Eva Wong, Co-Founder of Borrowell, enjoying a meal at Patois with her family
Over the past few years, we’ve interviewed movers and shakers from across Toronto’s six key industries on their top places in the city. Here, we’ve rounded them up all in one place so you can get a quick look at these insiders’ favourite restaurants, shops, parks and more. Whether you’re planning a leisure trip or a business event, take inspiration from their much-loved haunts.
1. Eva Wong, Co-Founder, Borrowell
Eva Wong co-founded Borrowell—one of the largest fintech companies in Canada—in 2014 and hasn’t looked back since.
Eva loves taking her kids on adventures to classic Toronto museums and landmarks like the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Little Canada, Kensington Market and the dog fountain at Berczy Park. They also ride their bikes to Leslie Street Spit, Evergreen Brick Works and Woodbine Beach.
Although she lives in—and therefore frequents—Leslieville, Eva often ventures into the city’s other popular neighbourhoods like Koreatown, Little India, Distillery District and the west end’s Ossington Strip. Favourite eateries include Slowhand Sourdough Pizza, Pilot Coffee Roasters, Maha’s Café, Ed’s Real Scoop, Paris Paris, Mamakas Taverna, Bang Bang Ice Cream, Patois, Kinka Izakaya and Soma Chocolatemaker.
As for shops? Her daughter is a big reader, so her family loves to pop into Queen Books. Eva also adores local boutiques like Province of Canada and the Side Kitchen.
Learn more about Eva’s top picks.
Eva loves to explore different Toronto neighbourhoods with her family
Kristopher playing Skee-Ball with his daughters at Greater Good
3. Keith Loo, Founder, Skinopathy
Skinopathy, an award-winning artificial intelligence-driven platform that allows for early detection and diagnosis of skin conditions, was founded by Keith Loo in 2020.
The medtech CEO is a fan of Balzac’s for coffee and the Alley for bubble tea. For food, he often frequents Good Catch Café, Pai, Miku, Amsterdam Brewhouse, 360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower, Valerie at Hotel X Toronto and Casa Madera at 1 Hotel Toronto. He also tries to make time for nature and culture like High Park, Edwards Gardens—the site of the Toronto Botanical Garden—as well as the Aga Khan Museum, the city’s waterfront and the Raptors.
Keith also runs Toronto’s largest saltwater reefing group, so he often visits Saltwater Pros and Big Al’s Aquarium in the city’s north end, as well as Ripley’s Aquarium.
Learn more about Keith’s top picks.
Keith and his son, Logan, adventuring through the Aga Khan Museum
4. Jannine Krish, formerly VP of Marketing, BlueDot
Jannine Krish, now CMO at ImportGenius and former VP of marketing at BlueDot, a Toronto-founded infectious disease intelligence provider, has an obvious love for health and wellness.
For fitness, she likes One Academy, an industrial-style gym, running along the waterfront and yoga at studios like Yoga Mamas, Yogaspace and Downward Dog. After a good workout, she’ll head to shops like Anthropologie, Gravity Pope, Heel Boy, Stylegarage and Klaxon Howl.
As for food and drink? Her go-tos are Dineen Coffee, Chula Taberna, Descendant, Left Field and Radical Road breweries, Pai, Sukhothai, Chotto Matte, Wvrst, Sweaty Betty’s, Foxley, And/Ore and Prequel and Co. Apothecary.
Learn more about Jannine’s top picks.
Jannine likes to work out along Toronto’s waterfront
5. Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director, DMZ and CEO of DMZ Ventures
Keith, Eva and Jannine’s industries, although in life sciences and finance, overlap into the tech space, too. However, Abdullah Snobar is all about that tech life.
Inside Toronto Metropolitan University’s walls is the Digital Media Zone (DMZ), a world-leading tech incubator and startup accelerator that helps entrepreneurs launch and scale high-impact companies. At the helm? Abdullah Snobar, who has been with the organization since 2014.
Abdullah enjoys spending time with friends at Stackt Market
6. Chris Bryson, CEO, New School Foods
Chris Bryson, the founder and CEO of New School Foods, the maker of the world's first plant-based salmon fillet, says working directly with chefs and restaurants is one of his favourite parts of the job.
For coffee, Chris favours Rustic Cosmo Café, Larry’s Place and Jimmy’s Coffee. For plant-based eats, he heads straight to Bad Attitude Bread, Honey’s, Stefano’s Diner, Evviva, Fresh, Bangkok Queen, Taqueria Vegana, Happy Taco and the Michelin-recommended Gia.
Chris and his partner enjoying plant-based ice cream at Honey's
7. Dr. Carolyn Moorlag, Director of Research and Innovation, Sheridan College’s Centre for Intelligent Manufacturing
Dr. Carolyn Moorlag, director of research and innovation at Sheridan College’s Centre for Intelligent Manufacturing, is all in on Toronto’s diverse restaurants and outdoor spaces.
She spends a lot of time on Toronto bike trails, including the Martin Goodman Trail from Humber Bay to the Harbourfront, as well as Etobicoke Creek and Toronto Island. She also takes yoga classes at Resilience Yoga and skis—both cross-country and downhill—outside the city.
Carolyn biking Toronto’s waterfront trail
8. Nuha Siddiqui and Kritika Tyagi, Founders, Erthos
Nuha Siddiqui and Kritika Tyagi’s company Erthos, which creates plant-powered alternatives to traditional plastics, straddles the tech and manufacturing space.
Nuha and Kritika explore the Re Place, a sustainable goods shop on Danforth Avenue
