Vitamin Daily

When you share a handle with one of Manhattan’s hippest hotels, you've got to expect at least a few eye rolls.

But The Bowery, a new 96-seat eatery from the folks at Uniq Lifestyle Entertainment, is truly unique—and totally legit. Using mostly local ingredients (does Lake Ontario have octopi?), Shehata serves up some seriously stand-out dishes. Our favourites included the ricotta gnocchi with wild mushrooms and truffle oil, the grilled octopus with squid ink aioli, and an absolutely amazing aged rib-eye.

And the drinks? Well, lets just say you have not lived until you've had The Lachlan, a sweet and tart cocktail named by and after the hunky Australian barkeep who makes them.

Although it's a bit of a trek for the West-Queen-West foodie folk—being, OMG, a whole one block east of Yonge—it's definitely worth the mission. And hey, it's a lot closer than the one in New York, right? —Carli Stephens-Rothman

55 Colborne Lane, Toronto, www.thebowery.ca