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Eat the City: Toronto’s Best Specialty Grocery Options

December 15, 2021
Specialty grocery photo by Angele J from Pexels.

A huge fridge, a pristine stove, and a month or two in a new city—of course you want to do some absolutely amazing cooking.

Whether you’re recovering from a medical visit, sticking to a specific diet, or just absolutely on the go during your workday, there are plenty of reasons to check out Toronto’s grocery delivery options while staying in a fully-furnished DelSuites condominium. But for every Instacart buggy or supermarket-run service, there are a few delivery plans just off the beaten track: offering specialty grocery services, international products, or vegetables grown lovingly close to home.

We’re happy to profile a few of Toronto’s best specialty grocery delivery services—and help you make the most of that big, shiny, alluring kitchen.

Foodshare Toronto

Foodshare Toronto’s Good Food Box can hardly be called offbeat. It’s been delivering fresh, healthy, affordable fruit and vegetables across the city for over 30 years—and rolling the profits into community gardens, school programs, and incubators that nurture new Toronto food businesses.

But the box itself—a favourite among budget-conscious Torontonians—is infinitely adjustable: orders can be sized up or down, requested pre-cut for disabilities, and customized to arrive at your lobby weekly, biweekly, or monthly. You can also support racialized farmers with the Dismantling White Supremacy box, taste more diverse options, and support local agriculture.

The Good Food Box also offers add-on options like pasture-raised meat, bread, crackers, local honey, and coffee from fair trade Toronto roaster Alternative Grounds.

Iqbal Halal Foods

Locally-owned Iqbal Halal Foods, one of Toronto’s biggest halal markets, is enough of a neighbourhood hub that it hosted Thorncliffe Park’s pop-up vaccine clinics. But for shoppers outside Toronto’s Midtown, this halal superstore also delivers: not just their own meat and produce, but a huge swath of South Asian and Middle Eastern brands, from Pakistan’s Shangrila to Vimto.

Next-day delivery is free over a $129 order, and they’ll deliver up to 150km from their flagship store inside a week: everywhere in the Greater Toronto Area and throughout Southern Ontario.

Kosher City Plus

From North York to Midtown, Kosher City Plus delivers everything you need to set up a kosher household for a month—or a whole year. With an in-house bakery and deli including freshly baked challah, a line of kosher gluten-free products, and Cholov Yisroel and Passover brands, they cover the whole calendar. And it’s not limited to food: Kosher City Plus also brings affordable seasonal holiday supplies and Hebrew-language magazines and newspapers to your door.

With deliveries from Monday to Thursday—and no fee after a $100 minimum order—they’re the easiest way to set up your temporary kosher kitchen.

T&T Supermarket

It’s not exactly offbeat, but British Columbia-based East Asian grocery chain T&T Supermarket is a classic.

Since COVID-19 hit, T&T offers next-day delivery—and same-day pickup!—on everything from produce, meat, seafood and premade meals to the pantry staples you need to fully stock an Asian kitchen. If you’re outside their delivery zone? They’ll pop non-perishables in the mail to almost any postal code in Canada—which means there’s no reason to go without oyster sauce or gojuchang ever again.

Delivery is $7.99 for orders over $100, and a wide range of payment options including Wechat Pay and AliPay are accepted.

Dufferin Grove Farmers’ Market

One of west Toronto’s most enduring—and celebrated—farmers’ markets took things online when COVID-19 closed in, and they’re still bringing the farm directly to our doorsteps.

The Dufferin Grove Farmers’ Market webstore shows what its dozens of farmers, food producers, and diverse local brands are harvesting this week, and delivers your picks on market day.

As well as the usual seasonal produce, the market features sustainably-raised meat, fair trade chocolate, water buffalo and sheep cheese, Inuit-sourced fish, wild-foraged preserves, Tibetan, Mexican and Indian premade meals, and more.

Orders go in from 12pm Saturday to 12pm Tuesday every week, and Thursday afternoon deliveries—by cargo bike when possible!—cover most of downtown and Midtown, up to Lawrence Avenue.

