Guidebook for Toronto
Food Scene
This small bakery and ice cream shop located on Bloor & Delaware (behind Ossington station) serves THE BEST ice cream in Toronto! All flavours are handmade on the premises and the owners are also behind Bang Bang Ice Cream located on Ossington, near Queen St. W. While Bakerbots has a more pared down flavour selection compared to Bang Bang, there is still plenty of deliciousness to choose from and the lines here are considerably shorter (approximately 5-20 minutes if there is a line at all).
Enjoy the ice cream on a cone or pair it with a cookie for a custom ice cream sandwich. A 1/2 ice cream sandwich is usually plenty for one person. Get a full ice cream sandwich if you plan to share.
Aside from the ice cream, their baked treats are also top-notch. Their banana pudding is popular and I have met people who have travelled across Ontario for their lemon tarts (and, yes, they are that good!). This bakery is also open late (until 10 p.m. most nights, and 11 p.m. on Saturdays) and is a must-visit in the neighbourhood!
http://bakerbotsbaking.com/flavour/index.html
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Bakerbots Baking
1242 Delaware AveThis small bakery and ice cream shop located on Bloor & Delaware (behind Ossington station) serves THE BEST ice cream in Toronto! All flavours are handmade on the premises and the owners are also behind Bang Bang Ice Cream located on Ossington, near Queen St. W. While Bakerbots has a more pared down flavour selection compared to Bang Bang, there is still plenty of deliciousness to choose from and the lines here are considerably shorter (approximately 5-20 minutes if there is a line at all).
Enjoy the ice cream on a cone or pair it with a cookie for a custom ice cream sandwich. A 1/2 ice cream sandwich is usually plenty for one person. Get a full ice cream sandwich if you plan to share.
Aside from the ice cream, their baked treats are also top-notch. Their banana pudding is popular and I have met people who have travelled across Ontario for their lemon tarts (and, yes, they are that good!). This bakery is also open late (until 10 p.m. most nights, and 11 p.m. on Saturdays) and is a must-visit in the neighbourhood!
http://bakerbotsbaking.com/flavour/index.html
This small take-out Caribbean restaurant located near Dufferin subway station, is ideal for a quick, inexpensive meal. The restaurant itself may not look like much, but their jerk chicken is the real deal. A large meal can easily feed two hungry adults. Their items are spicy, so make sure to have water and milk handy if you can't handle spicy food very well! Tip: Pop over to Jerk King (just east of Dufferin) for takeout (aka takeaway), before getting on the 29 Dufferin bus to head back to 30 Lappin to dig in!
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Jerk King
522 Bloor St WThis small take-out Caribbean restaurant located near Dufferin subway station, is ideal for a quick, inexpensive meal. The restaurant itself may not look like much, but their jerk chicken is the real deal. A large meal can easily feed two hungry adults. Their items are spicy, so make sure to have water and milk handy if you can't handle spicy food very well! Tip: Pop over to Jerk King (just east of Dufferin) for takeout (aka takeaway), before getting on the 29 Dufferin bus to head back to 30 Lappin to dig in!
This a popular brunch restaurant is known for their waffles - both sweet and savoury . Any dish with the potato waffles included are my personal favourite. Arrive early to get a table and avoid the crowds!
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Starving Artist
584 Lansdowne AvenueThis a popular brunch restaurant is known for their waffles - both sweet and savoury . Any dish with the potato waffles included are my personal favourite. Arrive early to get a table and avoid the crowds!
The bigger counterpart to Bakerbots Bakery, this shop focuses solely on their ice cream creations. There are more flavours to choose from and more sandwich options as well (cream puff, macaron, Hong Kong waffle, etc.). This location tends to have long lines in the summer (approximately a 20-45 minute wait), so block off enough time!
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Bang Bang Ice Cream & Bakery
93A Ossington AveThe bigger counterpart to Bakerbots Bakery, this shop focuses solely on their ice cream creations. There are more flavours to choose from and more sandwich options as well (cream puff, macaron, Hong Kong waffle, etc.). This location tends to have long lines in the summer (approximately a 20-45 minute wait), so block off enough time!
