This is a 3-day festival (2021-10-22 to 24) at the stackt market. It highlights hospitality, art,…read moremusic, and local businesses. Entry is free but the music and food showcases costs money. It is best to buy tickets ahead of time (on their website via eventbrite) since it is first come, first serve. There are early aft and evening tickets. The music showcase requires proof of vaccination. A local music showcase is curated by School Night. It costs $10/person. There is a popup restaurant experience held by Culinary agency Quell featuring star BIPOC chefs Master Chef Canada's Marissa Leon-John and Globe & Mail's list of "Canada's Next Star Chef's" for 2020. It costs $60/person. The dishes served are: 1. Saag, Heirloom Carrots & Papadam 2. Monk fish with roasted pumpkin purée, green sauce, puffed wild rice 3. "Scallop" Tajine with king oyster mushroom, saffron tomato sauce, cauliflower couscous 4. Beet "Tartare" with berbere, kifto, Injera 5. Curd n crumble with citrus, spiced cream, sablé crumble An art gallery exhibition and immersive experience by Cry Baby Gallery featuring works of art by local Toronto artists. There is a portrait studio series focused on mental health visibility and emotional expression. There is a full-city block of local business popups with a daily vendor village of 20+ booths and over 25+ residential shipping container storefronts. Review 2021-105 You can also find me on Instagram @chuan_chee. Thanks.

Are you tired of swimming through sticky people to get to some skewers? Do hour long waits for…read moreoverpriced, mediocre foods make you sad? Well, come on down to TO Food Fest! Actually, you can't. It's over. But maybe next year! On a gorgeous Sunday morning, friends and I headed down to experience some exotic treats. Getting there early enough meant we got to park in the lot in front of the community centre. So refreshing to have room to move around and to actually try all the things we wanted to try. I'll try to keep my descriptions short and sweet: DaanGo (aka. Masterchef Baker Siu): Asian inspired macarons (delicious), tarts, and the most Instagramable dessert ever: agar fruit marbles in syrup. $15 for 6 macarons and $6 for a cup of the cool fruit bubbles. Fish'D (by EDO): Salmon sushi burrito is exactly what you'd expect. Pretty delicious but also tastes exactly as you'd think a big sushi roll would taste like. $12 for a full one and $7 for half. Yakikuza: They did one thing and one thing only: bacon and shrimp okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake). And they did it so well. Deliciously fried batter with sauces and two strips of bacon + small shrimps. Oko-NOM-iyaki indeed. ($8) Teppan Ice Cream: Cute guys with nice arms rolling ice cream? Uhhh yes, please. I thought these rolled ice cream things would be kinda gimmicky but that was actually delicious. I got the lychee (real lychee pieces chopped up into the cream), with condensed milk and peanuts. $7 for some creamy, creamy goodness. There were a ton of other fantastic stalls/food trucks that I didn't get to try like Chocollata Gourmet (beautiful Brazilian truffles), the pork belly bao, and the liquid nitrogen frozen popcorn. Great variety, fantastic quality, and I was pretty stuffed after 2.5 hours there. As a note, yes there is a donation amount of $2 requested. Yes, it's voluntary. Yes, there are some lovely ladies that sit at the entrance and ask you, in a very polite way, to donate. If the setup makes you uncomfortable because you feel like you're being "forced" to donate, that's your stingy attitude making you feel that way, not the people there (*cough* other review..). (68/100) - 2016

Omnomnomnomnomnomnom. I specifically skipped breakfast just so I can try out as many different…read morekinds of food cuisines as possible. TO Food Fest happened this past weekend. While the location isn't the best, attendance was phenomenal. The best part was that it wasn't just Asians that were here, but a whole mix of different ethnic groups all converging into a church building and a parking lot. Multiculturalism at its best! Some of the foods I've tried included mochi from Mochi King, calamari from Baha Tacos, milk tea from Marathon Cafe, cheesesteak from Lamesa Filipino Kitchen, Hawaiian skewers, and finally a mango slush to call it a day. While it is amateur hour for many vendors, you can sense the creativity and effort they put into making their food, and with that I was quite happy with most of the food I received. I was lucky to arrive right at the opening bell at 1pm. By the time I left around 3:30pm, many of the vendors were already sold out of their foods! Perhaps they underestimated the demand of this event, but it was certainly a well attended one, especially given the scorching heat for the outdoor vendors. Man, I wonder how they survive cooking with all that heat and (in some cases) charcoal blowing right at their faces. Hopefully Night It Up lives up to this, cause this event took food cuisines to the next level.

