Welcome to my guide of things to do during a weekend in Toronto, Canada. I have been to Toronto several times, but during a recent girl’s weekend with me and my best friend Erica I decided to document the experience so that I could share it with you guys.

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Keep in mind, these are just a few of the many amazing places to visit in Toronto. They just so happen to be some of my personal favorites and fit nicely into a two-day weekend visit to the city. And this itinerary doesn’t necessarily have to be a girl’s weekend! This will suit anyone that enjoys brunch, shopping, coffee breaks, lots of other appetizing dishes, and generally taking things pretty easy. It doesn’t hurt if you are open to trying other cultures’ food either.

Honestly one of the reasons I love Toronto is for the array of cultures represented all within walking distance of one another. Literally a block or two away from the hip, artsy vibes of Kensington Market you will find yourself in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Chinatown, and just a few blocks further you’ll be into the heart of Koreatown. Each area is full of amazing foods and people that I absolutely adore experiencing. That kind of variety is not something I have here at home, so I always try to make the most of it when visiting Toronto.

First of all, where should you stay for a weekend in Toronto? Airbnb is always a great option to get a real feel for the city and experience the local side of things. It doesn’t hurt that it is often cheaper than a hotel too. In the past I stayed at an Airbnb just a short walk away from Little Italy and Koreatown and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hotel: The Bond Place

Although we usually opt for a Airbnb, this time around Erica and I found a nearly 4-star hotel for a cheaper price that was centrally located by Yonge-Dundas Square. From here, many of our favorite Toronto haunts were within walking distance. Just outside of our window we could look down onto the busy square and people watch. Besides the convenient location, it wasn’t anything to write home about. It was a nice, clean hotel with wifi and comfortable beds to recharge after long days of shopping and exploring.

Unlike most centrally located hotels in big cities, The Bond Place had easily accessible parking across the street for a reasonable price. This was another big plus for a nervous city driver afraid of parallel parking like myself. I believe that the daily rate for the parking garage was about $15.

Website: The Bond Place Hotel
Address: 65 Dundas St E, Toronto, ON M5B 2G8, Canada
Parking: Bond Parking Garage

Day One

Brunch: Over Easy

Not only was the food tasty with a wide variety of both classic and more creative breakfast options, but most importantly they had mimosas. As everyone knows, mimosas are key to any successful brunch. There was a bit of a wait, but that is to be expected on any weekend morning at a good brunch place. The only confusion came when trying to determine what home fries versus their regular fries were. For the record, I enjoyed the home fries better.

In addition to the delicious meal, the service was wonderful. I just want to take a moment to shout out to our server who, upon hearing we were Americans visiting for the weekend, took the time to get our opinion on the city and give us recommendations.

Menu: Over Easy
Address: Hotel Victoria, 56 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M5E 1G5, Canada

Yonge-Dundas Square: Eaton Centre Mall

This square is compared to Toronto’s version of New York City’s Times Square. While I can’t compare as I’ve never been to NYC, it certainly felt magical and full of life. Rivers of pedestrians flow along the sidewalks, cars crowd the roads, and advertisement screens the size of buildings move and flash, begging for your attention. On every side there are multi-level malls, shopping, restaurants, and even an IMAX theater (Erica and I went and saw Dr. Strange the night we drove in). The Square wasn’t even a block from our hotel and from here everything we wanted to do was within walking distance.

If you like shopping, you can’t miss the Eaton Centre Mall with an entrance right on the square. Shopping at this mall literally defined “shop til you drop”. Four floors and 235 “stores and services” make up this mega-mall, including everything from Forever21, to Nordstrom, Michael Kors and Ted Baker. The building itself is modern and sparkling, decorated with cascading ducks hung from the glass ceiling and seasonal decor like the multi-story tall, metal reindeer we saw around the holidays. By the time we left, our feet ached and our eyes had all but glazed over from browsing through so many stores.

