Popped in for brunch after yoga today! It was such a cutely decorated hotel…read more We were sat by the window in the sun which felt great on this frozen day. I had the mushroom & onion omelet and my friend had the classic with bacon. Great service and freshly tasting food! Definitely would come back here.

Strangest hotel that seems to double up as an art gallery of sorts. It's really quite nifty and…read morehonestly the place has a very visual flair that no other place I've stayed at has and I am rather fond of it for that reason. However, at the end of the day I'm also rather practical, and as a place to *stay* it's high on style, but lower on execution. Not much in the way of sound proofing and HVAC is loud so earplugs recommended. It's kind of like somebody who designed a hotel (room) that doesn't actually use them. This leads to some fun things like a pool table with loads of books and artwork dotted around and communal spaces that function pretty well. But then you have other oddities like a chandelier above that pool table that gets in the way of actually playing it. They use a text service they emphasize over the traditional phone line, but then I couldn't get a fast response to it (I wasn't waiting more than an hour when I could just walk down and get an answer faster). All sorts of odd and small decisions that add up to a stay that's rather quirky for seasoned travelers. That's not getting into the super old elevator too (I'm sure it's charming for some folks, but it was definitely discouraging regular use and I can see it being a problem if you couldn't opt to take stairs). First off there's no space for *your* stuff. There's no space to really put any amount of luggage, no desk space, and the only trash can is in the bathroom. Very minimal places to put your things at all, which makes it feel even more cramped. Spaces for cabinets are just hollow metal stands underneath a tiny tray thing. For two people it's quite hard and we used the tiny bannister that was used for ambient lighting to also hold items cause we were desperate. I hit my head on the hanging rack since it's directly over the only place to put a backpack. It's like they didn't comprehend anyone having check-in sized luggage or someone taller than 5'3". There's barely room to setup a CPAP machine by the bedside, which I've never had to deal with in any other hotel I've stayed at (over ~50 stays to date). The electronic controls for the shade is neat. But then there's the door hanger which if you hang anything on at all will get crunched up against the wood bannister. It's more of a door handle since there's nothing else to pull on to open the bathroom. Then there's the piping like putting the sink in the bed area which is weird. The shower has no door or curtain so the water tends to just spill everywhere and the drain is where the divider would be. It was on the lower end of pricing in Toronto and for a place to crash it was serviceable given it's proximity to things. However, this was the only time my frugal brother told me to straight up just spend a bit more money. It was all fine, but definitely wouldn't be signing up for round two soon.

Very fun place in the middle of Queen St. We stopped in for late lunch after learning about the…read moreRivoli in the movie "Nirvanna, the band, the show, the movie". We were greeted very warmly by the wait staff and seated at one of the indoor tables. We each got delicious burgers and split an order of Wookie Balls. Everything was perfectly done right down to the lightly grilled brioche bun. The pool room upstairs is really cool too. Lots of history in the place but still feels clean and cared for. Everyone was so nice that we encountered. Can't wait for our next visit.

