I grew up eating pancakes on many summer weekends at the lake. Luckily, Toronto is serving up plenty of pancakes to satisfy every craving.

1. Mildred’s Temple Kitchen: Their sky-high blueberry pancakes are very much worth the (often) long wait. You can also order pantry staples – including their sought-after pancake mix – to whip up breakfast at home (Liberty Village).
2. Sophie’s: This uptown gem, adorned with bright yellow lemon decals, is sure to make you happy as soon as you step foot inside. Their blueberry pancakes are the cherry on top (Leaside) – pictured above.
3. Old School: Another sky-high blueberry stack that will keep you coming back for more. (Dundas & Bathurst).
4. Mia Brunch Bar: Grab a seat on their back patio oasis while you dig into their maple chantilly pancakes. (Yonge & Eglinton)
5. Emma’s Country Kitchen: You’ll be spoiled for choice here – choose between buttermilk, wild blueberry or cinnamon bun pancakes (St. Clair near Christie).

I am on a casual mission to eat my way through Toronto’s breakfast sandwiches. Here are a few favourites so far (they only make the list if they’re great)! These are listed in no particular order!

1. Gold Standard: Their secret ingredient is pickles – sounds odd but I am told it’s great (I actually don’t like pickles, so I do the cardinal sin and get them removed. It’s still bangin’).
2. Black Cat Espresso Bar: Their secret sauce is a home run – I tatested a hint of truffle but might be totally wrong. Either way, it’s delicious! (College & Dufferin)
3. Union: This sandwich will fill you up and have craving more, at the same time! (Ossington near Humbert) – pictured above
4. Manita: The hot sauce and braised kale make this one a flavourful standout (Dundas & Ossington)

Sometimes you need a little hideout from the rain (or sun!). These spots will have you covered. Plus, they have delicious eats!

1. Farmhouse Tavern: Delicious seasonal eats with Ontario-sourced ingredients (Dupont & Dundas)
2. Chotto Matte: This Japanese Peruvian hotspot is perfect for cocktails & dinner (Financial District – Bay & Front)
3. Osteria Rialto: Their stunning space and Italian eats are great for date night! (Bloor & Dovercourt)
4. Escape Goat: A casual haunt for craft beer and from-scratch pub fare (West Queen West)
5. Bar Vendetta: The most perfect back patio & the cacio e pepe of my dreams (Dundas & Bellwoods) *photo above courtesy of Bar Vendetta

Looking for a covered patio more so for drinks than eats? Check out the great options below.

1. Bandit Brewery: You’ll be sure to taste some great brews on this Roncesvalles patio (Dundas near Roncesvalles)! Pictured above: the patio last summer, before they added their massive awning.
2. Bar Raval: Cocktails & pintxos are calling! (College & Palmerston)
3. Paradise Grapevine: Their partially covered patio is perfect for tucking under for wonderful vino (Bloor & Shaw)
4. Birreria Volo: The perfect back patio for discovering your new favourite beer (College & Grace St)
5. Rosedale DIner: Host to a surprisingly extensive & perfectly curated wine & beer list (Yonge St between Summerhill and Rosedale)

Toronto is host to many great menus that you can get delivered. Perfect for any celebration – big or small. Below are some of the city’s favourites. Order via Tock.

1. Pai (pictured above): Arguably the best in the city, by Chef Nuit & Jeff Regular (two locations – Dundas & Adelaide and Yonge & Eglinton).
2. Sukhothai: Popular for their Khao Soi (3 locations).
3. Sabai Sabai: Another Chef Nuit & Jeff Regular favourite (Bloor & Church)
4. Sala Modern Kitchen: Offers great make-at-home meal kits on top of their regular menu (Danforth).
5. Isaan Der: A colourful spot with plenty of curries & noodle dishes (Junction & Midtown).
6. Pii Nong: A great Leaside gem, also currently selling frozen curries (Bayview Ave).

