Toronto: City Travel Diary
Recently I went on a short trip to Toronto which was a nice break from the constant bustle of New York City. Because the trip was rather short, we stayed primarily in the downtown city area, which still had lots of great places to visit. As a vegan, Toronto is also an incredibly vegan-friendly city which was a huge plus for me and it was great to try all the different types of vegan cuisine the city had to offer (it was a struggle for me to try to eat all of it—it was so much). Most people within the city were incredibly friendly, and getting around was a breeze: they have a pretty robust public transit system, ranging from subway trains, streetcars, and buses. I took all three throughout my trip and was impressed at how reliable all three methods of transportation were (granted, we were there for less than a week).
I put together a guide of some of my favorite places I visited during this trip. Since we stayed in the city, most of the activities we did were centered around that rather than the surrounding nature-y areas of Toronto. Plus, being New Yorkers, we did not have a car, so staying in the city was the best option for us.
Most importantly, I could not visit Toronto without getting a tattoo while I was there. There is an abundant amount of super talented tattoo artists in Toronto, ranging in different styles, as well as types of tattoo artists (aka a lot of female/queer/POC tattoo artists, my favorite). I got tattooed by Clare Castello at Heartstrong Tattoo, a queer-founded tattoo shop in Koreatown. Clare was awesome and super friendly; the shop is clean, bright, and easy to find (although note that you have to take some stairs up to get to it). I definitely recommend both Clare & Heartstrong for anyone looking to get a tattoo in a welcoming space.
To Visit
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) - Spacious, airy art museum displaying ranges of modern art as well as old cultural objects. We were finally able to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors (unplanned, but a nice surprise). The exhibition itself was actually very intriguing and mesmerizing, similar to that of her other works. However, I wish that it had not become a corporate-sponsored Instagram entity because you’re only allowed to view the installation for a few minutes.
Royal Ontario Museum - Beautiful architectural space. Features a lot of cultural artifacts as well as natural history (dinosaurs, bugs, animals).
Kensington Market - Outdoor market area with a lot of vintage shops, cafes, restaurants, art shops, and other misc stores. Kind of reminded me of Camden in London, but less commercial. Really cute spot to spend an afternoon at.
Stackt Market - Similar to London’s Boxpark. Used shipping containers turned into a small shopping area with a beer garden as well.
Drake Hotel - Didn’t explore fully but has a cafe/restaurant in the ground level as well as space for nightlife/events/shows. Super cute lobby.
To Eat + Drink
Saigon Lotus - Vegan Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. Cozy, homey setting. They also serve an assortment of Chinese, Thai, and South Asian dishes. Their pho had the best vegan broth I have ever tasted.
Buddha’s - Vegan Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. Family-owned, hole in the wall spot. Staff was super nice. They serve an assortment of vegan-fied Chinese dishes, including mock meats & mock fish. I’m not a huge fan of vegan “fish” but we tried the Tofu & “Fish” in Black Pepper Sauce dish and it was pretty good.
Imonay Korean Restaurant - Comfortable Korean restaurant run by aunties. They offer vegan/vegetarian food options here. I was reunited with one of my favorite Korean dishes, Kongguksu, a cold noodle dish in soybean soup/paste. It’s a seasonal item I first had when I went to Seoul two years ago and I haven’t been able to find it in NYC. Perfect for a hot day.
Planta Queen - Slightly upscale & spacious Asian-fusion vegan restaurant on Queen St. Offers different menu than Planta Yorkville (which has more Italian/’western’ style cuisine). Dishes are served in a tapas/family style way, meaning that food comes out as they are ready. We really liked all of the dishes we ordered, but our favorites were the dragon roll, truffle snow pea dumplings, and forbidden rice pudding.
Hello 123 - Cute trendy brunch spot with an airy, nicely designed interior. It kind of reminded me of Dimes in NYC, but vegan. They serve an assortment of typical breakfast foods (waffles, french toast, etc) as well as sandwiches & bowls. The K&K waffle was super delicious, and their portion sizes are very generous.
Bloomer’s - Small vegan cafe serving freshly baked pastries, as well as sandwiches and cafe food. It was the first time I've ever had vegan cinnamon buns and they were SO GOOD — tasted exactly like how I remember as a kid during my non-vegan days. Their tempeh reuben sandwich was also extremely good & filling.
Vegandale Brewery/Doomie’s - Spacious vegan restaurant & brewery specializing in comfort food. They also have a vegan ice cream parlor in the space but we were too full to try it. I tried their chicken&bacon&ranch sandwich which I enjoyed a lot more than I would and it was one of my favorite meals throughout this trip. It was perfectly comforting yet not greasy; and as someone who normally hates ranch I actually really liked the ranch dressing at this restaurant.
Hogtown Vegan - Cute little restaurant specializing in comfort food. Their vegan ‘fish n chips’ weirdly really embodied the UK comfort classic, and it was very delicious. Would also recommend for their vegan chicken ‘n waffles.
Apiecalypse Now! - Vegan pizza place. This place is known for their ‘Slayer’ pentagram pizza. Once I found out about this pizza I had to come here to try it. It’s conveniently located across the street from a park so great place to grab a pie & eat it outdoors. I also appreciate their black food packaging, as well as a sign they posted up asking customers to not assume their employees’ genders. Win-win on my end.
Disgraceland - Vegan punk dive bar. Totally up my alley. Seriously, can we get one of these in NYC? Very spacious, with an assortment of vegan eats (we didn’t try any of the food, but I’m sure it’s good). Cash only bar.
The Communist’s Daughter - Small chic dive bar with the cleanest dive bar bathrooms I’ve ever seen. Cute space for an intimate gathering.
I went to Apiecalypse just for this pizza.
It is definitely worth it.
To Shop
Drake General Store - Nicely boutique/gift shop opened by the folks behind Drake Hotel. Spacious and down the block from the hotel. Offers an assortment of items, such as bags, pins, clothing, local condiments, housewares, body care, etc.
Public Butter - Cozy vintage shop in Parkdale selling workwear, denim, outerwear, graphic T-shirts, beanies, bags, and more.
Neighbor - Curated menswear boutique, serving as an outpost from their original Vancouver location. Located in a rather secluded area in Yorkville, this store offers two levels of designer mens apparel and accessories.
CNTRBND - Designer menswear boutique in Yorkville. They also have a sister store, ARCHIVES by CNTRBND, also in Yorkville, that also offers a nice assortment of more street-focused brands.
The Weekend Variety - Small art shop carrying prints, mugs, pins, and other small locally created knick-knacks.
Another Story - Independently owned bookstore in Parkdale with a focus on social justice and progressive values. Offers books for all ages.
Imperative - Exclusively vegan boutique on Queen St. Small and cozy. Sells an assortment of body care, cosmetics, skincare, clothing, and accessories.
