meats to the curry mayonnaise, everything is made on site and made-to-order. The Boxing Day sandwich (turkey, stuffing and cranberries) is to die for.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Sandwich
• Green Baker

Dufferin Grove Park

Rated this place:

875 Dufferin St., Toronto, ON, M5H2N2

Farmers market: The goods for sale are all organic and largely local. It's great to build relationships with the producers and vendors that come out each Thursday afternoon, and an easy way to shop responsibly. Plus, fresh and seasonal is delicious.

Footwork

Rated this place:

425 Adelaide St. W, Toronto, ON, M5V3C1

Dance club: The people go to dance. No attitude. Great DJs. Fun and unpretentious vibe.

SOMA Chocolatemaker

Rated this place:

55 Mill St. (Building #47), Toronto, Ontario, M5A3C4

Hot chocolate, Ice cream: The mayan blend of intense, rich chocolate, chilis, ginger and vanilla is heaven in liquid form.

The home-churned gelato is made with really quality ingredients and comes in really intense and fresh flavours like Madagascar vanilla and Venezuelan chocolate. Every little spoonful leaves me temporarily unavailable for any other sensory experience.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Ice cream
• hot chocolate

Tequila Bookworm

Rated this place:

512 Queen W, Toronto, ON, M5V2B3

Soup: It's fresh every day, and always delicious. For just a few bucks you can enjoy soup, buttered crusty bread, and a good read in a cozy atmopshere. With wireless!

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