When Pigs Fry: The Pork & Bacon Tour
Toronto, Canada
From USD 70.13
Office phone number: +1 (647) 560-4332
When Pigs Fry: The Pork & Bacon Tour
Toronto, Canada
Culture shock rating
Worried we’re going to shock your senses? Relax! We believe part of the fun of travel is immersing yourself in the destination and its culture, meeting the people, and learning what makes the place tick. We’ve got a wide range of tours with something for everybody. The cultural shock rating ranks how different the experience is from most Western cultures. But no matter the level, don’t worry, you’ll have a local, in-the-know guide with you every step of the way.
Low
Consider these tours your 101 intro to a place. Transportation might be private or a very comfortable public option, and the activities are usually visits to iconic sites and locations that are familiar to most Western cultures – but that will still give you fantastic insight into a destination.
Medium
Expect to rough it for parts of this tour, whether that’s on a packed public bus or in a local market off the tourist trail. There might be a few language barriers or unfamiliar cultural customs, and you’ll get an experience different from what you're used to at home.
High
You're out there in the global community! We’re going to take you down streets you’d rarely explore on your own, introduce you to local customs and languages, and take you for a ride in whatever transport is available. Get ready to take it as it comes, whatever comes. There might be a shock, but oh man, it’s worth it.
Physical rating
Worried our tours are too tough? Relax! From leisurely strolls to muscle-burning treks, we’ve got a wide range of tours with something for everybody. The physical grading gives you an idea of how much huffing and puffing you can expect on the tour.
Low
Slow and steady is all you need here. These tours have very limited physical activity, such as walking relatively flat streets, sites, or markets, and climbing in and out of the transport provided.
Medium
Not too hard, not too soft, these tours are just right! You can expect a bit of physical activity, but nothing overly challenging – perhaps walking up and down hills, riding a bike for up to 30 kilometers along mostly flat terrain, or jumping in a kayak for a gentle paddle on flat water.
High
Get ready for a workout! These tours are our most challenging and involve intense walking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, or bike riding. You could be making steep climbs by foot or pedal, or working your core in the water. We recommend you have a good level of fitness to join this tour.
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Tour snapshot
From the people that brought you 'Beer Makes History Better" comes a Toronto tour of porcine proportions. Sample bacon, pork, and sausage, find out about ethical pig farming at a local butcher shop, and learn about the role of the pig in pop culture, or is that pork culture?
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Highlights
- Become a pork aficionado in the city historically known as “Hogtown”
- Fall in love with some of Toronto’s signature pork creations
- Experience porky bliss when savouring delicious bacon, pork, and sausage
- Visit three cool, unique, pork-loving local restaurants
- Learn about pork quality and sustainable, ethical pig farming at an eminent local butcher shop
Local Impact: How you will help the local community by joining this tour:
- This tour visits a local butcher shop that specialises in organic meats from sustainably practicing farms in the region where you will learn about organic and ethical farming.
- All of the meat you sample on this tour is produced in an ethical manner.
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Schedule details
- Duration: 3 hours
- Meeting point:
NW corner of Yonge St. and Front St, outside the Hockey Hall of Fame
- Find the exact meeting point with what3words:
- Starting time: 2.00 PM
- Ending point:
King St West near Bathurst St.
Language: English
Inclusions: A fun, friendly, English-speaking tour guide, bacon/sausage/pork to try at three different restaurants, one-way streetcar transportation
Exclusions: Beverages, additional food, gratuity for your guide
It’s time for a bit of pork overload...are you ready?
At one point there were so many pigs in Toronto that the city garnered the nickname “Hogtown”, and our pork and bacon earned a reputation for being some of the best in the world. Naturally, when you join this Toronto tour, you’ll experience the legendary deliciousness for yourself, through samples at some of the city’s coolest local establishments, and a visit to one of Toronto’s best butcher shops to learn about quality pork and where it comes from. Your Urban Adventures tour guide will tell you about the history of domestic pig farming and the development of the pork industry in Canada. Trust us - it’s actually quite interesting! Your guide might even “ham it up” with some pig jokes...if you’re lucky.
Your Toronto food tour begins in front of the Hockey Hall of Fame and takes you past the historic Gooderham Flatiron Building and then heads to the St Lawrence Market, part of Old Town Toronto. The market itself is closed on Sundays, but a restaurant within it is open and serves what we’re after - a peameal bacon sandwich - which is arguably Toronto’s signature sandwich. While munching on this savoury treat, your guide will explain the origin of peameal bacon, the significance of the market to Toronto, and how the area has changed over the last 200 years.
After learning about the area and how Toronto earned the unflattering, yet beloved, nickname “Hogtown”, you’ll hop on board one of Toronto’s iconic streetcars (known elsewhere as a “trolly” or “tram”) and roll through the financial and entertainment districts into a trendy neighbourhood in the west end favoured by young professionals. The streetcar ride is a chance to learn more about pigs, pork, and bacon, and their role in popular culture.
Between King St West and Queen St West, this food tour in Toronto will stop by a local butcher shop that specialises in organic meats from sustainably practicing farms in the region. Here you will learn about organic and ethical farming, what goes into making quality pork products, and be able to ask the expert staff any questions you may have.
In this neighbourhood you’ll also visit two more restaurants to try a type of pork considered an Italian cultural treasure, and dig into a very popular German street food with American and British flavour influences. As Toronto is such a multicultural city, it’s unsurprising that even our signature pork dishes have been transformed by different cultural influences (something us locals really love). At each of these restaurant stops, we will be lingering long enough to purchase a beverage, if you’re interested, and every spot has an excellent selection of local craft beers (for those 19+ years of age).
At the conclusion of the tour, your guide will present you with several recommended options for dinner (including the restaurants visited on the tour) and can give you directions to wherever you need to go for your next adventure.
Bacon, pork, sausage, and ride on the streetcar. If this doesn’t sound like one of the best things to do in Toronto, then we don’t know what does! The only thing that could possibly make this tour better is if we could somehow wrap it all in more bacon. Mmmm bacon wrapped in bacon...
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Additional information
Inclusions: A fun, friendly, English-speaking tour guide, bacon/sausage/pork to try at three different restaurants, one-way streetcar transportation
Exclusions: Beverages, additional food, gratuity for your guide
Dress standard: Dress for the weather. We are taking a streetcar to cover the longest distance between stops, but we will otherwise be walking.
Your Trip: For your Urban Adventure you will be in a small group of a maximum of 12 people.
Confirmation of booking: If you have your voucher, your booking is confirmed. We'll see you at the start point. Get in touch if you have any concerns or require more information via the email address or phone number (business hours only) on your voucher.
Additional Information: There are no vegetarian or vegan options available and no food substitutions are accepted on this tour.
Child Policy: Children between the ages of 6 and 11 inclusively are permitted on this tour at the rate listed above. Please select ‘child’ above when booking. Children below the age of 6 are not permitted on this tour.
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Local contact
Office phone number: +1 (647) 560-4332
Email address: info@torontourbanadventures.com
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