It’s Friday afternoon in Toronto, and the energy in the city is starting to shift. Neighborhoods like Queen West and the Entertainment and Financial Districts are beginning to fill with weekend explorers drawn to rooftop patios, hidden cocktail bars, and some of the city’s best restaurants. A golden sun sets over Lake Ontario while Michelin-recommended restaurants open their doors to eager gourmands. After dark, the city’s glow reveals a thriving downtown scene that runs, at least partially, on late-night libations.
With thousands of restaurants and bars spanning nearly every cuisine imaginable, there’s no wrong way to eat your way through Toronto. What follows is just one delicious way to spend a weekend in the city.
Friday: A first taste of Toronto
Your weekend escape begins in Toronto’s Fashion District, a former garment hub between King Street West and Queen Street West that puts you within walking distance of some of the city’s top sights, not to mention superb dining. Check into the boutique Ace Hotel Toronto, the brand’s first property in Canada with 123 custom rooms, a suspended lobby bar, and a rooftop lounge. Take a second to appreciate the lobby, whose furnishings pay homage to the neighborhood’s textile heritage and Ontario’s natural landscapes, then settle into your cabin-in-the-city-inspired room. Oh, and make sure to come hungry, because one of Toronto’s finest restaurants is under the very same roof.
Alder is the Ace Hotel’s Michelin-recommended restaurant, where Chef Patrick Kriss serves his signature Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. Dishes like the Spanish octopus with salsa verde jus and stuffed ricotta pasta with morel asparagus relish and saffron butter are a good excuse to stay in for the night. For something more casual, Aloette is Alo’s diner-inspired sibling. It plates a now-famous cheeseburger and lemon meringue pie a short walk from the hotel. Also nearby are Khao San Road, which serves Bangkok-style street food at communal tables, and Gusto 101, a relaxed Italian trattoria with a wood-fired grill.
If you’d rather hit the town, consider heading to the Harbourfront — specifically Miku Toronto, the city’s premier Aburi-style (flame-seared) sushi spot. The seasonal tasting menu blends traditional Japanese fine dining with contemporary West Coast techniques, like perfectly torched salmon over rice. Enjoy front-row seating at the open kitchen to watch the culinary magic show.
Canoe, located on the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower in the Financial District, is another option if you want views of the city lit up at night. The restaurant has spent roughly three decades serving Canadian-sourced tasting menus with ingredients like wild British Columbia halibut and Canadian prime strip sirloin. Views of the Toronto skyline are a natural accompaniment.
Mosey down the street for a nightcap at Library Bar at the Fairmont Royal York. Its dark, refined, and effortlessly elegant interior pairs dim lighting and leather banquettes with an Art Deco aesthetic and a literary flair. It’s also the birthplace of the legendary Birdbath Martini (gin or vodka with a house vermouth blend, orange bitters, and lemon zest, served tableside with your choice of garnish).
Alternatively, head back to your hotel to see the city all lit up from Evangeline, Ace’s rooftop bar. Sipping a glass of semi-sparkling Lambrusco there will have you feeling like a movie star about to walk the carpet during the city’s iconic Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Saturday: Eat your way around the world
Photo: Destination Toronto
Kick off your Saturday with a Toronto classic: a peameal bacon sandwich from Carousel Bakery and a freshly roasted espresso from Everyday Gourmet Coffee Roasters, both located in the historic St. Lawrence Market. A short walk from the eastern side of the Waterfront, the complex also features a Saturday Farmers’ Market in the North Market across from the main hall, where you can get everything from flowers and produce to cheese and seafood.
Your midday excursion, a global food tour with Tasty Tours, takes you through one of Toronto’s most dynamic neighborhoods, which also doubles as a National Historic Site. See how Kensington Market transforms from its Jewish market roots to one of Toronto’s most multicultural communities. Each stop is a blend of history, local tales, and bites ranging from Jamaican patties and Tibetan momos to empanadas and churros.
After sampling flavors from around the world, continue the journey with a Swedish-inspired fika (coffee break), which is also the name of a Kensington Market cafe. Adorned with traditional Nordic decor and set inside a Victorian house, FIKA is the perfect place to pause, order a coffee or tea and a house-made pastry, and take it easy on the back patio.
Another option is Liu Loqum Atelier, a beautifully sunlit cafe nearby in Little Italy. Pair a Turkish coffee with your choice of Turkish delights or flaky baklava, then stay in the neighborhood for a European pre-dinner experience: a taste of Spain’s tapas culture through small sharing plates and standing-room customs at Bar Raval. The ornately crafted wood interior, 24-month-aged Iberian Jamón, and signature Tropic of Capricorn cocktail (rum, cumin, and amontillado sherry) at this Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated, Barcelona-inspired pintxo bar make for the ideal start to your Saturday evening.
If a trip to France is more your craving, the Parisian-inspired Bar Pompette delivers. Pull up a vintage wooden chair in the whitewashed, brick-walled cafe or settle under the string lights in its garden patio for a Spritz or fizz and some small bites before heading off to dinner. Alternatively, Bakery Pompette is right next door, where local ingredients and rich golden butter come together in true French fashion.
For the evening, venture back to the Entertainment District for a royal feast. Kiin transports your palate to Thailand through Royal Thai cooking, a time-honored culinary tradition brought to Toronto by Executive Chef Nuit Regular (Canada’s first Thai SELECT Ambassador, recognized by the Thai government for authentic Thai cuisine). Reserve the Chef’s Tasting Menu to get the full experience or order a la carte. Kiin is known for its khao soi (curry noodle soup) and cocktails that aren’t afraid to play around with savory notes, like the Dead Fish Martini with tequila, cointreau, lillet blanc, Thai bitter orange, winter melon, fish sauce, Thai chilli, mint, and pickled anchovy.
Cap off the evening at hotel à toi on King Street West, where the ambiance of a 1920s Parisian hotel lobby meets expertly crafted cocktails and late-night glamour. Inspired by some of the world’s great hotels, the space channels the ageless elegance of grand lobbies and captures the allure of travel. Don’t be surprised if you end up wanting a late checkout, so to speak.
Sunday: A scenic sendoff
Photo: Destination Toronto
Say bon voyage to the weekend with eggs Benny and a side of stunning harbor views. Step aboard the newly renovated Toronto Odyssey for a chef-prepared boating brunch with City Cruises Toronto. Depart from the Toronto Harbour and spend two hours cruising Lake Ontario, taking in city-defining sights like the CN Tower, Toronto Islands, and the skyline from the open-air rooftop deck. It’s an elevated Sunday ritual and the perfect way to end a culinary odyssey.
From sampling globally inspired cuisines and sipping your way across the city to feasting on late-morning panoramas, Toronto invites you to dine local, drink well, and discover the world one neighborhood at a time. You’ll eat it up, guaranteed. 