Are you heading toToronto, Ontarioin Canadaand don’t have much time to spend in the city? Don’t worry, I got you! Here is my list of what to do in Toronto in 48 hours!
I had the opportunity to attendTikTok’sfirst ever#ForYou Summitin Canada and I feel so blessed! The event was held at theMeridian Hallin downtown Toronto and it was such an amazing experience.
I got to meet some fellow creators who are so talented in their respective fields, got to speak in front of 2000 people and connect with so many members of the TikTok community!
It was such a surreal experience and definitely a big highlight in my foodie journey so far.
While I was in Toronto, my husband and I got48 hoursto explore the city.
Here is my full 48 hour itinerary ofthings to do in Torontoso that you can make the most out of your time in this beautiful city!
DAY 1
Not going to lie, our flight from Vancouver to Toronto was pretty rough. We had to wake up at 3:00 AM and get to the airport by 4:00 AM for our 6:00 flight. After a 4 hour and 20 minute flight, we landed in Toronto at around 1:50 PM local time.
We took an Uber to our hotel,Fairmont Royal Yorkin downtown Toronto and checked in, showered, and changed before going out to explore the city!
Our first stop was finding something to eat for lunch. I was craving Thai food and got many recommendations for SukhoThai, which was a short walk from our hotel so we had to check it out!
SUKHOTHAI (WELLINGTON)
SukhoTHAIis an authentic Thai restaurant with 3 locations in Toronto. We went to theWellingtonlocation and ordered theKhao Soi, which is a curry dish with yellow noodles, with green onions and cilantro, as well as theChef Nuit Pad Thai, a classic stir-fried rice noodle dish with beansprouts, tofu, egg, chives, coriander, shredded cabbage, lime and house-roasted peanuts.
They also serve many classic dishes, such as spring rolls, Tom Yum soup and Gaeng Kiaw Wan (green curry), to name a few.
Both dishes were available withno spice, mild, medium, spicy, and thai spicy. The food was good, although we found it to be a little bit overly sweet for our tastes and wished we would have chosen a spicier option when ordering.
The Khao Soi was delicious, it really reminded us of our time inChiang Mai!However, the service wasn’t particularly great, despite the restaurant being quiet for an afternoon lunch.
The atmosphere and ambience in the restaurant was very chill and we were able to get a table with no reservations, but I hear it can get真的很忙在晚上一定要仔细检查!
Overall, our experience wasdecentand I’d come back again to try some spicier options of the food along with some of their$6 cocktails.
GUSTO 101
After a late lunch, we wanted to explore before eating again. We walked around the city and got some great views of theCNTower. Our next stop wasGusto 101for an early dinner, and it was about a 30 minute walk from where we were. I’ve been to this restaurant before and absolutelyLOVEDit.
After dining here again, it isDEFINITELYone of the top things to do in Toronto!
Apparently it’s one ofMichelle Obama’s favorite restaurantsin Toronto as well! They also have another location calledGusto 501, it’s a little bit newer and located in the Corktown neighborhood.
Gustostands for “tasty” in Italian and does it ever live up to its name! They serve modern takes onSouthern Italianclassics, delivering a very memorable dining experience!
The restaurant is situated in a building that used to be anauto body shop, so it still has theold garage doorsthat lead out into the patio area, creating a timeless and rustic atmosphere.
We sat outside in their patio area and ordered theirfocaccia breadto share, which they make fresh in-house daily. We also got theCalamarata, which is made with shrimp, pomodoro and chili, along with their famousMafalde Ai Funghi, made with portobello, porcini and oyster mushrooms, topped with a truffle cream sauce.
Their portions may seem on the smaller side at first, but because the flavors are so rich, I actually found it to be theperfectamount.
Themushroom pastais famous for a reason and is aMUST-ORDERin my opinion.
Mafalde or mafaldine pasta isn’t particularly mainstream but is so good, the sauce was so creamy and flavorful and everything just pairs so perfectly with all the different types of mushrooms! I get thisEVERY TIMEI come here and it’s so delicious.
TheCalamarataactually blew me away, the sauce went so well with the pasta and the shrimp was so fresh and tasty.
我真的喜欢这道菜甚至超过胆怯room pasta, which I didn’t think was possible! This is definitely amust-tryif you come to Gusto 101.
We also had someBirra Moretti, a lager that is brewed in Italy.
It paired with the meal perfectly as it was refreshing and light. If you like wine, they have a great selection and I would definitely recommend pairing some with your pasta!
This restaurant is definitely on myMUST-TRYlist for Toronto and I will be coming back again in the future to try their pizzas and other signature dishes!
KENSINGTON MARKET & CHINATOWN
After stuffing our faces at two different restaurants, we definitely had to walk off all the food! We wandered over toKensington Market, which was a short under-15 minute walk from Gusto 101.
We passed by thegraffiti wall在路上,要探索很多vintage boutiques and cool thrift shops in the area. I used toLOVEthrifting so I really enjoyed exploring this part of town. There were a lot of trendy bars and hip restaurants that I will have to try the next time I’m back in Toronto!
Next we walked over toChinatownand I was so upset that we were still so full because there were SO many yummy looking dumpling shops! Another place to add to the to-do list for the next time I’m in the city.
BARO
To end the night, we walked over toBaroto meet up with my old roommate from university! I actually haven’t seen her since my time at Queen’s so I wasSOexcited to see her again. We sat at theirrooftop patioand absolutelylovedthe atmosphere there. They had alive DJ,service was excellent and the drinks were unreal!
We were just chatting for most of the night so we just ordered finger food. We had theAtun Nikkei Cevichewith chips and guac, which was absolutely delicious, and also ordered two of theirStreet Corn. The coolest part of dining at theirrooftop patiois all of the food iscooked on their rooftop grill!