Live events have finally return to Yelp AND in Mississauga! I originally had tickets to this event…read morein 2020/21, so it was nice that this came full-circle. Tickets were $30 and that included a souvenir glass with 2 drink @4oz/food tokens. Event space was all under one roof for 15 breweries and there was also a small outdoor patio. Food-wise, there wasn't too much selection with 1 cheese place, Tatsu Bakery, a momo place, and a vendor with no sign. Additional tokens were $2.50ea. Tokens didn't really get your much in the way of food, maybe 1 hors d'oeuvres. Certainly not enough for a meal. My plan of attack was simple, visit the breweries that were new to me! Personally, the breweries that I think did the best had some kind of big signage, including one listing all the brews that were available including a brief description. As there was live music playing, I found it quite difficult to communicate with some of the vendors and volunteers. At one point, they also had a live DJ. Turnout seemed to be good, it wasn't too crowded on Friday night. There was also plenty of space to move around and enjoy your beer. Since this is the first year of the event, I think it'll just get better!

What can you say? Even without the World Cup and weather that would dampen any spirits, ITALFEST…read morejust kept moving on. Nice! The Yelpers were treated to a break in the weather with a few spots of sprinkles. After a little wait, our festival guide arrived. It was a pleasure to have Mr. Anthony Petrucci - President of Palma Pasta, be our festival representative. Anthony took us around the grounds and introduced us to several places. Let's list them off shall we? First stop...Mario San Francescos Catering. A full service catering service that is 30 years young and still going strong. Anthony introduced us to one of the owners (I believe she was Mrs. Fiore) and she provided us with Veal and Chicken on a bun. Which was greatly appreciated by all. It's always difficult to have hot and fresh food at a venue like this, however, as caterers they obviously have that talent mastered. https://mariosanfran.com/ Then off to Palma Pasta (est. 1985). Anthony is President of Palma Pasta and he is passionate about the food and his people. They cater, have retail products, and operate hot tables and kitchens. Had a sampling of the penne and meatballs. Delicious! https://palmapasta.com/ Ciao from Pizza Nova! Our tour continued to take out pizza. Who doesn't love pizza? I've been going to Pizza Nova since I was "single digit" years old. Not going to tell you how long ago that was! Anthony calls them the best franchise operations, because they really do use the best ingredients. A true testimonial is that his Family Nights have pizza from Pizza Nova. I have to agree. Between the big franchises, Pizza Nova is my favourite. https://pizzanova.com/ Ahhhh...Lemon Heaven! Who hasn't seen some kind of large fruit POS? After having some good food, we need to wash it down. There is something about a nice lemonade. Lemon Heaven uses freshly squeezed lemons. You can have it classic or you can flavour it as well. We all had a serving of their classic lemonade, and I for one was extremely grateful as I was really thirsty! http://www.lemonheaven.com/ Last stop on our food tour...FIRED UP! Fired Up is what they call a backyard grilling company. They operate out of Port Credit/Mississauga. I've seen them a few times when I have done the Stagger of Fame up and down Lakeshore Road. A sampling today was their Ribs and Mac'n'Cheese. The MnC was "Ri-don-culous"-(Guy Fieri) and the Ribs were better than Ribfest. http://www.firedupbbq.com/ Now for some history. I did not know that Mississauga had such deep roots with the Italian community. Being a Toronto boy, it was college street and then up to Woodbridge. That is all I knew. At the heritage part of the tour, we got a lesson on Pier 21. The pier in Halifax that immigrants, coming in by ship, landed in Canada. Anthony's grandfather and father (I believe) came via Pier 21. We had two ladies from Pier 21, now a historical museum, introduce us to their fascinating work. https://pier21.ca/ More information about the Brickyards and the Italian spirit was presented by Heritage Mississauga. Again, the information that they were able to gather about the shaping of the community was wonderful. https://www.heritagemississauga.com/ Thank you very much Yelp for getting me to go on a grey soaking day to get some culture. Personally want to thank Mr. Anthony Petrucci for his time, passion, and great insight into the lives of his community. Well colour me Green/White/Red and let's go again next year! CHEERS!

