When is CaféTO patio season in Toronto?

CaféTO curb lane patios open in May, with the 2026 season starting on the Victoria Day long weekend and every platform due by June 1. They are removed between October 1 and 15. Sidewalk cafés and patios on private property can stay in place year-round.

Where are the most café patios in Toronto?

St. Clair Avenue West has the most, with The Grind, XO Bisous, Fleur de Jour, Cocoa Latte, Silk 111 and Krave Coffee all between 570 and 781 St. Clair Avenue West. The Financial District and King West come next, and on the waterfront the Music Garden Cafe is at 466 Queens Quay West.

Can you smoke on a café patio in Toronto?

No. The Smoke-Free Ontario Act bans smoking and vaping on the patio of any bar or restaurant in Ontario, including the public area within 9 meters of the patio.

Café Patios in Toronto: CaféTO, St. Clair and Queens Quay

Toronto's patio calendar follows CaféTO, the City of Toronto program that lets cafés and restaurants put tables on the sidewalk, in the curb lane or on their own land. It began in 2020 as an emergency measure during the pandemic and is now permanent. In 2025 it covered about 1,500 outdoor dining spaces: 285 curb lane cafés, 579 sidewalk cafés and 703 private patios.¹

The 2026 season opened on the Victoria Day long weekend in May. More than 290 restaurants and bars registered for curb lanes, joining 752 existing patios and 604 sidewalk cafés, according to the City.² St. Clair Avenue West has more café patios than any other part of the city, followed by the Financial District and King West.

Local tip: Curb lane patios come down between October 1 and 15, so from late October look for sidewalk cafés and private patios, which hold permits that let them stay out all year.

Where these cafés are: St. Clair West & Wychwood (10), Financial District & St. Lawrence (8), King West & Liberty Village (5), Queen West & Trinity Bellwoods (4), Parkdale & Roncesvalles (3), The Annex & Koreatown (3), Bloorcourt & Bloordale (3), Leslieville & Riverside (3), Downtown Yonge & Church-Wellesley (2), Midtown & Yonge-Eglinton (2), Cabbagetown & Regent Park (2), Junction Triangle (2), Kensington Market & Chinatown (1), Little Italy (1), The Danforth & East York (1), The Junction & High Park (1), Yorkville & Rosedale (1).

At a glance

52Cafés listed

29With opening hours

06:30Earliest opening

00:00Latest closing

Opens earliest: Dineen Coffee, from 06:30 (Mon–Fri 06:30–19:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–18:00).

Closes latest: Harmony Cafe, until 00:00 (Mon–Thu 08:00–20:00 · Fri–Sat 08:00–00:00 · Sun 08:00–20:00).

Most listed streets: St. Clair Avenue West (7), Bloor Street West (3), Church Street (2).

Most common features: wi-fi (31%), indoor seating (19%), card payment (17%).

Curb lane, sidewalk or private patio

CaféTO has three formats. Curb lane cafés are temporary decks built in the parking lane next to the curb; sidewalk cafés serve on the pavement in front of the business under a permit that runs year-round; and private patios sit on the café's own property, such as a parking lot.³ Sidewalk and private patios can stay up through the winter.⁵

Curb lanes run to a fixed calendar. For 2026 they opened through May, every platform had to be in by June 1, and removals were scheduled from October 1 to 15. The seasonal permit costs C$132.42 plus HST per square meter.⁴ In 2024, 95 percent of curb lane patios were open by the Victoria Day weekend, and the City removes them in the order they went in.⁵

Patio weather in Toronto

The warm months are short. At the Toronto station in the Annex, the 1991–2020 normals put the average daily high at 18.8°C in May, 24.2°C in June, 27.0°C in July and 26.1°C in August. September still reaches 22.0°C, but October averages 14.6°C, and nights cool quickly after the middle of the month.⁶

Ontario's Smoke-Free Ontario Act bans smoking and vaping on any bar or restaurant patio and within 9 meters of one.⁷

St. Clair West and Oakwood Avenue

St. Clair Avenue West has a run of café terraces west of Bathurst: The Grind at 570 and XO Bisous at 572 St. Clair Avenue West, Fleur de Jour at 603, Cocoa Latte at 671, Silk 111 at 689 and Krave Coffee at 781. Silk 111 is open 08:00–20:00 every day, and Krave Coffee until 19:00 on weekdays.

Further west, Aunty Em's Deli & Coffee at 1672 St. Clair Avenue West opens Wednesday to Sunday. Off the main road, Kafe Dáki at 226 Oakwood Avenue and Primose Bagel Co. at 317A Oakwood both have outdoor seating; the bagel shop serves 09:00–14:30.

Waterfront, Harbord and the east end

On the lake, the Music Garden Cafe at 466 Queens Quay West opens 08:00–17:00 daily, The Fix is at 207 Queens Quay West, and Parisco Cafe at 215 Fort York Boulevard stays open until 20:00. Arvo Coffee has outdoor tables at 17 Gristmill Lane.

Olivia's Garden Cafe has a patio at 569 Harbord Street and opens at 08:00 every day but Sunday. In late 2025 Sam James Coffee Bar, which also has a bar on Harbord, cut drip coffee of any size to C$2.49 as a promotion, then kept it at C$2.99 into 2026 instead of restoring the old price.⁸ Across the harbor on Toronto Island, The Island Cafe at 20 Withrow Street has outdoor seating and stays open until 21:00 from Friday to Sunday.

Café patios in Toronto

At a glance

am bagel

Aunty Em's Deli & Coffee

Buvette Pacey

Chaveta Coffee

Church Street Espresso

Crosstown Coffee Bar

Dark Horse Coffee + Dear Grain

Dineen Coffee

Field Trip Cafe

First and Last Coffee Shop

Harmony Cafe

I Deal Coffee

Krave Coffee

Le Beau

Mercury Espresso

Music Garden Cafe

Olivia's Garden Cafe

Parisco Cafe

Primose Bagel Co.

Rachel's Coffee House

Riverdale Perk Cafe

SUPERNOVA Coffee

The Grind

The Island Cafe

The Sovereign Cafe

XO Bisous

Silk 111

Yo Adrian

Arvo Coffee

Bevy

Cocoa Latte

Dineen Outpost

Fleur de Jour

Forget Me Not Cafe

Found Coffee Bellwoods

Hannah's Cafe Bakery

Curb lane, sidewalk or private patio

Patio weather in Toronto

St. Clair West and Oakwood Avenue

Waterfront, Harbord and the east end

Sources

Other ways to browse Toronto

Specialty coffee

Wi-Fi

Bakery cafés

Open late

Patios in Toronto: questions

When is CaféTO patio season in Toronto?

Where are the most café patios in Toronto?

Can you smoke on a café patio in Toronto?

Your café deserves better than a pin someone else dropped