Shave and a Scotch
This licensed, luxury grooming studio for men only is where it’s at. Head to King’s Crown Father’s Day weekend for its curated wine tasting, where Dad can chat with a sommelier while sipping vino.
2901 Bayview Ave.
Cigar aficionado
If Pops likes to light up a Cuban on the terrace after dinner, why not show him how they’re made? Frank Correnti Cigars offers cigar-rolling demonstrations to demonstrate the skill and art of its trade. You can even get him a custom label for his cigars, because why not?
206 Spadina Ave.
Sake to me
Get a tour and tasting at the Distillery’s sake brewery, Ontario Spring Water Sake Company. They’ll walk you through the sake-making process and top it off with four tastings to accompany the tour.
51 Gristmill Ln.
Fore!
Tee up with Dad and try out a golf simulator that can take you to 100 of the most popular golf courses around the world at Target Golf & Fitness Institute.
91 Doncaster Ave.
Fishing Around
In preparation for this summer’s Great Ontario Salmon Derby in Lake Ontario, take Dad fly fishing on the Humber River with an expert guide from A Perfect Drift. The river is ripe with wild brook trout and some brown trout too.
www.aperfectdrift.com
Vroom vroom
Men who aren’t fascinated by a luxury automobile are few and far between. So your best bet for a Father’s Day outing is to take him to the Yorkville Exotic Car Show. He can walk the red carpet and gaze at the Lamborghinis and Ferraris, and the new 2017 Acura NSX will be on display.
The Mink Mile on Bloor
All Jacked Up founder, Jack Jackson, and pet Rosie in matching bow ties
Dog and dad bow ties
Know a dad who is papa to a pooch and proud? This is the perfect gift for him. T.O. company All Jacked Up specializes in bow ties for dogs and their owners.
Music man
There’s a cool factor about records that will never go away, and that’s why Kops Records is a place your father will love. Reason number two? ’Cause it has Toronto’s largest collection of vintage records.
592 Bloor St. W.
Not so comic con
The Toronto Comic Book Show is going down at the Toronto Plaza Hotel on June 25. Unlike other comic cons, this is a books-only show, perfect for the dad who loves to collect the classics but is not into the dressing up.
1677 Wilson Ave.
Kick, push, coast
For the dad who is young and hip — at heart at least — send him to Roarockit to make a custom skateboard.
131 Sunrise Ave., Unit 4A
Rally car race
Hop in to ride shotgun in a rally car named Disaster with driver Leo at Race Lab, or if Dad insists on driving, get him lessons so he can sit in the driver’s seat and race on his own.
41 Guardsman Rd., Unit 3
Breakin’ ice
Sometimes you need a little je ne sais quoi to get Dad to gab over dinner. Solution? Dinner at a comedy club. Absolute Comedy will bring dad out of his shell, thanks to the comedians bringing all the laughs you need.
2335 Yonge St.
Yo quiero tequila
Head to Toronto’s tequila-tasting room at El Caballito to learn the history behind this liquor and how to properly drink tequila. Prep your palate and compare blancos, reposados or añejos.
220 King St. W.
HappenStance’s four-bottle bike beer holder
Two wheels and four brews
For the city dad who likes to cycle his way through town, the perfect gift is a bike beer holder. Canadian company Happenstance LW makes these babies for $75 and can also do custom sizes or add initials or insignias.
A handy shank
The folks at Hacher & Krain are serious about knives. (And we mean se-ri-ous.) You want the world’s best knives? Ask about Seth Burton on Salt Spring Island. And don’t mention Japan.
256A Dupont St.
Real life thrills
We all know that dads can’t resist a James Patterson thriller, so an escape room is also sure to please. The best in town are at Casa Loma where costumed actors make the hunt for enemy U-boats all the more realistic.
1 Austin Terr.
An oldie but a goodie
Is your father the traditional, old school type? Then he will love learning the ins and outs of what is likely one of his favourite nightcaps: the Old Fashioned. The crew at Civil Liberties has him covered with their four-day extravaganza.
878 Bloor St. W.
Cluck away
Make Dad a poultry master in this class, where he’ll learn it all from deboning to trussing, butterflying and stuffing. It all goes down on June 7 at The Healthy Butcher and it’s the last class of the season.
298 Eglinton Ave. W.
Aye aye Captain
Get Dad ready for the regatta with a sail on Australian Kiss, the newest yacht at Gone Sailing Adventures, before it sails down to the Virgin Islands over the winter.
415 Queens Quay W.
Get those hands dirty
A man who likes to work with his hands will love learning to cut, rivet and hand-sew leather to make a three-pocket tool roll with buffalo hide and reclaimed leather. Sign up for this June 5 class at the Junction Workshop for $145.
225 Sterling Rd., Unit 200B
Bespoke experience
This is arguably the hottest place in town to get a bespoke suit. Just look at how fly the founder, Michael Nguyen (pictured) looks. Garrison Bespoke’s clientele includes Drake, Harvey Specter from the show Suits and the Toronto Football Club.
26 Wellington St. E., Unit 101
Disc golf fever
Play an 18-hole round of Frisbee golf with your father. It’s free. All you need to bring is the discs to the 18-hole course at E.T. Seton Park. Warning: if you see a disc, leave it be. It’s likely in play.
73 Thorncliffe Park Dr.
Cartoons and tunes
This is basically a comic book nerd’s ideal dining destination, from the comic-covered walls to the Pac-Man lighting installation. There also happens to be beautifully plated tapas, some fancy cocktails and a DJ booth. Dad will feel nostalgic and hip all at the same time at Figures.
137 Avenue Rd.
Cowabunga dude
Surfer style is making its way into town with T.O.’s first surf shop. At Surf the Greats, opening on June 3, Dad can also get surf lessons in Lake Ontario.
276 Carlaw Ave., Unit 215
A look inside uFly’s 777 simulator with projector screens that make you feel like you’re in the air
Pops as a pilot
You know when you’re on a flight and the crew lets the kids on board check out the cockpit? Well, this is the adult version of that. Ufly Simulator is the only 777 simulator in Canada where Dad can fly with a real pilot and have a 180-degree view of being in the air for a cool $149.
1535 Meyerside Dr., Unit 6
Up in the air
Drones are like New Age model airplanes, except they are way cooler. Parrot has everything you need to get your dad started, and they range in price from around $100 up to the thousands, but maybe make him start small.
New outlook
For the techie dad, get him a virtual reality headset. Local company We-R-Vr makes models starting at $64.99 that use your smartphone as the screen. All you have to do is download the app, slide your phone into the headset and watch it blow your mind.
211 Consumers Rd., Unit 305
Watch out
T.O.-based watch company Hastings & Co. strays away from the high-tech smart watches of the world and brings this wrist wear back to its original purpose: telling time. The minimal aesthetic is a hit and is inspired by the Bauhaus movement.
The fine art of shoemaking
Every man needs a good pair of dress shoes, so why not send him to a class where he can make his own? At Art and Sole Academy he can do just that for $525 for their Oxford and Derby workshop.
20 Leslie St., Unit 221
