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Little Known Secrets Downtown

Okay, so maybe not quite little known. Nothing in Toronto is. With the level of activity on social media these days, along with the amount of blogging going on, no stone is left unturned. Every single alleyway, hole-in-the-wall, or cafeteria is being written about and discovered. This causes our favourite spots in the city to be overrun with crowds, creating huge lineups and wait times. 

So let’s look at five spots in #the6ix where you can take your out-of-town visitors to really impress them with how much you know the city. These are, for the most part, not yet mainstream enough to draw too much clientele.

Crown & Dragon

http://www.crownanddragon.com/

Thursday Night Wing Special

Don’t let the website fool you. And, don’t let their sign fool you. Their slogan is “the art of pub”, which is a little bit questionable. Fortunately, all their shortcomings in design and marketing are countered by their triumphs in wing-making. Their chicken wings are the best in Toronto, with very few bad flavours on the menu. Try their Dragon’s Breath, Buffalo Butter, and Killer Bee sauces. Unexpectedly, there’s Goose Island on tap - yes!

While you’re there, check out the Masonic Temple and the rustic building just north of the pub. Toronto history.

Pravda

http://www.pravdavodkabar.com/happy-hour.html

Friday Night Martinis

So... if it’s not obvious yet, not many decent Toronto establishments do Happy Hour on Fridays. Fridays are 100% the day for white-collar workers to let loose in a drunken mess. Easy money - no drink specials needed. Pravda either didn’t get the memo, or they’re going out of business and badly need clientele. I hope not, because this place is great. And because it’s one of the top deals in the city - these martinis are 2.5 ounces apiece. 

Sushi House

Two Rolls (16 pcs) for $5

Before you say anything, know that I don’t condone going out of your way to eat here. The sushi is not that great. But, not-that-great sushi in Toronto is like the best sushi in Montreal. So, this is to say that this makes for a pretty decent lunch. You get two rolls (16 pieces) of your choice and a free soft drink - that would be $5.75 total. Enough said.

Karine’s

https://karines.wordpress.com/

Healthy Breakfast

Karine’s is tricky, because it’s located inside those OCAD doors to the Grange Foodcourt. Not a pleasant place to eat - it’s old, hot, and not really near anything. But, these guys really do try to make it better. Their portion of the food court has table cloths on the shared tables, and their employees are the nicest bunch you��ll ever meet. The basic breakfast comes with an outstanding salad, bacon, and fries with more than enough garlic to eclipse your hungover morning breath. It’s no more than $7. The brunch goes from 10 am to 3 pm on weekends. 

Provo

http://provofb.com/

Brunch and Beer

There is a lot of brunch to be had in downtown Toronto, but Provo’s Heuvos Rancheros would be the best. The only issue with this dish is that it is far too small, and perhaps overpriced at $14. But you only live once. They have some decent craft beers on tap and a cocktail list. But really, come for brunch, especially the Huevos Rancheros.

Olympic 76 Pizza

http://www.olympic76pizzacafe.com/

Panzerotti

These guys have been at Yonge and Gloucester since 1976, and, without claiming to be Italian, they make incredible pizza and panzerotti. In fact, there is something distinctly un-Italian about the food here, and that’s what makes it amazing. Definitely opt for the meat sauce topping on the panzerotti, and stick to vegetable fillings. The Sleeman’s draught on offer is quite weird though. Is this the only place in Toronto with Sleeman’s on tap? Regardless of the answer to that question, it’s amazing.

So, those were primarily food and drink related. Next time we’ll talk about something less consumable. Again, if your favourite was missed, let us know!

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Toronto’s Best Walking Routes

Walking around a city simply to take it in is one of life’s much sought-after pleasures. People spend a lot of time and money travelling to exotic and far-away destinations in order to leisurely walk around an urban area, experiencing its character, culture, and “feel”. 

Having devoted some time over the past several years to shooting photos in #the6ix, I have a few favourite neighbourhoods. If you’re feeling stressed out, need to think about something, or just can’t decide where you’re going with your significant other one evening, consider strolling through one of these hoods. 

(Disclaimer: Toronto has many terrific neighbourhoods. Don’t be offended if you don’t see your favourite here. Just shut up, and give these ones here a chance.)

5 | Kensington Market / Chinatown / Baldwin Village

The Market, Chinatown, and Baldwin are three small adjacent areas of downtown Toronto with three distinct personalities. In 30 minutes, you will encounter a throwback hippy enclave, pass through an incredibly Chinese neighbourhood, and experience a student-friendly artistic community.

Start in Kensington Market, at College and Augusta to be exact. Walk south and be sure to feast your eyes on the livelihood of this unique area. Around here you have the Blue Banana novelty store, NuBugel bagel shop, and Carlos’ House of Spice. All are true Toronto gems. 

