WHERE TO FIND US DURING DOTDEV + IYKYK LOCAL SPOTS

The Reactiv Guide to Toronto

Reactiv is built in Toronto, and the only thing that rivals our deep mComm expertise is how well we know this city. These are the places we actually take people: where we eat, where we take visitors, and where we end up after. All killer, no filler.

JULY 2026

TORONTO'S WEST END

Queen West, Dundas West, Ossington.

Where the city's chefs, bakers, and record collectors actually live. Worth the streetcar ride.

01Coffee Shop

Sam James Coffee Bar × Robinson Bread

Two Toronto institutions — a legendary coffee guy and a beloved baker — sharing one small room.

Sam James is a fixture of Toronto's coffee scene. This location shares its space with Robinson Bread, run by baker Patti Robinson. That means espresso and fresh sourdough, focaccia, and pastries under one roof, all baked on site. Grab a seat by the open garage door and watch the bread come out. It's a quick stop that tells you a lot about how the west end does things.

6 Brock Ave, ParkdaleWebsite

02Restaurant

The Bell & The Beacon

A Parkdale pub with live music upstairs and $10 Negronis, low-key by design.

The Bell & The Beacon leans into a '70s tavern feel without overdoing it. Downstairs is a proper pub; upstairs, the Beacon Room hosts live music. There's a back patio when the weather cooperates. The $10 Negronis don't hurt. It's the kind of neighborhood spot that rewards staying for one more.

1648 Queen St WWebsite

03Storefront

Issues

A tiny shop stacked with independent magazines you won't find anywhere else.

Issues is a curated magazine shop, roughly 300 square feet, founded by editorial designer Nicola Hamilton. It looks like an art gallery but feels like a record store. You flip, you discover, and you leave with something you didn't know existed. The focus is hard-to-find independent titles from around the world. Even if you're not a print person, it's worth a browse.

1489A Dundas St WWebsite

04Spa

Formula Fig (Ossington)

A 30-minute facial with zero downtime. The reset button between meetings and dinner.

Formula Fig is a Vancouver import, and this is its first Toronto location. The concept is a "facial bar": quick, high-tech treatments — LED, microneedling, chemical peels — in private pods, with no undressing required. Thirty minutes and you're out. It's built for people who want the results without the spa-day production.

50 Ossington AveWebsite

05Bar

Kensei

A vinyl listening bar built like a love letter to 1980s Tokyo, with a cocktail list organized by jazz.

Kensei is a retro listening bar where the records matter as much as the drinks. The cocktail menu is grouped by jazz styles — Ragtime, Swing, Blues — and the room is styled after late-'80s Tokyo nightlife. Come Tuesday and you can bring your own vinyl to spin. Great cocktails, great sound, easy vibe. One of the more distinctive rooms on Dundas West.

1173 Dundas St WWebsite

06EventGet an invite

Prime Seafood Palace

Matty Matheson's flagship & one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the city, and in the Michelin Guide.

An ambitious steakhouse-meets-seafood restaurant on Queen West. Here, we're teaming up with SDG to host an intimate dinner for leaders from category-defining brands. No pitches; instead, we'll be swapping ideas on where commerce is headed. Let us know if you'd like a seat at the table.

944 Queen St WWebsite

07Storefront

Hobbiesville (Ossington)

A Reactiv customer, and the best place in town to grab a blind box as a souvenir.

Hobbiesville is a collectibles shop built around trading cards, and board games, plus a host of blind boxes and mystery figures. Half the fun is not knowing what you're going to get. It's also one of Reactiv's customers, so we have a soft spot for it. Grab a blind box on your way through Ossington. Easiest souvenir decision you'll make all trip.

9 Ossington AveWebsite

08Storefront

Province of Canada

Everyday basics, 100% made in Canada.

Province of Canada is a made-in-Canada clothing and home-goods brand, founded in 2014 with one rule: every product manufactured in Canada. The Ossington shop stocks unfussy adult and kids' apparel plus home textiles, including tees, fleece, socks, the "Canada" staples. It's the anti-fast-fashion pitch, done well. A good stop for a souvenir you'll actually keep wearing. Right in the middle of the Ossington strip.