It was an amazing event despite the heavy rain and T-storm before the start of the food tour…read more Special thanks for Aisa being patient with all of us coming from afar and our tour guide, Anthony, who was the organizer. We started off near the VIP area and headed to On A Bun where we were treated to veal and chicken sandwiches. They were excellent and the owner told her story of her business. Next, we had some awesome pasta with meatballs. We stopped off for some pizza from Pizza Nova for some samples. In the middle, we had some lemonade from a franchise owner that operates during the summer months at festivals. Last, we had some mac n cheese with some ribs. To finish our tour, we heard some history about immigrants coming to Pier 21 in Halifax and also stories of families who settled in Mississauga. It was definitely a good experience.

I had a lot of fun here with my daughter in law and 4 year old granddaughter. There are plenty of…read morethings to do for all ages. We had no idea what this was - so wandered in kind of blind - if we'd known how huge it was we would have planned more time here. There's a midway, carnival rides, musical acts for both kids and adults, animals, exhibits and a giant food court. It is of course VERY crowded which made navigating through the crowds a challenge. I would go again - and try to be better prepared. The negatives? We went into the International Hall and a fire alarm started sounding. With a 4 year old it was actually scary trying to get out because people were going in and out and the aisleway was not wide enough. They had put an exhibit near the door which required everyone to pick a side to go around it which created a pinch point. It was a poor design setup and they should fix that in the future. I saw no security and no one was helping out to tell us what was going on. Bathrooms were only located in buildings - so you had to use the map to figure out were they were and make a special trip to get there. There just weren't enough and they were too far apart. I feel like Porta Potties scattered throughout would have made a lot of sense given the number of people at the event. Midway games were pretty pricey - $10 (Canadian) a pop - that adds up quickly. Little kids don't understand why you can't just keep playing or trying to win something. Maybe $5 or $6? More signage is needed. Yes I had a map - but I was frequently disoriented on which way to go to a new building. Signs would have been nice.

Cne family pack is better deal. It's long lineup for dog show but have glitz of seat. I basically…read morewatch all the major shows like skating and deep water jump. Worth to go through the show and shop. Most of the kiosk are the same and located same every year. Love the space exhibits but not enough time to watch them all. Love the nfl area with activities and m and m for free. The farm is good for younger kids . Food has lots of variety in the food hall. I prefer seat outside with nice breeze than hot sweaty in door.

AlohaFest showcases Hawaiian / Polynesian culture, including dances, arts, crafts, songs, and food…read more Food vendors included Hawaiian BBQ, various Filipino snacks and main dishes, cold drinks (e.g. buko pandan, melon juice, lemonade with boba), fresh pineapple and watermelon juice, shaved ice, and more. About 80% of the food there was Filipino, which was great - showcasing the large Filipino footprint and Asian influence in Hawaii and other Polynesian islands. There was also a food truck giving out free samples of Hawaiian bread (softer and sweeter than regular bread) in the form of mini toast with a choice of topping (maple butter, garlic butter, or Nutella). It reminded me of the Filipino ensaymada. There were benches and picnic-style seatings available. The festival itself wasn't that big, given the size of the location, but I liked that it was focused on Hawaiian / Polynesian-related vendors and performances (instead of other street festivals that seem to have more random food / vendors than the theme of the festival). The dance and music performances were pretty good, with cute colourful costumes and hula skirts.

