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

• 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.

Toronto

• 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

Nashville (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’ve 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 City (June 2022)

See my separate post on NYC.

Trinidad and Tobago (July 2023)

Trinidad

• 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.
• Swaggy’s Roti: I had their stew chicken and it was delicious.

Tobago

• 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.

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 (October-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.