Can’t figure out where to take your clients for a lunch that isn’t the Salad Days right under the escalator? This guide is for you! Time to splash out your company’s client entertainment budget on some gastronomically excellent lunches. Even if you don’t get the deal, you’ll have gotten the meal.

The St. Lawrence Market is a Toronto food institution. First dates, work lunches, a desperate shopping spree to impress dinner party guests, St. Lawrence Market holds centuries of our collective cultural memory, sharing moments over incredible food.

To all my fellow hybrid workers who commute to the office on our mandated bi-weekly scheduled basis, I am here to help. It's been a long time since we were haunting the halls of the Toronto PATH, looking for food and drinks, but it feels like everyone (Tuesday to Thursday anyway) is back in the financial hub of the city.

For all of my fellow olive oil aficionados and lovers, if, like me, you hadn't heard of Toronto's Olive Oil Emporium, you're in for a pleasant surprise (and a few incredible bottles of olive oil).

If you're not familiar with The Golden Pigeon yet, it's the east end's favourite (and only) German beer hall, a big community space fueled by incredible beer, fantastic food, and games.

From Baywatch to bay leaf, Pamela Anderson is set to star in two Corus Entertainment shows under the Food Network Canada and HGTV brands.

Sweet Pape Village just got a little sweeter with the opening of Oliver Coffee Bar, a micro café with great coffee and even greater craic.

The Taste Canada Awards (not affiliated with TasteToronto), are "a champion of Canadian cookbooks, Taste Canada inspires readers to discover delicious recipes and diverse food stories written from a Canadian perspective."

Stepping into TWG is like being transported to a glamorous old world; floor-to-ceiling wooden shelves hold 800 varieties in shiny tins of TWG tea, the staff are dressed to the highest standard and have a deep well of knowledge about their teas, and the interiors are stunningly polished and classical music is playing softly in the background.

Brace yourself; winter is coming. And you know what that means: shovelling snow, commuting delays, and spending hours and hours in Toronto's coziest coffee shops and embracing the hygge lifestyle. There is perhaps nothing more satisfying than braving the cold to warm your hands up on a latte as you power up your laptop to whatever assignment you're working on or start flipping through the pages of your latest novel.

As of December 2022, Azhar, the stunning Ossington kitchen and bar, has launched an incredible weekend brunch menu. Don't expect to find $27 avocado smeared on sourdough or another sickly sweet challah French toast exhausting Toronto brunch menus for the past half-decade; we're talking a gorgeous group of mezzes to start, entrees like Lamb Borek, Eggplant Fatteh, M'Chancha, and more to finish. It's a splendidly refreshing brunch experience.

Another Covid-era success story, The Kettle, a new(ish) Indian-Canadian fusion restaurant, offers mouth-watering dishes and incredible culinary experiences.

Faiz and Sana, George Brown culinary arts graduates, friends for over 10 years, and industry veterans, spent years working across the food scene in Toronto and gaining experience in every restaurant department. During Covid when they lost their jobs and were forced to reassess their lives, they decided to finally open up their own brand.

"Food is primal and primordial," says Hawker's executive chef Jeff Merkel.

Stepping foot into Hawker is transportive; you're no longer in bustling Kensington Market but a calm, almost sacred space where chef Jeff and his co-owner, Darshan Daurka, want to provide a sanctum of nourishment for everyone who walks through the door.

Maple Leaf Tavern, an eatery that serves elevated North American comfort fare, is launching a new concept, "Friends and Family Night." Executive Chef Stephane Renaux of Maple Leaf Tavern is collaborating with a new chef on the first Tuesday of every month to bring us an amazing 5-course tasting menu. Chef Stephane wants to use these nights to showcase refined sustainable eating, and he's working with chefs who emphasize local ingredients sourced seasonably.

The female-founded Gusto 54 Restaurant Group (the minds behind Gusto 101, Gusto 501, Trattoria Nervosa, Chubby's Jamaican and Azhar) is opening Café ZUZU (a community hub concept) in the middle of the Regent Park community.

