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Casey MQ

Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, is consistently ranked one of the best places to live in the world. Spending even a few days here makes it easy to see why. The city’s cultural scene is invested in the arts—including theater, concerts, galleries, and red-carpet film festivals. Toronto takes pride in being the dynamic, creative and safe sum of all its parts.

Toronto-based artist and Club Quarantine founder, Casey MQ, shares his personal guide to Toronto. With a background in classical music together with a love of pop and electronic music, Casey is pushing forward with his own unique sound. Co-founding the virtual queer party ‘Club Quarantine’ during the peak of the pandemic, he has created a vital safe space for the queer community as he hosted the likes of Charli XCX, Lady Gaga, Pabllo Vitta and Caroline Polacheck to name a few. His debut album ‘babycasey’ is his childhood boyband fantasy come to life.

Fresh pressed juices and cold cut bánh mì sandwiches from this local restaurant. A gem in Toronto and the owners are incredibly kind. Plus their instagram is amazing.

A great beach spot to suddenly feel a little removed from Toronto while maintaining a view from the city. There is a clothing optional area as well.

I do not drink coffee but if I did, from what I’ve heard, I would purchase from The Common. I regularly get a tea and croissant from there though. Currently takeout but in the past I have spent a lot of time hanging out in there.

This family run restaurant in Parkdale makes excellent Momos. Lovely place!

TECHNICALLY you could ride your bike from Leslie Spit through to Don Valley Trail but it would be a mission. It’s a beautiful bike ride though and Leslie Spit takes you to an outer point of Toronto where you end up looking right back at the city by the end of the epic trail.

The Lightbox is not open at the moment but I’ve always loved the programming and have gone on solo dates there many times!

This is a lovely fashion store in Toronto. Tightly curated selection of clothing and publications. The store really has it’s own demeanor.

A great place to find preloved books. There are three locations at this point in Toronto but most of my purchases have been at the Bloor location. I basically stand around the recommended reads for a little too long.

Which brings me to the Toronto Reference Library lol. Last year I spent a lot of time at this library on the fourth or fifth floor. The inside is gorgeous. I actually spent a lot of time working on ‘babycasey’ at this library.

I have only been here a few times at night but if you hope the fence which is not a particularly easy task - you can maybe get a few laps of swimming in!

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Casey MQ takes us around Toronto

Bully Mag 

, BULLY is an emerging Black-led cultural collective and publisher focused on creating space for unheard voices and unseen perspectives in music, fashion, sex, and art.

Recently, the magazine have put out a charity music compilation in collaboration with Beijing-based record label, DCYY/到此一游, featuring 27 producers in 17 cities raising relief funds for charities and NPOs around the world, including Movement For Black Lives, Black Legal Action Centre, For The Gworls Surgery Fund, and The Black Curriculum. Check out the project 

The team have curated their favourite spots across the bright and bustling city of Toronto for any travellers out there dreaming of their next trip to Canada or residents looking to explore more of their home.

Independent fashion store that carries a tightly-edited selection of clothing brands (such as Telfar, Barragán, and Vaquera) and premium and obscure fashion print publications. A real day one BULLY supporter (and stockist).

Both an in-house brand and textile gallery shop, 100% Silk curates emerging *slow fashion* designers from around the world. They also work with local artists like GUNNAR to bring their retail experience on another level – very conceptual.

Follow the lights up to the second-floor for this classic Chinatown karaoke bar. Think neon lights, pleated leather couches in private rooms, and considerably late drink service.

A Black-owned business conceptualized and operated by CHIEFF BOSOMPRA, who runs event collective UNDISPOSABLE, in collaboration with Canadian Top Chef Adrian Forte. We reco the Accra burger + fries combo, an ode to Chieff’s hometown in Ghana.

Authentic Japanese homestyle vibes here – soft lights and natural wood tones help you get cozy until you realize you’ve been there for hours. Ask about their secret vinyl room downstairs where they play rare groove and Japanese city pop.

Black-owned business. The wife-and-husband duo fuse Jamaican and Italian cuisine together in a cozy spot in the heart of our eclectic Kensington Market. Local community vibes – look for the spot with the lineup and a grill out front.

Tucked inside P.A.T., a local grocery store in the heart of Koreatown, this cash-only stall gets lineups of people deliberating on whether they should get sweet custard or red bean-filled homemade waffles shaped like lil fishies.

Go here for contemporary menswear like Our Legacy, Eckhaus Latta, BODE, and Margaret Howell. The Toronto space has a showroom vibe that showcases the Neighbour world really well, which also includes a variety of household items and found objects alongside print publications from the likes of IDEA.

Hanlan’s Point is an inclusive space and a short ferry ride away to escape the city. Clothing optional :)

Canada's oldest boxing gym. Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Lennox Lewis have stepped into Sully's to train. Coach Tony is a Black trainer and former heavyweight champ – he might even drop some boxing history if you're nice. Iconic.

Authentic vintage clothing experience here – no curated boutique showroom or displays. There are some real deadstock finds if you dig deep enough in some of the mountains of clothes. Also good for military surplus goods, costume and props, and a lil role play.

Niche rental store for obscure cinema on vhs and dvd. There are some titles you just can’t find online that they carry, ranging from B-movie blaxploitation to Takashi Miike deep cuts. They also have a small screening room in the back for rent if you ever thought of setting up a private screening dedicated to Hype Williams or whoever.

Indo-Caribbean family-owned business. This lil everyday convenience store has a very small, unassuming room in the back that sells a bunch of different santería love charms and all the Yoruban orisha candles to help you find love, give you strength and protect you from enemies. This is a Parkdale gem tbh - if you know you know.

Soop Soop

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