By Lisa Lagace
Toronto is not a city that never sleeps.
In fact, we embrace the go to bed early attitude.
There’s a reason our bars close at 2am, our subway stops running, and being open 24hrs is not a given. (At least, we think there’s a reason…)
That said, however, we wouldn’t be a world-class city if we didn’t offer at least a few joints that never close their doors. So here are seven of the best options you can find to soak up the booze without heading all the way to North York.
FRAN’S
A Toronto staple for 24-hour diner food, Fran’s is the place where every newbie to Toronto cuts their late night teeth (though not literally). The wide variety of diner food and the 50s diner atmosphere make up for the sometimes crabby – who wouldn’t be at 4am on Tuesday – servers.
LAKEVIEW
If you’ve spent an evening at the Dakota Tavern taking in local bands – or really, if you’ve spent time at any Dundas and Ossington locale, you’ve been to Lakeview (probably to down a burger after a few too many shots). Hit it late enough and it’s like visiting a hipster graveyard of regret.
THOMPSON’S DINER
If you’re in the mood for mac n’ cheese after all that beer you just consumed (and who isn’t, really – carbs for life!) then you’re probably heading to the Thompson Hotel’s Diner. The menu gives you everything you’d want from diner food, except, you know, the diner prices.
7 WEST Cafe
A lovely date spot, 7 West wins for offering up a classier place to go after hours without coming across as overpriced like the Thompson can seem once you’ve had a few. And yes, we just called a 24-hour restaurant a lovely date spot.
OWL OF MINERVA
Known for its glorious pork bone soup, Owl of Minerva has a loyal late night following. Where else are you going to find great Korean food in the middle of the night?
GOLDEN GRIDDLE
While this isn’t exactly the nicest place to go for a late night bite, it’s definitely open 24/7, and when you’re just looking for something (anything) to eat at 3am, it gets the job done.
THE GRILLE
While this all day breakfast spot is only open 24 hours a day on Friday and Saturdays, what other days of the week do you really need bacon and eggs or a burger at 4am? Actually, don’t answer that – we’ll be forced to judge you.
#NOTABLE
Images: Respective Facebook pages, tumblr, Flickr
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