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Nicola Brown

Nicola Brown is a freelance writer and editor with 15 years of experience creating travel, food and lifestyle content. Her work has appeared in the Toronto Star, Time Out, Canadian Traveller, Travel Life, Toronto Life, EnRoute, WestJet Magazine, CAA and Cottage Life, among other publications.

Latest from Nicola Brown

After a four-year hiatus, a popular ice cream bar business is back

After a four-year hiatus, a popular ice cream bar business is back

Bar32 is serving up its frozen, chocolate-dipped desserts in Summerhill

A new street food vendor is adding the poke burger to your summer cravings

A new street food vendor is adding the poke burger to your summer cravings

Move over, tamago sando—there’s a new trend in town

After closing six years ago, this old-school diner is making a comeback

After closing six years ago, this old-school diner is making a comeback

Toasted is from the owner of Pete’s Corner Grill, a Parkdale classic

Sunnys Chinese is launching a summer barbecue series

Sunnys Chinese is launching a summer barbecue series

And they’re collaborating with some of the city’s top chefs for each event

What's on the menu at Pizzeria Badiali's new Mirvish Village location

What’s on the menu at Pizzeria Badiali’s new Mirvish Village location

Including a whole new style of pie and Aperol spritzes on tap

A gastropub and brewery has opened at a downtown address plagued by turnover

A gastropub and brewery has opened at a downtown address plagued by turnover

House of McGrath is the latest business to give it a go at 75 Victoria

An iconic Toronto barbecue spot is launching Sunday brunch

An iconic Toronto barbecue spot is launching Sunday brunch

Including tiered towers stacked with smoked meat, pancakes, and chicken and waffles

Toronto’s newest record label is also a coffee shop, bar, music venue and community hub

Toronto’s newest record label is also a coffee shop, bar, music venue and community hub

Want to run into a member of Broken Social Scene? Head to Osler Records

The most expensive cocktail at Parkdale's newest bar is just $16

The most expensive cocktail at Parkdale’s newest bar is just $16

A team of industry experts is behind the Virginia

A popular Filipino supper club is getting a permanent home

A popular Filipino supper club is getting a permanent home

Kusi is coming to Chinatown

The city's best sandwiches, according to Toronto chefs

The city’s best sandwiches, according to Toronto chefs

Including a spicy meatball sub and a brisket breakfast biscuit

One of Toronto’s top chefs just took over the menu at this King West supper club

One of Toronto’s top chefs just took over the menu at this King West supper club

But the bottle service remains

Law & Order filmed an episode at a Toronto restaurant—this is the chef’s story ( dun dun )

Law & Order filmed an episode at a Toronto restaurant—this is the chef’s story (dun dun)

Shauna Godfrey on what it’s like to be behind the scenes in her very own kitchen

A burger joint is coming to the Broadview Hotel

A burger joint is coming to the Broadview Hotel

Archie’s will open later this spring

Where Proper chef Julien Cawagas eats breakfast, lunch and dinner in Roncesvalles

Where Proper chef Julien Cawagas eats breakfast, lunch and dinner in Roncesvalles

His favourite spots for sunny-side-up eggs, Cuban and Italian sandwiches, and European fine-dining

A new listening lounge has landed on Roncesvalles

A new listening lounge has landed on Roncesvalles

Café Russo is the city's newest place for coffee and vinyl nerds

A team of Toronto chefs is opening an Italian-inspired steakhouse in Prince Edward County

A team of Toronto chefs is opening an Italian-inspired steakhouse in Prince Edward County

Get ready for top-notch veal parm, Picton

"Historically, many kitchens have been driven by fear": Six of the city’s top woman chefs on the future of Toronto's restaurant industry

“Historically, many kitchens have been driven by fear”: Six of the city’s top woman chefs on the future of Toronto’s restaurant industry

Including Eva Chin, Shauna Godfrey and Rebekah Bruce

Where Maven chef Shauna Godfrey eats in Dovercourt Village

Where Maven chef Shauna Godfrey eats in Dovercourt Village

Her favourite spots for breakfast sandwiches, banh mi and dosas

This is what's replacing the Dive Shop in Leslieville

This is what’s replacing the Dive Shop in Leslieville

When one cocktail bar closes, another one opens

Five new eastern European–inspired restaurants for midwinter comfort food

Five new eastern European–inspired restaurants for midwinter comfort food

Where to dig into hearty borscht, pork schnitzel and pierogies

La Cubana has been replaced with a New York–style Italian restaurant

La Cubana has been replaced with a New York–style Italian restaurant

Proper is bringing red sauce to Roncesvalles

Where Gateau Ghost chef Jayden Park eats Japanese and Korean food in the west end

