ELLE Escapes: Toronto

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I arrived in Toronto last autumn, as many do each year, with the intention to spend most of my stay huddled inside a frigid movie theater. September in the Canadian cultural hub is home to the beloved Toronto International Film Festival, which beckons A-list celebrities, film buffs, and media types like myself to argue about the latest and greatest in cinema (and, ideally, divine the next Oscar winners). TIFF 2023 was my first time at the festival, my first time in Toronto, and my first time in Canada, so the idea of venturing far outside a screening room felt equally overwhelming and unlikely. But as soon as I spent more than five minutes turning in circles around the streets outside my hotel, I grew enchanted with the food, the weather, the architecture, and the history—and found myself slipping away between films as often as possible. (I’ll even admit to skipping a screening or two in favor of further exploration.)

Along the way, I enlisted a guide from the Toronto Society of Architects to point out the city’s fascinating blend of old-school British style and boundary-pushing modern construction. With his help—and some off-the-path exploring of my own—I discovered spots I’m eager to revisit on my next trip up north. The below recommendations are far from an exhaustive guide to an always-evolving city, but they offer a hand-picked entry point for the Ontario beacon—particularly if you only have a few days to spare. Whether you’re planning a trip for TIFF later this year or traveling earlier to avoid the lanyard-adorned crowds, here are a few worthy gems for the journey.

What to See

Kensington Market

One of the most popular neighborhoods in downtown Toronto, Kensington has a eclectic appeal that residents and visitors have enjoyed for decades, as numerous immigrant communities have moved in and through the charming storefronts, each leaving a permanent footprint on the makeup and attitude of the area. Set aside a few hours to meander amongst the wall murals and aging Victorian homes while stopping by specialty food purveyors, cafés and restaurants, arts spaces, and clothing boutiques. Vintage hounds, in particular, will find much to discover (and adore) from Courage My Love, Flamingo Vintage, funky costume mainstay Exile, and numerous other thrifty depots. Get caffeinated at Moonbeam Coffee, Jimmy’s Coffee, or Fika before you begin your stroll. Once you get hungry, stop for under-$10 Canadian steamed dumplings at Mother’s Dumplings, fish tacos at Seven Lives, or some cheese and charcuterie at Cheese Magic.

The Distillery District

Officially opened in 2003, the Distillery District is a pedestrian-only zone southeast of downtown Toronto, and the home of numerous red-brick Victorian buildings that housed the former Gooderham & Worts Distillery, once the largest distillery in the British Empire. Eventually abandoned in the 1990s, the area’s owners decided to reinvent the neighborhood as a stronghold for arts and culture while preserving the historic look and feel. Today, visitors can explore cobblestoned streets lined with bars and restaurants, shops and offices, art galleries, and theaters. Sip a coffee from Arvo Coffee before a classic combo of beer, burgers, and poutine from Mill St. Brew Pub, then peruse art at your leisure: Thompson Landry Gallery, Arta Gallery, and Corkin Gallery are all apparent local favorites. If you’ve budgeted for another shopping spree after your Kensington Market vintage finds, swing by Gotstyle for elegant finds (and a personal styling session), or pick up Canadian-crafted home décor, clothing, and jewelry at Distill.

Royal Ontario Museum

The Royal Ontario Museum’s jagged crystal-inspired entrance, fused to the classic brick-and-stone exterior, is a love-it-or-hate-it sight for many Torontonians, but there’s no question that what awaits you inside is a wonder to behold. The ROM is Canada’s largest museum, and the transparent number of treasures on offer is almost overwhelming, mixing tiny artifacts of ancient civilizations with jaw-dropping dinosaur skeletons. (A delight for my husband and me, especially when our guide presented us with a dino tooth to balance on our palms.) Daily tours are free upon admission, and I highly recommend joining one—unless you’d prefer to get lost amongst the suits of armor and mummy sarcophagi, which, truth be told, sounds just as fun.