Parks & Nature
This large (by downtown Toronto standards anyways) park is located directly across the street from Dufferin Mall. There is a playground for kids, a wading pool in the summer, soccer field, basketball courts and ice skating in the winter. The park also hosts a year-round Farmer's Market for local, organic goods every Thursday from 3-7 p.m. See this link for details on the farmer's market: http://www.dufferingrovemarket.ca/ Tip: there is also a communal wood-burning oven located in the park, available for public use on Thursday afternoons. The farmer's market bakes bread in it and the community can bring their own unbaked loaves or other items to be cooked in the residual heat of the oven!
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Dufferin Grove Park
875 Dufferin StThis large (by downtown Toronto standards anyways) park is located directly across the street from Dufferin Mall. There is a playground for kids, a wading pool in the summer, soccer field, basketball courts and ice skating in the winter. The park also hosts a year-round Farmer's Market for local, organic goods every Thursday from 3-7 p.m. See this link for details on the farmer's market: http://www.dufferingrovemarket.ca/ Tip: there is also a communal wood-burning oven located in the park, available for public use on Thursday afternoons. The farmer's market bakes bread in it and the community can bring their own unbaked loaves or other items to be cooked in the residual heat of the oven!
This park is right behind the house (can be accessed through the alley in the back) and has a playground, soccer field and basketball courts. There is also a skating rink in the winter that is not as busy compared to Dufferin Grove Park's rink. This park is also attached to a community centre that has a pool and a small exercise facility.
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Wallace Emerson Park
1260 Dufferin StThis park is right behind the house (can be accessed through the alley in the back) and has a playground, soccer field and basketball courts. There is also a skating rink in the winter that is not as busy compared to Dufferin Grove Park's rink. This park is also attached to a community centre that has a pool and a small exercise facility.
This is the largest park in downtown Toronto with tons to do! This park is full of trails for hiking and running. In the early spring, there are also cherry blossoms that bloom here.
https://www.highparknaturecentre.com/
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High Park
1873 Bloor St WThis is the largest park in downtown Toronto with tons to do! This park is full of trails for hiking and running. In the early spring, there are also cherry blossoms that bloom here.
https://www.highparknaturecentre.com/
Trinity-Bellwoods is in the heart of the trendy West Queen West neighbourhood. Take a break while walking along Queen West, have a picnic or just do some people watching.
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Trinity - Bellwoods
Trinity-Bellwoods is in the heart of the trendy West Queen West neighbourhood. Take a break while walking along Queen West, have a picnic or just do some people watching.
Shopping
This is a small mall located right behind the house and is a 5-minute walk away. There is a Freshco (grocery store), Rexall (drug store), Dollarama (dollar store - sells a variety of household items and snacks), Planet Fitness (gym and exercise facility, membership required) and an LCBO (liquor store) located in the mall.
http://www.galleriashoppingcentre.ca/
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Galleria Shopping Centre
1245 Dupont StThis is a small mall located right behind the house and is a 5-minute walk away. There is a Freshco (grocery store), Rexall (drug store), Dollarama (dollar store - sells a variety of household items and snacks), Planet Fitness (gym and exercise facility, membership required) and an LCBO (liquor store) located in the mall.
http://www.galleriashoppingcentre.ca/
This mall is a 15-minute walk away or 5-10 minute TTC trip away, located south of Bloor Street West and is much larger (and nicer) than Galleria Mall. Notable retailers located here include Wal-Mart, Toy 'R Us, No Frills (grocery store), H&M, Forever 21, American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, Starbucks, Tim Horton's, David's Tea and many other retailers located in this mall.
http://www.dufferinmall.ca/
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Dufferin Mall
900 Dufferin StThis mall is a 15-minute walk away or 5-10 minute TTC trip away, located south of Bloor Street West and is much larger (and nicer) than Galleria Mall. Notable retailers located here include Wal-Mart, Toy 'R Us, No Frills (grocery store), H&M, Forever 21, American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, Starbucks, Tim Horton's, David's Tea and many other retailers located in this mall.
http://www.dufferinmall.ca/
This is the biggest shopping mall in downtown Toronto. See their website for stores and hours: https://www.cfshops.com/toronto-eaton-centre.html
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CF Toronto Eaton Centre
220 Yonge StThis is the biggest shopping mall in downtown Toronto. See their website for stores and hours: https://www.cfshops.com/toronto-eaton-centre.html
Essentials
Grocery store located in Galleria Mall. The produce tends to be fresher at the beginning of the day, but they often restock throughout the day as well.
