Pretty cool spot in Toronto to walk around. This is where numerous Toronto photo opportunities are and do take place. Tons of things to pose with and/or take photos of, especially during the colder months when the tree and lights are still up. Perfectly decorated for Christmas and the cobblestone makes you feel like you've traveled back in time. Plenty of little shops to explore while walking around. Hot cocoa to keep you warm. And of course a gin distillery. This district feels like it doesn't belong in a large city yet it does. read more

Many reviews label The Distillery District as a tourist trap and it is, but that doesn't mean I didn't have a good time. Imagine brick lined streets, Victorian style Industrial buildings full of cafes and art galleries. As you're exploring the area you'll feel as if you are in another small town. Make sure to bring a camera because there are so many chances for interesting pictures. Sure it's pricier for food and drinks here, but that's expected. read more

The Distillery District - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Topping off my 500th review to the Distillery District - one of my favourite places to be in summer or winter in Toronto. An old factory area that has been revamped on the insides to make it the artistic central of Toronto. Here, you will find many artist's workshops and several cute and fancy restaurants around the area - everything is local and there are no chains in this neighbourhood. The Distillery has different art exhibitions throughout the year, and a few solid events, such as the Toronto Christmas Market that attracts tons of people every year. This is close to a residential area, and just East of core core Downtown district, so you get a little bit of peace and quiet here. There are tons of gotrains that pass by everyday however. In the summer, see if you can come visit for the ice cream, and if you read a lot of my reviews, you know that my favourite place in the Distillery is probably the bakery that they have here! YES SAUSAGE ROLLS! read more

Awesome place sparkly for special occasions. It's Romantic at night plenty of restaurant around the area. read more

The Distillery District - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Wonderfully preserved historical buildings and the brick lanes give this a peak back into Toronto's history in the 1800s. Distillery district is one of those areas that can be labeled as touristy but I think it's not and thankfully steered away from the tourist trap label. It has many events that bring you back, lots of interesting stores to wander, and great backdrops for selfies. I would say that Distillery offers an a great atmosphere for sitting on patios enjoying the summer sun or the cute and intimate atmosphere for a great date. The distillery is not not large but it has a lot of patios to make any summer afternoon complete while enjoying something great to eat. I've tried most restaurants here and I sadly have to admit they're lacklustre. They're visually they're wonderful but the food is average and overpriced at best. A plus is that they have a sake and beer tastings here in addition to all the art galleries. Highlights... Christmas Market - From November to December, all the lanes are filled with cute little shops and wagons filled with Christmas focused gifts. I've been to the ones in Switzerland and though Toronto is much smaller in scale, the scents, gifts, drinks and snacks are all the same! I will warn anyone that Christmas market is insanely packed with people and I think they tried to keep it to a minimum on the weekends by starting to charge for entry. You can go on the weekday and experience it the same for free. Avro Coffee - This is legit good coffee... it's off in the smaller lane but I do recommend to go find it. They have coffee tastings where you can try different beans to taste the notes. I love how they have their own unique spins hot drinks (hot date latte is good!). Soma Chocolates - Summer... get the gelato! Oh they're incredible. You cannot go wrong with Soma Chocolate gelato, roasted almonds, lemon sour cream, or when they have the Ontario local fruit (strawberry is mindblowing good). In the winter, they have the best hot chocolate in the city! Brick Street bakery - Sweet and savoury baked goods are wonderful here. I'd stick to their specialties which are their layered crust pastries... pot pies, eccles tart, and butter tarts are very good. Greg's Ice Cream - Another solid place for ice cream ... its one of the few in Toronto that make their own. Love Locks - just off the main road is a great backdrop for any selfie and instagram shot. Locks are encourage to attach to 'Love' frame. I can't help to take a new shot of it every time I'm in the area. It's cute! I wouldn't put this as a 'must do' for any visitor but its a great place to just enjoy great weather or the Christmas market in the winter. The area doesnt have the same cold glass and steel environment of downtown. It has an unique vibe that lets you wander the old streets in appreciation of how well it was restored. read more