Forbes Wild Foods entered the brick-and-mortar scene a few months ago with a stunning store on the Danforth. What's the concept? For the past 25 years, Forbes Wild Foods has been reintroducing Ontarians to foods that have been all but lost in culinary culture/commercialization of our food systems, and with growing consumer interest in sustainable eating, it just made sense for Forbes Wild Foods to open up a storefront.

Brewing low and slow is True History's ethos, and that essence is reflected in every part of the new brewery's atmosphere. Stepping into True History Brewing is like going to your grandma's cottage (that your cousin then renovated into something younger and fresher without losing the coziness and warmth). The beer is excellent and hearty, the food pairs perfectly and is easy to share, it's not a place to get a drink and tip on, but a destination to spend your evening with family, friends and a pint of Just a Pils.

Diwali, possibly the most important and spectacular event in the South Asian community, is a festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil, the beauty of our inner light protecting us from spiritual darkness, and quite honestly a reason to just eat copious amounts of festive Indian food. Nobody in the city does a Diwali menu quite like Tanvi and Akash Swar of Little Sister Baking, and if you didn't think they could top last year's menu, in my humble opinion they totally have.

The anticipation of Michelin spending their summer building a Toronto guide has been thrilling, and after months of suspense, we finally have a date and time for the unveiling of Toronto's inaugural Michelin Guide.

If you're a Toronto-based chef (or alternatively, a Canadian chef with an Ontario address who can travel to Toronto for filming), CW and 3Bird media have paired together to create a new cooking show, Recipe For Disaster, where professional chefs showcase their skills in fantastical worlds while dealing with potential disasters.

The Golden Pigeon has arrived in the east end, and it's transporting Torontonians to a Munich-style beer hall! Toronto's newest beer hall has games (both arcade and board game varieties), spectacularly elevated Toronto/German fusion pub grub and plenty of gorgeous beers on draught.

Oldtown Bodega is one of the best-kept secrets on the east end, so secret that there is no signage indicating that you've arrived, just the promise of incredible drinks and the sounds of people having a fantastic time. And also possibly getting their haircut, because the bottom floor is a barbershop.

"Naturalism" in the restaurant industry can be digested (pun intended) as "slow food" -- cuisine that focuses on stepping away from "fast food" and emphasizing that meals are more than just sustenance tick-boxes. Food should be treated as an experience where people can be aware of every ingredient they are eating and make intelligent food choices.

The spooky coffee and book collaboration Toronto has been waiting for has finally arrived. Little Ghosts Bookstore pairs amazing beverages with horror novels on the north end of Trinity Bellwoods to create a cozy, safe space for readers and coffee lovers alike.

Oldtown Bodega is one of the best-kept secrets on the east end, so secret that there is no signage indicating that you've arrived, just the promise of incredible drinks and the sounds of people having a fantastic time. And also possibly getting their haircut, because the bottom floor is a barbershop.

My favourite place to spend a hot summer night in Toronto is in the Beaches; you feel like you're on holiday with the patios spilling out onto the streets, the feeling of sand in your birks after walking around Woodbine all day, and the sound of tinkling wine glasses full of cold chardonnay. When it hits dusk, you really don't feel like you're a streetcar away from downtown Toronto, and there are plenty of amazing restaurants in the Beaches that can fulfill your fantasy of a night somewhere tropical without a plane ticket.

A modern new brewery has sprung up in Liberty Village, and their brews definitely have "something in the water" to keep customers coming back again. Or it might just be the pink velvet banquet seats and patio that spill onto a busy section of Liberty Street.

A true Cinderella story, the unused shed plonked down in the middle of Queen Garden Centre has transformed into a glass house serving delicious coffee and big smiles.

Officially open as of May 21, Queen Garden Café is a (hopefully permanent, but currently pop-up) partnership between Daniel and Mairtin, the owner of Queen Garden Centre. Mairtin was a customer at Dineen Outpost where Daniel worked, and he wanted to bring something different to the garden centre. They had the brilliant idea to convert the empty shed into a coffee haven.

We're in the throes of Pride month in Toronto, and one amazingly fun way to support and participate with our local LGBTQ2S+ community is to attend one of the city's many wildly lively drag brunches! Historically drag brunches were held at LGBTQ2S+ bars and nightclubs, but now many restaurants are also welcoming drag performers to host brunches there too.