100km Foods

Sometimes you’ve just got to pull out all the stops, and if you’re the kind of diner who likes to know exactly where your beets came from, 100km Foods has you covered: a wholesale local food distributor that turned to home delivery when COVID shut its high-end restaurant clients down.

100km’s organized produce, meat, and dairy boxes offer a rotating weekly sample of its farm-fresh products. But there’s also a regular selection of seasonal produce, meat, seafood, cheese, charcuterie, snacks, and pantry goods, as well as chef-made meals from some of the fine dining restaurants they supply.

With their products mostly grown in Niagara and Prince Edward County—and overwhelmingly organic and ecologically-conscious—it’s a true taste of Ontario regional foods.

Deliveries go out Wednesday to Saturday in most Toronto neighbourhoods, with a $6 delivery fee; free if your order’s over $100.

Fresh City Farms

Fresh City Farms started as an urban farm on decommissioned military land by Toronto’s Downsview Airport, and a veggie stand. Inside a dozen years, it’s bloomed into a homegrown grocery chain with multiple downtown locations, a dizzying selection of organic, local-grown, and small artisan-brand products, and an unswerving commitment to showcasing sustainable, healthy food. And that includes a bottle shop that focuses on Ontario wine, beer, and cider.

With most of its products labeled local, sustainable, and certified organic, you know exactly what you’re getting on Fresh City’s online shop—which is a real help if you eat gluten-free, keto, vegan, or dairy-free. And they still offer the organic produce boxes that transitioned them from farmstand to supermarket, weekly, biweekly, or on demand.

Deliveries go out seven days a week: $4.99 for a specific timeslot or $2.99 if you’re not choosy.

Roll your sleeves up in the kitchen

With full kitchens, full-sized fridges, and friendly concierges, a DelSuites furnished apartment rental makes trying Toronto’s best flavours easy. Contact us at DelSuites by phone at (647) 370-3504 or email info@delsuites.com to book your food-friendly accommodations.

Family Vacations in Toronto, Toronto Condos, Vacation Travel

Toronto – A Pet-Friendly City

September 20, 2019

Although Toronto is one of the largest, busiest and densest cities in Canada – it is surprisingly pet-friendly.

In fact, Torontonians love their animal friends. According to city planning staff, there are three to five dogs per floor in Toronto condos. There’s a growing number of dog-friendly establishments in the downtown area, and the general attitude to canine companions is a welcoming one.

In fact, Toronto condos are beginning to build in pet-friendly features to attract a clientele with canine companions – such as dog grooming services, dog parks, pet shops and pet-friendly cafes.

The Livmore is a great example. On the fifth floor of this chic, stylish downtown Toronto apartment building you will find a convenient dog-friendly area – which is home to a pet spa and an outdoor play area known as the “Bark Park.” This area, lined with artificial turf, features fire hydrants, benches and even a mini obstacle course for dogs to play on.

The pet-friendly aspects of the Livmore are just one of the many examples of how Toronto offers our furry friends a warm welcome.

What Makes Toronto Pet-Friendly?

Let’s take a look at some of the other aspects of the city that make Toronto a great place to hang out with your canine companion.

Welcoming Shops

Many of the boutiques and shops between Bathurst and Gladstone are dog friendly and won’t mind if you bring your pooch in with you while you look around. They might even offer water and treats for your furry friend.

Laid Back Breweries

If you want to enjoy a local beer, there are many places where you can bring your four-legged companion. For example, at local craft brewery Henderson Brewing, they host monthly dog friendly events and dogs are always welcome whenever you stop in for a tasting.

Green Spaces

There are many great parks and wilderness areas scattered throughout the city where you and your dog can get some exercise and fresh air. For example, downtown Toronto borders Lake Ontario to the South, so you can head down to the waterfront to take a stroll along the boardwalk.

There’s also Trinity Bellwoods park, which features a Dog Bowl off-leash area, where you and your pooch can hang out with many other dogs of Toronto and their owners.
pet-friendly Toronto

Pet-Friendly Transport

Dogs are allowed on the Toronto transport system of buses, streetcars and subways – as long as it is outside of rush hour. So, you can bring your pooch on public transport and explore the city with them!

