Dining deals
Hungry for eating out without the inflation anxiety? These delicious deals will leave you sated, no matter what kind of meal you’re in the mood for.
The elegant dinner
Tuesday night prix fixe dinners are a great deal at Henry’s.
Sharon Nge
Get fancy fare for a fraction of the cost on Tuesday nights at Henry’s (922 Queen St. W.), a sleek, Michelin-recommended casual-fine-dining spot with vibes to spare. Family-style, five-course dinners dubbed The Table go for $40 per person and include house-made sourdough and cultured butter; picante greens with caramelized onion vinaigrette; potato pavé with leek hollandaise and pickled chanterelles; green beans in pepperoncini sauce and feta aioli; and roasted chicken with fines herbes.
Sharon Nge
Mezzetta offers delicious, great value small plates.
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The small plates
Sample succulent Mediterranean tapas for just $5.75 per dish amid a homey atmosphere and friendly service at Mezzetta Restaurant and Tapas Bar (681 St Clair Ave. W.). Perennial favourites perfected over decades include the sultan’s stew, potato moussaka, lamb shish and cheese boureka, plus a killer house harissa sauce for pita dippin’.
The takeout banquet
Four can fill up on a family platter of Middle Eastern delights for just $62.99, or $15.75 a head, at Kababia (multiple locations). Feast on lamb and chicken kofta, shish tawook, chicken and beef shawarma, falafel, garlic potatoes, two kinds of rice and salad, plenty of veggies and a cornucopia of sauces.
$2.99 for six Shanghainese pork soup dumplings!
Juicy Dumpling
280 Spadina Ave.
$1 for from-scratch carnitas tacos!
Latin World
Various locations
$1 for three flaky veggie samosas!
Samosa King
5210 Finch Ave. E.
The breakfast sandwich
When you wake up starving, grab a satisfying two-egg, bacon and cheese breakfast sandwich served on your choice of a bagel, toast or Portuguese bun for $6.35 at Brockton Village Bakery (1568 Dundas St. W.).
The feel-good meal
At Trinity Square Café (56 Queen St. E.), a charity café that has been supporting and hiring adults with mental health conditions for over 40 years, you can score a yummy main and soup for under $10. The seasonal menu switches up daily; standouts include Moroccan tomato soup, vegetarian chili and chocolate brownies.
The lunch special
Another Land Coffee has a great pix fixe lunch deal.
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Score a three-course prix-fixe lunch for $15 at the cute-as-a-button café Another Land Coffee (4708 Yonge St.). It includes a homemade main, side and dessert or a main and two sides — one recent offering included curry chicken with rice, shrimp chips and gazpacho.
HOT TIP!
Want to stock the pantry for affordable entertaining?
There’s an app for that
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Try… Tre’dish, for 30% off your grocery bill.
This Toronto-based app connects you directly with food brands and farmers. You can either build your own grocery cart or choose from an array of grocery bundles.
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Try… Too Good To Go, to pick up discounted treats near you.
This app connects deal-seekers with restaurants and stores looking to offload surplus food, like Nadège Pâtisserie and Summerhill Market. Browse spots in your neighbourhood and select a bundle by price; head there at your pick-up window time for deeply discounted items.
Martini deals
Whether you like your martini dirty, with a twist or extra dry, choose the elegant environment of your dreams and bask in the elevated taste level, delectably discounted cocktail in hand.
High-end hotel vibes
Visit: Flora Lounge at 1 Hotel (550 Wellington St. W.)
Sip: $10 martinis all day Monday and Sunday to Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. Try one with smoked olive brine or rosemary-infused gin, or sample the faux-tini with non-alcoholic HP Juniper, lime and basil olive oil.
Mid-century chic
Visit: Doc’s Green Door Lounge (3106 Dundas St. W.)
Sip: $13 martinis Monday to Friday, from 5 to 7 p.m. Choose from an array of fixings like pickle brine, Castelvetrano or blue-cheese-stuffed olives, cornichons or even Monster Munch.
Get a good deal on a martini at Doc’s Green Door Lounge.
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Pink-neon-lit hipster heaven
Visit: Le Tigre (1060 Yonge St.)
Sip: Half-price martinis (from $9 to $13) Tuesday to Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. and every Monday night, all night long. Espresso martinis included!
Great deals on martinis can be found at Compton Ave.
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Cosy British leatherbound den
Visit: Compton Ave. (1282 Dundas St. W.)
Sip: $12 martinis every day until 8 p.m. The menu helps you find a martini to match your mood, say, something “smoky, savoury, elegant” or “fresh, herbal, delicate.”
A taste of Alo greatness
Try: Aloette (163 Spadina Ave. and 81 Bay St.)
