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As we approach the only road game in Toronto this MLS season, on August 27 at 7:30pm (RDS, TSN, 98,5fm & TSN Radio 690), Impact Media wants to give you ideas. Here is our road trip to Toronto for the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal, last June.
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[Note: This is not the be-all, end-all supporter’s guide to Toronto. Impact Media tells its story and invites supporters, especially those who have never been to Toronto, to make that trip. This is why this story contains hints and tips that may seem obvious to seasoned travelers.]
This one is can’t-miss.
The first game of the season in Toronto is always momentous, all the more so when the Amway Canadian Championship is at stake. 550 kilometres on the road seem rather short when you get to see two teams with no affinity whatsoever face off.
As we did for New York City, Impact Media left Montreal to find the best ways to make a trip to Toronto great.
Travel essentials
For a start, getting ready for Toronto is much easier than getting ready for New York. No passport, no foreign currency. And no tolls, either. This being said, traffic in the Toronto suburbs may be dense. Bring along a friend that will keep a GPS device or mobile phone handy to monitor traffic in real time and, as needed, find a shortcut.
As in any large city, staying downtown can be tough on your wallet and, depending on location, on your sleep as well. If you’re keen on sleeping there, you can save a few bucks by using a third-party app. If not, streets up north or out west are calmer but remain accessible via public transit.
Stops
You can’t go wrong with the service areas on Highway 401. The numerous ONroute rest stops on the way to Toronto started popping up about five years ago, and it shows. This is brand new. You can refuel and recharge at every location, with a gas station, a Tim Hortons shop and a handful of restaurants.
However, some other well-chosen stops seem wiser. If you leave Montreal in the morning, the time should be right for a meal as you enter Belleville, two hours before you get to Toronto. That name rings a bell? You’re probably a P.K. Subban fan.
Minutes away from the 401, Burger Revolution (300 North Front St.) will fill your belly with one of a dozen types of burgers that they came up with themselves. Peanut butter, smoked cheese curds, fried pickles, whatever; it works.
The chef selects local ingredients – the meats, for example, are produced some 30 minutes from Belleville – and states on the restaurant website that “the truth [is] delicious.” Which it is. ¡Viva la Revolución!
Closer to Montreal, Brockville and its 20,000 inhabitants provide another option. St. Lawrence River separates Canada from the United States in downtown Brockville. The view is beautiful.
The possibilities are numerous on King Street, but we opt for an Indian restaurant, Tandoori Mint (48 King St. East). The classics that are butter chicken and chicken korma land on our table, and we can only admit that these go right up there with the best we’ve had.
Another suggestion for when you return home: leave Toronto early in the morning and eat breakfast in Scarborough. The outside of Terry’s Grill and Bar (1920 Ellesmere Rd.) is unspectacular, but inside, you can get a generous serving at a reasonable price.
In town
Because we’re such good neighbours, we asked a couple of Toronto friends for recommendations of spots to visit. James Grossi, who covers Toronto FC for MLSsoccer.com, among other outlets, and John Molinaro, Sportsnet’s chief soccer reporter, chipped in with their ideas.
Molinaro, who appreciates Montreal’s cultural diversity just as much as he does Toronto’s, leans toward Kensington Market, a block bounded by College St. (North), Bathurst St. (West), Dundas St. (South) and Spadina Ave. (East). Shops and public spaces take you from one culture to another in a second.
For his part, Grossi chooses – at our request – spots that will catch the attention of a soccer fan.
Shades of New York City: one bar is called Football Factory (164 Bathurst St.). TFC red on the façade will throw off many a Montreal supporter, for whom this place might not be the best option two hours before a game. But the viewing schedule is packed, and brunch on Saturday mornings is tasty – we’ve tried it in a past life.
Opera Bob’s Public House (1112 Dundas St. West) is where Manchester City fans meet up in Toronto. While it is not 100 percent soccer-oriented, this is still “a very cool pub,” says Grossi. The ideal moment to stop by might be during the week-end: doors open at noon (or earlier if City plays) instead of 5pm.
No time to go to Opera Bob’s for us, but the third recommendation fits within our schedule: in Little Italy, Cafe Diplomatico (594 College St.) is “the place to be during the World Cup or Euros if Italy, Portugal, Brazil is your thing,” Grossi says. One family has operated the cafe since its opening, and the food just happens to taste like nonna’s.
Let’s add one suggestion to theirs: the Amsterdam Brewhouse (245 Queens Quay West), by Lake Ontario, brews several varieties of beers, and at least one of those is bound to match the freshly cooked meal you select on their fine menu. You can’t go wrong with the usual burgers, ribs and pizzas at a brewhouse, but here, they even get the pasta right.
Match day
All at BMO Field (170 Princes’ Blvd.)! Home of Toronto FC since 2007 and of the CFL’s Argonauts from this year on, the stadium was renovated this season and can now seat over 30,000 fans.
Away supporters sit in section 204, up in the newer stand. Cory Ciampichini, at cory.ciampichini@mlse.com, can provide you with tickets in that section alongside your fellow Montrealers.
Public transit can get you to BMO Field through various paths. The best one depends on where your journey starts – and the same applies, in reverse, when you return. Check out schedules or Google Maps.
Contrary to the New York trip, this Toronto adventure didn’t quite end well. But we’ll be back. Bet on it.
