Late Night Eats During Nuit Blanche
While wandering the streets during Toronto's 4th all night contemporary art thing, you're bound to get hungry. So I decided to create a "survivor guide" breaking down where and when you can get your eat and drink on during this year's Nuit Blanche.
Of course, there will be Toronto's normal proliferation of hot dog vendors scattered throughout the city. And you better believe most of them will be keeping extended hours, especially in high traffic zones. But if you're feeling a little more adventurous, I have broken down eats and drinks by zone with my picks of the restaurants, bars and cafes worth spending money at.
ZONE A - CASA LOMA, UofT and BLOOR STREET
- The Stables of Casa Loma (328 Walmer Road) - will open until 7am serving a locally inspired menu including Fenwood Farms grilled organic chicken and Caesar wrap ($5.00), Ontario squash and root vegetable wrap with rosemary aioli ($5.00), giant chocolate chip cookies ($2.50), cranberry and 'Chocosol' chocolate granola bars ($2.50), coffee/ tea/hot
chocolate/pop/juice and water ($2.00) - Hart House - are also open until 7am and will be offering a late night barbecue of beef burgers, hot dogs, pretzels, patties and vegetarian pasta and hot beverages. Also featuring shaved coffee-ices, dispensed from a 16 foot, hand cranked Ferris wheel.
- B Espresso - A good bet to stock up on espresso, cappuccino, mini cupcakes, brownies, cookies, amaretti, assorted Italian biscotti, focaccia pizza and assorted spuntini (Italian h'ors d'oeuvres). Open until 4am.
ZONE B - DISTILLERY DISTRICY and THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT
- Balzac's Coffee - will be the best destination in the area to fuel up on caffeine and baked treats. Open until 4am.
- Cafe Uno - will be serving its usual array of pizza slices and sandwiches until 3am.
- Pure Spirits - are offering a limited menu until 3am.
- Bay Street between Front and Gerrard Streets - this entire stretch of road will be car free during Nuit Blanche. There will be plenty of street food vendors offering up Ethiopian, Thai and Greek eats.
ZONE C - WEST QUEEN WEST, PARKDALE and OSSINGTON
- Lakeview Restaurant - Will be serving their regular menu including sandwiches, fish 'n chips and their all day breakfast options. Open 24 hours.
- Oddfellows - Stop by here for a late night grilled cheese sandwich ($3). Open until at least 2am.
- Taste of Tandooree - for some late night Indian eats, head to this new quick service restaurant at Queen and Dufferin. Open until 6am.
- The Drake Hotel - will be offering street snacks including hot dogs, quesadillas, oysters and meatball sliders on the cafe patio plus an apple shack on the SkyYard until 4am.
- The Gladstone Hotel - have extended their kitchen hours and will be serving brunch starting at 5am.
- Tyler Clarke Burke's Miracle Fruit - Visit the Take-out TASTE-TRIPPING Miracle Fruit Stand at the Drake Cafe patio from 7PM to Midnight and the Woolfitt's parking lot from Midnight until 5am. $15.
ZONE C - LIBERTY VILLAGE
- Mildred's Temple Kitchen - are hosting something called the 'longest dinner party ever" For $10 you get a hearty snack, a tankard of ale or a spit of wine. Open until 4am.
- The Academy of Spherical Arts - will begin serving brunch at 3am. Open all night.
- School Bakery & Cafe - will be serving baked good and an all night brunch. Open all night.
- Magic Oven Pizza - will be serving their popular pizza (including spelt, gluten and dairy free options) until 2 or 3am.
- Liberty Noodle - This just opened modern Japanese restaurant will be offering take out until late.
- Merci Mon Ami - will be selling sandwiches and baked goods until late (possibly all night)
- Balzac's Coffee - is always a popular spot during Nuit Blanche for coffee, hot chocolate and baked treats. Open until 3am.
- Carol's Cafe and Kitchen - will be serving salads, sandwiches, soups and cheesecake all night.
Comments (63)
It's sad to see that you're a victim of consumerism and can't be satisfied with what your presented with. You need more and more, better and better.
Temple of Fynn on King West apparently has FREE hot chocolate and coffee from midnight till 6am tonight, too!
For a city that boasts itself as being multicultural and a world-class city, that is pathetic. Sorry you haven't been to a real city in this world and have low standards.
