Nicknamed “Toronto the Good” for its prudish reputation, North America’s fourth-largest city has long been celebrated as clean, safe, and livable. In other words: the Singapore of North America. These days, however, the once-sleepy metropolis has developed an edge. Thanks to a startling post-recession recovery, the gentrification of former working-class neighborhoods and a full-blown construction craze have transformed the skyline, and former industrial zones like West Toronto Junction are morphing into creative hubs as galleries and studios take over empty warehouses. Meanwhile, the culinary landscape has benefited from the city’s ethnic communities, whose growth—while always strong due to a welcoming immigration policy—has exploded in the past ten years (there are now six distinct Chinatowns, not to mention everything from Little Iran to Little Italy). It’s no surprise, then, that this town is no longer content to be merely “good.”
Shop Around
There’s no shortage of style in this town— you just have to know where to look.
The city is packed with killer vintage-fashion boutiques, but this stalwart in Ossington is our favorite, offering an ever-changing tour through high-fashion history, including classic pieces by Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga, and Céline.
It feels like the minimalist apartment of your dreams, but Mjölk—Swedish for “milk”—is actually a store in the up-and-coming Junction neighborhood, carrying Scandinavian, Japanese, and Canadian objets, like geometric lighting fixtures by Studio Vit and high-concept ceramics by Masanobu Ando.
Tucked away on a quiet residential street in the tony Summerhill neighborhood, this cozy shop stocks on- trend womenswear such as Acne, Helmut Lang, and Rag and Bone as well as pieces from local favorites: jewelry by Jenny Bird, known for her intricate statement-making pieces, and luxe lingerie brand Fortnight.
From his sparse, airy boutique in Queen West, under-the-radar menswear designer Sydney Mamane sells his collection of slim, austere suits and restrained casual wear, including made-in-Toronto button- downs, raw denim jeans, and super-soft T-shirts (shopsydneys.com).
Where We Stay
The best (and most beautiful) places in town to spend the night.
It isn’t so much a hotel as an all-in-one concert venue, gallery, café, restaurant…that just happens to have 19 guest rooms. Opened in 2004, The Drake instantly transformed Toronto’s West End from working-class to creative-class, drawing penniless artists and their moneyed patrons with its contemporary art, leather club chairs, and impeccable service (from $200).
This 259-room, soaring glass tower—the flagship property of the Toronto-based Four Seasons—opened nearly three years ago among the boutiques and cafés of Yorkville. The interiors were created by local superstar design firm Yabu Pushelberg and feature more than 1,700 commissioned artworks, including a sculpture carved from moose antlers by the British Columbia–based Shane Wilson (from $400).
A dose of urban Zen between the city’s entertainment and financial districts, the 202-room hotel makes good use of East Asian elements (black- and-white Japanese watercolors, chinoiserie vases) to create a calming home base. There’s also an outpost of chef David Chang’s Momofuku—the first outside the United States—for those late-night ramen cravings (from $300).
WHERE CAN I…
…find the world’s best Manhattan?
Jen Agg, whose Dundas West Cocktail Bar is across the street from her restaurants, Black Hoof and Rhum Bar, so reveres the Manhattan that she’s spent years perfecting it. Hers is made with ten-year-old rye, Carpano Antica Formula vermouth, and homemade bitters. Agg has no qualms about imposing her idiosyncratic worldview on patrons—to wit, she’s banned vodka from her apothecary- inspired bar (hoofcocktailbar.com).
…explore a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood that time forgot?
A century after Jewish immigrants established Kensington Market, a generation of new-school (yet old-school) shopkeepers have the hippie-meets-hipster neighborhood bustling again. Make stops at fishmonger Hooked, sourdough sanctuary Blackbird Bakery (N.Y.C. chef April Bloomfield is a co-owner), and butcher shop/sandwich joint Sanagan’s Meat Locker—ideally on the last Sunday of a warm-weather month, when the streets are closed to cars (kensington-market.ca).
…order authentic dim sum?
Adjacent to Kensington Market is one of North America’s largest and liveliest Chinatowns, home to dozens of authentic, affordable eateries. For lunch or dinner, you’ll find the city’s best dim sum at the always-packed Rol San (416-977-1128), Mother’s Dumplings (mothersdumplings.com), and Noble Seafood (416-597-0888). Or come for a late-night snack—some restaurants here get around the post–2 a.m. alcohol ban by selling beer as “cold tea.”
…eat some seriously good BBQ?
Anthony Rose is a rising star in Toronto’s food scene, and the raucous Big Crow, in The Annex neighborhood, is at the heart of his empire (which also includes the greasy spoon Rose and Sons and the Israeli/Eastern European Fat Pasha). Whether under open skies in summer or in a heated tent in winter, Big Crow burns through a small forest each night, cooking everything from pistou pork ribs to apricot jam–topped salami to tiny tender chickens on an ever-roaring fire (roseandsonsbigcrow.com).
Even Torontonians Get Excited About These Cultural Gems
In northeast Toronto, the newly opened Aga Khan Museum, designed by Pritzker Prize– winning architect Fumihiko Maki, is set on an impeccably landscaped 17-acre site. Its 1,000-piece collection—which focuses on the intellectual and creative contributions of Islamic cultures—has toured the world, stopping in the Louvre and the Hermitage before settling into its spectacular permanent home last year.
The 115-year-old AGO is the go-to for high- wattage shows by marquee names like Ai Weiwei and Matthew Barney. Then there’s the permanent collection, which contains more than 5,000 Inuit works, pieces by European masters, and the world’s largest holding of Henry Moore sculptures. The Frank Gehry–designed glass- and-wood facade is itself a work of art (ago.net).
Located in the former home of the Toronto Stock Exchange, DX stages an eclectic mix of visiting graphic- and fashion-design exhibitions, from “Christian Louboutin: 20 Years” to Stefan Sagmeister’s “The Happy Show,” along with original exhibits such as “This Is Not a Toy,” guest curated by Pharrell Williams.
GET HERE EARLY: BAR RAVAL
Chef Grant van Gameren’s Spanish-inflected Bar Isabel became the city’s buzziest spot right after it opened in 2013. His new Bar Raval, in Little Italy, is just as hot, serving perfect tapas like house-tinned razor clams and squid cooked in pork fat. The only bummer: They don’t take reservations, so get on the list by 5p.m. to beat the crowds (thisisbarraval.com).