Thecocktailswere the highlight of the restaurant! I highly recommend theTulum Triage(Don Julio Blanco, Cointreau, Lime, Pineapple Serrano Syrup, Peychaud’s Bitters) and theBogota Sour(Grey Goose, Amaretto, Pink Guava, Lime, Honey, Bitters).
We had such a great time here and before we knew it, 4 hours had flown by. This is mynew favorite placetograb drinksin Toronto!
DAY 2
COFFEE & HOCKEY HALL OF FAME
The next morning, Dom wanted to start his day with some coffee so he walked over toDineen Coffee Co.and grabbed an iced americano and a sandwich.
TheHockey Hall of Famewas right beside our hotel, so we spent the morning there and Dom was seriously nerding out!
It was very cool seeing all the hockey memorabilia and history and they even have a section with interactive games.
If you are a hockey fan, this is an absoluteMUST VISITand one of the TOP things to do in Toronto!
CNTOWER + 360 RESTAURANT
The next stop was the most famous tourist spot and at the top of the list for things to do in Toronto – theCNTower.
It was a short 10 minute walk from our hotel, but there was a Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre that day, so there were lots of people in the area. The tower is also right beside the popular Ripley’s Aquarium, so be prepared for crowds!We tried the “TikTok hack” and I actually thought it was pretty worth it!
You basically make a reservation at the360 Restaurantinstead of booking the general admission for theCNTower. By doing this, you get toskip the line, have aprivate elevatorbring you up and down (it’s a floor above the observation deck), and enjoy a “fancy” meal!
You also still get access to the observation deck after the meal. The restaurant is spinning super slowly the whole time so you get a 360 degree view of theentire city,Toronto Islands, and the beautifulLake Ontario. Plus no one is in front of you so you get the view to yourself the whole time!
One thing to note, you still have to line up with everyone else outside theCNTowerto actually get in, but once you get inside you have your ownprivate lineandelevatorwhich really expedites the process.
Normally the admission is$45-55to go up to the observation deck withtimedgeneral admission. If you book with the360 Restaurant, you have to spend aminimumof$70per person on food but you get all the “perks” I mentioned earlier along with anamazing viewto dine to.
I’ll be honest, the foodwasn’t the best.It wasn’t horrible, but not amazing either. For$75 a person, we each got a main course + appetizer and the portions were generous and service was decent. I ordered theonion soupas my starter while Dom got themussels, which weren’t the freshest. I spent anextra $15to get theprime ribwith my set menu, while Dom ordered thepork chop. My steak was good, but Dom’s pork chop wassuper dry.You are really there for theview!
We thought it was a good deal because the food at the observation deck with general admission was alsosuper pricey.
The view at the restaurant was honestlysurrealand if you have the time and want to spend the extra money, I do find the extra 2 hours there at the restaurant made the whole experiencesuper memorable.
BEAVERTAILS
After we got down from the CN Tower, we saw aBeaverTailstruck outside and DomFREAKEDout. We absolutely love BeaverTails and he said he hasn’t had it since his university days in Ontario. We got theClassic– which is covered in cinnamon and sugar.
If you’ve never tried BeaverTails before, I highly recommend trying it as it’s aworld famousCanadian pastry!
ST. LAWRENCE MARKET
We walked to theSt. Lawrence Marketon the way to the Distillery District and it was seriouslyfoodie heaven! There are over a hundred vendors, butchers, bakeries and artisans at this indoor market, with more shops downstairs. I loved looking at the wide variety of cheese, meats, seafood and pastries.
Those of you that know me know that I absolutelyLOVEbagelsso my first stop wasSt. Urbain Bagel Bakerywhere I got a bagel sandwich with garlic & herb cream cheese. It was so good that I bought another half dozen bagels to bring home for my family!
The next stop wasEuropean Delighton the lower level, where I gotperogiesand a potato pancake. It was so delicious that I devoured all the perogies on the spot! If you love perogies or European food, this spot is a definite MUST.
We also grabbed anorange and pineapple smoothiefrom theSt. Lawrence Juice Barthat was right beside it and it was so fresh and refreshing! If it’s hot when you visit Toronto, I really recommend grabbing a juice here.
DISTILLERY DISTRICT
The last spot on our Toronto adventure was theDistillery District. This village is famous for itsbrick-lined streetsand restoredVictorian industrial buildings. There are so many bars, boutiques, cafes and award-winning restaurants in this area – there is so much to see! We didn’t get to spend as much time here as we wanted, but we’ll definitely be returning and dedicating a day to explore this area.
REIGN RESTAURANT + BAR @ FAIRMONT ROYAL YORK
And last but certainly not least, we ate atREIGN Restaurant + Barin the Fairmont Royal York hotel prior to leaving for the airport.
We had alate night dinnerhere and weren’t sure what to expect, as we just wanted to grab a bite before leaving and this was the best option without having to walk a distance from the hotel.
We arrived at 9:45 PM, their kitchen was closing at 10 and they werestill happy to serve us a full meal.
Dom and I were so pleasantly surprised as thefood was amazing, portions were good, anddrinks were excellent.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get any pictures because it was so late. However, I’llmake sureto come back and take some pictures for you guys next time!
I ordered theLamb Shank, paired with yukon gold mashed potatoes, charred heirloom carrots and gremolata. Dom had theOntario Duck Breast, with garlic & chili rapini, green lentils, sweet potato and blueberry jus.
The service was top notch, theambience was amazing, and we will be eating here again every time we come back to Toronto!
This was my post about everything you need to do in Toronto in 48 hours!
If you give any of these places a try, please DM me on Instagram and let me know what you think!
If you have more food recommendations, make sure to comment below.
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Love,
Tiffy
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