Website: CF Toronto Eaton Centre Mall
Address: 1 Dundas St E, Toronto, ON M5B 2R8, Canada

Chinatown: Dim Sum at Rosewood

It’s crazy to think that just a couple of years ago I didn’t know what dim sum was and it is now one of my favorite foods. I literally get cravings for those squishy poofs of bread filled with custard or BBQ pork, or (my personal favorite) those mouth-watering Shanghai soup dumplings that just explode with flavor in your mouth…

Unfortunately for me, this is yet another delicious dish that isn’t around where I live and this restaurant currently holds the title for the best dim sum I have ever had. With this in mind, Erica and I prepared by eating nothing since our brunch and waiting for dinner until after a long day of shopping. We had a feast. I nearly exploded. I regret nothing.

Menu: Rosewood Chinese Cuisine
Address: 463 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5T 1G8, Canada

Day Two

Brunch: Sunset Grill

Not quite as fancy as yesterday’s Over Easy, but we’re budget friendly gals and this classic American-style fare hit the spot. You know exactly what you’re getting here, it tastes good at a good price, and still offers a nice sit down environment where we never felt rushed. Additionally, since it’s an all-day breakfast spot your brunch can truly be as late or as long as you wish.

Erica and I stayed here quite some time, stuffing ourselves with our custom omelettes and toast, washing it all down with basic diner coffee – all while making the most of the free wifi before going back out into the “Canadian wilderness” where our American data plans meant nothing.

The one major con of Sunset Grill though: no mimosas *gasp*.

Menu: Sunset Grill
Address: 1 Richmond St W, Toronto, ON M5H 3W4, Canada

Kensington Market: FIKA Cafe

Kensington Market is the vibrant, multi-cultural neighborhood of Toronto, full of charming buildings and quirky shops. You can spend hours here exploring the stores, trying different foods, and people watching.

Website: Kensington Market

Whenever I’m near Kensington Market, I make it a point to visit the FIKA cafe. The building itself is cute and colorful, and how can one forget the wooden, white painted dalarna sign welcoming patrons in from the street. Getting a picture with this adorable horse is just a part of visiting the cafe. Inside you will find a cozy, curated environment filled with hip individuals busy chatting or working. The coffee is as good as it looks. And while you’re there, you might as well pick up a dalarna horse-shaped cookie to go with your latte.

Menu: FIKA cafe
Address: 28 Kensington Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2J9, Canada

Koreatown: Kevin’s Taiyaki

If you don’t know what taiyaki is, it is essentially a fish-shaped waffle filled with custard. Other fillings such as red bean paste or chocolate are used too. I’ve even heard of some places making savory taiyaki filled with meat and cheese, but I haven’t yet had the pleasure of trying one.

Kevin makes his taiyaki fresh daily just inside the P.A.T. Market in Toronto’s Koreatown. Tucked away in the front corner, his bakery is unsuspecting but a must visit. The flavors offered here are red bean, black bean, green bean, and the classic custard. These delectable little fishes are about $2 each. Keep in mind – it’s cash only! But there is an ATM at the back of the store. There’s nothing quite like a fresh, warm, fish-shaped waffle filled with sweet custard. Honestly I need to make a blog post just about Kevin’s Taiyaki next time I visit.

Facebook: Kevin’s Taiyaki
Address: 675 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6G 4B9, Canada

Dinner: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

For those that hear the word “ramen” and a package of dried noodles that costs $1 comes to mind, I was once like you too. I thought that “ramen” was the name of those instant noodles that keeps college students alive. Wrong! Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish, served with wheat noodles in a meat or fish based broth, topped with things such as sliced pork, seaweed, onions, etc. It is heavenly and, like dim sum and taiyaki, not something that I can easily find in my home city. So when we saw that this well reviewed and authentic ramen place was just a block away from our hotel, we knew that we would have to end our weekend adventure here. It definitely lived up to our hopes and dreams.

Menu: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
Address: 91 Dundas St E, Toronto, ON M5B 1E1, Canada

Are you planning a weekend trip to Toronto?

Although this trip was taken awhile ago, the destination and food suggestions remain very relevant. Seriously – if you haven’t tried taiyaki or dim sum before you are missing out. And if you enjoy shopping like me, Toronto’s stores in Yonge-Dundas Square will blow you (and your wallet) away.

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Thank you for stopping by. See you again soon!