In late October, on a Sunday, I had lunch with a few friends at Rivoli Toronto, an iconic venue…read morenear the downtown core. I had a great time. I parked on Queen Street West. It's Green P parking. I recommend paying for parking through the Green P app if you need to add more time. When you walk in, there's a flight of stairs and a main floor: - The main floor has a restaurant, bars, and Back Room for concerts - The second floor has a full bar, stage, pool tables, and arcade games I entered the main floor. I was greeted by John, the owner. He was super nice and hospitable, leading me to where my friends were. We were a party of six. Main floor We feasted. We got a lot of food. We divided, shared, and conquered. We ended up boxing leftovers home. I ordered a Diet Coke. It was cold and perfect. I ended up getting another one later on. Balls menu The balls menu consists of appetizers that are sharable with friends. I can also see having a few for yourself to enjoy. It's good finger food eats if you want variety or something lighter, especially before a show. We enjoyed the following ballsy items: - Wookie balls - Beefy Danish balls (frikadeller) - Fish ball fusion - D'oh balls - Garlic mashed potato All the balls were scrumptious and filling. The Wookie balls are one of the Rivoli's signature items. They are rice balls with mirin, sesame oil, and herbs, coated in black and white sesame seeds. They were crunchy and yummy. The beefy Danish and garlic mashed potato balls are comfort in ball form. I dream of this combo still. I was fortunate to have been invited into the kitchen, to check out where these talented chefs make all their food creations. Every order is made fresh. I could tell how much these chefs love what they do. They cooked and plated everything so effortlessly and with such precision. It was impressive! I got to see them make these offerings for us: - Blackened burger - Korean chicken lettuce wraps They were delicious and full of flavour. You can get the lettuce wraps made with veggies if you're vegan. Noodles We got the vegetarian pesto linguini. I loved the roasted red pepper and garlic cloves, with pesto that was fresh and bright. You can also get this dish with chicken. Rivoli's classic pad thai has been a staple since Rivoli opened in 1982. Pan-seared chicken and shrimp are your proteins. Egg, scallions, peanuts, and bean sprouts, and the proteins are tossed with rice noodles in Rivoli's signature pad thai sauce. The sauce is ketchup-based, which may offend pad thai purists, but they are missing out on yumminess by knocking it. You can also get this dish made vegetarian with veggies and tofu. Flatbreads Flatbreads are part of the Sound Bites appetizers at Rivoli. We enjoyed the following flatbreads: - Spicy thai - Spicy thai sauce base, with baby shrimp, marinated chicken, green onion, bean sprouts, ribbons of egg, roasted peanuts, cilantro, and fresh lime zest - Korean BBQ - Korean BBQ sauce base, with marinated chicken, red pepper, red onion, carrot, cheese, cilantro, and green onion - Love from parma - drizzled extra virgin olive oil on the flatbread, with thyme, sea salt, cracked black pepper, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, shaved parmesan, arugula, and flat-leaf parsley - Blanco - drizzled extra virgin olive oil on the baked flatbread, with fresh thyme, cracked sea salt, gouda cheese, and bufala mozzarella All flatbreads were perfectly toasted and made to order. They were both chewy and crispy where they should be. Scrumptious! Back Room The Back Room is the main stage. Adele, Amy Winehouse, Gord Downie, The Kids in the Hall, Mike Myers are some folks who have performed here. It was cool to look at the stage and sit on it, to soak in everything. I'll need to return and check out a show or more. Second floor I took in The Empty Glasses play a live set at 3 pm on the second floor. The stage is by the bar. This band plays every other Sunday. It felt like being in Nashville, visiting a bar, knowing that there is good, live country music playing as you grab a drink and a bite to eat. The difference is that you save a bit by soaking up country vibes in downtown Toronto. It's a tight-knit community of talented country musicians that can play or sing anything on a Sunday afternoon. It was special to witness. I instantly became a fan, as attending live concerts and performances is my thing. There's also a pool hall with games on this floor. It was a throwback to my undergraduate years learning how to play pool with friends over drinks. There are a decent number of pool tables. I counted eleven. The purple one in the middle is the largest one out of the bunch. The oldest one is over a century old. It's like being in a pool hall museum, but you can touch the artifacts. You can also play video games. I saw Pac-Man and other great 80's arcade games. They made me happy. I had a great time. The food and drinks, and live music were excellent. (436)

Came here on Mother's day to celebrate my wife as this was the place chosen. Here is what we…read moreordered: Fried Brussel Sprouts - $18 - There's some shaved sprinkled parmesan, bacon. It was tasty, but I find a bit overpriced Sweet Chili Ribs- $21 (5-6 bones or 1lb) - Nice and tender ribs, can't complain except you hope for more. Short Rib Pappardelle- $34 - Really nice portion and generous amount of short rib boneless meat. Pasta was cooked nicely and coated nicely with the sauce Hunter's Half Boneless Chicken- $27 - It says boneless on the menu, but we found a bone from the drunstick attached to half chicken. Comes with veggies and mashed potato. Chicken was cooked nicely. Ube Cheesecake- $16 - Nice different taste profile from traditional Overall the food portion, quality is there, but pricing on some items are a bit high.

