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Top 5 Favourite Bars for Craft Beer in Toronto

July 7, 2024

Craft beer is big business in Toronto. According to the Ontario Craft Brewers Association, “there are currently over 100 craft breweries in Ontario employing over 1,000 people in direct brewery jobs across the province. This represents over 30 per cent of the direct brewery jobs in Ontario.”

Now that grocery stores will now have the opportunity to sell beer and wine, this will not replace your visit to your local bar to taste test brews. If you don’t want to stay in your furnished suite or apartment to drink, here are our favourite places in Toronto for this niche experience.

1. Bellwoods Brewery. The popular indie brewery on Ossington Ave–with its white picket fence and prime people-watching patio– is listed as one of the 100 best breweries in the world by Rate Beer. Sip and savour on IPAs, stouts, single hop series, Belgian saisons, and a variety of ales. There’s a good selection of charcuterie to nibble alongside your pints. The brewery is dealing with its line-ups with a next door bottle shop (you’ll also want to save those beautiful labels for your home collection) and are opening a new location at Dupont and Dovercourt. Currently, you can quench your thirst by participating in a spring guided tasting.

2. Bar Volo. Bar Volo is the craft beer bar that was ahead of the trend and now 25 years old. It’s a great central location if you are living in our downtown toronto apartments or North Toronto. The dim-lit, intimate, wooden space gets crowded early. It’s a casual process: look at the list on the walls for over 30 rotating regional beers on tap, casks, more than 75 international types of bottles, and a hectolitre nano brewery. You then find your own table, and order/pay at the bar. Though known for beer, there are two VQA wines served on tap, and over 60 bottles of bourbon and rye for non-hopheads. In the summer, there are DJ nights and during those times, cans of Howe Sound Lager is available for $5 (as previously stated on their site, last year).

3. Bar Hop. Located a short walk away from our 300 Front, Icon, and Element locations, Bar Hop is the ideal unpretentious after-work spot on King West. The bar has over 36 rotating taps plus tap takeovers, gluten-free beers and ciders, and two casks. Special deals like Sunday Sessions ($5 for select craft beers); Mussel Mondays (2 pounds of mussels and fries for $9.95); and Buck-a-Shuck Tuesdays ($1 Oysters) make this a bustling place. Fret-not, a second location is in the works around Richmond and Peter.

4. Indie Ale House. If there is one reason to head over to the Junction, it’s for its noteworthy brewery. There’s a variety of beers here, including their speciality of bold ales. Peruse their menu for collaborations and their original brews with fun flavours and names like the Broken Hipster, Zombie Apocalypse, and the Breakfast Porter. Add a flavourful, varied menu of healthy options and bar staples with a twist; tours, and tastings, and you’ll never want to leave (unless you go here first and then dance the night away at 3030 down the street).

5. Amsterdam Brewery. Though it now feels like a tourist attraction due to its Harbourfront location, Amsterdam Brewery has been in Toronto since 1986 and come a long way from its first location on John St. Now the brewery is a short walk away from our downtown toronto apartments. Amsterdam Brewery is known for its Boneshaker unfiltered IPA and has other original brews like the Sweetwater Squeeze Radler, the 416, and the all natural Blonde. Sip lakeside on a muskoka chair with an unparalleled view of Lake Ontario and the Toronto Islands. A bonus if you can’t grab a seat on the patio is that you can grab your favourite beer from their bottle shop, which is open 7 days a week until 11pm.

Honorable mentions go to some of Toronto’s newer breweries like the soon-to-open Left Field Brewery (which is hosting tastings and pop-ups to buy select bottles from time to time); East York’s new Muddy York brewery; and the established Granite Brewery at Eglinton and Mount Pleasant.

What is your favourite bar for craft beer in Toronto?

Business Travel, Downtown Toronto, Fitness and Health, Food & Recipes, Lifestyle talk

The Top Vegan Restaurants Toronto

April 20, 2024

Sometimes vegans can find it difficult to discover a great place to eat, as their options are usually quite limited. However, in the city of Toronto, animal-free living is becoming more popular and more and more excellent vegan restaurants in Toronto are springing up. Many great establishments serve food so delicious that you won’t even notice anything missing. Here are a few of the best vegan restaurants that Toronto has to offer:

The Hogtown Vegan

If you miss those classic meaty comfort food staples, this is the best spot to enjoy satisfying dishes such as vegan chicken and waffles and mac and cheese. They taste just as good as the original but no animals were harmed in the making of these nostalgic and filling dishes.

