Starbucks Coffee Co

Rated this place:

220 Yonge, Toronto, ON, M5B2H1

Starbucks: It's the only Starbucks where they consistently ask whether they should leave room in your cup for milk. As someone who takes his coffee black, this really matters! Fill it all the way up, since I'm overpaying anyway.

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

Toronto Zoo

Rated this place:

361A Old Finch Avenue, Scarborough, ON, M1B 5K7

Place to take the kids: You never outgrow it. It's so big, and the outdoor spaces are so nice, it's like a walk in the park with an added bonus of all kinds of cool animals.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Place to Take the Kids

Avli Restaurant

Rated this place:

401 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON, M4K1P1

Authentic greek restaurant: It's all about the rabbit pie. When you bust open the top crust, the aroma is fantastic. And while almost all the Greek places on Danforth are souvlaki restaurants first and foremost, Avli is actually a real restaurant that cooks things on a stove, not just a grill!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Authentic Greek Restaurant

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts

Rated this place:

4 Avenue Rd, Toronto, ON, M5R2E8

Hotel bar, View of the city: It has the best view of Toronto, and nobody knows about it.

It really is the most beautiful view in town. The panorama is south over the Museum, the trees at Queen's Park, and out to the downtown skyline, with the lake on either side of the buildings and the CN Tower.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Hotel Bar
• view of the city

Kensington Market

Rated this place:

S. of College St., W. of Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON, M5L1G4

Baby clothes: There are great, non-traditional and above all FUN baby clothes (like onesies and Ts) at shops like Genesis One (on St. Andrew's Street; with prints that say "Rasta Baby," or "B is for Bob" with a photo of Bob Marley, or "Crawl the Line -- Johnny Cash") and Exile (two locations on Augusta; with prints like "All Mommy Wanted was a Backrub.")

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• baby clothes

The Fashion District's giant thimble

Rated this place:

Northwest corner of Spadina and Richmond, Toronto, ON

Public art: It's kind of cartoon-y -- a giant thimble stacked on top of giant, colourful buttons, with other massive buttons spilled over around it. It takes a while to realize what you're looking at, but once you do, and clue in to the fact that it's the Fashion District, it's a hoot.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• public art

Dark Horse

Rated this place:

2401 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M6S1P7

Latte art: They make it look so easy, drawing pretty designs on your morning coffee just by pouring the milk in a certain way. The baristas are some of the best in town -- they even stole one of my favourites who used to work at B espresso bar.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• latte art

A Rack Attack Car Rack

Rated this place:

127 Laird Dr, East York, ON, M4G3V4

Shop for bike racks: This place carries every kind of car roof rack, trailer hitch, and accessory, for every kind of car. When you have two kayaks and two bikes strapped to your roof, doing 120 down the highway, it's good to be sure that the rack system is the right one. They seem to specialize in Thule and Yakima.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• shop for bike racks

Honest Ed's Ltd

Rated this place:

581 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M6G1K3

Cheap housewares: Honest Ed's is a hoot. But even if it's not your idea of a good time, there's no better place to go for household essentials like cutting boards, colanders, utensils, and stainless-steel mixing bowls. With this kind of thing, why pay more?

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

Mustachio Inc

Rated this place:

St. Lawrence Market, 91 Front St W, Toronto, ON, M5J1E5

Veal sandwiches: Oh my. So big, and smothered in thick tomato sauce with lots of peppers and onions. Bring a friend -- the sandwiches are easily big enough for two. Eggplant sandwiches, and focaccia sandwiches are great (and huge), too.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• veal sandwiches

Batifole

Rated this place:

744 Gerrard St. E., Toronto, ON, M4M 1Y3

French restaurants, Mushrooms on brioche: The location itself is unpretentious, the service is warm and unstuffy, and the food is terrific. Get the mushrooms on brioche as an appetizer, and pretty well anything as a main.

A big portion of rich mushrooms on a light slice of brioche, to soak up the sauce. So good.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• mushrooms on brioche

Cineplex Odeon Varsity and Varsity VIP

Rated this place:

55 Bloor St. W (Manulife Centre), Toronto, ON, M4W 1A5

Movie theatres: If you're going to splurge on a night at the movies anyway instead of renting something, may as well pay an extra couple of bucks and get treated well. Ordering from your seat, and the massive seats and tables to rest your popcorn, really do make it a better experience.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• movie theatres

Dark Horse Espresso Bar

Rated this place:

682 Queen St. E., Toronto, ON, M4M1G9

Indie espresso joint: It's got a great feel without attitude. Free wireless connection. Bright and sunny. Huge plank table in the middle gives you room to spread out and at the same time a communal kind of feel.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• indie espresso joint

WEGZ Stadium Bar

Rated this place:

2601 Rutherford Road East, Vaughan, ON, L4K 2N6

Sports bar: It's a bit of a drive if you live downtown, but there's no other sports bar as big or as well equipped to watch a game. And since it's so completely devoted to watching whichever game is playing, the atmosphere is great.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Sports Bar

Jumbo Empanadas Ltd

Rated this place:

245 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON, M5T2L8

Empanada: They're big and hot and homey.

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

Mi Mi Restaurant

Rated this place:

688 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON, M4M1Y3

Vietnamese noodles: It's cheap, good, and the service is super. I always go for either the "bun" with the BBQ pork and shredded pork, or the chicken curry noodles.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Vietnamese noodles

Greg's Ice Cream

Rated this place:

750 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON, M5P2X4

Ice cream: The toasted marshmallow ice cream is out of this world, and unlike anything you'll find anywhere else.

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

Omi Japanese Restaurant

Rated this place:

243 Carlton Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 2L2

Omakase sushi: Sooooo good! And really unusual things, like salmon with a dollop of kiwi salsa, as well as the more traditional.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• omakase sushi

Ontario Gas Barbeque

Rated this place:

3310 Langstaff Rd, Concord, ON, L4K4Z8

Barbecue store: It's an entire store specializing in barbecues, grills, smokers and accessories. I can't believe it took me as long as it did to find it. Good service, too -- no snobbery, whether you're going for propane or charcoal, whether you want a $5,000 grill or a portable picnic grill. Tons of spare parts, for pretty well every make and model. Even found parts for my six-year-old Home Depot BBQ.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• barbecue store

Optic Zone Inc

Rated this place:

33 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON, M5E1N3

Place to buy glasses: They have interesting-but-not-freaky frames (they have freaky, too), and Joe, the owner, has a knack for putting the right frames on your face.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• place to buy glasses

Bonjour Brioche Bakery Cafe

Rated this place:

812 Queen St E, Toronto, ON, M4M1H7

Breakfast: Unbelievable baked French toast made with croissants. It's really more like bread pudding.

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

Millennium Group Sample Sale

Rated this place:

107 Tycos Drive, Toronto, ON, M6B 1W3

Sample sale: Snazzy/casual lines like Quick Reflex and Esprit, and great prices -- men's dress shirts for $15! Twice a year, in May and November.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• sample sale

Okay, Okay

Rated this place:

1128 Queen St. E., Toronto, Ontario, M4M 1K8

Diner breakfast: It's got just enough of a legit retro feel and menu, but with better food and service. Breakfast burrito is awesome.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• diner breakfast

SOMA Chocolatemaker

Rated this place:

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

Hot chocolate: It's super rich and just a little bit spicy.

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