Canine-Loving Eateries

While most cafes and restaurants in Toronto will not allow your dog inside due to health and safety laws, there are still plenty of dog-friendly places to eat. For example, at Lick It Gelato on Queens Quay West, your pooch is welcome and they even sell a “doggie gelato” that is dairy and sugar free.

Planning a trip to Toronto with Man’s Best Friend?

If you are heading to Toronto and are looking for a convenient and pet-friendly place to stay, the Livmore is an ideal option. For more info, contact us today.

Community Events, Events, Lifestyle talk, Uncategorized

DelSuites Toronto Executive Suites : Connecting with Colleagues

November 22, 2012

As a member of the Corporate Housing Professionals Association (CHPA), DelSuites furnished apartments in Toronto are part of an international network of housing providers.

Through CHPA, housing providers are provided with the support required to meet the unique needs of guests.

From professional certifications to limitless networking opportunities, including conferences and events held through out North America, members are able to exchange business expertise as well as share their insights about new developments within the corporate housing industry.

For this year’s CHPA Regional Conference, the DelSuites team and its colleagues gathered in Calgary last week to share market developments in Alberta. Members were given an inside perspective on the economy which offered a wealth of valuable business expertise and detailed understanding of the city’s tourism and business markets.

CHPA provided attendees with additional insights into the nature of issues that are currently facing housing professionals. In addition, highlights from both the CHPA Collaborative Conference and CERC were also shared in relation to the corporate housing industry on a national and global scale.

The regional event also provided members with plenty of networking opportunities. At a time when businesses are growing on both a national and international scale, the corporate housing market continues to provide the supports required to successfully transition employees during their relocation.

While the industry continues to grow at an incredible rate, CHPA continues to offer opportunities for housing professionals to better connect with one another; helping to make our guests’ housing transition better than ever.

Customer Service Experience

Going beyond the expected…and Going Beyond the Expected

May 22, 2012

As we strive to ensure our guests recieve the ultimate customer experience, there are times like these when we recieve feedback from our guests, that allow us to continue to be proud of what we do.   No matter how lavish the surroundings, it’s almost always the service and attentiveness that the guest receives, or doesn’t receive, that will determine their return.

If you would like to share your DelSuites experience with us, please send your feedback here.

Uncategorized

Living in Between – Home Renovations

May 10, 2012

As he embarked on a major home renovation project, Mr. Taub thought booking an extended hotel stay was the only way to bypass the dust and dirt. But when a friend suggested he consider a furnished rental in one of Delsuites buildings, Taub was thankful he had another option.

With the professional assistance of Delsuites’ on-call manager, Taub was able to quickly book a suite and effortlessly relocate his family away from the mayhem.

With summer around the corner, you may be ramping up for your own home renovation.
But let’s face it living in the middle of a construction site is no one’s idea of a good time.

While you probably can’t book a vacation until the dust settles, living offsite may even help you reinstate a semblance of order into your every day.

Believe it or not, while your home may be in a state of chaos, living away from it doesn’t have to be, according to Taub, “staying with Delsuites allowed us to be self-sufficient.”

Beyond the functionality of a fully-equipped kitchen and well-appointed living room, each suite also offers the simple yet practical comforts such as coffee makers, dinnerware and linens that make it seem less like temporary accommodations and more like a place you can call home.

Even if you’re not planning home renovations this summer, your family may be making a move to a larger (or smaller) dwelling. As every homeowner knows, between buying and selling, there are bound to be delays which may temporarily leave you without a place to live.


With more than 14 locations throughout the Greater Toronto Area, Delsuites provides an accessible and affordable alternative that will fit into your budget.

“We have apartment living,” explains Taub, “for the price of a hotel stay.”

Let’s face it whether you’re going through a home renovation or uprooting your family, you’re bound have unexpected expenses, but where you live in between doesn’t have to be one of them.

In fact, at Delsuites extending your stay will actually cost you less; proving that it`s possible to find a comfortable and affordable alternative to your home sweet home.

For more information on finding a hotel alternative when in between homes, visit short term rentals Toronto