Khao San Road

One of the best Thai food restaurants in Toronto, this spot has a dedicated vegan menu that is complete with curries, garlic tofu, squash fritters and vegan pad Thai. The food is fresh, fragrant, spicy, flavourful and exciting, bringing you the authentic flavours of Thai cuisine.

Planta Queen

Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, Planta Queen is not just a restaurant; it’s a revolution in the vegan culinary world. This upscale eatery is famous for its innovative approach to vegan cooking, making it a favourite among both vegans and non-vegans. The ambiance is chic and welcoming, with a décor that balances modern aesthetics with cozy touches.

What sets Planta Queen apart is its menu, which features a stunning variety of Asian-inspired vegan dishes. The chef uses ethically sourced ingredients to create masterpieces such as Udon noodles with truffle almond cream and the crowd-favourite, General Lee’s cauliflower. The sushi options, like the Ahi Watermelon Nigiri, are also a unique twist on traditional sushi, providing a refreshing and flavorful experience.

Fresh Kitchen + Juice Bar

With several locations across Toronto, Fresh on Front is renowned for its robust menu that caters to a variety of tastes and dietary needs. This restaurant is perfect for casual lunches or relaxed dinners, where the vibe is laid-back yet energetic. The interior is bright and airy, with natural wood and green plants adding to its earthy feel.

The menu at Fresh on Front is a delight, featuring everything from nourishing bowls and salads to heartier entrees like the Squash Tacos and the infamous Buffalo Cauliflower. Their smoothies and desserts are equally impressive, ensuring that your meal is satisfying from start to finish. For those who enjoy a good brunch, their weekend offerings are a blend of classic comfort and innovative plant-based cooking.

The Vegan Duchess

The Vegan Duchess is a charming small restaurant located in the quieter, uptown area of Toronto. It offers a more intimate dining experience, ideal for those looking to escape the bustling city life. The atmosphere is relaxed and inviting, with a focus on sustainable and organic dining practices.

At The Vegan Duchess, the menu is crafted with a focus on whole foods, which means you’re not only getting meals that are good for you but also kind to the planet. Popular dishes include the Quinoa and Sweet Potato Burger and the Raw Pad Thai, made with zucchini noodles and a tangy tamarind sauce. The desserts here, particularly the raw cheesecakes, are a must-try, offering a guilt-free way to indulge.

Live Organic Food Bar

Live is an all-raw vegan restaurant that serves up food that is animal-product-free and totally fresh and uncooked. For example, one of the most popular dishes is the Live It Up Lasagne which is made with raw zucchini noodles, basil pesto, cashew ricotta cheese, garden veggies, Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes and marinara sauce. Check it out for meals that are as healthy as they are delicious.

Enjoy Different Cuisines All Over Toronto

These are just a few examples of the best vegan restaurants in Toronto, so you can enjoy a delicious meat-free meal. With the vegan lifestyle becoming even more popular there is no doubt that Toronto will have even more great vegan and vegetarian food options available in the future.

Stay With DelSuites and Enjoy A Culinary Adventure

Book a 30+ night stay with us in Toronto and have some of the best vegan meals the city has to offer. Enjoy different food spots, restaurants, bars and nightlife as you explore one of the most diverse cities in the world. Stay in Downtown Toronto with us at one of our fully furnished suites.

Food & Recipes, toronto toursim, Vacation Travel

The Best Beer Gardens Toronto Offers

August 14, 2023

Drinking and eating outdoors is a popular Canadian pastime. The weather is only nice for a fraction of the year, so we like to make the most of it before the snow starts to fall again. Why not spend every possible moment enjoying the sunshine? Plus, after a big day of sightseeing and wandering all over Toronto, there’s nothing more satisfying than settling into a chilled-out beer garden and taking a big sip of a cold frothy one. Here are a few of the best outdoor beer gardens Toronto offers.Here are a few of the best outdoor beer gardens Toronto offers.

Granite Brewery

This popular beer garden in Mount Pleasant and Eglinton has been around since before the hipster trend of craft beers in Toronto. It is a great chilled-out space serving a selection of classic English-style beers that are made on-site. You can choose to hang out on the outdoor patio on the front that faces the street, or the more private back patio that overlooks a lovely garden. If you really fall in love with the chilled-out atmosphere you could consider tying the knot here – the Granite Brewery hosts weddings.

