koko
The Bookseller
The owner of the indie bookshop who has read everything and will only recommend one.
THE DEEP CUT familyWants the café with twelve seats, creaky floors and a regular asleep in the corner.
Quiet, particular and deeply attracted to atmosphere and character. You like Toronto unhurried: old wood, slow coffee and a room that has looked the same for decades.
Your four letters
OffbeatDiscovery
Prefers local, niche, unexpected or lesser-known experiences.
The other side is C, Classic.
PlannedPlanning
Likes structure, research, reservations and knowing what comes next.
The other side is S, Spontaneous.
Toronto, for an OPZN
Where to stay
The Annex or Roncesvalles. Secondhand books, old houses and nowhere to rush to.
The indie bookshops
Type Books on Queen West, BMV in the Annex, and whatever you find between them.
Roncesvalles
An old main street of bakeries and cafés that still feels like a village.
Cabbagetown's side streets
Rows of Victorian houses and a farm at the end of the road. Go mid-afternoon on a weekday.
What to skip
The viral café with the two-hour line and the latte art.
Your people, and your problem
THE DEEP CUT
“When you're into something, you go deep.”
A deep cut is the track only the real fans know. Deep Cut travelers research like planners, but what they're researching is a rabbit hole, not a top ten: one team, one cuisine, one kind of record, one bar.
How to travel: Pick your obsession and let it draw the map. Toronto is a city of scenes, and nearly every one has a street, a strip mall or a basement of its own. It rewards people who show up knowing what they're looking for.
Not sure this is you?
Two minutes, no wrong answers. Koko works out your four letters and picks places in Toronto to match.
Take the quiz