Something about being in quarantine has prompted me to binge eat pasta like there’s no tomorrow. Below are some favourites – whether you’re ordering in or for when we can dine out once again.

1. Sugo: There’s a reason this Italian-American neighborhood spot is in my Top Five. My favourite is the rosé rigatoni – I could eat buckets of it (Bloor W).
2. Enoteca Sociale (pictured above): Also a Top Five, the best Roman style pastas: cacio e pepe & bucatini all’Amatriciana. Although I love dining in at Enoteca Sociale, their dishes also make for great pickup (Little Portugal).
3. Gio Rana’s Really Really Nice: Their pappardelle is a home run, and they also deliver & have a heated patio (Leslieville)!
4. Piano Piano: Their canestri alla vodka with spicy ‘nduja is what dreams are made of & the mushroom cavatelli is creamy & delicious (it won me over and I don’t even like mushrooms!) (Harbord Village & Mt Pleasant Village)
5. Spaccio: Order the rigatoni all’Amatriciana for delivery or just ask for it when you go in person (you won’t see it on the in-store menu, but if you ask nicely, they’ll whip it up for you!) (Corktown).
6. Il Covo: I genuinely can’t pick a favourite between the rigatoni all’Amatriciana (yes, you see a partner on this list) and the gnocchi ragu. Their carbonara is also delicious and different, as it’s served with rigatoni noodles. Whatever you decide, be sure to get their house-made bread. It’s delicious and perfect for sopping up leftover sauce (Little Italy).
7. Cantina Mercatto: A seriously delightful carbonara (Yonge & Wellington).

A wonderful silver lining to the pandemic is all of the make-at-home offerings now available. The food is restaurant quality and easy to cook at home, while spending time with loved ones or partaking in a solo cooking extravaganza.

1. Ferro Bar Cafe: I’ve lost track of how many times we’ve ordered Ferro Bar’s pizza kits. With each kit, you get 2 dough balls, sauce, cheese & toppings – either basil or pepperoni, depending on which kit you order. The flavours are great and it’s so much fun stretching out the dough (St. Clair West).
2. Buca: Excellent pizzas & pastas (Multiple locations – Yonge & St. Clair for pickup).
3. Sala Modern Thai: Flavourful Thai kits with online videos to follow along as you cook (The Danforth).
4. Two of my favourite make-at-home meals are no longer offered, but I’ve found another restaurant that does something similar that is certainly worth trying – Eastside Social for make-at-home steamed mussels in white wine shallot jus or grilled octopus (Leslieville). For those wondering, my favourite kits were pasta from Giulietta and mussels from Honest Weight (pictured above).
5. Oyster Boy: Shuck oysters at home! They offer unshucked oysters, house sauce on the side, and shucking knives so that you can do it at home. Take a peek at their take-out menu to explore their other make-at-home kits & Lobster boil offering – you can also order pre-shucked oysters (West Queen West)!
6. Union: If you haven’t tried Union’s burger yet, you are missing out. So go do that, and then return to order their make-at-home burger or rib kits (Ossington).
7. PC Restaurant Meal Kits: President’s Choice has partnered up with a number of Toronto restaurants to offer make-at-home meal kits. You can find a ramen kit from Momofuku Noodle Bar, a taco kit from La Carnita, a steak dinner for two from Il Covo and more. They sell out quickly, but restock daily at 12PM.

Another wonderful silver lining of the pandemic is the vast offerings of make-at-home cocktail kits. There are so many available now, it’s hard to keep track. Here are some of my favourites. Note that a lot of cocktail kits deliver on certain days only – be sure to plan ahead! You also need to order food with alcohol deliveries.