Sip: At the Bay location of Aloette, part of chef Patrick Kriss’ exquisite Alo empire, sip a $10 mini martini (it comes with a free oyster!) on weekdays from 3 to 5 p.m. At Spadina, mini martinis are half off (a mere $5!) on Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m.
Live performance deals
Looking to catch some stellar performing arts shows? Try these tips for securing great seats for less.
Mirvish
Save up to 50 per cent on same-day rush tickets. Some shows also have a ticket lottery or standing-room tickets.
See: Musical-theatre fans will enjoy “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” a rollicking adaptation of “War and Peace.”
Soulpepper has plenty of good-value options for performance tickets.
Barry McCluskey
Soulpepper
$30 rush seats offer great value, plus the new Public Domain program features free cultural events.
See: The “Kim’s Convenience” revival, which stars its playwright Ins Choi as Appa.
HOT TIP!
Save on stage
Discover the city’s best discounts on the pinned monthly deals thread at r/torontotheatre on Reddit.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The TSO often offers rush ticket options.
R.J. Johnston/The Toronto Star
Comedy Bar
Free tickets are often on offer.
If you’re looking for side-splitting savings, sign up for Comedy Bar’s newsletter; it regularly includes notices about free tickets for their shows.
Movie deals
Beat the heat with an air-conditioned arthouse flick or action blockbuster — or watch a classic under the stars.
Catch free outdoor movies in parks such as Corktown Common with Toronto Outdoor Picture Show screenings.
Taylor Ma
$0
Take in a free outdoor movie once the sun goes down at Fort York, Corktown Common or Christie Pits via the Toronto Outdoor Picture Show.
$5 A fiver will get you into screenings of the classics at the Carlton Cinema (20 Carlton St.), while new releases cost $9.99 and cheap Tuesdays are just $4.43!
$9.99: This monthly fee gets you into the Cineplex CineClub, which includes one free movie ticket a month, additional $9.99 ticket pricing, 20 per cent off concessions and no online booking fees.
Anita Li/The Toronto Star
HOT TIP!
Senior cinephiles over 65 can attend TIFF Silver Screenings and accompanying workshops and activities every other month for free. Plus, ticket holders can be reimbursed for their public transit.
The Library
A world of deals
Hit the stacks at your local Toronto Public Library or log onto the Libby app for a bounty of free perks that extend well beyond books.
RENT
You can check out everything from musical instruments to 3D printer time.
WATCH
Borrow movies via streamers Kanopy and Hoopla to watch on rainy days.
LAUGH
Enjoy children’s entertainment, like animal visits and drag story time.
VISIT
Snag free passes to local museums and attractions like the CN Tower, Hot Docs, Ripley’s Aquarium, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Zoo.
LEARN
Take a multitude of free courses, from creative writing and photography to business and accounting.
LISTEN
Show up for cozy-crime author panels, bootlegger and smuggler history talks, and much more. There truly is something for everyone; bookmark your branch’s event listings.
HOT TIP!
Head to the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library (120 St. George St.) at the University of Toronto, a whimsical space worthy of a wizard where you can view precious texts and attend seminars — and take a great Instagram pic. (You don’t need a U of T library card to enter, just bring I.D.)
University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library has some of the oldest English-language books in Canada.
Romi Levine/The Toronto Star
Live music deals
The city comes alive with sound come summer. Here are some unique spots to take in some tunes.
Catch free concerts at the Distillery District, like this Stone and Rolling performance.
Teodora Mladin
STREETS
Wander the cobblestoned lanes of the Distillery District in the late afternoon to the strains of beautiful, free music.
Bookstore
Sellers & Newel Second-Hand Books (672 College St.) hosts concerts in their sweet shop year-round for a $20 donation; all proceeds go directly to the artists.
GARDEN
Head down to the Toronto Music Garden (479 Queens Quay W.) on the waterfront to enjoy free performances by a wide variety of artists, many of them Juno-winners.
Catch free music at Toronto Music Garden.
Courtesy Harbourfront Centre
HOT TIP!
Craving a classical performance? At the Royal Conservatory (273 Bloor St. W.) you can watch the talented students’ recitals for free.
Hobby deals
Taking up a hobby can be a great way to flex your creativity muscles, meet like-minded people and socialize in a lowkey way. Here are some affordable and free ways to get involved.
Throw
Ceramics enthusiasts at work at the Gardiner.
Lisa Sakulensky
Into ceramics? For $35, you can get studio time with an instructor on hand at Clay Your Way events at the Gardiner Museum (111 Queens Park).
Craft
Studio Mooi (926 Kingston Rd.) hosts $15 UnFinished Object (UFO) nights where you can work on an in-progress project in the company of fellow makers; sweet treats are provided.
Write
Toronto-made novel-writing platform Storybilder is currently offering a free one-year membership to budding scribes.
THINK
Hit up one of the city’s many, many trivia nights: there’s a theme for every possible interest! Search “trivia” on Eventbrite or toronto.com.