Where Gateau Ghost chef Jayden Park eats Japanese and Korean food in the west end

His favourite spots for ramen, yakitori skewers and Korean barbecue

This is what’s opening in the old La Cubana space on Roncesvalles

This is what’s opening in the old La Cubana space on Roncesvalles

Out with Cuban, in with Italian American

Summer Camp Guide

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Discover our top-rated summer camps for kids of all ages

Wines of the World

Wines of the World: Rediscover your favourites from Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants

Wines of the World: Rediscover your favourites from Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants

From cabernet and merlot to icewine and chardonnay, these wines are primed to pair and delight

Big Stories

Dead Reckoning: The executor of their estate was supposed to divide it among their friends and family. Instead, he bankrupted it

Dead Reckoning: The executor of their estate was supposed to divide it among their friends and family. Instead, he bankrupted it

When Sami and June Suomalainen died, it fell to the executor of their wills, a lawyer they hardly knew, to sell their million-dollar midtown home and split the proceeds among their inheritors. Seven years and six lawsuits later, the beneficiaries haven’t seen a cent

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

This year’s list includes a 150-square-foot omakase counter, a Parisian brasserie in the Annex, Korean comfort food, Filipino karaoke and a Summerhill seafood spot that’s reinventing the raw bar

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

After years of false starts, months of nail-biting negotiations between the league and the players’ union, and an 11th-hour scramble to build a roster, Toronto finally has its own major-league women’s basketball team. Now it just has to live up to the hype

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Slowikowska is the first Canadian to join the cast of Saturday Night Live in more than 25 years. She’s also this season’s breakout star. Now all she has to do is keep crushing it

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

The man who represented the infamous drug lord is unapologetically flashy—he has a Lamborghini and two Maseratis and wears $1,200 Louboutins. But did he become an accomplice to his client’s crimes? Deepak Paradkar says he was just doing his job. The FBI says he crossed a line

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

We’re not over it, but they are. Six months after that devastating defeat, the Jays take the field once more, bent more than ever on winning the World Series. Dispatches from the dugout

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My dad was the infamous Rolex Killer. The news of his crimes nearly broke me. And ever since, my family has been hounded by reporters, podcasters and true crime fanatics—a whole new circle of hell

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Larry David is the indisputable king of brutal honesty. But if anyone comes close, it’s Robby Hoffman, the suddenly everywhere comic from whom no group is safe

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Pamela Sugiman, a former arts dean at Toronto Metropolitan University, was a key player in the school’s push for diversity, equity and inclusion. When the backlash against DEI arrived, she was demoted. The school says it was a coincidence. She disagrees

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

Scenes from the rent-for-life revolution

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

It’s hard out here for a 20-something

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

Desperate wannabe parents are betting their life savings on unproven treatments and false promises

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Last spring, a chatbot convinced Allan Brooks that he had discovered a revolutionary mathematical theory. He says it nearly destroyed him

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Homegrown innovations that will transform lives for the better

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

When Valentino was abducted, I knew three things: he’d been taken by his father, he was somewhere in India and I would not rest until I found him

The Violent Life of a Tow Truck Driver: How an unremarkable profession turned Toronto into a war zone

The Violent Life of a Tow Truck Driver: How an unremarkable profession turned Toronto into a war zone

The towing industry has been hijacked by criminals and kingpins who fleece customers, beat up dissenters and shoot their enemies. Inside the brutal turf war for the city’s wrecks

Street Fight: Inside the battle raging over Toronto multiplexes

Street Fight: Inside the battle raging over Toronto multiplexes

If this city stands any chance of solving the housing crisis, it will need buildings with multiple units in residential neighbourhoods—a move that has many residents saying, “Anywhere but here!”

Just Listed

For Sale: 92 Arjay Crescent

For Sale: 92 Arjay Crescent

As luxury buyers become increasingly focused on wellness, privacy, and long-term livability, a new generation of custom homes is emerging – one defined less by excess and more by thoughtful design

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

This rare property features 2 houses on 1 lot

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

A testament to time presiding over one of Uxbridge's most storied streetscapes, this magnificently preserved circa 1880 residence commands its prominent corner lot with the quiet confidence of a true architectural landmark

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

A commanding architectural statement in prestigious Stonegate–Queensway, this newly completed custom residence by Bali Homes Group presents a refined interpretation of contemporary luxury living

For Sale: 75 Queen Street

For Sale: 75 Queen Street

Guelph is having a moment