Our Top Picks for Your Hanami Picnic Party Under the Cherry Blossoms

Written By Bloor by the Park

High Park’s most exciting time of the year has arrived with the blooming of the sakura trees. In Japanese, hanami means “flower viewing” which commonly refers only to cherry blossom viewing. Hanami traditionally involves a lovely picnic under the blooming trees.

You can easily prepare your very own hanami picnic basket from our list of delectable recommendations below. And since our neighbourhood is so close to High Park, you won’t have to carry your goodies too far, and any hot meals will still be nice and steamy! Roll out your picnic blanket, spread your feast, and enjoy the sakura petals as they flutter to the earth below.

Start planning your menu by checking out the list below. You can also download a printable version here.

Classic Picnic Fare

  • Subway High Park sandwiches (1717 Bloor St W) - there are so many flavours of sandwich subs to choose from and you can swap halves to share and add more variety.

  • Capone’s Cocktail Lounge (1573 Bloor St W) - majorly yummy signature sandwiches and apps like the cubano, philly cheesesteak, chicken salad wrap, and bruschetta will make a casual dinner picnic worth the evening venture. (Note: open time varies after 6pm)

  • Lunch Box (1731 Bloor St W) - the melt sandwiches are a gooey delight.

  • Andrea’s Cookies (1632 Bloor St W) - her rotating variety of gourmet, soft-baked cookies means there’s always something for everyone. But get there early to beat the lineup and score your cookies before she sells out. Open Thurs-Sat (pre-orders available).

  • Outpost Coffee Roasters (1578 Bloor St W) - their coffee is roasted in-house and is the perfect finish with dessert or for an early morning visit to the blossoms. Try the Dark & Cherry - a limited time seasonal bevvy that’s every bit as exquisite as it sounds.

  • Tim Horton’s (1728 Bloor St W) - timbits upon timbits for bite-sized fun! And it’s never to early for Iced Capps. But consider a coffee Cambro for larger groups.

Traditional-ish

  • Dokkaebi Japanese Restaurant (1620 Bloor St W) - excellent combos, bento boxes, and tasting boxes for a picnic.

  • Dynamite Sushi (1661 Bloor St W) - the spicy tuna roll is *chef’s kiss* and so is everything else. Hidden gem.

  • Cosette Coffee (1715 Bloor St W) - the matcha madeleines are oh-so-pretty and festive for spring, enrobed in a creamy, delectable matcha-white chocolatey-tasting layer. The croissants are baked in-house and make a great sandwich or to eat on their own.

  • Machino Donuts (1556 Bloor St W) - the matcha strawberry donuts are a dream come true but they’ll only be here for a limited time so get them while you can, they are worth every sensational bite. Vegan.

Spicy and Sweet

  • Bawara Indian Restaurant & Hakka Cuisine (1570 Bloor St W) - their butter chicken topped BlogTO’s best-in-Toronto list. Make sure you order a side of samosa and warm garlic naan, too.

  • Caked Coffee (1651 Bloor St W) - the cinnamon rolls are huge! Ask for a chai latte, it’s one of their specialties. Vegan.

Burgers & Things

  • Pita & Perogy on Bloor (1566 Bloor St W) - mediterranean or eastern european cuisine, you can have both here. Get the Final Boss wrap and chicken schnitzel with perogy. The perogy are super tender and one of Toronto’s finest.

  • Whelan’s Gate (1663 Bloor St W) - the cheeseburger looks and tastes like heaven with house-made pickles.

  • The Mugshot Tavern (1729 Bloor St W) - wings, burgers, fried chicken… check out their southern-inspired menu of seriously good eats.

  • WingsUp! Toronto-High Park (1733 Bloor St W) - wings and boneless bites in a great selection of flavours. Super for variety and sharing.

  • China Island (1572 Bloor St W) - chinese comfort food that tastes homemade. You’ll love their broccoli & chicken dish with some steamed rice.

  • McDonald’s (Dundas West subway station) - BigMacs, nuggies, hand pies and fries for a happy McPicnic.

  • Phở T&T Express (1675 Bloor St W) - a steamy bowl of Phở is warm and filling. Generous portions.

Pizza

  • Pizzaville (1730 Bloor St W) - it’s a picnic party, get the party size pizza!

  • Pizza Pizza (1721 Bloor St W) - you’ve had the pizza but have you tried the panzerotti?

  • King Slice (1598 Bloor St W) - extra large slices of gooey goodness (make sure you get garlic oil on the crust!).


**Note: all the above restaurants and cafes have excellent veggie and/or vegan options so be sure to check out their menus.

And to make things even easier, here’s a checklist for packing the picnic essentials:

  • utensils for serving

  • cutlery (forks, knives, spoons)

  • plates

  • cups for drinking

  • napkins

  • paper towels (for spills)

  • wet wipes

  • bag for garbage

  • picnic basket or cooler

  • outdoor picnic blanket

  • containers & ice packs to bring home leftovers

  • water dish for pets

  • sunscreen

  • Tide stick

Bloor by the Park