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Guide · Ontario
Heading out for the August long weekend? Here are 10 top-ranked spots across Ontario worth stopping for on Simcoe Day 2026.
The August long weekend — Simcoe Day if you're staying Ontario-side — is one of those stretches where everyone's in motion at once. Some are heading to Niagara-on-the-Lake for wine country. Some are on the road to Ottawa. Others are keeping it closer to the Toronto waterfront and want somewhere decent to sit down. This post covers all three.
Here are ten spots ranked on RankIt, spread across the province, worth building part of your Simcoe Day weekend around. If you're staying in the city, the Toronto best-overall rankings are a good starting point for the full picture.
SOMBRA sits at 10 Queen Street, right at the centre of NOTL's main strip. The August long weekend fills this town up fast, so the location puts it squarely in the middle of all that foot traffic — which is either convenient or a reason to book well in advance, depending on your timing.
A dinner reservation here makes a natural anchor for a NOTL day that runs through tastings in the afternoon.
A few doors down at 106 Queen Street, Scrape is a more casual option when the sit-down places are full or you're not in the mood for a longer meal. It's the kind of stop that fits well between wineries rather than as a destination on its own.
Worth knowing about if SOMBRA is booked out or you're arriving without a plan.
On St Paul Street in St. Catharines, Kalsada is a Filipino-inspired coffee bar — the name means "road" in Filipino, fitting for a spot that catches people passing through the Niagara region. Good for a morning start or a mid-afternoon break when you're in town rather than out on the wine trail.
A few blocks away on the same stretch of St Paul Street, Habibis on the Grill is a Middle Eastern grill spot that works well as a sit-down lunch or early dinner. The 201 St Paul address puts it in walkable range of the main downtown strip.
It's ranked in its category on RankIt and is a solid choice when you want something more substantial after a morning of wine tastings.
Thomas Bachelder makes Burgundian-style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir along the Niagara Escarpment, and the tasting room at 3999 Locust Lane in Beamsville is worth an hour of your afternoon. This is a deliberate stop rather than a quick one — the kind of visit where you taste properly and generally leave with bottles you didn't plan on buying.
It fits well on a Grimsby-to-NOTL route if you're working your way along the wine country corridor over the long weekend.
Fort Erie is worth considering on the August long weekend, especially if Crystal Beach is on the itinerary. Love Sicily at 397 Ridgeway Road is a Sicilian Italian option in that part of town — ranked among the top places in Fort Erie on RankIt and a reasonable dinner stop before or after the beach.
August is busy here too, so an early reservation is worth making.
For anyone spending Simcoe Day in the city, 2901 Lake Shore Blvd West puts Pinky Swear in Etobicoke's lakefront stretch — one of the better areas of the GTA to be on a hot August weekend. It's one of the more interesting spots ranked in that waterfront corridor on RankIt, in a stretch of the city that doesn't always have standout dining options.
At 155 Waterfront Trail in Mississauga, Papa Duke's is a Thai food truck on the lakeside trail — the kind of stop that makes a long weekend walk or bike ride feel more intentional. If you're planning to be out on the trail over the long weekend, it's worth routing your lunch around.
Thai food with a lake view in August doesn't need a harder sell than that.
The name is Dutch for "chocolate house," and the shop at 75 Elgin Street West in Arnprior delivers on it — artisan chocolate and café service in the Ottawa Valley, about an hour west of the capital. It's a worthwhile reason to get off the highway during the drive.
If you're heading to or from Ottawa and want a 20-minute stop that actually feels like part of the trip, this is one of the better options on that stretch.
In the Findlay Creek neighbourhood on Ottawa's south end, BVR No. 2 is a Vietnamese restaurant ranked in its category on RankIt. It's well positioned if you're arriving in the city via the 416 and don't want to navigate downtown before eating — a practical settling-in dinner option.
Pho and rice dishes, reliably ranked. Good for the first night in town.
Simcoe Day falls on the first Monday of August. In 2026 that is August 3, giving most people a three-day weekend starting Saturday, August 1.
Not universally. Simcoe Day is the name used in Toronto and some other municipalities; provincially it is called the Civic Holiday. It is not a statutory holiday for all employers in Ontario, so federally regulated workers and some private sector employees may not have the day off. Check with your employer if you are unsure.
Yes. NOTL is one of Ontario's most visited summer destinations and the August long weekend is one of the busiest stretches of the year. Most sit-down restaurants on Queen Street fill up well in advance. Reservations one to two weeks out are advisable if you want a specific dinner spot.
Get the RankIt app to rank your favourite dishes and see how your picks stack up against the locals.
Free · No paid placements · Made for people who actually ate there
Community-ranked restaurants across Ontario.