Orillia, Ontario
Orillia, an Ontario city with a friendly small town feel
Orillia is another beautiful small Ontario “town” on the shores of Lake Couchiching (pronounced Koo-cha-ching), about 2 hours north of Toronto. My husband and I travelled to Orillia to visit the annual Street festival in July. It was definitely a hot day but there were plenty of unique stores and coffee shops to get relief from the heat.
If visiting on a Saturday, it’s best to arrive early so you can visit the Farmers Market, which unfortunately closes at 12:30.
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There are 3 things my husband and I really enjoy:
- sitting in coffee shops watching life go by
- fresh baked goods from local bakeries
- cheese
We had no problem finding what we loved and had an amazing day. Apple Annies was our first stop where we enjoyed coffee and scones and lovely air conditioning!
Bakeries
After getting our coffee fix, we walked down the main street, Mississauga Street, amazed at the number of bakeries and restaurants on one street.
Gluten and dairy issues can be accommodated at Bakes by the Lake bakery, where they provide gluten free, dairy free and vegan breads, cakes and confectionaries all without artificial sweeteners or colours. If you need something, just discuss with them and they will help you out.
For those of us okay with gluten, check out the offerings at the family run Wilkies Bakery. Here you will find sweet and savoury home-baked goodies.
Baked goods can also be found in the Mariposa Market.
Mariposa Market is one of the main attractions of Orillia and people arrive by the busload…literally! This is a one-stop shop consisting of a cafe, bakery, including frozen savoury and sweet pastries, a candy store, gift store with clothing, jams, chutneys and salad dressings and not to be forgotten, down in the basement, you will find amazing fudge! While down in the basement, listen to the people walking above, to me it sounded like corn popping. Definitely not to be missed.
Restaurants
Time to eat? Orillia has you covered. Plenty of choices besides the bakeries already mentioned, many with fabulous patios. Choose from the casual Kenzington Burgers, Irish Fionns or the fun Studabakers, down by the water. You can also find Mediterranean at Sanafir and a couple of brewery places, Couchiching Brewery and Brewery Bay. Want to grab fast food and take it down to the lake? Pizza Pizza, Pita Pit, 241 pizza or Shine Juice bar are all happy to help. These are just some of the restaurants on Mississauga Street, plenty of others available in and around this area.
For Something Different.....
.....try Provenance Wine Bar
Just off Mississauga St, at 11 Peter Street, is a new, adorable wine bar, Provenance Wine Bar and Commissary, where you can come and taste wines from around the world and also try some French and Italian inspired dishes. The best part is that you can have the owner, Doug Cooper, help with wine pairing.
Doug works with local farmers and builds his menu based on what is available that week, so there is always something new on the menu and it is always made with the freshest ingredients. The day I was there, I enjoyed fresh oysters, fresh tomatos with buffalo mozzarella, Chorizo salami and an interesting Nduja Salumi dish. This is a warm, spicy Italian sausage with a pate consistency. With Doug choosing the wines, it was all delicious and a great experience.
If you want to come for a taste, it’s a good idea to call ahead. The place is small and cozy but you get the attention deserving of this unique experience. Not enough room inside, check out the covered patio.
Hours are limited so check before going to avoid disappointment.
If you are looking for a special bottle of wine for yourself or as a gift, this is the place to come. Wine is chosen carefully and rotated regularly. Don’t want to go out? Use SkipTheDishes to order a bottle for immediate delivery or order directly from the wine bar and have it shipped to your home. Have questions, don’t hesitate to contact the bar and ask away.
Doug has spent years travelling the world, fine tuning his culinary skills and building his wine knowledge but he is happy to back in Ontario where he grew up and I am happy to have a novel place to visit, close to home.
Unique Stores
I love unique stores and Orillia had a few I loved and will be returning to. My favourites included the Kitchen Store because one can never have enough kitchen stuff!
The Makers Market drew me in with all the natural wood and once inside I was thrilled with all the choices from local artisans. You will find one-of-a-kind items for yourself or as a special gift. My favourites were definitely the wood furniture selection provided by The Northern Joinery.
Another fabulous store that I can’t wait to return to is long way home. Filled with lovely custom furniture and decor items from your floor to your ceiling and everything in between.
Walking into the store, I immediately felt calm. The natural brick walls, hardwood floors and calming creams around the store all work together to create this comfortable space. All I needed was a coffee and I could have hung out in here for an hour.
At the back of the store are some really cute baby clothes and I also found a perfect “Who wants a walk” dog hook for leashes and collars for my beautiful grand-dog who has made my house his second home.
Our last stop of the day was Rind&Truckle, Orillia’s artisanal cheese store. We can never get enough cheese and always willing to try new kinds, which we did. Armed with our cheese purchases and the fresh bread and strudel we had picked up earlier, we were looking forward to our dinner at home.
The Waterfront
Before leaving Orillia, we walked down to the beautiful waterfront where we found adorable boat sculptures, a fabulous Tiki Barge, and the marina. Plenty of space for a lovely picnic and space for kids to run around.
We really enjoyed our day in Orillia and with all the fabulous coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants and quaint stores, we will definitely be back soon. Come for coffee, enjoy the waterfront and stay for dinner. Every Friday night from July to September, the Main Street shuts down to allow for a fabulous outdoor dining experience.
Orillia, an Ontario city with a friendly, small town feel.