Not to mention, several rare Latin American grocery stores are on Augusta - Perolas is my favourite. Stock up on hard-to-find dried chilies and real corn tortilla shells.

Once you’ve checked out both Nassau and Baldwin Streets, you’ll end up on Spadina. Spadina is to be admired for two reasons - multiculturalism and traffic. Head south towards Dundas. Turn left when you get there and head east. The stretch of Dundas between Spadina and Beverley is not exactly relaxing.

Turn up Beverley and walk a block north to Baldwin. Turn right on Baldwin and you’ll be on restaurant row of Baldwin Village. It is a very unexpected cluster of nice restaurants and cafes. No chains or franchises allowed. If you are here around brunch time on a weekend, stop in at Cafe La Gaffe. They have a nice patio out back, and a great Eggs Benny.

Head south on McCaul, when you get to it. This is home to one of few Krispy Kreme donut shops in the city, as well as the former Ontario College of Art and Design, now called OCAD University.

Stop and snap a few pictures of this architectural marvel, and then immediately hang a right to wander through the recently renovated Grange Park (pictured here before the reno).

At this point, you basically end up at Queen and Beverley, which allows for a nice transition into our very next neighbourhood walk - Queen West and Trinity Bellwoods.

4 | Queen West / Trinity Bellwoods

There is nothing that defines Toronto quite like Queen West. At some point, you owe it to your city to take an hour and stroll across all of it.

Start at Queen Station, near Yonge, and walk west along Queen. The tour starts off with a bang as you encounter the massive Eaton Centre Mall, The Bay, and Nathan Phillips Square, where Toronto’s city hall showcases its taxpayer spending in the form of a hefty electricity bill.

Past University, you’ll make your way through “the start of Queen West”, where Chinatown spills into a neighbourhood full of young downtown professionals who either can’t quite afford King West, or just don’t like its demographic.

The street scene starts to evolve between Spadina and Bathurst, taking on a more hipster character. 

While decidedly grungy, this stretch has some some of the best places to eat in Toronto (I didn’t call them restaurants on purpose). Rose City Kitchen is not to be missed for a quick bite.

As you make your way past Trinity Bellwoods park, Ossington, and enter Parkdale, be sure to snap a shot of the iconic Drake Hotel. You can end the walk around here, near Dufferin. 

If you are feeling adventurous, and it’s daytime, venture into Parkdale. It’s not Toronto’s best neighbourhood, but it’s on the rise. Stop for tacos and bourbon at The Grand Electric. It’s worth the wait in line. There are a lot of tacos to be had in Toronto, but these are the best.

3 | King West

King West is home to many DINKs - Dual Income, No Kids. It’s very classy, in the sense that folks dress up and spend money, but trashy, in the sense that these same folks finish the night by getting into a bar fight and throwing up on the sidewalk. This is a perfect area for a summer-time Thursday night stroll. You can do this one in 20-30 minutes, but are highly likely stop in for a drink or bite somewhere along the way, only to stumble out when the lights are turned on at closing time. 

Really, there’s not much to King West. Starting at St. Andrew TTC station, near King and University, just walk west until you’ve just passed Bathurst. Some favourites along this stretch include:

Shawarma’s King the best shawarma in the downtown core

Penelope reasonably priced Greek restaurant

Gabby’s despite being a chain, the best patio on King Street (and the wings are decent)

Bar Hop (the original) nice craft beer selection and an incredible burger

Wvrst a very novel concept: sausages served in a beer hall type setting

Portland Variety expensive sharing plates ideal for a nice date (try the grilled octopus)

Belfast Love new-age pub that gets very sloppy on Thursday nights

Wilbur Mexicana can you tell I like tacos?

Have fun, spend some money, don’t judge. That must be the code of King West. Like I said, that’s all there is to it.

2 | Yorkville

Yorkville is always lively, and just really cool to walk around in. Unlike the rest of the city, you won’t encounter much riff-raff here. It is a civilized spot, that shuts down relatively early. The best establishments here by far are the famous Hemingway’s pub, and the recently opened Caplansky’s Deli. If you’re in the 1%, you probably have a few other favourite spots here (Morton’s?), but let’s target the majority shall we?

The right way to do Yorkville is to take the TTC to St. George station and walk east along Prince Arthur. Start the process by having a beer at Bedford Academy, ideally with a snack. This gastropub will sufficiently fuel you ahead of your journey.

From there, once west of Avenue, you will have to weave between Yorkville and Cumberland. Wander down some of the pedestrian alleys connecting the two streets, you won’t regret it.

As you progress west, you will notice that the area between Bay and Yonge is essentially Toronto’s version of Fifth Avenue, featuring the likes of Pottery Barn and Michael Kors.

