Toronto has an edgy style all its own thanks to new fashion-forward shops, inventive restaurants, and other hot spots
On a recent Saturday evening in downtown Toronto, underground superstar the Weeknd made a rare hometown appearance. The 22-year-old musician (real name: Abel Tesfaye)—known for grinding, clothing-optional hip-hop, R&B, and electronic jams—was DJ-ing a set at one of his local hangouts, a speakeasy-style cocktail lounge called Goodnight. It was too packed to dance, but that didn’t stop people from trying; the multiethnic crush of twenty- and thirtysomethings jostled roughly in time to the beat. From the unmarked alley-side entrance to the retro drinks menu (featuring such concoctions as the Monkey Gland and Satan’s Whiskers), the scene had the hallmarks of the kind of nightlife people like to later claim they’d been a part of—the sort of party that, once the hangover subsides, inspires screenplays and fashion shoots and commemorative coffee-table books. Goodnight was impossibly stylish and photogenic. It felt slightly dangerous, out of control, and loaded with possibility.
It was not the Toronto I remembered.
Most major airlines fly to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). Porter Airlines (flyporter.com) flies from select U.S. cities to Toronto Island Airport (YTZ), close to downtown.
Toronto’s bus and subway system is efficient and costs $3 a ride—better than negotiating the city’s traffic. ttc.ca.
Drake Hotel 1150 Queen St. W.; thedrakehotel.ca. $
Four Seasons Hotel 60 Yorkville Ave.; fourseasons.com. $$$
Gladstone Hotel 1214 Queen St. W.; gladstonehotel.com. $
Ritz-Carlton 181 Wellington St. W.; ritzcarlton.com. $$$$
Shangri-La Hotel 188 University Ave.; shangri-la.com; rates not available at press time.
Templar Hotel 348 Adelaide St. W.; designhotels.com. $$$
Thompson 550 Wellington St. W.; thompsonhotels.com. $$
Trump International Hotel & Tower 325 Bay St.; trumphotelcollection.com. $$$$
Café Boulud 60 Yorkville Ave.; danielnyc.com. $$$
Feasting Room Nose-to-tail pop-up (open through Nov.) from an alum of London’s St. John restaurant. 580A College St.; thefeastingroom.com. $$$
Frank’s Kitchen 588 College St.; 416/516-5861. $$$
Goodnight 431 Richmond St. W.; goodnightbar.com.
Keriwa Café Seasonal, indigenous cuisine made by a Canadian Siksika tribe descendant. 1690 Queen St. W.; keriwacafe.ca. $$$
Luma Inside the TIFF Bell Lightbox and run by Oliver & Bonacini, the duo behind local hot spots Bannock, Jump, and Canoe. 350 King St. W.; oliverbonacini.com. $$$
Monk Kitchen 348 Adelaide St. W.; 416/479-4080. $$$$
Origin Go early for creative cocktails on the patio, and stay for favorites like the Bangkok beef salad with mango. 107-109 King St. E.; origintoronto.com. $$$
Woodlot 293 Palmerston Ave.; woodlotrestaurant.com. $$$
Art Gallery of Ontario 317 Dundas St. W.; ago.net.
Distillery District 55 Mill St.; thedistillerydistrict.com.
Royal Ontario Museum 100 Bloor St. W.; rom.on.ca.
Sharp Centre for Design At Ontario College of Art & Design, 100 McCaul St.; ocadu.ca.
TIFF Bell Lightbox 350 King St. W.; tiff.net.
Drake General Store Queen 1144 Queen St. W.; drakegeneralstore.ca.
Klaxon Howl 706 Queen St. W.; klaxonhowl.com.
Nomad 819 Queen St. W.; nomadshop.net.
Sydney’s 682 Queen St. W.; shopsydneys.com.
$ Less than $200
$$ $200 to $350
$$$ $350 to $500
$$$$ $500 to $1,000
$$$$$ More than $1,000
$ Less than $25
$$ $25 to $75
$$$ $75 to $150
$$$$ More than $150
