Huge festival dedicated to grilled cheese will take over Toronto street next week

Toronto is gearing up for an entire day dedicated to ooey-gooey, golden-brown comfort food as the Lakeshore Village Grilled Cheese Challenge returns to the city next week.

Touted by organizers as "Ontario's biggest celebration of grilled cheese sandwiches," the annual Etobicoke event brings in thousands of hungry visitors each year, because, who doesn't like the cheesey goodness stuffed between some sourdough?

Organized by the Lakeshore Village BIA, this community event celebrates local businesses and our collective love for the sandwich. Now entering its eighth year, the Grilled Cheese Challenge has become one of the neighbourhood's signature summer events.

This year's challenge will once again include competitors from restaurants and food trucks to community groups and independent food creators, all battling it out to be crowned one of the Top 3 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Each toastie will be judged through blind tastings, with the winners announced at 5 p.m. 

If you're hoping to take home the coveted title yourself, there are three prizes up for grabs.

The first-place winner can choose between $750 in cash or a discounted spot in next year's challenge. Second-place winner gets a $500 Pizza Pizza gift card — just think of all the pizza parties you can throw this summer — while the third-place winner takes home a $250 cash voucher.

You're probably wondering who reigned supreme last year. Winners from the 2025 grilled cheese challenge were Stuff'd Grilled Cheese & Tots in first place, Cheese Heads in second place, and Ed's Real Scoop Mimico rounding in at third. 

For anyone interested in taking part in the challenge this year, you can apply directly through the event's website.

And if you think the festival is just about competition and endless grilled cheese sandwiches, think again.

The free festival, which is partnering with Women's Habitat of Etobicoke this year, will also feature live music across multiple entertainment stages and a dedicated beer garden hosted by Great Lakes Brewery.

A classic car show and vendor market will also be on site, offering plenty to do in between bites.

There will be plenty of live performances scheduled throughout the day, including local acts like DJ Domenic and The Smokin' Darts, plus more musicians performing folk favourites and party anthems well into the evening.

The Lakeshore Village Grilled Cheese Challenge takes place on June 6 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Lake Shore Boulevard West (between Islington Avenue and Second Street).