Mascot Brewery Beer Gardens Toronto

Located in the heart of downtown on Mercer Street, this casual and sunny beer garden in Toronto is a great place to grab a drink with friends on a hot summer’s day. There are communal picnic-bench style seats perfect for socializing and there is even a food truck to fulfil your beer-fueled appetite. The AstroTurf on the floor and the laid-back vibe make it feel like you are just hanging out at your buddy’s house for a weekend barbeque. If you are visiting with a larger group, it is even possible to order a five-litre keg of craft brew which you can self-serve.

Amsterdam Brewhouse

This great watering hole has a large beer garden right on the waterfront, which comes to life with laughter and conversation every summer. There are three different outdoor areas you can sit in, depending on how close you want to be to the water.

This Brewhouse also offers a superb selection of beer, including several special housemade brews. The selection changes every month, so every time you come back you will find something new on the menu to try. They also serve food – yummy bites that pair well with a cold glass of beer such as Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings, Amsterdam Pretzel and Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Feta Cheese.

The Pilot Tavern

Check out the “Flight Deck” of the Pilot Tavern, a rooftop beer garden offering sunshine, great food, cold drinks and a great atmosphere. High on a roof in Yorkville, it is removed from the hustle and bustle of the street and it is fully equipped with retractable awnings and heaters so you can keep on drinking no matter what the weather. In fact, it has been around for more than 70 years and was named by the readers of The Globe and Mail as Canada’s Favourite Patio.

Enjoy these great summer spots and more when you stay in Toronto

If you are looking to enjoy living in downtown Toronto for a summer to enjoy all this and more that the GTA has to offer, be sure to find a furnished rental in downtown Toronto now.

Fitness and Health, Food & Recipes, Lifestyle talk

Healthy Eating Tips for Business Travelers

June 27, 2023

While business travel can be good for your career, it’s not always good for your waistline.

Traveling to another city for a networking opportunity, a business meeting or to attend a conference is a great opportunity. However, sometimes your packed schedule means that you don’t have the time to eat a healthy meal. Grabbing fast food on the go is convenient, but it will also leave you feeling sluggish rather than healthy and energized.

Here are some healthy eating tips for every business traveller to keep in mind.

Be Prepared

When you bring your own snacks with you, you’ll avoid being tempted by the quick and easy yet unhealthy options on the way. For example, bring along some fruit, a granola bar or carrot sticks that you can munch on while waiting for your flight. (Just keep in mind airport security and customs restrictions.)

Also, sometimes morning conferences and meetings run late, leaving you starving and more likely to overeat when you finally get to lunch. Having a banana or a bit of trail mix in your bag can be a lifesaver.

Stay in Self-Catering Accommodation

When you stay in a hotel during a business trip, you’ll have no option other than to eat all of your meals in a restaurant (or order room service). Since restaurant portions are often larger than necessary and include plenty of salt and fat, this is a huge factor in why many business travellers return home with their clothes feeling a little too tight.

When you stay in self-catering accommodation, such as a furnished apartment with a kitchen, you’ll be able to shop at the local supermarket and cook your own healthy meals. That way, you can make fresh and tasty recipes and you’ll know exactly what is going into them.

Have Protein for Breakfast

When you start your day, consider some eggs and wholegrain toast rather than sugary cereals or pastries.

The protein will leave you feeling fuller for longer so that you don’t get that mid-morning sugar crash and subsequent cravings. Plus, there are so many tasty dishes that you can make with eggs – from scrambled to fried to poached and much more.

Choose One Treat – And Really Enjoy It

Part of the fun of travelling somewhere else on a business trip is the chance to try the local cuisine, so you don’t want to completely restrict yourself from enjoying the food. The key is to limit yourself to one or two indulgent treats on your trip and to really focus on the experience of eating them.

So, if you are on a business trip to Vancouver Island you might treat yourself to the finest, gourmet Nanaimo Bar. Or, if you are heading to Montreal you can dig into a huge plate of delicious poutine. Get the very best and sit down and really focus on enjoying it.

These are just a few healthy eating tips. How do you eat healthily when you travel for business? Let us know in the comments below.

Downtown Toronto Condos, Family Vacations in Toronto, Fitness and Health, Food & Recipes

Travelling with Dietary Restrictions: A Quick Guide

January 4, 2022

Dietary restrictions Photo by Lubo Minar on Unsplash.