Not a lot of great options in the Pickering area yet for foods, but we stumbled across The Social…read moreBar & Lounge. For those who are familiar, this is very similar to Smash Kitchen vibes. Menu is a tad over priced, but I can't deny it tastes good. Not overly salty or oily as bar food often is, and I actually really enjoyed their pasta. It's definitely a great place to go for a bit of a splurgy night with friends where you're prepared to pay $20-40 per person. I like it for a date night to have some heavier foods that I wouldn't want to try cooking at home. The short rib pappardelle was the best. I love the flavour and it's not too crazy heavy, even though it looks really creamy. It has very beef stew type vibes. The chicken wings were well cooked and still moist. I think it was too much flavour going on though. You LOVE the first and even second wing. But by the third one, I felt like it was getting too heavy. I know though that a lot of people love that and can't get enough of it. I personally don't like too much of any one thing. The brussel sprouts I felt the same. It's really yum for the first few bites but it gets really heavy after a while. I think it's really fun to have the appetizers and share a main with someone. The foods are a bit heavier, more of a flavour bomb, but everything is executed well and the staff are really nice! We've even done take out and the portions were very much the same.

Absolutely loved everything about this place. The spicy pasta was so good! Drinks were delicious…read moreand the bartenders were so friendly! I'm so glad we got there when we did and were able to sit at the bar. Amazing time. Highly recommend!

I was finally able to go to Vinny ever since it opened for a birthday dinner, and overall, I had a…read morerelatively pleasant experience. Within checking in with the hostess and being seated, we encountered one of the only few flaws of this restaurant-- we had a table reserved for 7 people, and because we were seated in the downstairs dining area (where it was a little more crowded), we were not able to fully sit around the table, and had a longer table setup which slightly hindered the dining experience. Upon ordering the cheese pie, it did not take too long to be prepared. Considering it was one of the cheapest things on the menu, i was not surprised that it would be small. The pie is essentially just cheese bread with garlic confit, which was delicious and honestly worth the money. The tuna pizza that my friend had ordered was fresh, zesty, and such an effective palate cleanser for the cheese pie. Towards the end of the service, we were given QR codes to scan to redeem a free turn at the photo booth they have upstairs. It was so much fun, and completely made up for the rest of the dining experience at Vinny.

This place rulessss. Great bartender (Zack) and the ambience is perfect for a Saturday afternoon…read more Highly recommend!

Such a fun bar! Drinks are cheap…read more The music is great. The staff is friendly. I had a blassssst being here and will definitely come back

I got tickets for their movie music concert early last year…read more Koerner Hall is one of the smaller venues. It's similar size to some of the theater venues but it feels like larger. Interiors was gorgeous. Also, the music was amazing (including the featured soloists). I was impressed, especially when some of the musicians were/are students. Acoustics was great. I done what it's like viewing from another angle beside the orchestra area. For the tickets: I used a discount code I heard from The New Classical FM 96.3 to get my tickets. You maybe able to use one depending on the schedule. Also, there are options to get them in person after purchasing them online. It will depend how close you got them to the concert date. I picked them up on person just cause it was close to the date.

I went to listen to a concerto competition. I've sat on the top back and also on the bottom front…read morerow before, the sound travels well for a big hall like this. The seats though are a bit cramped. I don't think fat people can sit in the chairs. I didn't try the snacks or drink though as they are very expensive and nothing I really liked.

This place was really fun & the vibe is amazing! We came here for a bachelorette party around 11…read morep.m. on a Saturday night & the place was pumping. There was a good crowd.. enough people but not crowded & everyone was there to have fun. I would just randomly approach strangers and dance with them and they would start dancing with me all in good fun. The music was good. Will definitely go back to try some of their food and Asian inspired cocktails for another night of dancing & fun!

3.5/5 but I couldn't really give it a 3…read more Great spot for a post work happy hour drinks and bites on a Thursday. Amazing deal for their small plates. They have tons of food option and a few cocktails. I tried the yuzu gin smash, bang bang shrimp, and dumplings. I'd go back to try more of their dishes.

Easy to get to, great little spot for live music. Bluegrass brunches on the weekend were a fond…read morepart of my 20s. Nice to see a venue like this stand the test of time!

Fun place, good service, great music. Definitely recommended. Enjoyable. Easy to get to on the…read morestreetcar.