International cuisine can be enjoyed in all major towns. Toronto is rated as one of the best cities for dining out on the continent. Bars and restaurants offer an international selection of alcohol. Each autumn, the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival is held in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Alcohol is sold in Provincial Liquor Control Board outlets. Domestic beer is available at Brewer’s Retail. Domestic wines are also sold through company stores.
Things to know: Liquor and beer stores are run and operated by the Government. Licensing hours are daily 1100-0200. Beer and liquor stores are open on Sundays. It is illegal to consume alcohol unless you are in a residence or a licensed establishment.
Regional specialities:
• Maple syrup can accompany everything, from waffles, toast, pancakes and even baked beans!
• Try Haliburton pheasant or one of the dazzling varieties of fish from the countless lakes and rivers.
Regional drinks:
• Icewine: a sweet nectar with a tantalising complexity of flavours.
• Ontario has extensive vineyards providing much of Canada’s wine.
Legal drinking age: 19 years.
Tipping: It is customary to tip between 15 per cent and 20 per cent at bars and restaurants in Ontario. Tips are also given to tour guides, and for taxi service, spa treatments and haircuts. Porters at airports, railway stations and hotels generally expect $1-2 (CDN) per item of luggage.

Both main cities have establishments offering all forms of entertainment, from quiet clubs featuring a lone pianist, through Latin American combos to dance and rock bands and big-name international entertainers. Toronto is recognised as the third most important theatre centre after London and New York, and cabaret/dinner theatres are also especially popular in Toronto. Toronto is also known as a good jazz and blues town. Both Toronto and Ottawa host jazz festivals in the summer. Theatres with classical entertainment are also found in Ottawa.

Toronto offers everything from antiques to luxury lingerie, if the visitor has the money and time to spend. There are large suburban shopping centres and the Eaton Centre, a glass-domed galleria in the heart of the city, is linked to 4.8km (3 miles) of interconnecting underground shopping malls with 1000 retail outlets. Toronto’s villages are full of colourful streets of renovated Victoriana, with garment shops, art galleries, antique stores and open-air cafes in summer. The run-down Queen Street Strip has been taken over by collector’s comic-book shops, punk day-glo leather emporia, sci-fi bookstores, junk and antique shops. Ottawa also has a wide choice of shops and handicraft centres. Sparks Street Mall offers a variety of shops including those selling excellent authentic native work. Byward Market is a popular area of craft shops, farmers’ market stalls and cafes. Vaughan Mills is the newest mega-mall in Ontario including 200 shops. Shopping hours: Shops stay open until 1800 in most parts of Ontario. Many city and suburban shops are open until 2100.