Weekend In Toronto ... where to eat?

UreshiiAkuma

Since PA was incredibly helpful with suggestions for my Vermont trip last year, I figured I'd hit you up to ask about Toronto!

My family (2 adults and a 3.5 year old) are considering a weekend trip to Toronto in the near future.
The most likely places we are going to hit are Ontario Science Center, Ripley's Aquarium, and Lego discovery center. (We will probably stop by Niagara Falls on the drive back as well).

We like to try local and unique places to eat, and I would figure Toronto must have a few. Any suggestions? Only requirement is it is someplace one could take a 3 year old

Also, any general suggestions for navigating Toronto? I plan on driving. How hard is it to find parking?

Finally, if you have any other attractions you'd suggest, feel free to mention them. The ones I listed seemed to be the best for going with a 3 year old.

Kilgore Trout

Assuming you're staying downtown, I recommend Fran's at College and Yonge for breakfast. I end up in Toronto for work a few times a month and try to get to Fran's every time. They are good for lunch and dinner too but the line can get a bit long. I just had dinner at the Real Sports Bar across from the Air Canada Centre a few weeks ago (more a restaurant than a grill) and am happy to recommend that too though depending on the 3 year old it might be a bit loud. If you're stuck, just check out urbanspoon for locations around your hotel. Toronto has plenty of good options especially if you enjoy ethnic food.

Parking should be provided at your hotel for a fee, and most of the big attractions have their own parking (the science centre definitely does). I'm not a fan of driving in Toronto, but it is really not that bad. Just be patient and avoid rush hour traffic and you'll be fine. If you are staying downtown and anywhere you decide to go is downtown as well, be sure to take a look at the subway system. IMO, the easiest way to get around TO.

As far as attractions, I highly recommend the Science Centre especially if you're going with children. I have many fond memories. The Royal Ontario Museum (or as we call it, the ROM) is also a great place - dinosaurs, mummies, Egyptian and Roman statues, even a room just full of birds. I used to go there with my family all the time. (http://www.rom.on.ca/en)

If you're a literary type, I also recommend BMV Books. It's a huge, multifloor store that gets books as end of run from publishers so has a huge selection at low cost. Half of the second floor is just children's books. (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/bmv-books-toronto-2)

MichaelLC

Allan Gardens was a nice little walk, Queens Gardens also looks very nice. The Chinatown area was interesting if you don't have something similar in your town. Ditto with the "mini" Times Square. The St Lawrence Market was amazing, but looks like it's under construction?

Driving was fine. We drive from Chicago and opted for a smaller car which was worse getting there but but better for navigating in the city.

Don't remember if you're from Canada? But some basic French Canadian will help; just the basic hello, thank you, etc.

SilverWind

Driving and parking sucks downtown. You can get day passes with the TTC and on weekends an unlimited travel day pass covers two adults (http://www.ttc.ca/Fares_and_passes/Passes/Day_Pass/index.jsp). For many destinations, transit would be the recommended form of travel.

Seconding the ROM as a good location!

And no you won't need any French in the city. :P

As for food... Toronto's strengths are in its international cuisine, I feel. What sort of things do you want to try out? What sort of food do you usually like?

Shadowhope

If you're a hockey fan, the Hall of Fame is right in the middle of downtown.

The CN Tower is really pricey, but I think that it's one of those places that you go to see if you have the chance. It was the tallest free standing structure in the world for a while, and the views from the top are amazing.

Figgy

MichaelLC wrote: »

Don't remember if you're from Canada? But some basic French Canadian will help; just the basic hello, thank you, etc.

What? No. Unless you're going to Quebec, you won't be needing French. You're more likely to run across someone speaking Mandarin or something in Toronto than French.

If you come to Niagara Falls, let me know. I work for the provincial agency that operates the land along the river, including the Falls, and can point you in the right direction.

Dread Pirate Arbuthnot

MichaelLC wrote: »

Allan Gardens was a nice little walk, Queens Gardens also looks very nice. The Chinatown area was interesting if you don't have something similar in your town. Ditto with the "mini" Times Square. The St Lawrence Market was amazing, but looks like it's under construction?

Driving was fine. We drive from Chicago and opted for a smaller car which was worse getting there but but better for navigating in the city.

Don't remember if you're from Canada? But some basic French Canadian will help; just the basic hello, thank you, etc.

