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All restaurants or bars are licensed, take debit or credit cards and are open seven days a week unless otherwise indicated.
Midtown: Annex
Boulevard Cafe
161 Harbord, at Borden, 416-961-7676. A perennial favourite on the south Annex’s restaurant row, this candlelit Peruvian patio makes the perfect backdrop for a night of canoodling under the stars.
Harbord Room
89 Harbord, at Spadina, 416-962-8989, theharbordroom.com. Though it’s now in its sixth year, this swanky supper spot is still shoehorning them in, never more so than when the super backyard garden is in session.
Indian Rice Factory
414 Dupont, at Howland, 416-961-3472, indianricefactory.com. Probably the biggest secret in town: who knew this highly regarded Indian resto close to Casa Loma and its next-door coffee bar share one of the most bucolic backyard grottos around? Don’t tell anybody! Closed Monday, holidays.
L’Espresso Bar Mercurio
321 Bloor W, at St George, 416-585-2233, barmercurio.com. Student-friendly Italian café on the ground floor of U of T’s Woodsworth College.
Live Organic Food Bar
264 Dupont, at Spadina, 416-515-2002, livefoodbar.com. One of T.O.’s best vegetarian restaurants salutes summer with a mostly raw vegan card, gluten-free beer and egg-free weekend brunches in a tree-shrouded backyard. Closed some holidays.
Madeleines, Cherry Pie And Ice Cream
1087 Bathurst, at Dupont, 416-537-3131, madeleines.ca. Book this retro bakery’s wicker-outfitted backyard garden for a private $250 Sunday brunch for 10. Closed Monday. Unlicensed.
Madison
14 Madison, at Bloor, 416-927-1722, madisonavenuepub.com. Taking up two three-storey mansions close to U of T, this student-friendly pub is a maze of red velvet rooms that lead to five separate decks, four of them heated.
Paupers
539 Bloor W, at Albany, 416-530-1331, pauperspub.com. Cousin to the Madison, this student-friendly deck on the roof of a former Annex bank offers food and drink specials from noon.
Say Cheese
337 Bloor W, at Huron, 416-258-1938. Quelle fromage! Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches in the old Rochdale College. Unlicensed.
Victory Café
581 Markham, at Lennox, 416-516-5787, victorycafe.ca. Cask-conditioned ales and microbrews alongside Wednesday night jazz and Sunday night open mic jams in ol’ Mirvish Village.
Midtown: Yorkville
Coffee Mill
99 Yorkville, at Bellair, 416-920-2108, coffeemillrestaurant.com. Originally located in the now-demolished Lowthian Mews, this venerable Hungarian restaurant dishes up hearty goulash and shitznel platters to showbiz regulars. Back when it opened in 1963, it was Toronto’s very first patio!
Il Posto
148 Yorkville, at Avenue Rd, 416-968-0469, ilposto.ca. Pretty Italian trat in the courtyard behind Vidal Sassoon frequented by the ladies who lunch.
Museum Tavern
208 Bloor W, at Avenue Rd, 416-920-0110, museumtavern.ca. Smart Manhattan-style brasserie across from the ROM’s Crystal with direct lineage to the legendary Bemmelman’s. Stick to the tapas-like starters. Closed some holidays.
One
116 Yorkville, at Hazelton, 416-961-9600, onehazelton.com. Open from dawn till last call, the très chic patio out front of the Hazelton Hotel is celebutante central come the Film Fest in September. But hanging with the jet set’ll cost you: burgers go for $30!
180 Panorama
55 Bloor W, at Bay, 416-967-0000, eatertainment.com. Located on the 51st floor of the ManuLife Centre, this striking resto-lounge has two rooftop decks, one facing south to the skyline and harbour beyond, the other looking north toward Rosedale and Forest Hill.