Once you’ve worked up an appetite, finish your walk by sampling the best chicken wings in Toronto at the Crown & Dragon just north of Bloor and Davenport. Be sure to sightsee en route, there is an impressive vintage fire station next to the Four Seasons in Yorkville (also impressive). The Masonic Temple is a beautiful old building, right next door to the dingy Crown & Dragon pub.

1 | Corktown / Distillery

This is a long one, but many consider it to be the Toronto excursion. Leave yourself an hour and a half, and enjoy every minute of it.

Start at Union Station. Toronto landmark #1. Don’t rush too quickly past the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Toronto landmark #2.

Head up to Wellington, and then east. Your next stop is the St. Lawrence Market area. Toronto landmark #3. Here you will find Toronto’s second most photographed building - the Gooderham building. Certainly you can guess the first.

Be sure to spend time at St. Lawrence market. If you are there on a weekday, you will even be able to eat at Buster’s Sea Cove, as long as it’s not around lunchtime. Keep in mind the market shuts down on Sundays and Mondays. Check the hours when you plan to go. The spicy chorizo sausages from Olliffe Sausage King are a nice take-home souvenir.

Exit the market and head up Jarvis, hang a right on King. This formerly industrial and recently gentrified stretch of King will make you want to move here. Plenty of lofts and local brunch spots. It is also much less busy than its west-side counterpart.

Sticking to King Street East, you’ll find yourself in the heart of Corktown, just north of the Distillery. Be sure to wander down Bright Street, which is one of Toronto’s coolest residential avenues. 

When you’re done in Corktown, use Cherry Street to access the Distillery’s east entrance. The Distillery is an amazing place to walk around, people watch, and spend money. In a word, its history involves a massive drop in popularity during a period of de-industrialization, to be revived in the late 1990s through its frequent use as a film set. The district was purchased and revitalized between 2001 and 2003, and is now a booming and crowded tourist area most of the time.

It hosts a number of weddings year-round, and an amazing holiday market for several weeks in December. This market is, in fact, one of Toronto’s premier attractions. Choose your timing wisely if you plan to attend it - it’s busy!

Be sure to finish off your east-end adventure with some tacos and a mojito from El Catrin. It’s expensive, but life is short.

Got any similarly cool walks to share? Disagree with my selection? Let me know.

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Top Urban Photographers in Toronto Worth Following

Instagram is chock-full of talented urban artists. In fact, stumbling upon your favourite is a matter of circumstance. They brave the elements and venture out at odd hours to capture Toronto in its element. Thanks to them, my Instagram feed is a visual feast, and they have inspired me to step up my photography game and #justgoshoot on a regular basis.

The following list is by no means comprehensive, but these are some of the finest urban photographers of Toronto on Instagram I have come across. Please feel free to share your favourites.

5 | jayeffex

@jayeffex​ (Sanjay) is particularly good at capturing Toronto in motion. From a blurry Beck’s taxi zooming down Bay Street at night, to falling snow, his photos are magazine-worthy. In addition to Toronto, he does a fair share of travelling to document beautiful urban shots from NYC, among others.

28.1k followers / 782 posts

4 | mindz.eye

@mindz.eye (Mike) stands out of this sample as someone who aims for a more natural look to his photos. Sure, nothing is straight out of camera these days, but these shots are close - the edits are subtle and the delayed exposure perspectives are terrific.

108k followers / 620 posts

3 | bora.vs.bora

@bora.vs.bora (Bora?) is an absolute pro at capturing reflections, delayed exposure, and low-light scenes. Scroll though this feed, and you’ll quickly realize that the focus is on stunning night-time photography. This is the most-followed account of the group mentioned here, and for good reason. This artist is also en route to improving online presence by building what promises to be an impressive website. Keep an eye on http://boravsbora.com/.

120k followers / 1073 posts

2 | jamaalism

@jamaalism (Jamaal) is about capturing Toronto in a dark and rugged way. The scenes appear isolated and dramatic, each one telling countless stories. Sure, these make our beloved city look like the perfect setting for a crime thriller, but the soft and lively shots are some of the best photos of #the6ix on Instagram. This is a very active account with not so many followers.

32.7k followers / 1398 posts

1 | untrvced

To be honest, I’m not sure what this account is all about. “Untruced” is not a word, the stylized “v” in the name is oddly creative, it seems to employ a number of actors or subjects, and it has a relatively small following. However, @untrvced is my favourite Toronto account on Instagram. What sets it apart are the people in these shots. Actors or not, the photographs are beautifully composed, each one telling a story of Toronto. This account oozes with culture, mystery, and adventure. The photographers and subjects even venture onto TTC subway tracks to get shots like nowhere else. Don’t miss it - it just feels like #the6ix.

8.6k followers / 213 posts

Hey, while you’re here reading about great photographers, check out my feed. I’m by no means a pro, but capturing urban Toronto is a hobby on the rise. I finally have the lenses for it.

@dturkovich 219 followers / 617 posts