104 Ossington AveWebsite

09EventSee you there

Cart Basel's Morning Mixer @ Balzac's

A free, walk-in morning mixer at the Liberty Village Balzac's, open to all DotDev guests.

Cart Basel is bringing its first event to Toronto: a free, walk-in morning mixer for DotDev attendees, Toronto's CPG/DTC/Ecom/Shopify community, and all international guests. Join us while we create a space for real connections, ideas, and community over a cup of your favorite morning beverage.

43 Hanna Ave #123Website

10EventSee you there

Shopify DotDev

The latest Shopify drops, face time with the teams who ship code, and a room full of folks who get it.

Shopify's flagship global conference for its developer, app builder, and technical partner ecosystem. For the first time ever, it's extended across two days of builder demos, hands-on workshops, and lasting connections.

Automotive Building, 105 Princes' BlvdWebsite

11Restaurant

Burger n' Fries Forever

Smash burgers, hand-cut fries & homemade dips.

A proudly Canadian brand, and it shows in everything they do, from their bold flavours to the warmth of their hospitality. You've gotta try their burgers and fries, which are made with fresh Canadian beef and farm-grown potatoes.

49 E Liberty StWebsite

TORONTO'S DOWNTOWN CORE

The core, done right.

The landmarks and other spots worth your time while you're downtown.

12Sights

CN Tower

Skip the admission line; book dinner at the revolving restaurant and the view comes with it.

You know the CN Tower. The insider move is 360, the revolving restaurant near the top, which makes a full rotation about every 72 minutes. Book a table — the minimum food spend is around $75 a person — and access to the observation levels is included, no separate ticket. Just note the deck access comes after your meal, not before. Dinner and the best view in the city in one stop.

290 Bremner BlvdWebsite

13Library

Toronto Reference Library

A Raymond Moriyama building with an atrium worth walking into even if you never open a book.

The Toronto Reference Library, designed by Raymond Moriyama and opened in 1977, is quietly one of the best interiors downtown. The centerpiece is a five-storey tiered atrium with waterfalls and natural light pouring in. It's calm, it's free, and it's steps from Yonge and Bloor. A good place to reset for twenty minutes. Architecture people, budget more.

789 Yonge StWebsite

14Restaurant

Richmond Station

The burger the whole city argues about, from a Top Chef Canada winner.

Richmond Station is Carl Heinrich's downtown restaurant. He won Top Chef Canada, and the cooking is ingredient-driven and consistent. The "Stn. Burger" routinely lands on best-burger-in-Toronto lists, and it earns the spot. The open kitchen and easy room make it work for lunch or dinner. It's right by Queen and Yonge. If you order one thing, you know what it is.

1 Richmond St WWebsite

15Sights

Global Convenience

A corner store floating on Lake Ontario; public art that's only here through October 2026.

Global Convenience is exactly what it sounds like: a fully stocked-looking corner store, built as a floating sculpture and anchored out on the water near the ferry terminal. It's the work of Toronto artists Trevor Wheatley and Cosmo Dean. It's temporary, on view roughly June through October 2026. Catch it while it's here.

Harbour Square Park BasinMore info

16Office

Shopify (Toronto HQ)

The Toronto office of the company half the internet's stores run on. A fitting stop on a commerce tour.

Shopify's Toronto office in the King West tech corridor. It's a landmark for anyone in commerce, and the area around King and Portland is worth a wander. There's good coffee and plenty of restaurants within a block.

620 King St WWebsite

17Restaurant

Happy Burger

A no-frills burger joint locals are quietly loyal to.

Happy Burger is a laid-back spot on Lippincott, just off the College Street action. The draw is the Super Burger, the "happy sauce," and the Cajun and Super fries. It's fast, cheap, and exactly what you want it to be. There's no real website, just find them on Instagram. The kind of place that doesn't need to try hard.

76 Lippincott StInstagram

18Sights

Berczy Park Dog Fountain

A fountain topped with a gold bone and 27 cast-iron dogs. A little weird, but very Toronto.

