What to eat Toronto? culinary specialties and gastronomy

The Greater Toronto Area is a cultural and linguistic mosaic, with half of its population being foreign born. There are ethnic groups that speak more than 100 different languages and dialects. Ontario and the Toronto area are the largest immigrant-receiving areas in Canada, which explains their great ethnic diversity. All these waves of immigration have created enclaves, notably in Toronto, which is home to the Chinatown, Greektown, Koreatown, India Bazaar, Little Italy, Little Portugal, Little Tibet and Pakistan Bazaar of the world.

Michelin has just launched its first ever guide to Canada's largest city in 2022, and it's about time! Thirteen restaurants stood out from the crowd, with twelve getting one star and one getting two. Japanese, French, contemporary or Italian cuisine, these are certainly restaurants to discover. For more information on the selected restaurants, starred or not: guide.michelin.com/en/ontario/toronto/restaurants

At a time when North American cities were seeing the emergence of street food trucks, Toronto was a bit slow on the uptake. The city did allow street snacks, but only if they were hot dogs. And it must be said that the spectacle of businessmen in the Financial District eating their sausage rolls in a hurry was distracting. That said, the tradition lives on and you can easily find these little hot dog stands in the business district and around the Harbourfront. But in recent years, food trucks have joined the street food movement and there are now over a hundred of them crisscrossing the parks, parking along the waterfront, catering to festival-goers and filling the streets with tasty smells. These meals-on-wheels offer a wide variety of products and sometimes improbable combinations; it is certainly the best way to discover new dishes or to become familiar with local cuisine. To find them - food trucks are often on the move - visit streetfoodapp.com/toronto. Still in the spirit of street food, containers are set up year-round in Alexandria Park and offer, among other things, Afghan, Caribbean, Japanese and even Turkish cuisine: this is Market 707. The same kind of concept can be found at Stackt Market

In the summer, it's time for rooftops. At the first sign of spring, when the weather turns warm, Torontonians gather at the top. In the upscale neighbourhoods or those in full emergence, with a good meal or the latest cocktail, the terraces wake up with gusto. People gather to gaze at Lake Ontario or comment on the latest downtown buildings that have sprung up over the winter. And we meet everywhere in the city, because the offer is immense, but obviously, we have our favorite addresses. Not only do they offer a sublime view, but we also enjoy them. It is the case of Lavelle which proposes a French cuisine revisited on one of the most beautiful terraces of the city. Cherry on the cake: there is even a swimming pool to cool off! We also recommend The Chase, a restaurant specializing in meat, fish and seafood, which has a nice terrace on the^5th floor, surrounded by the buildings of the city center. We also like the terrace of the Broadview Hotel in the pretty Riverside district. And for the best view ever, head to the top of the CN Tower at 360 Restaurant. In addition to offering a memorable dining experience, supported by a wine list of over 550 wines from Canada and around the world, the restaurant rotates every 72 minutes. The best!

While Toronto is a great place to eat, it is also a great place to drink. Like everywhere else,craft beers are popular and there are dozens of independent breweries in the city. They are also the best place to enjoy food made from regional products, and they often offer cultural and artistic programming that highlights the local scene. There are many good places to go throughout this guide, including the must-visit Bellwoods Brewery, the Japanese Godspeed Brewery and the Birreria Volo

From Grimsby to Niagara Falls on the Niagara Peninsula, there are two wine routes with nearly 100 locations (Niagara-on-the-Lake / Niagara Escarpment & Twenty Valley). Discover Niagara's vineyards and spend a few days in a wonderful setting, where wine tastings and guided tours of the wineries follow one another. Winemaking is both a science and an art. All the stages of wine making are explained, from the soil where the vine grows to the cork that seals the bottle. Some are masters in this art. Château des Charmes, Inniskillin, Peller Estates and Jackson-Triggs are just the tip of the iceberg. Discover also the secrets of ice wines, in the largest and most prestigious producing region. This sweet wine is made from grapes picked frozen in January. This ice wine, so popular in Asian countries such as China and Japan, is called "liquid gold" or "dessert wine". Several wineries, including Inniskillin, the first Ontario producer to receive an international award for its ice wine in 1991, will allow you to discover the delicacy of producing this rich and intense nectar. Authentic icewine must be made from grapes picked... at night! Indeed, the grapes must have spent three days on the vine at -8°C, after having survived the torments of autumn. The fruit must be pressed in the field so that the thick liquid retains a maximum of flavor. Production is small. It takes five to seven times as many frozen grapes to produce ice wine as traditional wine. It takes about 3.5 kg of Riesling or Vidal grapes to fill a 375 ml bottle, which explains the high price of Ontario icewines, but because you can't put a price on happiness, this rich, flavourful beverage is widely enjoyed. Depending on where you start, follow this tour: Beamsville, Vineland, Jordan, St. Catherines and Niagara-on-the-Lake (or the reverse). Info: winecountryontario.ca

With such a culinary diversity, there is no need to specify that festivals dedicated to gastronomy follow one another without a break. Whether you're a beer lover (The Roundhouse Winter Craft Beer Fest, Toronto's Festival of Beer, Cask Days...), a street food lover(Toronto Food Truck Festival, Waterfront Night Market...), a vegan food lover (Vegandale...) or an artisanal food lover (The Feast of St. Lawrence...), there is a whole world of flavors to discover in the city.