Fabulous food from around the world. Sparkling, wild musical entertainment. Great events. Gorgeous parks with plenty of space to spread out. And more sports than you shake a hockey stick at.
If you’re looking to plan a weekend staycation getaway this year, look no further than Mississauga.
I recently spent the better part of a weekend in this city, just west of Toronto. And I came away hugely impressed with the sheer variety of things to do, and the quality of the experience.
The pandemic closed off a lot of the things that make our cities so enjoyable to visit, but travel is pretty much back to normal now. And businesses are thriving, including hotels and restaurants.
Tourism is one of the leading contributors to Canada’s economy. One in ten jobs across Canada, and in Mississauga, are directly related to travel and tourism, which includes accommodations, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, recreation and entertainment and travel services.
Prior to COVID-19, tourism was responsible for $105 billion in total annual spending in Canada, making it our fifth largest sector.
When we visit a Mississauga restaurant or stay the night at one of the city’s great hotels, we’re not only having a good time, but we’re contributing to a critical industry that helps keep the entire city humming.
Here’s a look at some of the great things I was able to enjoy in a visit that lasted a little less than two days.
FABULOUS FOOD
Mississauga has some 1,800 restaurants, and they say you can find cuisine from an astonishing 150 countries around the world within the city limits. I had excellent meals when I was here last year, and this year was even better.
We began with Japanese BBQ at Gyu-Kaku, just across the road from Square One. It’s a wonderful Korean-Japanese place where you grill your own meat and veggies over a propane grill. They also have sushi, kimchi, tasty Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbap, miso soup and other food that chefs will prepare for you. But the bbq is so much more fun, especially for a small group. There were three of us, and we opted for the Chef’s Favourite, which provided plenty of food; sushi with roast beef, miso, Kalbi beef, Filet Mignon, Skirt Steak, jumbo shrimp, barbeque pork belly, foil-wrapped veggies we cooked on the grill, and more. Try the Sapporo beer or the Asahi, which has a bit more bite but is still quite mild.
After breakfast at Starbucks at the Delta Hotels by Marriott at Toronto Mississauga the next day, we had our lunch around the corner at Mumbai Frankie. I’ve never been to Mumbai, but I love Indian food, so we wanted to try a Frankie, which is a Mumbai street food that features veggies or meat, or both, in a tasty wrap. We opted for the chicken green chili, which had plenty of chunks of chicken, a creamy curry sauce that wasn’t too spicy, onions, green chili peppers (mild) and more. Delicious! We weren’t crazy about the vegetable puffs but enjoyed the hot, fresh, samosas; filled with potato and peas and dusted with spicy powder.
I wanted to see what was new at the Food District since my last visit, so I headed over to Square One, Canada’s largest shopping centre. If you’ve seen food courts at a shopping mall, you might have an idea what this is like. But it’s not even close. This is a pedestrian village, if you like, a winding pathway lined with a couple dozen shops and restaurants; Dal Moro’s Pasta, Blackjack BBQ, Patio at La Carnita Mexican, Blossom Moments, Sweet Jesus ice cream, Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake. Farzi Café, Kibo Sushi, Hale Coffee, The Wine Shop. I’ve had Japanese and Indian food on my visit so far, so I went for a hot, tasty Jamaican patty at Patties Express.
A Caprese salad at Grano Restaurant in Mississauga.
Dinner that night was a huge treat, partly because of the food and partly because of the environment. We felt like Italian, so I booked a table for two at Grano; about a three-minute walk from the Delta. We fell in love as soon as we walked in. It’s a bit on the dark side, but there’s plenty of wood and small seating areas and old-style Italian paintings on the wall. Best of all are the people. It’s a family place, with Dad (Sandro) in the kitchen and Felina and her daughter, Darla, waiting tables. Darla’s two little girls were in a corner of the room, talking on the phone and colouring with crayons. It’ a lovely thing to see a family restaurant like this in an area with so many new condos and business towers, and it lends a real charm to the place. I had a massive Caesar Salad and a nice plate of veal marsala. My wife had a very good Caprese salad and a terrific plate of fresh pasta (Felina makes the pasta herself) with large shrimp and tasty mussels in a white wine sauce. There was also garlic bread hot, and Felina steered us right with a modestly priced bottle of Italian wine we loved.
For breakfast on Sunday we wanted an old, family style place and opted for Orchard Family Restaurant on Hurontario Street. It’s an old-school place, and that’s perfect. Politicians used to gather here for a meal, and it’ the sort of place where waitresses still call you “dear.” The coffee was good and not too strong, and we enjoyed scramble eggs with sausage and a mountain of home fries, as well as an excellent omele with tomatoes, peppers and mushrooms and cheese. Definitely a spot for the locals, and definitely recommended.