How we eat is part of our everyday lives: what we eat, when, and where. But also what we don’t eat. And what we don’t eat shows up in whole new ways when we travel to a new place.

Travelling with dietary needs or restrictions can be difficult: Packing your own snacks, balancing medications, and hours of extra research on where you can enjoy a good meal without getting sick afterward—sometimes in another language. It’s an extra layer of work that can make it much harder to focus on your business travel, enjoy the neighbourhood, or just kick back and relax on that hard-earned vacation.

But whether it’s allergies, diabetes, food intolerances, religious and cultural diets, or just sticking with a lifestyle that makes you feel great, it’s possible to have the trip of a lifetime and still eat the way you need. When you’re visiting Toronto, DelSuites fully furnished short-term rentals is here to make travel with dietary restrictions not just possible, but the trip of your life.

The flexibility of a full condominium kitchen

When hotel rooms were a traveler’s first option, the advice for traveling with dietary needs was to find a room with a mini-fridge, pack lots of snacks, and do a lot of research.

But since flexible vacation rentals have become more common, we’re all exploring new ways to experience a destination, and the standard special diet travel advice has become much simpler: stay somewhere you have the option to cook. Even if new restaurants and nights out are the highlights of your trip, you’ll have cooking as a backup option—and can enjoy your trip without the stress of looking for your next meal.

Here’s where DelSuites fully furnished rentals step up: a chance to choose how you want to travel, eat, and play—without sacrificing comfort, convenience, or luxury.

Situated in residential buildings across Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods, DelSuites short-term rentals are built for everyday living. That means all our suites have fully equipped—and full-sized—kitchens, putting modern appliances, pots, pans, cooking utensils, and a full set of dishes at your disposal. And if you have dietary needs where cross-contamination matters—celiac, kosher, halal, FODMAP, or a severe allergy—it means a private kitchen where there’s no need to stress about other travelers’ meals or a homeshare host’s preferences. You can bring in your favourites and relax with perfect confidence that you’ll be feeling great after dinner.

Eat the way you want

DelSuites’s convenient and dynamic services let you choose how you want to travel without stress—and let you change your mind once you’re here.

If you’d rather do your own cooking for one or every meal of the day, our booking concierges can help you prearrange a grocery order to be delivered on your arrival—and our buildings’ friendly staff will get it to your door. Toronto’s diverse, multicultural neighbourhoods mean you’ll have endless options to find essentials, whether it’s a favourite international snack, a holiday dish, or ingredients that are certified gluten-, dairy-, or nut-free. It’s a chance to skip border regulations about food and relax, knowing you’ll have a full fridge by suppertime.

If you’re used to carrying snacks, you’ll have the space and equipment to prep and store them for your day out—and stop relying on dry food or non-perishables. Or, with the city’s array of options, you’ll have a chance to discover new favourites.

And if you’re looking forward to trying Toronto’s dizzying array of restaurants—and leaving cooking at home for a while—our full-sized fridges will let you store extra helpings from your new favourite takeout place for those midnight leftovers snacks.

But best of all: If you change your mind and decide you’d rather eat in after all, you’ll have the flexibility to do it without fuss or consequences. And instead of thinking about meal planning, you’ll get to focus on the experience.

Enjoy one of Canada’s top dining cities—without breaking the budget

However you eat, Toronto’s an excellent city for food-lovers. It’s a multicultural, diverse, and curiosity-driven place to eat where you can find classic fine dining from top chefs on the same block as warm, generous Anishinaabe pow wow eats—and an enthusiastic lineup for both.

But everyone who eats a slightly different diet knows finding food that works can comes with a cost—paleo, keto, lactose-free, nut allergies, and celiac-safe foods can come with a serious price markup, and that cost can add up as you pile on restaurant meal after restaurant meal.

DelSuites helps you balance your travel budget by letting you save the costs on premium food and take care of easy meals on your own. With a chance to whip up a quick smoothie or omelette for breakfast, you can really savour your restaurant budget with a few high-end treats—instead of a lot of mid-range meals.

Eat, Play, Love

Most of all, everyone at DelSuites wants to make sure your experience in Toronto is a great one. Contact us at DelSuites by phone at (647) 370-3504 or email info@delsuites.com and we’ll help you set up diet-friendly accommodations—and make sure dinner’s on the table when you arrive.

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