I has nothing to do with having low standards...I'm bringing a sandwich from home and tap water in my aluminum flask. Nothing to be ashamed about. I like saving my money so in the summer season I can take off to Europe for a month while others are stuck in TO complaining about the lack of quality food at 3 am - cheers!
WTF? Are "jack" and "J-Dawg" the same person? HAHAHA! Well, that explains EVERYTHING.
(Have a happy and safe Nuit Blanche, everyone.)
Jack and J-Wrong
Don't forget your smart enough to see past a list created by a website. This isn't meant to be a be all and end all Toronto food list. It's not a food festival its an arts festival, those not familiar with certain area's now have some info on where to grab something to eat should the be interested. Perfect.
Thats ok J-Dawg your allowed to like shit. No one said you're not allowed to like things.
BUT if you're not satisfied with what the city has to offer. Have a go of it. Open a lunch counter, restaurant, food stand, cafe. Show us how its done. Show us how easy it is.
All my years of living here I have never heard a torontonian say that Toronto is a world class city.
Dude, why not move to Europe if you despise Toronto. I would save for years if my life consisted of grilled cheese, aluminum flasks and only 3 weeks a year of freedom, how pathetic.
Glad I enjoy where I live, and Europe.
As well you should be! (I have a feeling that jack loves Morrissey just as much as you do, so you can understand my confusion.)
(By the way: last night while walking home, I heard "This Charming Man" playing on a shop's speakers. It's as if the planets magically aligned in the blog universe.)
Dude yourself...you just gave away your age! Why would you even bother commenting on a thread for an event that you won't be taking part in? Is your live so devoid of fun things to do that rather than explore what your OWN city has to offer, you are commenting on things that others may or may not do tonight? Aluminum flasks are the chosen material with which to carry around water nowadays. I bring sandwiches from home because I am a vegan and rarely find food items to enjoy in new neighbourhoods (AND it's inexpensive to boot) and third, I have 1 apartment and 2 houses in a particular region of Europe, so each year for one month (not 3 weeks as you seem to think) I pick and choose where I want to stay....now, who is the pathetic one?
Oh its still very much you that's pathetic. "You just gave away your age!!" You just gave away your maturity level,neener neener:), we are on an informal blog, I'm not the real estate agent selling you your third home in Europe(ya right!) You have 2 homes in euro, yet choose to have sandwiches and water over some of the amazing food you can find in this city, vegan or not buddy you are missing out. If you know where to look and don't spend 11 months of you life complaining, you could easily find what you are looking for. You know, with all the money you have saving on water bottles and cheese sandwiches, maybe you should bring good chow to Toronto if you think there isn't any. If you think you can do better, be part of the solution and not the part problem. Your complaining just makes your own life miserable.
lol.. all these places came out of consumerism.. just shows that you haven't seen the world yet.. may I suggest that you pack your own sandwich and take it with you so you won't be poisoned by your consumerism..
its true they are giving out free coffee and hot chocolate later tonight... 10pm-6am they will be setting up at the fashion house on king st west, and directing people to the refueling station..
Jack I'm fine with these restuarants. I'll eat where I please, I was commenting on the fact that you think its sad, why isn't it goon enough. I think they're great.
the fact that you have to create a list of places to snack is sad and pathetic...that is really telling you we have nothing to offer..if toronto wanted to be considered as a world class city, we have so much to learn from those cities..something as basic as getting a midnight snack is a lot of work here..and for the one who is going to carry bottled water and pack his own sandwich..lol..maybe you should stay home..or maybe you should bring some camping equipment with you just in case ttc stops running
That's great for you J-Dawg. Thanks for letting us know.
There's nothing wrong with consumerism, we all buy things but being a victim of anything is not good.
Gabe, it's sad because the 3 places suggested in zone A are the same kind of thing...zone B, 2 hotels.. you must be kidding me! No wonder we are not getting tourists here..
Again. Nuit Blanche brings many people to city and many people from different areas of the city to different areas. This list provides some people with some options of what's to eat in each of the Nuit Blanche areas. Nothing wrong with that. Some people plan out there entire night before leaving the house. It provides a good service to those who may need it. Some don't need it, some know of other place to eat, great.
Whatever gets you through the night...is alright is alright
It's your money or life...it's alright it's alright
And thank you Lauren et al. for providing this list - I haven't gone to Nuit Blanche since the first one and I remember it being a tough go finding places to eat and grab a coffee.