AlohaFest Toronto is a showcase of Polynesian culture,…read morebringing Polynesian arts, dances, crafts and foods to the Greater Toronto Area. AlohaFest takes place at Mel Lastman Square and educates the GTA community about the Aloha spirit. Visitors can watch performances by hula halau (hula schools). It's brought to you by Polynesian-inspired organizations, businesses and it's a family-friendly event not to be missed.

Hello folks! Luminato is here again in Toronto. In it's 6th year, it's usually held during the 2nd…read moreweek of June for 10 days. David Pecaut Square has been the festival's headquarters since its inception. (David Pecaut is also one of the founding members of the festival as well) It's a great event for everyone and really, Luminato has everything for just about everyone!! To simply put, it's a multi-disciplinary arts festival happening all around downtown Toronto that features variety of genres: anything from, classical music, dance, theatre, film visual arts, fashion food, you name it, it's probably here. Last year, 2011, the headlining performer was none other than Aretha Franklin!! What?!? This year it's gonna be Nelly Furtado and K'NAAN on the main stage! So come down and enjoy the show!! Luminato 2012 is scheduled for June 8-17, 2012. Many free events and shows here folks so be sure to check the website for up to date schedule! 1luv Toronto, Bob out!

Food trucks, Art and Jazz... Amazing!…read more Stopped by on a Tuesday night at Luminato 2013 main site in Pecault Square to check out the really big disco ball ("One Thousand Speculations") and the food trucks. The idea of the disco ball seems real cheesy, but this installation is very impressive. Although I didn't stay long enough to see it lit up for the evening, I was able to get a picture of it hanging during the day and you can see a lot of Toronto. Plus with the CN tower in the background, it makes me appreciate the city even more. The food trucks lined up for the night were Buster's Sea Cove, Caplansky's and The Food Dudes. There were a lot of tables and seating in the food 'garden' right across the main stage. Buster's Sea Cove - Fish tacos - flavourful and spicey. I usually get the lobster roll but I've noticed that they're a bit skimpy with the lobster at the truck than at their main location (@ St. Lawrence Market) Caplansky's - Brisket slider, fries and gravy - brisket with coleslaw was messy, good and tangy, fries with gravy was surprisingly better than the regular stuff. Was hoping to get my hands on those delicious maple bacon donuts... But they ran out! Food Dudes - nothing on their menu was enticing... and the lady I saw in the truck applying deodorant didn't help... Eeewww! At the stage was Lady Son, a Latin (/Canadian) Salsa band Awesome to see and hear while having dinner outdoors on a beautiful Toronto evening. It was also nice to see some people bustin' out their samba/salsa/chacha moves. Luminato showcasing art, music and food makes me proud to be a Torontonian.

Perfect afternoon to head to the park. Better yet, we headed to the King City Craft Beer Festival…read moreand Food Truck Festival. This is an annual event that's hosted on one Saturday at the start of summer. The entire town seemed to have shown up as the small festival ground was packed with families & groups of all ages (many with pets) to make for a lively atmosphere. Once inside we briefly roamed around the festival ground and craft beer tents, before settling on ordering Urban Smoke's $10 brisket poutine based on the healthy lineup. Fries were crisp but the gravy sort of overwhelmed the flavour of the BBQ brisket slices. Slabtown Cider quenched our thirst well, so we tried both their legendary cherry and founder's dry cider. However another craft beer (aptly named Psychedelic Sunday) tasted like watered down perfume so I'd chalk that as a recipe gone awry. The other food truck that peaked my interest was Buster's Sea Cove. Figured I'd save a trip to Boston by ordering their $15 Lobster Roll! Their roll turned out to be about the size of the accompanying pickle slice, though filled with decent portion of lobster. For dessert, my wife had to try Funnel Cake Express to reminisce of CNE. Their funnel cake was a solid option: crunchy and not overly sweet from the light chocolate, caramel and maple syrup dressings. Admission started at $10. Gate fare was $20 to sample drinks, with 3 tokens that redeemed basically half a cup each (additional tokens were $2). Since we came with family, the festival was not perhaps the best value for the limited itinerary plus live music. We were in-and-out within 1.5 hours before heading to the nearby playground to enjoy the beautiful day.