Berczy Park, redesigned by landscape architect Claude Cormier in 2017, is home to the city's beloved dog fountain. Twenty-seven cast-iron dogs gaze up at a gilded bone, with one lone cat — "Pam McCat" — looking the other way. There's even a ground-level trough for real dogs to drink from. It's whimsical, it's free, and it's right in the St. Lawrence neighborhood. Bring a camera.

35 Wellington St EMore info

19Storefront

Indigo

The country's biggest bookstore chain, and a recent Reactiv customer, worth a browse at Bay and Bloor.

Indigo's Bay and Bloor location is the flagship of Canada's largest bookstore chain, spread over multiple levels in the Manulife Centre. Beyond books, there's a cafe, cozy reading nooks, and a grand piano anyone can play. It's also a recent Reactiv customer, so we're partial. A good rainy-day stop right on the edge of Yorkville. Easy to lose an hour here.

55 Bloor St WWebsite

20Sights

Sugar Beach

Pink umbrellas and candy-striped rocks on the waterfront, by the same designer as Berczy Park.

Canada's Sugar Beach is an urban beach on the East Bayfront, named for the Redpath sugar refinery right across the slip. It's the work of the late Claude Cormier — the landscape architect behind Berczy Park — and it shows: 36 hot-pink umbrellas, candy-striped rock outcrops, and Muskoka chairs in the sand. You can't swim, but it's a great place to sit and watch the lake and the freighters at Redpath. One of the most photographed spots on the waterfront.

11 Dockside DrWebsite

21EventYOU'RE INVITED

Cowboy Corral @ Paris Texas

A country-western takeover of King West's rowdiest new bar. Saddle up.

Paris Texas is a country-western bar, restaurant, and nightclub on King West, blending Parisian polish with Texas twang. We're co-sponsoring a take over for the Cowboy Corral — a night of drinks and two-stepping during the event. Expect upscale Western fare and a big, loud room. Grab an invite and bring your boots.

461 King St WRSVP

22Storefront

Sonic Boom

Canada's largest independent record store.

Sonic Boom, on Spadina at the edge of Chinatown and Kensington, bills itself as Canada's largest independent record store. Opened in 2001, it's packed with vinyl and CDs across every genre — rock, jazz, reggae, metal, punk — plus books, merch, and turntable gear. It's open 364 days a year. Come to flip, stay to dig.

215 Spadina AveWebsite

23Restaurant

Mother's Dumplings

The Chinatown dumpling institution the whole city sends visitors to.

Mother's Dumplings has been a Chinatown institution since chef-owner Zhen Feng opened a tiny eight-table nook in 2005, later moving to the bigger Spadina space. The draw is handmade Northern Chinese dumplings from family recipes. The boiled pork and dill are the ones people rave about. No MSG, no shortcuts. It's in the Michelin Guide and has topped best-Chinese lists for years. Go with a group and over-order.

421 Spadina AveWebsite

24Bar

Library Bar

The Fairmont Royal York's clubby cocktail den. Home of the oversized Birdbath Martini.

Library Bar sits inside the Fairmont Royal York, the grand railway hotel that opened in 1929. The room is all wood panelling and Art Deco glamour, the kind of place Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington once passed through. Its signature is the Birdbath Martini, made with the bar's own in-house QUILL vodka or gin. It's a proper old-school hotel bar, recently refreshed. Good for a quiet, dressed-up nightcap near Union Station.

100 Front St WWebsite

25Bar

Bar Raval

A Gaudi-esque, all-mahogany tapas bar that doubles as an art piece. One of the World's 50 Best.

Bar Raval is Grant van Gameren's Spanish tapas and pintxos bar on College Street, and the room alone is worth the trip: sinuous hand-carved South African mahogany wrapping every surface, designed by PARTISANS in an Art Nouveau style. It's mostly standing-room, Barcelona-style. Lean at the bar with a vermouth and a plate of conservas. It's open 8am to 2am, seven days a week, and has landed on the World's 50 Best Bars list. Go off-peak; it gets packed for a reason.

505 College StWebsite

26EventSee you there

Klaviyo's Appy Hour @ Malaparte

A technology-partner evening high above King West, connecting builders across the Klaviyo ecosystem.

