Around the time I moved away from New York City, I compiled a list of things to eat, see, and do there, as a reminder for myself when I visited in the future, but also as a guide for anyone else I knew who might be going. I’ve realized it would be useful to store similar information for all the cities I visit. That’s what this list is. Along with each destination other than Toronto, where I live now, and Kitchener, where I grew up and my parents still live, I’ll list the last time I visited, to give an idea of how dated my experience is. The idea is to update this list over time instead of posting new lists in the future.

North America

Canada

Kitchener-Waterloo, ON

• La Cucina: Really nice Italian in downtown Kitchener.
• Lancaster Smokehouse: My favourite restaurant in KW, they do really solid southern-style barbeque. The pulled pork is my recommendation.

Montreal, QC (August 2024)

• Brit & Chips: They serve nice and crispy fish and chips in a cool diner. The maple battered fish was good, but not as good as the traditional version.
• Satay Brothers Resto: This Singaporean restaurant was packed the night we were there, and we really enjoyed trying a variety of dishes. The bao buns were a highlight.

Ottawa, ON (August 2024)

• Eat
  • Khao Thai: Our best meal in Ottawa was at this Thai restaurant in Byward Market.
• See
  • Royal Canadian Mint: The Mint has a really cool tour where you can see the factory floor where they make coins.

Toronto, ON

• Burgers n’ Fries Forever: Very good burgers and fries.
• Little India: A little more formal than some Indian restaurants, they have excellent lamb vindaloo.
• Matt’s Burger Lab: Excellent burgers.
• Milagro: Slightly upscale Mexican close to the Skydome.
• Planta: Vegan food that you wouldn’t guess was vegan. There are a few locations but the Asian fusion one on Queen West is my favourite.
• Salad King: Cheap Thai and other southeast Asian food, there are a couple locations.
• Sizzler Kabab: My favourite butter chicken, with big chunks of meat and lots of flavour. And delicious garlic naan slathered in butter.

United States

Chicago, IL (October 2024)

• Pizzeria Due: A second location for the famous Pizzeria Uno, located one block away. The deep dish and tavern-style pizza were both delicious.

Miami, FL (May 2019)

• Eat
  • El Mago de las Fritas: A little out of the way, but it’s worth the trip for the Cuban fritas, a version of hamburgers.
  • El Rey de las Fritas: On Calle Ocho, walking distance from the baseball stadium, they serve delicious fritas.
• See
  • Vizcaya Museum & Gardens: This old mansion was turned into a museum with a beautiful garden and ocean views.
• Do
  • You can walk over the causeway from downtown Miami to Miami Beach. It takes a while and the sun can be hot, but it’s really cool to walk across the water and see all the houses along the way.

Nashville, TN (March 2023)

• Eat
  • Biscuit Love: Best biscuits I’ve ever had. They’re flaky like a croissant, but still distinctly biscuits. Try the chronic bacon too.
  • Cheap Charlie’s Taco Shop: Best tacos I’ve ever had, served out of a trailer in a gas station parking lot.
  • DeSano Pizza Bakery: It’s weird to say that the best pizza you’ve ever had is at a chain in Nashville, Tennessee. I was skeptical too until I tried it.
  • Hattie B’s Hot Chicken: Best chicken tenders I’ve ever had.
  • Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint: Best ribs I’d ever had, until I went to Peg Leg Porker. Tender but not fatty or greasy.
  • Peg Leg Porker BBQ: Everything I liked about Martin’s ribs, but even better.
• See
  • The Listening Room: Pretty modern venue that books good shows, with a variety of singer-songwriters. The food is good too.
  • Station Inn: A dive bar with good music, especially bluegrass. My favourite show in Nashville was the bluegrass drop-in they hold every Sunday night.
  • Hatch Show Print: Take a tour of the print shop to see how Nashville concert posters are made.
• Do
  • Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge or John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge: Walking over either bridge gives a good view of the city skyline.

New York, NY (June 2022)

See my separate post on NYC.

Syracuse, NY (June 2024)

• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: Delicious southern barbeque in central New York state; I’m partial to the pulled pork.

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad (December 2024)

• Eat
  • Jenny’s on the Boulevard: I didn’t really understand Trini Chinese food until I went to Jenny’s. It’s more flavourful than what I’ve had anywhere else.
  • Swaggy’s Roti: I had their stew chicken and it was delicious.
  • Wings Roti Shop: You get to choose from a variety of veggie and meat curries, eaten with roti. All that I tried were good but the pumpkin and mango stand out.
  • You can’t visit Trinidad without trying doubles. This is the most iconic Trini street food and consists of two bara (fried bread), chana (curried chickpeas), and lots of different sauces as toppings. They are incredibly delicious. Proper procedure is to wash your hands (even doubles carts will provide some water to wash up), order, eat, and then pay after you’re done eating. Just a few will fill you, and they are cheap at about six TT dollars apiece.
• See
  • Queen’s Park Savannah: This large park is in the middle of the world’s largest roundabout. It has carnival facilities, an area for food stalls, and other attractions.
• Do
  • Ariapita Avenue: This is the key nightlife street in Port of Spain. You can have a nice self-guided food tour by going to the food trucks on the Savannah and then visiting the Avenue.
  • Las Cuevas: Of the beaches I’ve been to in Trinidad, Las Cuevas was my favourite. It’s a little farther than Maracas, which is the most popular beach on the island, but it’s calmer and has some cool caves along the beach. You can spend a day driving up to Maracas and Las Cuevas, with a stop for bake and shark for lunch on Maracas Beach.

