Toronto The BiblioCommons City Guide Contents

Must-see Best sushi spot 1 attraction 15

Most overrated Best coffee shop 4 tourist trap 16

Neighbourhood Best tacos 6 to visit 18

Favorite brunch Best food 8 spot 20 (any category)

Favorite pizza Favorite book 11 place 22 store

Best place to buy Best Indian food 12 25 souvenirs

Where to get the Best place to most authentic 14 grab a drink 27 “Toronto” experience Must-see attraction:

→ The Royal Museum (ROM) Featuring the most exhaustive collection of art, artifacts, fossils, and more in , the is a must-see for millions of visitors to the city each year — museum lovers or not.

100 Queens Park

1 → A local favourite, the Toronto Islands are a collection of 15 small islands in , about a five minute ferry ride away from the downtown core. On Centre Island you’ll find beaches, cafes, a small amusement park, and miles of beautiful scenic biking trails.

Access via the Center Island Ferry, off of Harbour Square

2 Downloading a transit app to find out upcoming TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) arrival times will help you to feel more in control of your TTC- related destiny.

– Catherine Lamoureux, Project Coordinator, Special Projects

3 Most overrated tourist trap:

→ CN Tower While an impressive feature of Toronto’s skyline, many find actually visiting the CN Tower underwhelming. If you’re into good views and don’t mind waiting in lines, give it a shot. Otherwise, we give you permission to pass on it.

301 Front St W

→ Yonge-Dundas Square Yonge and Dundas Square is like a pared down version of Times Square. But unless you love hectic crowds, blaring noise (think incessant honking and street proselytisers) and chain restaurants, it isn’t worth fighting the pedestrian traffic.

1 Dundas St E

4 Watch out for cars when you’re walking! They can be aggressive and try to beat you at a light and may not see you.

– Sharin Kaur, Director of Customer Services

5 Neighbourhood to visit:

→ The bohemian gem of the city, Kensington Market boasts a motley collection of interesting shops, restaurants, and people. If you’re staying the weekend, be sure to visit on Sunday, September 30th, when the neighborhood comes alive with performers, food stands, and more for Pedestrian Sundays.

Start at College St. and Augusta Ave, and head south

6 → West Queen West West Queen West was dubbed “one of the coolest streets in the world” by Vogue, and for good reason: you’d be hard pressed to find a better selection of restaurants, bars, independent shops, and people- watching anywhere else.

Start at Queen St. and Spadina Ave, and head west

7 Favorite brunch spot:

→ Hello 123 This cozy spot is relatively new to the city, but already well-loved for its vegan takes on comfort food classics, like its Almond and Banana French Toast, Benny Benny (an eggs benedict style dish with tofu ricotta), and Messy Home Fries, loaded with avocado and cashew cream.

1122 Queen St W

→ The Federal Offering brunch from 9am - 3pm every day, the Federal is a great spot to grab just about anything you could want for brunch. From classics like scrambled eggs to a breakfast cubano, it’s a great spot for a group with diverse cravings.

1438 Dundas St W

8 → Schmaltz Appetizing The self-proclaimed “purveyors of fine fish” are known throughout the city for their appetizing (see what we did there?) smoked fish bagels and cream cheese. “The Kvetch” has been called “one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city.” Is it true? Go see for yourself!

224 Ossington Ave

9 There’s so much good food in Toronto, avoid the touristy places (like The Keg, Joey’s, Jack Astors) and opt for a cuisine like Thai, sushi, Mexican, or Indian. Some of the best in Canada is here.

– Teresa Harris, Marketing Manager

10 Favorite pizza place:

→ Pizzeria Libretto Ask any local where to go for some of the best pizza in town and they’ll point you to Pizzeria Libretto (aka, just Libretto.) They offer an impressive range of Neapolitan style pies and their King West location’s gluten-free menu is celiac-friendly (and just as delicious.)

221 Ossington Ave

→ General Assembly Beloved by BiblioCommons staff for its proximity to our office, range of unexpected flavours (with fun names like “Fern Gully” and “Lamb Borghini”) and super-reasonable price-points. Their salads are also bomb, but you don’t make friends with salad, so get their pizza, ‘kay?

331 Adelaide St W

11 Best Indian food:

→ Aroma Blink and you’ll miss it as you’re strolling through King West’s theatre district, Aroma is tucked away atop a Second Cup. Expect a bevvy of Indian classics served buffet-style in an elegant (re: white table clothed) environment.

287 King St W

→ Banjara Banjara is a local favourite that offers not only arguably the best butter chicken in the city, but also — gasp! — parking right in front. Eat inside or take your biryani next door to a picnic table at the popular Park. It’s a bit far from the BiblioCon action, but the short Uber ride would be well worth it.

796 Bloor St W

12 If you’re into beer, there’s some great local breweries, all of which are clever at naming their brews (Octopus Wants to Fight, Jam up the Mash, Wizard Wolf, etc.)

Brietta O’Leary, Senior Instructional Designer

13 Best place to grab a drink:

→ Bellwoods Brewery Named after the beloved , Bellwoods Brewery and brewpub offers a wide range of bright, fresh, hoppy styles ranging from hazy pale ales with lactose, to fruity double IPAs. We recommend a Jelly King draft with a side of herbed fries and garlic mayo.

124 Ossington Ave

→ BarChef What do Clear Sun, Bright Days, Forest Pear, and Fields of Grain have in common? They’re all craft cocktails imagined by the infamous Bar Chef (among dozens of others.) If you’re looking for an artful, high-end means to imbibe, look no further.