Oxley
121 Yorkville, at Hazelton, 647-348-1300, theoxley.com. UK-style gastro-pub from the crew behind the equally excellent Queen and Beaver. Other patio: 35 Elm, at Yonge, 647-347-2712.
Pilot
22 Cumberland, at Yonge, 416-923-5716, thepilot.ca. Yorkville hasn’t always been synonymous with bottled tans and botox, and this nearly 70 year-old’s Flight Deck proves it. Think pub grub, suds and endless sunshine under a retractable roof.
Playa Cabana
111 Dupont, at Davenport, 416-929-3911, playacabana.ca. Inexplicably popular “it spot” with a tented backyard and nuevo taco ‘n’ tequila carte. Claim to fame: Jake Gyllenhaal ate here once. Watch for the new Playa down the street at 14 Dupont in the old Vittorio’s with three patios toot sweet.
Roof Lounge
4 Avenue Rd, at Bloor W, 416-924-5471, parktoronto.hyatt.com. Back in the day – 1965 – the 18th-floor rooftop deck of the former Park Plaza was the Drake Hotel of its time. And although the space is considerably smaller than it was then, the Rat Pack vibe persists.
La Societe
131 Bloor W, at Avenue Rd, 416-551-9929, lasociete.ca. Charles Khabouth brings la vie en rose to the Mink Mile on a large bi-level patio in the Colonnade. Order the burger and the moules frites to avoid sticker shock.
Trattoria Nervosa
75 Yorkville, at Bellair, 416-961-4642, eatnervosa.com. Sister to downtown hot spot du jour Gusto 101, this moderately priced trat (well, for Yorkville) offers the usual pizza, pasta and panini on two wraparound decks with primo people-watching.
Midtown: Church Street
Black Eagle
457 Church, at Maitland, 416-413-1219, blackeagletoronto.com. Toronto’s only leather bar boasts bondage workshops, an outdoor play area obscured by camouflage netting, and Sunday-afternoon barbecues from 3 pm.
Blake House
449 Jarvis, at Maitland, 416-975-1867, theblakehouse.ca. Huge leafy garden wrapped around the old Red Lion pub, with Sunday-night $17 prime rib ‘n’ Yorkshire pudding dinners.
Boutique Bar
506 Church, at Maitland, 647-705-0006, boutiquebar.ca. Cocktail lounge where Tuesday is airline industry night. Take flight with $4.75 mixed drinks, $6 martinis and complimentary bar snacks.
Byzantium
499 Church, at Wellesley, 416-922-3859, byz.ca. The Village’s classiest cocktail lounge, this much-loved resto-bar is home to more than 50 types of martini and a tented backyard hideaway.
Church Street Garage
477 Church, at Maitland, 647-352-5508. The latest incarnation of the Unicorn rocks daily from 9 am till 2 am. Best people-watching in the village?
Crews & Tangos
508 Church, at Maitland, 416-972-1662, crewsandtangos.com. Nightly DJs and drag shows in a backyard mega-playground in the heart of the village.
Ethiopian House
4 Irwin, at Yonge, 416-923-5438, ethiopianhouse.com. Kenyan beer and fiery East African platters make a great budget-minded first date near U of T.
Fabarnak
519 Church, at Dundonald, 416-355-6781, fabarnak.com. Inexpensive café in the 519 with a mostly organic and locally sourced lineup. Don’t miss the Square Peg, a four-course sampling of the day’s specials. Closed Sunday, holidays.
Hair of the Dog
425 Church, at Wood, 416-964-2708, hairofthedogpub.ca. Multi-level watering hole with gorgeous garden and roof deck. Water fountains and weekend brunch, too.
Lola’s Kitchen
634 Church, at Hayden, 416-966-3991, lolaskitchen.ca. This crowd-pleasing lunch ‘n’ brunch spot in a rambling Victorian now serves dinner on the raised curbside deck.