Put on your shorts (with the elastic band), grab your sunglasses, and get ready for the Toronto summer food festival season! It's finally upon us, weekends full of Toronto's amazing culinary vendors getting together in different parts of the city to feed us. This year we will be back in full swing, with many of our old favourites back after a two-year Covid hiatus (here's looking at you, Taco Fest!).

Muddy Crops knows produce. They're a Toronto-based fruit and vegetable supplier that source and deliver rare and difficult to find fruits and vegetables, unique tropical fruit and pasture-raised meat and eggs.

Many people argue that the most important tool a cook can have in the kitchen is their knife.

Sharp Knife Shop is the kind of supplier that will take care of all your knife needs. The Hamilton-based shop recently opened an outpost in Etobicoke; they needed more warehousing space for their booming online business. The Toronto location also has a lovely retail section that they've built up for in-person shoppers (and parking).

If you're unfamiliar with the delectable breakfast meal, shakshouka is a warm, vegetarian dish of eggs poached in a bed of tomatoes, olive oil, onion, garlic and a smattering of fresh herbs and spices like cumin, paprika, and cayenne; it's a little bit like Middle Eastern huevos rancheros. Shakshouka is often prepared and served right in a cast-iron skillet and can be eaten with naan, toast or pita.

If you're not familiar with City Cottage Market, they're an east-end grocer that does atmosphere as much as they do groceries. With pillars like supporting local, being a family-friendly, non-discriminatory community hub and offering a welcoming space and safe environment, City Cottage Market is no ordinary corner shop.

We’re not surprised that Good Behaviour is now opening a second location, because they have some of the most amazing ice cream in the city, with flavour profiles you can’t get anywhere else. Good Behaviour isn’t your corner shop ice cream; Chefs Michael and Eric conceptualized combining sophisticated techniques and innovative flavours from their restaurant background (most notably, Ascari) with the happiness and nostalgia a traditional cup of ice cream brings.

Grocery shopping isn't just an errand, it's a Covid-era hobby that can expose you to so many new ingredients and gastronomical experiences you can create in your own kitchens. At a time where indoor dining, movie theaters, museums, and galleries are closed, traipsing around a new grocery store might just be the most (genuine!) fun you can have on a Friday night.

We've all been patiently waiting for Stackt Market to reopen after their 2-month closure for an environmental survey, and as of May 3rd, they're back in full swing, this time with a bright new pop-up beckoning us with the scent of cream cakes and madeleines.

Lazy Daisy's Café is the equivalent of receiving a warm hug from your grandparents but in the form of a plate of buttermilk biscuits. Recently reopened after a 3-month shut down for renovations, Lazy Daisy's refreshed space does justice to the amazingly delicious and comforting food they serve.

From a childhood of Easy-Bake Ovens to working at Michelin-starred restaurants in New York and London, Butter and Spice Bakeshop, owned and operated by Chef Marchelle, produces some of the highest quality baked goods (most specifically, mouth-watering brownies) Toronto has to offer and is now operating on a bigger scale from the kitchen of Death in Venice.

The impending Ace Hotel opening is being anticipated with much social media fanfare, and can you blame everyone? The international boutique hotel chain is known for its modern, clean and luxuriously Instagrammable design. What we're most excited about is the hotel's restaurant, Alder. They are keeping that spectacular, high-quality vision going to their restaurant, rendered above, by using one of Toronto's most beloved chefs, Patrick Kriss.

Mask mandates have relaxed, capacity restrictions have been lifted, spring is on the horizon, and what better way to celebrate than checking out Toronto's newest bars? Despite pandemic-era life causing no shortage of issues for restaurants and bars, Toronto's latest watering holes that opened in the last year have managed to hit the scene with a flourish; offering gorgeous new interiors, stunning cocktails, and the warm company of our friends and family that we've all been craving these past few years.

To quote Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, “Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people,” Queer Wine Night in Toronto embodies that welcoming atmosphere.

