Where to Eat in Toronto

I know.  My life revolves around food.

Juan and Mandy need to get their Dim Sum fix in Toronto before heading back to the Midwest so I'm collecting some recommendations.

AirBnB: Explore Chinatown with a Food Writer
This costs $56/person but maybe we can follow the outline of her tour on our own, divining what stores and restaurants she stops at.  She starts at the Bay Street bus terminal and then walks along Dundas Street towards University Avenue.  It looks like they might stop at Uncle Tetsu's Japanese Cheesecake for egg custard tarts, although their website says they are cheese tarts.  Then as they walk along Dundas Street towards Spadina Avenue, some of the foods they'll try are

"milk tea [maybe at chatime], soya wings and roast duck from a 50-year-old Chinese barbecue shop, some of the best dumplings made by hand, traditional desserts such as creamy egg tarts, and we'll have handmade, hand-stretched noodles... those interested can come on a shopping tour of local herbal & food market to pick up spices, dried noodles."

In Chinatown there is also a Japanese bakery (Tsujiri),  a Poke restaurant (Poke Guys), Kimchi Korea House, Sansotei Ramen shop (with 822 Google reviews), Dim Sum King with and there's a Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot restaurant on Dundas near Huron.  I think it would be worthwhile to walk along Dundas and then up Spadina to the Kensington Market.

If wandering the streets on Google isn't sufficient, there are these lists of the top Dim Sum restaurants:

The Culture Trip: The Best Spots For Dim Sum In Chinatown, Toronto
This review concentrates on Chinatown so we don't have to commute to the suburbs.  The Culture Trip also reviews dim sum in San Gabriel so you can evaluate their reviews.

The Daily Hive: 10 dim sum spots in the GTA worth leaving downtown Toronto for
These are ones in the Markham area which is 45-54 minutes (31 km) north of the AirBnb by car, probably not something we want to do.

The Daily Hive: Toronto Brunch Guide: Where to find the cutest dim sum in Toronto (GTA)
Some of theirs are up north as well and I'd like a place with a 4+ rating in Google.

Yelp: 10 Best Dim Sum Restaurants in Toronto
One never knows what to think of the reviews, especially when one reviewer gives the top dim sum place, Rol San, 3 stars and  Red Lobster 5 stars.

Trip Advisor: Dim Sum in Toronto's Chinatown

Mandy can check out the various dim sum restaurants in Chinatown on Google Maps.  There's sure to be one that is good.  Or maybe you just want a Mongolian Hot Pot.

What to do with Kids in Toronto

Finding playgrounds and places for Louise to walk around would probably work the best.

Scary Mommy has a list of the top 10 things to do in Toronto:

1. Toronto Zoo, which is very big and involves a lot of walking.  Bring a stroller and walking shoes.  It offers a 50% reciprocal program with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
2. Ontario Science Center.  They offer the reciprocal admissions program with COSI and the Carnegie Science Center so make sure you bring your membership card.
3. High Park, which offers Sakura viewing (2nd week in May), a zoo, a nature center, a children's playground.  It is off West Bloor Street and is near the lake shore so it might be a nice place to visit.
4. Canada's Wonderland (an amusement park for older kids)
5. CN Tower ($34!!).  They have a walk on the edge of it for the foolhardy.
6. Art Gallery of Toronto
7. Waterfront: "now includes beautiful boardwalks and piers where you can not only take in the incredible views, but enjoy gardens, the beach, public art installations, and places to eat."
8. Centreville Theme Park on Centre Island  "a great place to take the smaller kids. It has a lot of rides suitable for younger ages, such as the 1907 antique carousel, mini coasters, teacup-esque rides, mini golf, and paddleboats." ($35.35 for adults).  Might be good when Louise is a little older and maybe goes with her cousins but we can take a ferry to the island and walk around.  Louise might like the boat ride.
9. Hockey Hall of Fame (Maybe for Peter)
10. Kensington Market - vintage boutiques, probably for Scary Mommy...

TripSavvy in Best Things to do with Kids in Toronto offers a few additional suggestions:

1. Royal Ontario Museum ($20 for adults)
2. Riverdale Farm in Cabbagetown in East Toronto.  This is a working farm replicating early 20th century Ontario farm life with horses, cows, chickens, pigs and goats.  And it is FREE!!  This should be at the top of our list.
3. Ripley's Aquarium of Canada