I work near St Lawrence Market, it's still open and available

if you can make it out in the morning, try brunch at Insomnia

SilverWind

Oh, St. Lawrence Market does have Carousel Bakery, which sells peameal bacon sandwiches. Which are delicious and apparently a 'Toronto' thing?

The market is a nice place to stroll around, but it can get super crowded during weekends, which I wouldn't recommend for a youngin.

http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/

MichaelLC

Figgy wrote: »

MichaelLC wrote: »

Don't remember if you're from Canada? But some basic French Canadian will help; just the basic hello, thank you, etc.

What? No. Unless you're going to Quebec, you won't be needing French. You're more likely to run across someone speaking Mandarin or something in Toronto than French.

Yes it's required in Quebec, but I think knowing a few basic phrases in the language of the country is a good thing. I found it satisfying if I could make it through at least buying an ice cream or some poutine without using English.

jjae2123

I went to Toronto last August and I don't think I heard any French there.

There's a restaurant called Signs (I believe) that was pretty good and we learned some sign language there. You may want to check them out.

UreshiiAkuma

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. My plan is to drive as little as needed once we get to Toronto, relying on walking / TTC. A cursory glance makes it look like most places we want to go are reachable that way, with the Lego place being the main exception.

We are particularly fond of ethnic food, in particular various Asian cuisine. Authentic Japanese is high on the list. In particular not-sushi Japanese (since we can get that here) - more like izakaya type foods (toriyaki, takoyaki, etc.). Also, if there are any good Korean BBQ places, we'd love to know. Ultimately, though, we can really go for any kind of food.

Sharp101

As a Toronto native, here are a few recommendations;

Brunch is big in Toronto. There are so many great places to go. My favourites are The Drake and Mildreds Temple Kitchen. Both are a bit west, but easily accessible via Queen/King Streetcars. Both are also kid friendly.

Kinton Ramen is great for lunch/dinner. They have quite a few locations, the easiest one to get to is probably the one on Queen Street. This ramen is sooo good and the place has a great atmosphere (lots of yelling in Japanese). Banh Mi Boys makes a mean Vietnamese sub and is also close to Kinton's Queen Street location.

I hope you enjoy the city!

Nylonathetep

http://burritoboyz.ca/

Bit crowded, the Food is pretty Heavy. Recommend Fish Burrito


http://smokespoutinerie.com/

Decent Poutine if you are interested


http://www.dondonizakaya.com/home

Japanese Bar/eatery. The environment is interesting and the food is unique if tad expensive.



Buster's Sea Cove within the St Lawrence Market is also a highly Recommend... but with a huge lineup during lunchtime.

SilverWind

Guu Izakaya: http://guu-izakaya.com/toronto
A list of Korean BBQ places: http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_korean_bbq_in_toronto/
For your Legoland day since you're heading north of Toronto http://restoranmalaysia.com/ (the portions are huge and awesome here )

When you drive up to Legoland, be careful not to hit the toll road (Highway 407). It's super annoying and easy to do if your guard is down

Kilgore Trout

MichaelLC wrote: »

Figgy wrote: »

MichaelLC wrote: »

Don't remember if you're from Canada? But some basic French Canadian will help; just the basic hello, thank you, etc.

What? No. Unless you're going to Quebec, you won't be needing French. You're more likely to run across someone speaking Mandarin or something in Toronto than French.

Yes it's required in Quebec, but I think knowing a few basic phrases in the language of the country is a good thing. I found it satisfying if I could make it through at least buying an ice cream or some poutine without using English.

It's definitely nice to have two languages, but as someone who lives a 30 minute drive from Toronto, I assure you that it is wholly unnecessary. Most of us haven't used French since our mandatory classes back in elementary school and I would suggest that if you can order ice cream or poutine in French, you're probably doing better with the language than most Ontarians.

Sure, it's technically one of our official languages, but in practice, if you're not in Quebec or the Ottawa region, you're not speaking French.

Edit: Just want to be clear that I'm not trying to be argumentative. I just want to make sure the OP knows that French is a "nice to have" but that English is language of Toronto. Statistically, 0.5% of Torontonians speak French at home. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-cma-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=CMA&GC=535

finnith

If you want something interesting, I'd try grabbing some Ethiopian food. I've gone here a couple times, and it's pretty good. It's on Queen West near the Drake so it's quite accessible.