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FreshCo
1245 Dupont StGrocery store located in Galleria Mall. The produce tends to be fresher at the beginning of the day, but they often restock throughout the day as well.
Drug store located in Galleria Mall. Stocked with typical over-the-counter medications, body care products and snacks as well.
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Rexall
474 Spadina Ave.Drug store located in Galleria Mall. Stocked with typical over-the-counter medications, body care products and snacks as well.
This is the closest liquor store in the area. All alcohol in Ontario is sold by LCBO (stands for Liquor Control Board of Ontario). The legal drinking age is 19+ in Ontario. Any one that looks 25 or under will be asked to present valid, government-issued photo ID at the point of purchase.
This location stocks wine, beer, liquor and other spirits.
www.lcbo.com/
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LCBO
49 Spadina Ave.This is the closest liquor store in the area. All alcohol in Ontario is sold by LCBO (stands for Liquor Control Board of Ontario). The legal drinking age is 19+ in Ontario. Any one that looks 25 or under will be asked to present valid, government-issued photo ID at the point of purchase.
This location stocks wine, beer, liquor and other spirits.
www.lcbo.com/
This Walmart sells groceries in addition to their typical fare. This location also stocks Kawartha Dairy ice cream, the best store-bought ice cream available in my opinion, in their freezer section! Moose Tracks is a personal favourite (vanilla chocolate with chocolate fudge sauce swirled in and peanut butter cups mixed in). Kawartha Dairy is a famous ice cream shop/franchise in more rural parts of Ontario, near our cottage country.
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Walmart Toronto North York Store
1305 Lawrence Ave WThis Walmart sells groceries in addition to their typical fare. This location also stocks Kawartha Dairy ice cream, the best store-bought ice cream available in my opinion, in their freezer section! Moose Tracks is a personal favourite (vanilla chocolate with chocolate fudge sauce swirled in and peanut butter cups mixed in). Kawartha Dairy is a famous ice cream shop/franchise in more rural parts of Ontario, near our cottage country.
In addition to the LCBO, the Beer Store also sells beer in Ontario. The legal drinking age is 19+ in Ontario. By law, any one who looks 25 and under will be asked to present valid, government-issued photo ID at the point of purchase.
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Beer Store
1200 Dundas St WIn addition to the LCBO, the Beer Store also sells beer in Ontario. The legal drinking age is 19+ in Ontario. By law, any one who looks 25 and under will be asked to present valid, government-issued photo ID at the point of purchase.
Getting Around
This is the closest subway station to our house. The subway will connect you downtown Toronto in 20-30 mins and anywhere else you want to travel to in the city!
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Dufferin station
This is the closest subway station to our house. The subway will connect you downtown Toronto in 20-30 mins and anywhere else you want to travel to in the city!
This is the closest stop UP Express stop to our house. The UP Express connects the Toronto Pearson International Airport to Union Station, the central train station in downtown Toronto.
1456 Bloor St W
1456 Bloor Street WestThis is the closest stop UP Express stop to our house. The UP Express connects the Toronto Pearson International Airport to Union Station, the central train station in downtown Toronto.
Arts & Culture
The Royal Ontario Museum is Toronto's biggest museum. On Friday nights in the Spring and Fall, they host a 19+ event called Friday Night at the ROM with food stations and bars throughout the museum. There's also a DJ that plays under a big dinosaur display. See this link for event details: http://www.rom.on.ca/en/whats-on/rom-friday-night-live
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Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queens ParkThe Royal Ontario Museum is Toronto's biggest museum. On Friday nights in the Spring and Fall, they host a 19+ event called Friday Night at the ROM with food stations and bars throughout the museum. There's also a DJ that plays under a big dinosaur display. See this link for event details: http://www.rom.on.ca/en/whats-on/rom-friday-night-live
The Art Gallery of Ontario (aka AGO) is filled with great art and always has cool exhibitions running throughout the year.
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Art Gallery of Ontario
317 Dundas St WThe Art Gallery of Ontario (aka AGO) is filled with great art and always has cool exhibitions running throughout the year.