GREAT ENTERTAINMENT
The Dreamboats band in action in Mississauga. JIM BYERS PHOTO
I hadn’t heard of the band The Dreamboats prior to seeing my itinerary for my visit. But I hope to see plenty more of them in the near future.
My wife and I had a pair of tickets in row Q at the Living Arts Centre in downtown Mississauga; a lovely building with an airy lobby and bright, colourful art work splashed on the walls. It’s a great space, with terrific sound. But it’s the band that blew us away. Three of the four band members are from Mississauga and actually faced each other in a Mississauga Battle of the Bands when they were starting out. They’re now a quartet, having let a guy from Yellowknife and Ottawa into the group, and they make outstanding music (CLICK HERE FOR A SHORT VIDEO). The focus is on old-time rock and roll; Elvis, Roy Orbison, The Beatles, Surf Tunes and more. They’re all excellent musicians, and I especially enjoyed the drummer, Johnny G. Wiz, and the lead guitarist, Nicky Domino. The bass player, Justin Zoltek, was very good and made frequent forays into the audience, while the lead singer/rhythm guitar player, Ritchie Hummins, was a tour de force on guitar and at the mike. He also does a mean breakdance, while dipping and swirling in tune with Zoltek when its guitar solo time. They played six or seven very nice original tunes and filled the time between songs with engaging banter. We each had a drink at the bar and spent only about $15.
The International Centre, located near Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga, puts on amazing events. The weekend I was there I dipped into the Outdoor Adventure Show, where there were displays of shiny new kayaks and canoe, stand-up paddleboards, bicycles, e-bikes and much more. They also had booths with representatives of dozens of exotic destinations around the world handing out brochures and chatting with visitors.
The International Centre is one of the pre-eminent event spaces in Canada. They’ve got shows lined up this year on everything from custom cars to cosmetics, as well as pets and even Halal food.
SPORTS GALORE
They take their sports seriously in Mississauga, and the opportunities are endless. They had thousands of entries for the Mississauga Marathon earlier this month. It’s a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, so you know it’s a good route and very well managed. The weekend I was there the city also was hosting the Ontario Volleyball Championships. There are events in town pretty much every weekend, in everything from soccer to tennis to squash. The highly engaging and talented Raptors 905 team, which is the farm team of the Toronto Raptors, play most of their home games at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre (PFFC) in Mississauga. The Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League also play at PFFC.
PARKS APLENTY
Stunning water colours in Lake Ontario at Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens in Mississauga. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Mississauga is home to more than 500 parks, and there’s more than 400 kilometers of multi-use trails.
We had a lovely walk at Kariya Park during our recent visit. It’s a wonderful Japanese-style park that’s just a block from Square One, but a world away. There’s a lovely traditional Japanese Torii gate, a large brass bell, winding paths, lovely trees (the cherry trees were about to pop when we were there) and a small pond that often has a turtle sunning itself on a small rock. It’s a placid, peaceful place to get away from the bustle of the city, and you’ll find a cross-section of Mississauga folks and visitors walking in hand or watching their kids dash about.
I fell in love with the lakefront parks in Mississauga during some extensive visits last summer, and we made a quick dash to Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens on a lovely Saturday morning. We walked further west this team, into a gorgeous lakefront neighbourhod with stately homes lining the north shore of Lake Ontario and massive back yard gardens. It’s a great place to admire nature or gaze at the skyline of Toronto. It was so clear when we were there that we could see the hotels and the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls. The rhododendrons weren’t out yet, but there were plenty of flowering shrubs to admire, as well as a series of small birdhouses that folks have hung up near the parking lot.
On my visit last summer, I also loved Adamson Estate and Rattray Marsh, as well as the amazing Riverwood Conservancy parks and riverfront nature areas.
A NICE HOTEL STAY
A bright, sunny room at the Delta Hotels Marriott Toronto Mississauga. JIM BYERS PHOTO
My wife and I bedded down for two nights at the Delta Hotels Marriott Toronto Mississauga, directly across from Square One Shopping Centre and situated perfectly in the ‘downtown’ core of the city. It’s a fine hotel with a Starbucks and a lobby restaurant, a good-sized indoor pool, a large gym, comfortable rooms with a big-screen TV, and a great location. You’re just a short walk from Square One, one of the top shopping malls in Canada, and only a few blocks from Mississauga City Hall, where you’ll find tons of events at Celebration Square and great shows at the Living Arts Centre. Three of the four restaurants we sampled were within a block of the hotel, and the fourth (Orchard Family Restaurant) was only five minutes down the road.
GET OUT THERE AND TRAVEL
It’s wonderful that we can travel again for both work and play. And there’s no better time to celebrate those new freedoms than during Tourism Week in Canada. So, do yourself and your friends or family a favour, and take a trip to this friendly, welcoming city. There’s always something worth exploring and enjoying in Mississauga.