Minnie Belted Cotton-Blend Twill Trench Coat

Vesey Blouse

Anagram Appliquéd High-Rise Wide-Leg Jeans

Where to Eat

Rasa

A cozy-meets-industrial spot with exposed materials and an outdoor patio nestled in Harbord Village, Rasa serves sharable global-fusion bites and entrées for a leisurely but delicious course-by-course delight. Sample the chopped salad with chickpeas, grilled octopus with green mole, and the lamb dumplings with vindaloo, but make sure not to stuff yourself ahead of dessert: The sticky bun with cream cheese anglaise and candied bacon was a melt-in-your-mouth delicacy, one I’m still dreaming about months later.

Piano Piano

Ever considered slicing your pizza not with a roller but a pair of personal scissors? At Piano Piano, that’s the (Instagram-ready) norm. A multi-location staple in Toronto, Piano Piano serves sleek-but-classic Italian fare for lunch and dinner in four different spots throughout the city, with each interior dreamed up by a Toronto-based designer. The name, which comes from the Italian phrase “piano piano va lontano,” meaning “slowly slowly we go further,” matches the relax-and-enjoy-yourself attitude of the restaurant itself. Pizza is a clear hero here—I particularly enjoyed The People’s Champ, a prosciutto-and-arugula-adorned pie—but pasta, meat, and fish are equally celebrated. If you’re dining in a group, be sure to consider the Dinner for Two or Family options, which allow you to taste the “greatest hits” for a fixed price.

Canoe

The ideal spot for an upscale date night with sweeping views of the Toronto skyline, Canoe rests on the 54th floor of the TD Centre, allowing visitors a picturesque look at the CN Tower and surrounding city landmarks. But the looks aren’t the only draw to one of Canada’s most acclaimed restaurants. Canoe serves so-called “haute Canadiana” cuisine, presenting elegant spins on timeless national dishes. The menu is seasonal, adapting to whatever’s fresh and flavorful—fish, mushrooms, meats, and vegetables sourced from throughout Canada—but expect an always-genius raw bar alongside a rotating tasting menu. With a well-stocked wine list and plenty of hand-crafted cocktails with which to whet your appetite, Canoe does everything it can to match the hype.

La Robe Bari Dress Pale Yellow

Heloise Metallic Nappa Sandal

Mini Jodie Siren And Gold

Where to Drink

Mother Cocktail Bar

One of the most celebrated cocktail bars in Toronto—if not all of Canada—Mother uses its on-site fermentation room to shake up unique (and beautiful to behold) delicacies. Unexpected ingredients like horseradish, black garlic, caramelized yogurt, candy cap mushrooms, and bee pollen intermingle with indulgent spirits and liqueurs to make a visit to Mother feel like its own multi-course meal. The excellent bar menu means you can stay for a real multi-course meal, too. Start with sourdough bread with red miso butter, then pair udon noodles or jerk chicken karaage with your drink of choice. Or craft your own cocktail with Mother’s Symbiosis experience, in which you select a base spirit and a seasonal ingredient, then inform the bartender of your palate, and they’ll whip up something to your liking. Those who prefer a non-alcoholic option won’t feel forgotten, either: Bee pollen lemonade and seasonal kombucha give the same nuanced flavor without the hangover.

Cry Baby Gallery

A not-to-be-missed culture-and-cocktails synthesis, Cry Baby Gallery in Toronto’s Little Portugal is indeed an art gallery, featuring exhibitions that “[bridge] the gap between fine art and street art.” But those in search of refreshments can find a New York-style speakeasy hidden in the building, where the cocktails are a work of art unto themselves. The bar is first-come, first-serve, so head to the dim, neon-lit industrial space in the rear of the gallery to snag a chair (and a spicy margarita) before the crowd shuffles in.

Skylight

Atop the roof of the W Toronto hotel rests the bohemian-chic, greenery-adorned Skylight, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant and cocktail lounge. The food itself is great—I’d recommend the pistachio-crusted kebabs with sides of saffron dill rice and hummus—but the cocktails are another major draw to the vibrant space, particularly if you prefer your dinner with a show. Select drinks, such as the mezcal and sherry-forward High Park, come served in a smoke-filled glass display case, which—once lifted—evaporates to reveal the candy-colored, delicately garnished drink inside.