Oasis Aqualounge
231 Mutual, at College, 416-599-7665, oasisaqualounge.com. Polysexual sex club with two poolside bars.
O’Grady’s
518 Church, at Maitland, 416-323-2822, ogradyschurch.ca. Multi-level patio with late-night kitchen and karaoke nights. Other patio location: 171 College, at Henry, 416-596-0327.
Osteria del Ganzi
504 Jarvis, at Dundonald, 647-348-6520, ganzi.ca. Historic mansion with a haute Italian carte and one of the largest – and prettiest – patios in the nabe.
Second Cup
544 Church, at Wellesley, 416-966-2981, secondcup.com. For anyone whose misspent youth was passed permanently parked on this coffee chain’s infamous steps, this local caffeine franchise’s outpost in the old Zelda’s next door is a godsend. Unlicensed.
Smith
553 Church, at Dundonald, 416-926-2501, 553church.com. Cozy stand-up bar on the sidewalk out front, ultra-exclusive two-seat terrace on the second floor plus a hidden backyard terrace.
Spirits
642 Church, at Hayden, 416-967-0001, spiritsbarandgrill.com. Rambunctious sports bar with open-mic comedy nights Wednesdays, $3 corkage Sundays to Tuesdays and $4 Jäger shots weekdays from 4 to 6 pm.
Statler’s
487 Church, at Maitland, 416-922-0487. Two-storey piano bar features nightly cabaret acts and an upstairs deck with the best view of the street.
Sugo
582 Church, at Dundonald, 416-929-9108, sugotrattoria.ca. Two large patios – one out front, the other round the back – and an unusually skilled kitchen. Best pizza in the village, and they’re all $10 Tuesday night from 5 pm!
Vic Pub
580 Church, at Dundonald, 416-944-9888, thevicpubtoronto.ca. The swelegant Fusion moves slightly downmarket with a new pub-grub menu on one of the strip’s scene-iest patios.
Wish
3 Charles E, at Yonge, 416-935-0240, wishintoronto.com. Whitewashed walls, a tented roof and tropical plants provide a beachy backdrop for contemporary mains, cocktails and weekend brunch.
Midtown: Cabbagetown
F’Amelia
12 Amelia, at Parliament, 416-323-0666, famelia.com. Fancy-pants pizza ‘n’ pasta joint with covered curbside garden in Cabbagetown’s old Provence. We weren’t impressed. Closed Monday, some holidays.
Flying Beaver
488 Parliament, at Carlton, 647-347-6567, pubaret.com. Billing itself as a pubaret – part pub, part cabaret – Heather MacKenzie and Maggie Cassella’s Cabbagetown cantina features nightly music and comedy shows alongside a wallet-friendly comfort food card. Closed Monday, Tuesday, some holidays.
House on Parliament
454 Parliament, at Wellesley E, 416-925-4074, houseonparliament.com. Show up early – lunch, say – if you expect to get a seat on this local’s curbside patio for its acclaimed $17 prime rib Sunday dinners.
Rashnaa
307 Wellesley E, at Parliament, 416-929-2099, rashnaa.com. Sri Lankan specialties like fiery kottu rotty and string hoppers on a quiet downtown side street.
Midtown: Summerhill
Caffe Doria
1094 Yonge, at Roxborough, 416-920-5315, caffedoria.com. Designer antipasto and pizza with the Rosedale set on an awning-covered terrace. Closed holidays.
Le Petit Gourmet
1064 Yonge, at Roxborough, 416-966-3811. Classic French sandwiches and salads on the most secluded patio in town. Closed Sunday, holidays. Unlicensed.
Rebel House
1068 Yonge, at Roxborough, 416-927-0704, rebelhouse.ca. No-nonsense pub where regulars wash down roast beef ‘n’ Yorkshire pudding blue plate specials and buffalo burgers with local microbrews.
Rosedale Diner
1164 Yonge, at Summerhill, 416-923-3122, rosedalediner.com. Long-running Israeli luncheonette with a lovely garden to the rear.
