Fully bused Whitby Food Tours return for fall session

After major successes over the summer, Whitby is bringing back its food tour for a fall session. This time the tours feature a bus as opposed to the summer’s walking tours.

The first batch of tours were held back in July. One highlighted several restaurants in Whitby’s southern downtown and the other visited restaurants in Brooklin’s downtown. The two communities were once separate but Whitby absorbed Brooklin back in the 60s.

These tours highlighted numerous restaurants, though not all are returning for the fall session. This time the restaurants include:

• Town Brewery
• Crave Doughnuts (Sample on Trolley only)
• Little Beasts
• Melanie Pringles
• Billie Jax Pub
• One Ten Kitchen + Bar
• A Tavola
• Elias Naan and Kabob
• Olive That
• Great Canadian Meats (Sample on Trolley only)
• Farm and Founder (at Royal Ashburn, will not be on the November 9th tour)
• Corrados
• The Station Bakery
• The Brock House
• Butchies
• Jerk House
• One More Cocoa
• Portobello Road (will not be on the October 19th tour)
• Greek Tycoon (Sample on Trolley only)
• 5 Paddles
• BarDown Gastropub

Mayor Elizabeth Roy was very happy with the project and how quickly it sold out. In an interview with INdurham, she praised the town workers who came up with the idea and executed it.

The idea emerged, Roy explained, during the development of Whitby’s third annual food guide, which the town releases every summer. The restaurants involved jumped at the chance to be included.

She described herself as a “foodie” who was glad to see the “very rich culinary culture” of Whitby celebrated. She highlighted the importance of exposing residents to the diverse culinary options in town especially in this time of high inflation.

Both sets of tours, which Roy and Town Council also participated in, were a major success and sold out quickly.

As a result, the tour is back on Oct. 19 and 26 featuring both Brooklin and Whitby restaurants all the way from Lake Ontario up to Ashburn. The tour lasts four hours and includes 16 to 18 different tastings including craft beers, Indian and Italian cuisines and various desserts.

The tours begin at 249 Water Street at noon on each day. Tickets are available online and cost $126.

The tours are not vegetarian or gluten-free but arrangements can be made for alternatives at [email protected]. Participants must be 19 or older.