1. Project Gigglewater: You’ll find inventive, cheekily-named cocktails from this Dundas West hotspot. They were one of the first to offer kits for delivery and the packages have since become quite robust – with beautiful instruction cards and sometimes including glassware. Great for yourself or for gifting to someone. Check out our interview with Alfred, the owner, here (Little Portugal).
2. Salty Paloma (pictured above): Offering cocktail kits and classes, perfect for a night of fun (Adelaide W).
3. Mother Cocktail Bar: Serving up an array of beautiful cocktails, along with a vast selection of produce and bread to order (Trinity Bellwoods).
4. Reid’s Distillery: Pick up a cocktail kit from Reid’s and it’ll include one of their stunning bottles. They have multiple cocktail kits to choose from – I am partial to the French 75 as it comes with gorgeous dehydrated lemons, sure to elevate your cocktails (Leslieville).
5. Reyna on the Rocks: From Bar Reyna, Reyna on the Rocks has a variety of cocktail offerings, with a lot of different options – various sizes and alcoholic or sans-alcohol options. They’ll have you conquering more complicated cocktails in no time. You can even purchase subscriptions and  tools (Yorkville & Corktown)!
6. Bar Mordecai: Although we can’t wait until we can visit Bar Mordecai in person – with the interior inspired by Wes Anderson films – they’re serving up some mean cocktail kits. You can even order charcuterie to-go (Little Portugal).

Another great resource is the Cocktail Resource Centre from Civil Liberties – featuring cocktail recipes that you can make at home (they also offer bitters and more for purchase).

Check out the original Middle of Somewhere post here on cocktail kits for delivery.

Feel free to indulge by ordering some of Toronto’s best desserts for delivery. All of these are available for real-time ordering, as long as the businesses are open, perfect for those all-of-a-sudden cravings!

1. Craig’s Cookies: Arguably the best cookies in the city. Highly recommend ordering an assorted box (3 locations).
2. Mos Mos Coffee: Excellent coffee shop also serving cinnamon buns, gooey cookies & Bunner’s vegan donuts (multiple locations).
3. Craque du Creme (pictured above): Several flavours of crème brûlée and delicious Belgian waffles (Wychwood Park).
4. The Fourth Man In The Fire: An unexpected place to get excellent coconut or banana cream pie (Trinity-Bellwoods)!
5. Terroni: Enjoy their delicious budino di caramello or tiramisu in the cutest little to-go jars. You can also order the desserts from their sister locations – Spaccio & Stock T.C (multiple locations).
6. Knockout Ice Cream: Hands down one of my favourite ice creams in the city – maybe ever. The caramelized banana is my happy place (2 locations: one near Geary Ave & the other Yorkville).
7. Booyah: Their make-at-home ice cream sandwiches come complete with ice cream and cookies – in your flavours of choice.

Not all desserts are available for real-time ordering, but some are certainly worth planning ahead for.

1. Gertie’s Peanut Butter Pie: A cravable peanut butter pie that you might end up eating all to yourself. See the list of retailers on their website here. I ordered from Salt Gourmet Foods (they have a ton of great gourmet food items!) – pictured above.
2. Breadhead Bakery: A variety of cakes (in a variety of sizes) available for weekly orders and deliveries, with deliveries occurring Thursday – Saturday. Lucy, the baker, has worked at Canada’s top restaurants, so you know these cakes will be top notch. [Note: I haven’t tried these cakes yet, but they’re at the top of my list!]
3. Mary’s Brigadeiro Bake-At-Home Cookies: Extraordinarily gooey bake-at-home cookies that you’ll be thankful to have stocked in your freezer. Available in two flavours.
4. Spaccio: Do yourself a favour and visit this Corktown gem and pick up their bake-at-home individual chocolate mousse and a pack of their bake-at-home croissants. Pair the chocolate mousse with Knockout’s caramelized banana ice cream (see above) and you will be thanking me! Psst – be sure to read the croissant instructions (you need to put them out overnight before baking them – I didn’t do this and was excited to enjoy a croissant one Sunday morning, only to realize I needed to take them out of the freezer 8 hours before!). Spaccio doesn’t offer delivery, but their shop / warehouse is worth a visit. Read more about it in the Shop section of this post.