If you think the Gladstone and Drake are laughable inclusions, the joke's on you. The only thing more astounding than your misplaced vitriol is your ignorance of the city.
Thanks for the list, BTO
If you're near the AGO or OCAD The Village by the Grange Food Court has got you covered:
http://karines.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/stop-by-during-nuit-blanche/
You can have teriyaki in one spot, walk down the road a bit to buy and drink wine in the middle of the night, stop off for quesadillas, pizza, oysters, biscotti, and even buy fresh fruit to eat at 4am. Ridiculous selection. How much friggin' food choice do you need to walk around outside and look at art?
the two hotels are laughable because I guess I am not as rich as most blogto readers..you are absolutely right.. the joke is on me.. $4.50 for fries.. hey, that's really good value and reco..probably a hidden gem..
People, people its just a list, lets not get in a twist. Can we all think outside the bun, Ba Da Da Da Da I'm lovin it!!!
p.s. - whatever gets you through the night...is alright is alright
People eat at the places on this list when its not Nuit Blanche so I don't see why its so nutrageous to suggest it as a place to eat or meet friends for Nuit Blanche. Last year I woulda paid a little extra to sit down for some fries in a hotel instead or waiting half an hour in line for a pizza slice.
fynns of temple bar will definately help you keep change in your pocket to pay for those $4.50 fries ;) come in for a coffe or a hot chocolate..
make sure to stop by the "fashion house" to grab your coupon for the warm beverage
also bags of tayto crisps will be available for those not looking to spend a fortune :)
489 king st west
The only way to judge a world class city is by what food stores are open between 1am and 6am on one autumn day of the year. This is true in all cases.
OMG, JO'S BEEN TO EUROPE!!!!!!!!!! BOW AND GET ON YOUR KNEES!!!!!! WOW, AN EXTRA WEEK. SHIT, SON! FOR SOMEONE WHO 'OWNS' 1 APARTMENT AND 2 HOUSES IN MAGICAL YOURUPE, YOU'RE SURE SPENDING AN AWFUL AMOUNT OF TIME IN SHITSVILLE(AS YOU THINK OF IT). I BET YOU LOOK FORWARD TOO UPDATING YOUR FACEBOOK WITH 'JO'S GOING TO EUROPE!' AND ALL YOUR FRIENDS RESPONDING WITH 'SO JEALOUS!'
this is a great example of how message boards & comments fields get taken over by morons. Replying to a comment from? Who cares? Face to face, none of this conversation would have happened ... because someone would have been punched in the face. Easier to make snide comments from home ....
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!! FREE COFFEE AND HOT CHOCOLATE!!!
ha
sorry...
the bickering in here seems pointless and useless to even begin to take seriously.. however, regardless if you are an art fan, or appreciate the nuit blanche event as an attraction, its good to see the streets packed with people walking around..
Bring your coffee thermos to 489 king st west and fill up!!!
and for all you europeans, we can combine the hot chocolate AND the coffee!!!
;) enjoy the night everyone!
so are we all very impressed with the 4 letter DNA words at city hall? they are just amazing..how did they hang those 4 letters up them and let them slide up and down.. this is just amazing stuff..and those lights in underground walkway under Best Buy, wow, it was so subtle.. i didn't know you could call this art...
If people spoke like this face to face life would be way more entertaining. Can you imagine someone pulling a J-dawg? Always two sentences, the first one reasonable, the second one SHOUTING.
The lights at city hall were awesome, not for the lights themselves, but the way everything looked around it, + the full moon. Very surreal.
can someone delete all the bickering comments from J-Dawg, Jack, Gabe, Morga so that we can actually read interesting comments? flush please
Yeah let's talk about what a great festival this was, or how great you think everything in this city is
If you liked that, you must have loved the breathing garbage bags in the alleyway in Zone B. Amazing stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is an epic thread comments. What a collection of whiny, spoiled brats. You know how to attract quite the readership BlogTO...a lot of Queen and Ossington dwellers no doubt.
Why don't you all go out and change what you don't like about Toronto. Don't like Nuit Blanche start a new festival, don't like the restaurants, open your own, don't like the music scene start a dj night. Idling sitting behind your computer screen and crying to the BlogTO community is a hilariously pathetic waste of everyone's time.
brandon, right on! I couldn't agree more; although I do live on Ossington...so I take mild offense.
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