There are places in Toronto that "do" fried chicken sandwiches, and there are places that do fried chicken sandwiches. Ghost Chicken, which quietly opened up on 74 Ossington Avenue on February 8, does fried chicken sandwiches, and they can do it with their house Nashville spice blend and oil, or their smoked paprika glaze or a cilantro-jalapeno crema.

If you're not familiar with them already, The Communist's Daughter and Three Speed Bar are Torontonian drinking staples; cozy exposed-brick interiors, high-quality drinks, and warm and friendly service are the marks of both bars. Co-owners Paul Emery, Jud and Daniel have worked magic yet again, and 222 Bar will continue this legacy of excellent service and a welcoming atmosphere (but with a bit of 1980s twist).

Flora’s Deli, which has been doling out Italian-style deli-sandwiches in various pop-up locations since August 2020, is closing its most recent pop-up at Grapecrush, a Dundas West wine bar and bottle shop, as of today, Feb. 27.

Blondies Pizza is rapidly taking over the GTA (and we're not angry); whenever I'm in my condo elevator and I see someone holding the distinct bright pink and white polka-dot pizza box, I know they're in for a good night. Their newest location is popping up on 419 Parliament Street, and if everything sticks to plan, they are slated to open on Friday, February 18; Cabbagetown and Regent Park pizza lovers rejoice!

With bars back open for dine-in and Valentine's Day fast approaching, you and your significant other are likely champing at the bit to toast the occasion outside the confines of your home this year. Whether you're raising a glass to a new partnership, tried and true love, a first date or celebrating with your closest friends, Toronto has plenty of cocktail bars, dimly lit wine bars and lively breweries to celebrate. Here is a list of the most romantic bars in Toronto.

One of the best-kept secrets of Stackt Market is BMO. You likely would never associate a bank with food and fun, but BMO at their anchor location at Stackt Market isn't an ordinary banking branch! Since Stackt opened in 2019, BMO has been hosting free workshops for the Toronto community.

Sneaky Dee's, Toronto's famous Tex-Mex restaurant, concert venue, bar and post night-out haven for nachos, is now venturing into the coffee shop scene with the launch of Little Sneaky's Café. Sneaky Dee's is a brand we can rely on––since 1987, Sneaky's has been there for us, and during pandemic-era Toronto, even they have had to pivot their offering a little to keep staff busy and money coming in.

Bao Sandwich Bar, serving some of the best affordable bao in Ontario, has opened up its second location in Mississauga at the end of November, and it's an absolute treat for vegetarians and carnivores alike. You may recognize Bao Sandwich Bar from its original Waterloo location, and now that same bao is available in Mississauga.

Coffee lovers rejoice! Malawi-based Maravi coffee has launched a virtual shop for Canadians to buy the remarkable Southeastern African beans that are roasted right here in Ontario to guarantee a perfectly fresh cup of coffee.

Pretty Little Layers, previously featured on TasteToronto here, has some big 2022 changes in store for French patisserie lovers in Toronto. The new treats are available right on time for Valentine's Day, so if you want to gift your loved one something impressive and delicious, look no further than Pretty Little Layers.

Many of us grew up watching "Cake Boss" on TLC -- spending hours after school on cold wintry days watching Buddy and his big Italian family bake gravity-defying cakes. Now, we'll be able to take a nostalgic bite out of Cake Boss's creations at Canada's first Carlo's Bakery, located in Port Credit at 167 Lakeshore Road in Mississauga.Description goes here

You may have noticed that the stunning Paris Paris has moved from their Dundas location to 146 Ossington Avenue, and with a new (massive) location comes a host of new projects and treats for the ever-thirsty Toronto wine-lover population.

Cinnaholic, the fastest growing plant-based cinnamon bun chain in North America, is set to open a new location in High Park this week on Dec. 17.

Never again will you show up to another holiday party with a lacklustre grocery store cake if you plan ahead and order one of Toronto's most festive desserts or pastries for the festive season. Available at Toronto's many fantastic bakeries, cafes and dessert shops, impress your entire dinner party (for once).

The newly opened South Indian coffee house is turning heads at its colourful new location where Torontonians can finally have a cup of bold and creamy traditional kaapi.