The Distillery District - Look mom ... no wheels. Distillery hosting the driving event for invictus games - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Pretty cool spot to walk around, take some photos and have some food and drink. I visited during the Toronto light festival (Feb 2019) so there was a bunch of art pieces all around the neighborhood to take photos of. As for the businesses themselves, there are a few restaurants, bars, art galleries and retail shops to explore. When I went, it was FREEZING and at 9pm it was still crowded. There was still loads of people walking around, so I imagine this place is a hot hangout spot during warmer summer days. Worth a quick visit if your in Toronto. read more

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This place is super cool! As soon as we parked, we heard live music and saw there was a little concert happening in the center, which was very cool. The singers were great. The aesthetic was very cool, with different distilleries in sight and other little shops and places to eat nearby. A great place for tourists that like breweries! I'm from miami and we don't have a place like this really, so it was a great experience. Reasonable amount of parking too read more

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We loved the Christmas market. It was beautifully decorated. Food was amazing. I saw people devouring turkey legs and massive pretzels. They had yummy poutines as well. We had dinner at the Mill St brewery. The wait time would have been a nightmare, but they allowed reservations unlike most of the other sit down places . Their fish and chips hit the spot. Tip, no need to pay the extra 5 dollars for the halibut, just get the haddock. Drinks! Lots of vendor were giving out samples. Polish vodka and cider. Orange vodka and hot chocolate. And Argentina wine. You could pay $10 to have personalized engraved Stella chalice. Parking was not a problem. $12 max across the street, $2 per half an Hr. Plenty of spaces. read more

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The Distillery District was the main area that I wanted to check out. Tons of boutique shops, restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and ice cream. Heck, they even have a sake tasting spot. Lots of cool things to see and check out. Loving the brick walls and pavements. Spotted a random Toronto Maple Leafs goalie statue. Also stumbled upon the LOVE sign made completely from lockets. Guess this is Toronto's version of the infamous one you find in Paris. Still cool. read more

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We stopped by the Distillery District as part of the Old Toronto Beer Tour. We visited the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company and Mill St. pub as part of the tour. The weather was wet and cold so there wasn't a lot of people as usual. It will get busy soon as the Christmas Market will be opening up. Looking forward to visiting it again during the Christmas season and visiting some of the eateries there. read more

The Distillery District - By the front gate looking in... - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Not a big fan of this place especially in the winter as the cobble stone make me think I am going to slip and break a bone or two. The restaurant selection is interesting but the food that is served unfortunately is not. Lots of galleries and expensive shops that push to spend a lot. Service is unfortunate in many cases. In addition its a chore getting here. I like to bring visitors here once in a while just to show its different but its more of a place to visit and not eat and drink. I guess the saving grace if one can call it is the Sake spot and Balzac that's it. read more

What a beautiful old style brick area. It made me think of temperance and bootlegging in the 1920s. We went during the day so the bars were not open but they had a beautiful bakery in there as well as some interesting shops. Just to walk through there seems like you can imagine Alcap own walking through there directing where the bottles of whiskey should go. If you were in Toronto this is a must stop to look at. read more

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Fun to visit before Xmas. A lot of street foods. But too cold that night and had to leave early. read more

The Distillery District - Cold night, hot hot drinks! Yes! - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This historic area has something for everyone. They have a wide range of food options and places to get drinks. They have shopping for some unique gifts and other shops that have practical gifts and clothes. The customer service we received at each of the shops was above average to great. Parking can be a little tight. Recommended stop read more

The Distillery District - clock - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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On our most recent trip up to Toronto, we were able to make a brief stop in the distillery district. It's an adorable neighborhood full of shops, restaurants, bars etc. booming with life and activity. We did the love locks, looked at some murals and went into an awesome shop before we had to leave to get to the blue jays game. Next time we come up I am going to make this area a priority so we can fully experience it! read more

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Nice hip area with lots of shops and restaurants to visit on a summer afternoon. There are cute little sculptures and lots of picture opportunities. read more

Boutiques here and most restaurants are over priced, yes, BUT it's a lovely quiet spot to walk around with a cup of coffee in hand or ice cream. It's got a very charming vibe to it with a lot of history, but also a bit trendy. :) They have some amazing art galleries and work spaces to see and the boutiques are often hand made or carry more niche items. Plus, it's closed off to cars so you can park right there and wander to the stores without worrying about traffic. It does get a bit busy when it's the holiday season because of the whole Christmas Market thing, but coming here during a regular non-holiday day can be actually quite a relaxing way to enjoy the fresh air and just look at some quirky fun stuff! read more

