Toronto’s long summer days are custom made for enjoying icy cocktails, tasty eats and great company, whether poolside, lakeside or curbside!
Alfresco Dining: Everywhere, All the Time
From mid-spring to late fall, restaurants and bars spill out onto the streets as part of the CaféTO program. Snack, sip and dine your way through Toronto’s multicultural neighbourhoods, where sidewalks and curb lanes have been transformed into cozy and inviting dining spaces.
RendezViews might just be Toronto’s largest and most colourful outdoor patio. Groups are more than welcome to enjoy live music, cool cocktails and creative dishes served in this reimagined parking lot. Whether you choose RendezViews East, operated by Selva Toronto, The Fifth Social Club and Pai, or The Ballroom’s RendezViews West, expect a fun, laid-back atmosphere. Additional casual spots around town: Amsterdam Brewhouse, Bandit Brewery and Lavelle.
STOCK T.C is a go-to favourite in the Yonge and Eglinton corridor for both diners and history buffs. A joint venture of Terroni and Cumbrae’s, the Italian-themed restaurant is situated at Montgomery Square, the staging point for the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837. The Art Deco building is home to an artisanal grocer on the first floor, two event rooms on the second floor and a rooftop garden accommodating up to 30 guests.
If your group loves the sun-surf-sand vibe, the Toronto Beach Club is a good place to start. This elegant lakeside lounge features flexible event space, a beachside patio with seating for 80 guests and a Mediterranean-inspired menu. Cabana Pool Bar is a sunshine playground. Hang poolside or opt for a Cabana VIP Experience featuring bottle service, menus by Oliver & Bonacini, plus breathtaking views of the city skyline. Over at Exhibition Place, the Grand Bizarre is an astoundingly spacious supper club featuring a 67,000-sq.-ft. outdoor patio, three large infinity pools and private cabanas.
For more intimate gatherings, W Toronto’s Skylight indoor-outdoor rooftop overlooks Toronto’s iconic Bloor Street and reflects the Yorkville neighbourhood’s 1960s boho vibe. The patio accommodates up to 40 people and offers two private pergolas.
Toronto’s culinary celebration, Summerlicious, takes place August 12 to 28, with hundreds of restaurants offering prix fixe lunch and dinner menus showcasing diversity, creativity and excellence.
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Green Spaces For Groups
There’s a good reason why Toronto is known as a “city within a park.” There is plenty of greenspace in and around the city for group activities, from hiking, cycling and disc golf to yoga at sunrise.
The Toronto Islands and Toronto Island Park are a mere 10-minute ferry ride across the harbour. This car-free oasis offers picnicking areas that can be booked in advance for gatherings of 25 or more. The park also features paths for walking, running and cycling (bike rentals available on-site), clean beaches for swimming, calm waterways for kayaking and canoeing, crowd-pleasing restaurants such as Toronto Island BBQ & Beer Co., a family-friendly amusement park, a world-class disc golf course and the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, which offers meeting and special event space.
See Toronto’s stunning skyline from City Cruises Toronto’s unique perspective. Your group’s VIP experience can be customized from beginning to end, whether the occasion calls for a sunny lunchtime sightseeing tour around the harbour and islands, or a sunset cocktail cruise. The waterfront boarding point is within walking distance of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Union Station and major hotels.
A former quarry and industrial site along the Don Valley River, Evergreen Brick Works was reinvented more than a decade ago as a global showcase for sustainable design, social enterprise and community engagement. The site features a pond and hiking trails within a 40-acre public park, 16 heritage buildings and a wide selection of meeting and event spaces, pavilions and terraces for up to 2,000 guests.
Guild Park and Gardens, a 30-minute drive east of downtown, has an interesting story to tell about Toronto’s past. Situated on the Scarborough Bluffs with expansive views of Lake Ontario, Guild Park is renowned for its collection of late 19th and early 20th century sculptures, columns, arches, terra-cotta stonework and other architectural remnants salvaged from Toronto’s demolished buildings, including a Greek theatre assembled from a Bank of Toronto facade. The Guild Inn Estate offers an event space suitable for seminars, trade shows, product launches and gala dinners for up to 1,000 people.
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