Open-Back Stretch-Jersey Midi Dress

Solene Open Toe Mule

Molten Large Hoops in Gold

Where to Stay

W Toronto

Colorful and contemporary with a playful, nightlife-inspired aesthetic, the W Toronto enjoys a prime spot in the ritzy neighborhood of Yorkville, where brands such as Chanel and Christian Dior have planted brick-and-mortar stores in the buzzy shopping and dining scene. (For a multi-brand luxury shopping experience in the area, I recommend The Webster, which, for your sake, hopefully still has the perfect Khaite shirtdress in stock.) On the ground level is Public School, a coffeehouse-meets-bar with a grab-and-go section as well as refined seated options; upstairs is The Living Room, the lobby-meets-restaurant where fellow guests can convene for afternoon tea, craft cocktails, and a champagne-dispensing vending machine; and on the roof is the aforementioned Mediterranean spot Skylight. Stylish jewel-toned suites featuring trendy geometric designs make the W’s accommodations feel plush but fashionable.

Shangri-La Toronto

Classic elegance defines the Shangri-La Toronto, a five-star beacon in the midst of the action downtown. Guest suites merge the hotel brand’s signature East Asian-influenced décor with indulgent amenities: skyline views, heated marble floors, deep-soaking tubs, and in-room iPads to get the temperature and lighting just right. A 20-meter lap pool rests beneath a glass roof in the 9,000-square-foot health and fitness area, where you’ll find top-of-the-line gym equipment alongside a sauna and steam room. (But carve out additional time for the Miraj Hammam Spa, an award-winning wellness space where you can enjoy personalized massages, clean-beauty facials, and full-body contouring.) Catch a film in the 42-seat movie screening room, and book a reservation at the ground-floor Italian restaurant, bosk. Each fall, the accomplished bartenders develop a new speciality cocktail menu with ingredients inspired by cinema classics and the year’s favorite fest films. I tried “The Sound of Music,” a fizzy confection served in a Erlenmeyer flask-like container atop a mound of moss and fake flowers.

Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

An undeniably accessible locale, the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel is positioned in the center of downtown. An enclosed waterfall garden (complete with an urban bee-keeping program) greets guests as they arrive in the spacious lobby, where they can grab a coffee at Dual Citizen before heading downstairs to discover an entrance to Toronto’s interconnected PATH web of walkable tunnels. Up on the 43rd floor, the Club Lounge is a sleek spot to answer emails or indulge in an appetizer or two. (The sunset views, in particular, are well worth the trip upstairs.) For book lovers like myself, a bonus draw to Sheraton properties is the brand’s ongoing partnership with Reese’s Book Club, which stocks select hotels with exclusive pop-up Lobby Libraries, where readers can shop hand-picked titles, experience gatherings with fellow enthusiasts (including BookTok meet-ups), and attend author and community events.

Oversized Core Crewneck

Core Sweatpant

Caroline Small Tote Bag

Beauty Picks

Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Hydration is an absolute essential when traveling, and I’ve fallen in love with the simplicity and effectiveness of Dime’s Hyaluronic Acid Serum, which makes my skin feel soothed and soft after one tiny dropper of product. The little bottle is easy to stash away in your carry-on, meaning you can bring it out whenever your skin needs a mid-flight boost.

Urban Antioxidant Sunscreen

During my Toronto visit, I stopped by Formula Fig, part of a chain of skincare-obsessed facilities in Vancouver, Toronto, and Los Angeles that offer facials and injectables in a slick watermelon-green treatment space. My assigned facialist recommended I pick up a few Dr. Loretta products—such as this urban antioxidant sunscreen—to protect my face without irritating my flush-prone skin. A key bonus: This sunscreen doesn’t leave behind a white cast, so you can apply liberally without creating a ghost-like complexion.

Beautiful Skin Liquid Foundation

My holy grail product for multiple years running, the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Liquid Foundation has the effortless feel of a skin tint but the coverage of a much more powerful product. Particularly when I’m sprinting between stops in a packed itinerary, I want to know my foundation is going to last amongst the sweat, smog, and (occasional film-induced) tears. With one pump of this little tube, I never have to worry.

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