A charming tourist attraction worth visiting. Love the old brick buildings and roads left from the distillery. Lots of rotating events, art displays and a Christmas Market. Restaurants, cafes, stores and museums allow you to stroll and enjoy this iconic landmark at your own pace. read more

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Filled to the brim with wonderful shops, art studios, and specialty breweries. All of the shopkeepers that I encountered here were very friendly. There was such a wide variety of shops available that its hard to put it all into a review here. Some shops had the appeal of a quirky vintage, hodgepodge shop with little organization to their old school merchandise. Others were much more modern and focused on specific products or a variety of modern products. In art galleries, the artists were more than happy to talk to me about their work. I loved all of the art that was displayed throughout the district. You do not have to walk into a gallery to experience the artwork that Toronto has to offer. This district is also of historical significance to Toronto. All throughout the district and within the buildings there are signs and displays to inform visitors of this history. Within specific buildings, the signs may say what the building was originally used for and give more information on the processes that used to occur within those walls. read more

They have done a beautiful job decorating!! Really love all the little stands. Parking is a pain though!! read more

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Nice area with a lot of different boutique shops. There are a lot of different pieces of art that are large and impressive, against the backdrop of exposed brick, both from the buildings and the sidewalks. The boutique shops are exorbitantly expensive, but it seems like the stuff is pretty quality, and it probably doesn't require them to sell much merchandise to reclaim some of their margins. So if you even buy just one thing, they're probably already half way there. Underwear for $50? That better be the best underwear in the whole planet. We came to walk around and see the different sights after a couple hours at St. Lawrence Market. At the end, we ended up giving Mill Street Brew Pub a try, which was a decent bar/restaurant with some local brews and a huge outdoor beer garden area, rendered useless by the very cold weather outside. There were a few other restaurants that had almost as impressive outdoor spaces, which was a huge disappointment. I think it's safe to say that this place would be even better during warmer weather. We were a big fan of the "LOVE" sign, which was made of key and combination locks and wire, sort of in mosaic form. However, it took a while for us to be able to take a picture of it, because there were a ton of people standing in front of it, taking their own pictures. Ugh, tourists. Oh wait, we're also tourists. Yikes. In all, we still enjoyed our experience despite the frigid weather outside, which is really saying something, because it was pretty dang cold. The good thing was that for being touted as a touristy area, it wasn't by any means crowded or anything. Seems like a good place to take out-of-towners, or even just have a beer outside (during the summer). read more

The Distillery District - Made up of locks - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Finally made it to the Christmas market. Definitely worth coming. Great food, shops and atmosphere. read more

The Distillery District - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Distillery District has art installations around the area with restaurants and shops. We really had a fun time exploring and checking out the art. read more

The Distillery District - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I love coming to the distillery district at least a couple of days out of the summer. Definitely worth a visit on a beautiful day! A great place to stroll around, pop in and out of the shops, grab a gelato and/or taste some chocolate at Soma, enjoy a coffee at Balzac's, and having a beverage on one of the patios is a must! I like to park at the green P parking underground which is $16 for the day (or $2 per half hour). A great vibe and great people. A perfect way to spend a summer day in our amazing city. How lucky are we to live here?!?! read more

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Cool little area in Toronto with shops, desserts, and alcohol. Brick buildings and floors make it a very unique redone industrial area. Came across some love locks which was pretty neat. Great place to take a stroll and get a drink. read more

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I love going to the distillery district. I especially like it when it's not busy and you can Leisurely stroll around and enjoy it. This visit in particular was for the Christmas market. It had been some time since I had come for the Christmas market and I was taken aback by how busy it was! The lights were beautiful and it was decent weather but the crowds were crazy. Everyone wants to take pictures and selfies (myself included) but honestly it was crazy. There should be designated photo areas and everywhere else no photos. It was difficult to walk through with so many people stopping to take pics every few seconds. It also made it difficult to really enjoy looking at things. There were line ups to take photos and you couldn't move without getting in someone's picture. read more