An evening designed for technology partners, product leaders, and builders looking to connect with the Klaviyo ecosystem and each other. Expect conversations around growth, entrepreneurship, and what we're seeing across the ecosystem — plus practical ideas and best practices for building stronger partner experiences and creating more value for shared customers. See you there.

350 King St WWebsite

27EventSee you there

Yotpo Partner Day @ 1 Hotel

A partner day built around community and content — and we're on the speakers line-up.

An event built around community and content. We're featured in the speakers line-up, so expect lively industry insights — including how AI is reshaping shoppers, and what it means for partners building and growing brands today.

550 Wellington St WWebsite

TORONTO'S EAST SIDE

Corktown and the Port Lands. Our backyard.

The office, the after-hours, and the newest public space in the city — all walkable.

28Restaurant

Gusto 501

Corktown Italian with wine on tap at about a buck an ounce, in a room built like a theatre.

Gusto 501 sits right in our backyard on King East. The space is the star, a dramatic multi-level dining room by architecture firm PARTISANS, all terracotta walls and a giant garage-door front. The house wine pours from the tap at roughly $1 an ounce, which is dangerous in the best way. The Italian menu holds its own. Easy to love, and an easy walk from the Reactiv office.

501 King St EWebsite

29OfficeWE'D LOVE TO SEE YOU

Reactiv HQ

Come say hi! This is home base, where the team that builds Reactiv actually sits.

This one's us. Reactiv's office is on King East in the Corktown tech corridor, next door to Gusto 501. If you're in town for the event, the door's open — we really like putting faces to names.

507 King St Ereactiv.ai

30Bar

Henrietta Lane

A cafe by day and a cocktail bar by night, tucked into Corktown.

Henrietta Lane pulls double duty: a relaxed cafe during the day, a craft-beer and cocktail bar once the sun goes down. The cocktails are small-batch and seasonal, the beer list leans local, and there's a bottle shop in the back if you want to take something with you. The summer patio is a bonus. It's a short walk from King East. Easy to slip into for one, or three.

394 King St EWebsite

31Restaurant

Cherry St BBQ

Southern barbecue good enough for the Michelin Guide, standing alone in the Port Lands.

Cherry St. Bar-B-Que earned a Bib Gourmand in the 2025 Michelin Guide, and the brisket backs it up. Everything is smoked over white oak in the Southern tradition — Texas brisket, St. Louis ribs — by pitmaster Lawrence La Pianta. The restaurant sits in a lone 1920s former bank building amid the Port Lands build-out, which only adds to the character. On weekends, the good stuff sells out. Go early, go hungry.

275 Cherry StWebsite

32Sights

Cherry Street North Bridge

The new candy-red arched bridges frame the best free skyline view in the east end.

The Cherry Street North Bridge is part of the massive Port Lands revitalization — distinctive red-and-white arched spans that opened in early 2024. One carries traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians; another is set aside for future transit. Cross at sunset and you get a dramatic view of the skyline to the west. It's a short walk from the office and the Distillery District. Quietly one of the best new public spaces in the city.

Cherry St over the Keating ChannelMore info

33Sights

Biidaasige Park

Toronto's biggest new park, on the reborn mouth of the Don River.

Biidaasige Park opened in July 2025 and is the largest new park Toronto has built in a generation, at roughly 50 acres. The name is Anishinaabemowin and means "sunlight shining toward us." It runs along the newly renaturalized mouth of the Don River in the Port Lands, so it feels genuinely new in a way little else in the city does. Think trails, river, and skyline. Worth the walk east.

Ookwemin Minising, Port LandsWebsite

34Sights

Drake's House

One of the Most Googled Houses in the World. We're saving you the search.

Drake's house, now known as "The Embassy," is a 35,000-square-foot limestone mansion in the Bridle Path neighborhood of Toronto. The mansion features an NBA regulation-size basketball court, a trophy room, and a 3,200-square-foot master suite with a hot tub and two covered terraces.

21 Park Ln Cir, North York, ON M3B 1Z8Website

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