472 Queen St W

14 Best sushi spot: → To-ne Sushi In addition to the sashimi and maki classics you know and love, To-ne Sushi offers a massive range of what they call “fusion rolls” — think the Philadelphia (smoked salmon, cream cheese and scallions) and the P.E.I. (featuring lobster tempura) — all at reasonable prices.

414 Queen St W

→ Saku Sushi Down the street from To-Ne is Saku Sushi, a cozy (re: very small — make a reservation!) sushi bistro. While they offer a wide variety of options, including many vegan dishes, what sets Saku apart is their extensive and super fairly priced cocktail menu.

478 Queen St W

15 Best coffee shop:

→ Strange Love A 3 minute walk from the BiblioCommons office, Strange Love has a special place in our employees’ hearts. Their range of hot and cold beverages suit every taste, and the baked goods (with vegan and gluten free options) are worth a bite.

101 Spadina Ave

→ Jimmy’s Coffee A Toronto-wide staple, Jimmy’s Coffee is known and loved by all. Each cafe is cozy and eclectic, many offering patios that feel like your friend’s backyard. And they don’t just serve coffee — choose from a huge selection of teas, juices, and baked goods.

15 Ossington Ave

16 The Second City (51 Mercer St) is always great. Full dinner service, too. See the people who will be your favorite comedians five years from now, today.

Doug Sheppard, Sr. Full Stack Software Engineer

17 Best tacos: → La Carnita While the tacos are undeniably some of the best in the city, when you go to La Carnita, there are two things you must order: street corn to start, and churros with dulce de leche for dessert. Don’t ask questions — just do.

501 College St

→ Seven Lives Tucked away in Kensington Market is one of the tiniest, yet most popular, taco joints in the city. They’re best known for the Gobernador: a soft corn tortilla stacked with house-smoked tuna, grilled shrimp, and cheese.

69 Kensington Ave

18 → Wilbur Mexicana Wilbur Mexicana looks like a classy fast food joint — you order at the counter and then go find a seat — but the quality of food is far from it. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas and fajitas are all on offer, and you can top them with one or several of the salsas, ranked from mild to 1,000,000 on the Scoville heat scale, from the self- serve salsa bar.

552 King St W

19 Best food (any category):

→ La Cubana La Cubana serves some of the best Cuban food Toronto has to offer — think pressed cubanos, medianoche, and guava bbq beef short rib. If you’re not drooling yet, consider starting your meal with a mango colada and top it off with chocolate natilla (a classic Cuban custard dessert).

92 Ossington Ave

BiblioCon attendees get a free side dish when they spend $20 before tax at La Cubana by mentioning BiblioCon to their server!

20 → Fresh Offering vegetarian and vegan takes on everything from comfort foods (think mushroom gravy poutine and “chick’n” Caesar wraps) to the greenest of salads and juices to delectable vegan and gluten free desserts, Fresh is a great spot to satisfy your healthier, animal-free cravings.

894 Queen St W

→ St. Lawrence Market Bustling with the most variety of cuisines under one roof in the city, the St. Lawrence Market is open every day except Monday and Sunday. We recommend visiting on Saturday though, when you can get a taste of rural Ontario’s best produce, meats, and other home-grown delicacies at the weekly Farmer’s Market.

93 Front St E

21 Favorite book store:

→ BMV A beloved independent Toronto bookstore chain, BMV’s philosophy is to sell good books at low — like, up to 75% off low— prices. Visit the 15,000 sq. ft. flagship store on Bloor West to experience Canada’s largest bookstore for second- hand and discounted books, or pop into the two-story space on Queen West for the same, if not slightly less intimidating, experience.

244 Queen St W

22 → Type We love Type’s curated selection of best sellers, tricky to find cult favourites, and Toronto-centric titles. The staff are knowledgeable and the space is just big enough to spend half an hour getting lost in the stacks.

883 Queen St W

→ The Monkey’s Paw Visit The Monkey’s Paw, Toronto’s antiquarian shop specializing in uncommon books and paper artifacts, and you might find a 700-page textbook covering the most niche topic you could possibly think of, or perhaps a manifesto that wouldn’t last 5-seconds in today’s society. Whatever you’re looking for, don’t leave until you check out the Biblio-Mat, the world’s first randomizing vending machine for old books.

1067 Bloor St. W

23 Come From Away is playing and is an awesome Canadian musical.

Ian Forrest, Manager, Software Engineering

24 Best place to buy Toronto souvenirs:

→ Drake General Store Across the street from The Drake Hotel, where BiblioCon is taking place, you’ll find the Drake General Store. From high-quality, locally made clothing and accessories to mugs, games, and home decor, co-founder and director Carlo Colacci says the store has “a little bit of everything and something for everyone.”

1151 Queen St W

25 → Spacing Store Spacing Store, self-proclaimed “Toronto’s City Store,” offers a curated selection of iconic streetcar and Toronto Raptors paraphernalia, neighborhood themed buttons, and unique publications that dive into Toronto’s history.

401 Richmond St W

→ Chinatown Bustling and sure to shock your senses (especially if you stroll by on garbage pickup day) visiting Chinatown is a unique experience. The sidewalks can be crowded and the stores may be random, but if you’re looking for standard, inexpensive souvenirs (followed by some of the cheapest, tastiest Asian food you’ll find in the city), spend an hour here.

Start at Dundas St and Spadina Ave, and head North, South, or East

26 Where to get the most authentic “Toronto” experience:

→ Trinity Bellwoods Park If the sun’s out, you can bet that Trinity Bellwoods Park, located directly on the trendy West Queen West Street, will be dotted with picnic-ers, sun bathers, dog walkers, and — well — the rest of Toronto.

790 Queen St W

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