Tobago (June 2023)

• Crusty Crab: I wasn’t too fond of crab and dumplings, which Tobago is famous for, but their stew chicken, steamed fish, ground provisions, and beans were all delicious.

South America

Brazil

Rio de Janeiro (December 2023)

• Eat
  • Churrascaria Palace: Really excellent Brazilian barbeque near Copacabana Beach. They just keep bringing different meats, but the salad bar is full of delicious dishes as well.
• See
  • Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião: This cathedral was like nothing I’d seen before. The outside is hideous, but the inside is an awe-inspiring surprise.

Chile

San Pedro de Atacama (December 2023)

• Eat
  • Ckunza Tilar: We didn’t have any bad meals in San Pedro, but Ckunza Tilar was the best value. Their preset lunch menu was great (including the falafel!) and they serve dinner as well.
  • Many restaurants serve the local specialty pil pil, in which chicken or seafood are served in a spicy, creamy garlic sauce with crispy potatoes.
• See
  • Valle de la Luna: I think this is where we had the most incredible views of our honeymoon. Be sure to take a tour; it’s not very far from San Pedro. There’s a great lookout point to watch the sunset from.
• Do
  • Lagunas Escondidas: The hidden lagoons are saltier than the Dead Sea, so you float right on top, in the middle of the desert, with a view of the Andes in the distance. Swimming there was like something from a dream.

Santiago (December 2023)

• Eat
  • Chipe Libre: The menu has both Peruvian and Chilean food, and everything we ate there was good. They’re known for the many varieties of pisco that they serve.
• See
  • Catedral Metropolitano de Santiago de Chile: Situated on Plaza de Armas, the cathedral is huge and beautiful.
• Do
  • San Cristóbal Hill: Take the cable car to the top of the hill for an amazing view of the city.

Colombia

Bogotá (August 2023)

• Eat
  • Azúl Restaurante: At lunchtime, this place is full of locals enjoying the preset menu. We would each get a drink, soup, meat, rice, plantains, and a side of beans or pasta for COP 12 000.
  • Restaurante Balcones de la Candelaria: It’s a little bit tourist-y, but the hearty soup and giant tamale were excellent.
• See
  • Botero Museum: I didn’t really appreciate Botero’s work until seeing so much of it in Colombia. This museum is free and shows you Botero’s influences and growth as an artist.
• Do
  • Monserrate: Take the cable car up Monserrate for the best view of Bogotá. The city itself is at high altitude, but going up Monserrate makes it even more noticeable.
• Don’t
  • Casa Museo Quinta de Bolívar: Don’t bother visiting this reconstruction of a house Simón Bolívar lived in. There’s not much to see.

Medellín (August 2023)

• Eat
  • I can’t give a specific location, but we drank guarapo from a stand on the street and it was fantastic. It’s a drink made by juicing sugar cane and limes together.
• See
  • Centro Comercial Palacio Nacional: The former palace of justice is now a shopping mall, but it retains its opulent interior.
• Do
  • Take a ride on one of the cable cars that form part of the city’s public transportation network. They’re designed to help people commute from the mountainous suburbs, but they also give a great view.
  • Guatapé: Take a day trip to see the rock of Guatapé and climb the stairs to the peak. Tours also stop in the town of Guatapé, the most colourful in the Americas, where each building is required by law to feature either bright colours or a mural.

Perú

Lima (January 2024)

• Barra Maretazo: We found this place near our hotel, open on New Year’s Day. It is tourist-y but the traditional Peruvian food is well-executed.
• Most restaurants serve chicha morada, a sweet purple corn juice. You wouldn’t know from the taste that it’s made of corn and it’s really delicious.

Europe

Germany

Berlin (October 2022)

• Brammibal’s Donuts: Delicious vegan doughnuts.
• Shakespeare and Sons: Bagels and books.

Spain

Barcelona (October 2022)

• Amigo doner kebab y pizzería: Delicious doner not far from Park Güell.

Granada (October 2022)

• Grana Pizza: Delicious and cheap pizza.
• Jerusalem Restaurant: Best falafel I’ve ever had, and super cheap.

Africa

South Africa

Cape Town (November 2022)

• Eat
  • Bihari: Nice Indian restaurant in a hotel.
  • The Black Sheep: Very well done food, from a variety of cultures. I had pappardelle with braised beef and mushrooms.
  • Eastern Food Bazaar: A series of counters with different south and east Asian food. Huge portions for cheap.
  • GOLD Restaurant: Many dishes from across Africa, in combination with dancing, singing, and drumming.
  • Tadka: Nice Indian restaurant. One of Cape Town’s rolling blackouts started while we were there, which made for an interesting atmosphere.
• See
  • Table Mountain: Take the cable car to the top for incredible views on all sides.
• Do
  • Ocean Wonder: Ride around the harbour in a very small boat to get up-close views of local wildlife.