The Distillery District - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The distillery district is one of my mostest favouritest spots in the city and every time I have visitors, I bring them here. This erstwhile whiskey distillery (largest in the world in its day) has now been converted to a beautiful space filled with art galleries, boutiques, specialty restaurants, etc. It's a car-free zone and a fantastic setting for getting in touch with local artists and spending a day in outdoor cafés. Since that description doesn't sound great enough to warrant a four star rating, I am going to describe various aspects of the area to you in further detail. My dear Torontonians: Our city lacks pedestrian-only streets and heritage areas. This district is one of the few remaining oases in the city. We must protect it from both over-the-top gentrification and greedy developers. The moment you enter this area, it suddenly feels like a lazy French town (to people who haven't been there) - patios, chairs and tables, servers wearing funny clothes and a mandatory old man looking at you with disdain. There are two major streets and a bunch of other little lanes that criscross old buildings. The boiler house lane (which used to have a boiler house, duh) is the east-west artery and the view of CN tower and downtown Toronto is stellar. Visiting during sunset when the sky is purple and the tower is shining in a golden glow will certainly make you fall in love with whoever is with you at that time. Various art installations can be seen all over the area, some of them are quite funny, others grim (like the boy with gouged face - atleast that's what I see). In addition, couple of buildings on the SE side have dedicated spaces for Toronto's local artists to exhibit their works. I especially like the famous critique that Margaret Atwood wrote for Stephen Harper's policies towards artistic and cultural capital - it's displayed on one of the walls. There are numerous food options and cafes but most of these are pricey and I seldom go there. I, however, never miss sampling some beer at the Mill St. Brewery and then head over to Soma, the chocolate maker (both places have yelp reviews as well). Then there are boutiques selling everything from furniture to kitchenware to clothing. Perfect for window shopping and people watching. Overall the place will keep you busy for several hours any given day. Enjoy the DD! [ More pictures on my blog: http://finaltransit.com/blog/photo-gallery/canada-photo-gallery/toronto-distillery-district/ ] read more

The Distillery District - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I think this is such a great place. It's what Toronto should have been had it been planned properly. So many great indie shops that also has some unique cafes such as Balzac's and a lot of family owned bakeries that sell amazing sweets. There's also a sake brewery, segway tours, a couple of Mill Street bars and some other restaurants. Actually, I don't really recommend any of the restaurants as I find them overpriced and lacking in portion size, but given this is a tourist attraction, I guess that's expected. It's a great place to show tourists around and I love the brick on the floor, but wouldn't say it's an everyday place for shopping. Last time I visited, there was also a holiday market and the overall atmosphere was amazing. Final verdict: Good for a special day, bringing tourists around, but not an everyday spot. read more

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What a great spot to be in. This district has a ton of shops, restaurants and art galleries you can explore as well as a couple coffee places. When we were there it was Labor Day weekend and they had an art fair and music happening in the alleys and squares. It was so much fun!! The Distillery District always has something going on and if you're in Toronto it's definitely a must see spot. I would recommend asking folks if you're trying to find something specific as you can definitely wander but it's Canada so everyone is friendly!! There are also a lot of installation art in this district for all those photo ops you know you wanna take. read more

The Distillery District is a MUST visit when you're in Toronto. It's not too far from the St. Lawrence Market (also a must visit in my book), so I recommend doing both of these right after each other. If you're looking for something with a different vibe and atmosphere, you will find something special about the Distillery District. It's rustic, old-timey, and trendy all at once. When you step foot into this section of Toronto, it feels like you have entered a whole new world. This was a former distillery and is now an art district, filled with interesting statues to pose by, art galleries, and plenty of food and drink spots. We walked down the cobblestone pathways, ooed and ahed at the cool art, and of course took many pictures. The Distillery District is filled with photo ops, so make sure you bring your camera. We got pictures under heart-shaped locks, as well as a few other cute spots. We also enjoyed some chocolate and pastries from the different businesses. read more

Two Words "Rusted Gold". I really enjoy this place, they have packed up some great goodies in the small area. The Architecture is amazing and it takes you into Victorian-era with beautiful Brick work all around. The have designed the place quite well. There are quite a few attractive points in the District for some nice photos such as few rusted trucks, barrels, giant metallic spider to name a few. The collection of shops is pretty decent as well. You have restaurants, Cafes, bakeries and chocolate shops to name a few. Parking is available at a price. read more