PLAY
Head to a free gaming night at your FLGS (friendly local game store) like 401 Games (431 Yonge St.).
Draw
Bring your art supplies to Christie Pits for a low-key, good-vibes session sketching people in seasonal costume at Posers! In the Park (follow @sami.alwani or @patersinister for dates).
@sami.alwani and @patersinister via Instagram
HOT TIP!
Sign up for your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook to score hobby supplies for free. You can also join a Facebook puzzle-swapping group to exchange beloved puzzles for new ones.
Fitness deals
If you’re looking to get active, there are plenty of gratis options in the city. Here are a few ways to play or watch for free.
Want yoga?
Courtesy Ontario Place
Stretch it out at free hatha and vinyasa classes on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. in Trillium Park (955 Lake Shore Blvd. W).
Want a pick-up game?
Download the Meetup and GoodRec apps to find match-ups for various sports near you.
Want kayaking?
Join Don’t Mess With the Don, where you head out from Cherry Beach and into the water to help with river cleanup (all equipment provided!).
Want classes?
Get discounted access to the city’s fanciest gyms, studios and spas like Sweat & Tonic and Studio Lagree through the ClassPass app (you can try it out for 14 days for free).
Want (to watch) baseball?
Go to Christie Pits park (750 Bloor St. W.) to take in the Maple Leafs Intercounty Baseball League home games from the hill. Kids can run the bases or test their pitching speed in a tent at the edge of the field.
Pitcher Ayami Sato of the Toronto Maple Leafs throws a pitch.
Arlyn McAdorey/CP
HOT TIP!
A daytime five-class pass to Othership brings bougie sauna and cold plunge sessions down to $34 each on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Art and history deals
Some of Toronto’s hidden gems are completely free to explore. Discover the city’s hidden history at these special spots.
- Toronto’s First Post Office (260 Adelaide St. E.)
- Friar’s Music Museum inside a Shoppers Drug Mart (279 Yonge St.)
- Sugar-Refining Museum (95 Queens Quay E.)
- Arthur Conan Doyle Room (789 Yonge St.)
Known as the Wood Cake House, Albino Carreira’s home is covered with toys and whimsical objects.
Nick Kozak/The Toronto Star
HOT TIP!
Toronto is home to lots of housing oddities worth wandering by, including:
- The smallest house (128 Day Ave.)
- The half house (54 St. Patrick St.)
- The cube house (104 Eastern Ave.)
- The knick-knack-covered house, a.k.a. the Wood Cake House (473 Clinton St.)
Nick Lachance/The Toronto Star
Plan your major museum and art gallery outings around their free visiting hours for your fix of no-cost culture.
AGO
free on the first Wednesday night of the month!
ROM
free on the third Tuesday of the month!
Aga Khan
free every Wednesday night!
Gardiner
free every Wednesday night!
MOCA
free on the first Friday evening and first Sunday of the month!
HOT TIP!
Gallery openings are always free! Sign up for gallery newsletters (try Power Plant, Clint Roenisch or Daniel Faria) and check their websites to find out when the next opening is happening.
Events deals
Toronto has lots of sites that host free programming throughout the summer and beyond. Keep an eye out for events in these happening spots
Roller skaters get moving at the Bentway.
Jonathan Gazze
North:
YZD (Downsview Airport), 34 Hanover Rd.
Summer highlights include:
- YZD farmers’ market
- YZD Indigenous Hub, a seasonal pop-up garden and interactive art installation
- Bubble Planet immersive experience
South:
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W.
Summer highlights include:
- Dancing on the Square
- Fun Philippines Toronto Food & Music Festival
- Caribbean Vibrations Festival
Central:
Sankofa Square, 1 Dundas St. E.
Summer highlights include:
- Downtown Toronto Ribfest Experience
- Canadian Multicultural Peruvian Fest
- Toronto Diversity Festival
East:
Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave.
Summer highlights include:
- Free outdoor movie nights
- Forest bathing club
- Ontario artisan market and vintage market
West:
The Bentway, 250 Fort York Blvd.
Summer highlights include:
- Art socials
- Roller skate lessons
- Dino runs (Google it!)
HOT TIP!
Calendar looking a little empty? Explore these sites to discover plenty of neat budget-friendly events.
- Yohomo: This LGBTQ+ site curates a monthly list of under-$10, PWYC and free queer events in the city.
- toronto.ca: Find neighbourhood festivals, art openings, park adventures, history walks and cultural celebrations. Plus, you can filter for free events.
- Eventbrite: Cruise the Toronto page to find low-cost outings (there’s a free filter, too), from trivia nights and Indigenous festivals to mental-health talks and food fests.
Tell us your deals!
Do you have favourite spots in the city where you can eat, drink, see shows or join activities for free or cheap? Let us know in the comments below.