As of late, I have been entering contests and have had good luck on my side. Here's hoping that I…read morehave not jinxed it. On Instagram, I saw that Yelp GTA was giving away tickets to the King City Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival. I decided to give it a try, which required reposting Yelp GTA's pic, tagging a couple of sponsors, and declaring that you want to go. My dearest friend saw my post and sent me a direct message saying, "I was hoping that we could hang out on June 9. Were you really thinking of going to this festival or just going if you win tickets? If you aren't a winner, we can still hang out." We have known each other since grade 7. I like that she still will be my dear friend, whether I am a winner or loser. Guess what? I got the nod that I have won a pair of tickets. Go, me! I tagged my friend, saying that we're going. The plan was for her to drop by my place, park, and we'd go in my car. Perfect! Thanks to Amanda, Kris, and King City Parks and Recreation for having us at this festival. The catch was figuring out whether we wanted to pick up the tickets through a quick Yelp get-together, or simply pick up tickets at Memorial Park just before the festival starts. We went with the latter. My friend and I got to venue at around noon. I didn't know where to park and ask what seemed to be a volunteer in a purple shirt. She said that parking on the residential street that we were on was fine. The downside was that she was talking to us facing the park. We were looking at her back in my car. Weird. Anyway, I parked and we walked in. I was to look for Kris and a Yelp sign. I saw nothing. My friend needed a washroom and she left to investigate. I seem to be an easy target for Kris to find me. He yelled my name out, which is now customary, and walked over. He told me that he loves this festival and hoped that I would, too. He gave me my tickets. We chatted some more. He pointed out to stop by the Yelp stand to vote for the best beer and food, and we wished each other a great day. You also get free wifi to vote, which lasts for fifteen minutes. The volunteers were not all that prepared, which is the main reason why I am not giving a five-star review. First, we asked whether we were going to drink beer at the front makeshift gate. Um, yes. My guess was that the tickets come with drink tokens. You get a green-coloured wrist band. Second, we had to show ID. No one looked at our ID. Did we look like senile old women that we didn't need to flash our IDs chiselled on rocks? Third, we didn't know which lineup to go to. We chose the one on the left. The fourth point needs a new paragraph. I approached the table. There were two volunteers. One asked for my name. I gave mine to her. She looked at her list and then realized that I wouldn't be on it, as I was holding tickets. She proceeded to give me three drink tokens. I said that I have two tickets. I should be getting six tokens in total. Her sidekick agreed with me. She didn't give my friend three tokens. Um, I'm waiting. I literally had to tell her to provide three tokens into the palm of my friend's hand. OMG, kill me! Anyway, my friend had to use the portable potty. We walked over. We were the first folks to use them, so they were clean. There was a handwashing area to the right. Perfect! We sampled some beer and cider. We ended up chatting with a number of vendors. The two beers and cider that I tried were fantastic. The folks selling them were enthusiastic and nice. Everyone was nice. My friend took a photo of the BMO folks working the stand for them. We enjoyed the various musical bands and acts that were playing. We got food. I had to get a tornado potato with sea salt. It is essentially a spiralized potato on a stick that is deep fried and salted. So good! My friend and I liked it. I have such a weakness for empanadas. We raided the Chacha Churros truck. I got beef and my friend got vegan empanadas. They were so delicious and packed full of fresh, flavourful ingredients. We loved them so much that we came back to get churros. Both folks working the truck remember us. I told them that their food was amazing. The churros had the best cinnamon flavour I have had in a long time. Wow! We visited every stand. I liked visiting the York Region one. You answered trivia questions and you end up winning a cup made of recycled materials that comes with a straw and a lid. We both got one. You could also fill up your water bottles and even these cups at the free water fountain next door. Nice! Naturally, I stopped by the Yelp booth to get some swag and vote for my favourite beer and food vendors. I liked that one person there said that she has seen me around. I suppose that I have been to more Yelp-sponsored events this year than my four years being a Yelper combined that I am fairly easy to spot! I had a fabulous time at this event. I got to experience so much wonderful food and chat with friendly people. I would definitely give it a go again. (227)