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I don't come down to the distillery district that much. It has changed a lot since I have been down last. There are condos nearby. Parking has changed a lot. There are some of the same old places like Lileo and Mill Street brewery but it did seem a little different this time around. The area is still packed with cars. We parked in the underground meter parking which is basically 2 bucks for every 30 min. The feel of this place hasn't changed except now there are super tall condo towers near the eastern part that seem so out of place. The entire place is cobblestone and old brick with the feeling of old all around and then you get these really new buildings right in front of you that are so tall you can't just ignore them. I guess that's the hybrid architecture you will get nearby. Where aren't they building condos these days? We walked through a few buildings, it still seems like it was before... a little bit artsy a little bit hipster... I don't know what to call it. This place has its own charm even though it's in a very isolated pocket of the city that has been turned into a commercialized/historical/trendy sort of je ne sais quoi. Still... a good place to take out of towners which is what I did. read more

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Was planning on coming here for a very long time. Bae decided to take me here on a nice Saturday afternoon. Weather was amazing, it was nice sunny weather. So we could walk around and enjoy the sun As soon as you enter this place you realize that this place has a charm to itself, red brick streets, antique and industrial shops, Nice bars, cafe and restaurants with beautiful outdoor seatings. It feels like you are in Europe. When I was just sitting there with my gelato from SOMA, it just felt like a vacation. We also saw two newly wed bride and groom taking their wedding pictures, definitely a beautiful place to get those clicked. Would love to come back again and have a feel of that nice vacation read more

The Distillery District - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

In a holiday season without snow, I had to get a Dickensian fix to put me in the xmas mood. Fortunately, a walk through the Distillery District did the trick. read more

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This area is a cool place for locals and tourists alike. Every time I come here I see something new. Cute little shops, galleries, and restaurants. Something for everyone. To the driver who knew full well we were making a U-turn to get the parking spot and decided to cut in front to snag it... You're a jerk. We found a better spot and the driver who left even gave us their paid parking ticket (thank you very much). Karma. read more

I I had some time to meeting somebody for lunch. I was walking around The Distillery District and the the art was just popping off the wall. And by Art I mean art and history as this place has so many stories and so much history it's hard to go a hundred feet without seeing some sort of significant posting on a wall or artwork. I highly recommend the entire area to families and couples looking for an escape from the downtown hustle and bustle. The area seems very well kept and there is security all around. There are tons of shops and tons of places to eat. read more

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Lots of artistic buildings for photos. The love shape, the giant ballon human creatures, they were so cute! It is good for family and friends, weekend short walk or getaway. read more

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Super fun place! Lots of shops and food options! A lot of the stores seemed over priced, but still very fun to walk through and look at! My favorite was the bubble tea shop, which also had the Deaf Culture Center in it. Some of the employees at the bubble tea place signed, which I just loved!! read more

The Distillery District - Local Flavor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Over hyped. This place is pretty and there are many places to eat and things to do, but it's a little out of the way and nothing really stands out. Whenever a friend comes from out of town they generally check out the spot. They take the picture with the locks. They go to eat some desserts and they check out some art. Then they come back feeling underwhelmed. The place is like a good movie that got stellar reviews, so you're kind of left wondering what all the fuss was about. With that said, the place is good. There's some good coffee and sake. The art galleries are better than expected and the sushi is good too. The only reason it gets 3 instead of 4 is that it COULD be so much more. It should be. It must be. I'm assuming as Toronto moves out east the area will get better and better, but for now it's a good 3/5. read more

What a charming little village! No cars inside the District allowing pedestrians to leisurely explore this industrial Victorian-style area. The Distillery District used to be one of the largest whisky production sites in the world and although most of the nearby buildings have been demolished, the remaining ones have been preserved for tourists and locals alike. The bronze sculptures give us a glimpse of its past industrial era. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes, shops, and art galleries inside the brick buildings. Public restrooms are located behind The Sweet Escape Patisserie, which is housed together with a few small shops. It was a great way to spend our late afternoon here before heading to El Catrin for some tapas! read more

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