Here are my picks for where to stock up on food for a picnic in Toronto.
HBar
This bar close to Trinity Bellwoods is capitalizing on the picnic scene. Their Take it to Bellwoods picnic baskets (priced per person from $8.85 to $22.12) are filled with an ever changing assortment of meats, cheeses, spreads, pickles and bread rolls.
The County General
Picnic baskets filled with food, refreshing beverages, blankets and games are available by reservation at the West Queen West location. Looking for something a little less romantic? Larger parties (10 to 25 people) can opt for individualized brown paper bag lunches ($25 per person) featuring a choice of salad, sandwich, and dessert.
Barque Butcher Bar
This BBQ-centric butcher shop also offers an array of pre-packaged ready-to-eat selections. Stop in next time you hit up Sunnyside Beach and select from the assortment of salads, side dishes, and meats. Marinated meats are hibachi-ready, while there are also salads, smoked olives, side dishes, and made-to-order sandwiches available.
Delica Kitchen
This local chain of lunch counters is the perfect source for picnic fare. The menu offers an assortment of salads, sandwiches, crudites and dip, and desserts and you can even cater larger parties with platters and family style servings. Order 'the complete lunch' featuring a sampling of sandwiches, a choice of salads and assorted desserts for $18.50 per person.
Chabichou
The cheese shop on Harbord offers Les Plats, which are lovely little cheese and charcuterie boards packaged up in brown craft paper boxes. Ranging in size from three to five selections of cheese, charcuterie, and pate ($15 to $25), the picnic-ready package includes pickles, olives, nuts, apple slices, and a knob of baguette.
Adonis
This Middle Eastern supermarket is the perfect pit-stop enroute to Wexford Park. Browse the perimeter of the store for olives, nuts, fresh pita, and, assorted prepared foods including mezze dips, salads, rotisserie chickens and desserts that don't melt, like baklava.
Old School
Call in your order and then bypass the restaurant to pick-up your Posse Picnic ($85) from this diner on Dundas West. This meaty take-away feast features a rack of St. Louis spareribs, a quartered smoked chicken, beef brisket, pulled porks, four biscuits, and a choice of four sides including selections like corn on the cob, and a mac n' cheese cobbler.
Mad Mexican
The salsa snack pack from this taco bar and Mexican market was practically made for the park. The package is meant for parties of six and includes chunky guacamole, a choice of two salsa and two large bags of tortilla chips.
Cafe Belong
Before hitting the trails in the Don Valley stock up on snacks, sandwiches, and salads from the grab and go counter at this cafe in the Evergreen Brick Works. Pro tip: plan your adventure on a Saturday and supplement some fresh fruits and veg from the farmers' market.
St. Jamestown Delicatessen
A line-up of prime picnic foods like potato salads, slaw, BBQ chicken and mini quiches fill the deli case at this Cabbagetown lunch counter. Sandwiches can made to order, and then, there's always the option to add on extra cheeses or cured meats.
Photo by Gail Edwin Aguiar in the blogTO Flickr pool.
by Liora Ipsum via blogTO
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