“It was hard to choose which place to focus on," Finn Wolfhard, the Canadian actor and musician best known for his role as Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things, tells me as we sit down to chat about his chosen destination. "It was between Toronto, Atlanta and Vancouver – those are the three places I think I've spent the most time. But Toronto… I've been there for so long – or sorry, I visited there for so long…” He laughs. “Sorry, I can't speak English because it's so hot right now.”

We’re talking on the hottest day of the year so far – the temperature is a sweltering 36 degrees and we’re both feeling slightly hysterical. But, in spite of the oppressive heat, Finn is calm, polite and incredibly thoughtful.

“I’m trying to say that I was born and raised in Vancouver, and I still live there, but I’ve worked a ton in Toronto over the years. I have so many friends there and family there and now I feel like it's a second home for me.” Below, Finn tells me about his favourite spots in the city, from the best pizza slice he’s ever had to where he finds peace and quiet.

What do you love most about Toronto?

It has a great art scene and it also feels like a big city, without actually being a big city, if that makes any sense. It's got a really nice downtown area, but it doesn't feel like a crazy-loud metropolis. It's cleaner than New York, and it’s got a very Canadian feel to it – everyone there is so warm.

Finn Wolfhard

Tell us about the first time you visited.

It was when I was 12. I didn't know there was a streetcar in Toronto, so I remember seeing it and thinking it was really cool. I stayed in this place downtown with my parents but for those first few years when we started going and visiting family, I would just basically go to the suburbs where my grandma lived – in Thornhill, which is a suburb of the city. All I knew back then, when I was younger, was downtown and the suburbs. But now, I go there to visit friends who all live on the west side of Toronto, which is a bit more of a neighbourhood vibe, almost. It’s very hip – Queen Street West or Roncesvalles is kind of like Hackney in London, but maybe less grungy.

You mentioned the art scene in Toronto – what’s that like?

There’s some amazing student-run stuff. UofT [University of Toronto] has a really good arts program, and many of my friends attended the film program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Both of them run student shows that are really great. It’s been really cool seeing some of my friends’ shows – some of them work with stop-motion and clay; some of them are filmmakers or into animation. There’s a kind of hub for the arts and for film school in Toronto. Many major shows and movies have been shot there, so it definitely has a thriving film industry. There’s also a great music scene – a lot of amazing bands come from and live in Toronto.

Which are your favourite Toronto-based bands?

Alvvays is a great band – it’s spelt with two Vs. They're from Nova Scotia, but they're amazing and they live in Toronto. There’s a band called PUP, they're like a punk outfit. Metric is from Toronto, and so is Sloan… There are a lot of people. I mean, obviously, the big music people from Toronto are Drake and The Weeknd, but there are also some very good alternative rock scenes in the city.

Finn Wolfhard

Sounds like there is so much culture everywhere in Toronto. Do you feel inspired when you're there?

For sure. For me, Vancouver is inspiring in a very different way – when I’m home, I'm inspired more by nature because you have the mountains, the beach and the forest. It's not as much of a thriving arts scene. Vancouver feels more like a beautiful town; it’s very grounding. But Toronto feels like a city, without it being too sprawling a metropolis. There’s always something going on and it feels unlimited.

Where would you go to clear your mind in Toronto?

It’s got some really beautiful parks. High Park is a really nice green space on Toronto's west side. Trinity Bellwoods is a bit smaller and… It feels a little like London Fields. People go and hang out on the grass and on the common, so it’s great for meeting friends, but it gets a little crowded. If you really want to be alone or clear your head or whatever, High Park is your best bet.

What about a place to chill and hang out?

A lot of friends live in a neighbourhood called Roncesvalles on the West Side, and there's a really good movie theatre there called Revue. It plays old films like restorations, classic films and cult movies. Just across the street is a place called Vinegar Syndrome, which sells physical media, so Blu-rays, DVDs and records, so it's a really nice little hub if you're a geek when it comes to film, TV, music, all that stuff – you can just go back and forth between the theatre and the store.

Have you ever recorded any music in Toronto?

Actually, no, but I wrote a lot of my first record in Toronto. It was winter in Toronto, and it can get so cold and super snowy outside, so you bundle up, get cosy and go to a warmly lit bar. But for me, the best time is spring. Or actually probably like early summer. Fall is very nice too. I've just named every season, but to be honest, anytime in Toronto is good for me – Toronto is always at its best, as long as it's not dead of winter.

Where did you record your new album?

Most of that, ironically, was recorded in the dead of winter, in an even colder place than Toronto. I was in Minnesota at a residential recording studio called Pachyderm Studios. It's like a house/studio so you can live there while you work. I knew I wanted to put something out in the summer, so there was a fast turnaround. It was a really cool and kind of spooky old-school recording studio. We went in January, and it was incredibly cold – you would go outside, and your nose hair would freeze. But it's weirdly a pretty summery-sounding record. There's a warmth to the record that lends itself to summer.

You mentioned you’d filmed some stuff in Toronto?

I co-directed my first movie there. We shot it two and a half hours outside the city at a summer camp, and then edited it all in Toronto. I’m filming another movie there this year, actually.

Toronto

Let's talk about restaurants. Tell me your favourite place to eat in Toronto.

That's really tough. There are a lot of places that I like equally, so this is in no particular order. For dim sum, there's a great place called Rol San, but honestly, any dim sum in Chinatown is great. It just has amazing Chinese food. Then, for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food, go to Fat Pasha in Dupont. You can get an entire baked head of cauliflower. It's just so delicious.

Where else would you recommend people go to eat in the city?

I don't really spend much time downtown, but there is a good spot Pai, which is Thai food. I once had a really good peanut sundae for dessert. My favourite casual pizza is called Badiali. It's my favourite slice of pizza in the world – to me, it's better than any New York slice I've had. I know people will be pissed about that, but if you haven't tried it, then you should.

What about bars? Where do you go to drink?

I'm not a huge drinker, but there are some fun places. There's a place called Bellwoods Brewery which does these beer slushies. They’re literally the most addictive, best-tasting things. They only do it in the summer, but it's insanely good. That place is awesome. There's a vintage spot called Expo Vintage, which has great curated vintage clothes, but also sells beer. My friend works at a spot called Houndstooth, which is a fun bar, and it plays VHSs and old films. But a Toronto staple that you have to go to is called Sneaky Dee’s. It’s one of the oldest dives in Toronto. A lot of bands got their start there.

Have you played there?

No, I’ve never played there, but that'd be fun. I played at another place on Queen Street called The Horseshoe Tavern. I think originally it was a country venue, but now it's a famous Canadian music spot. The Stones played there once.

Where do you stay when you go? What are the best hotels in Toronto?

It's actually hard to find a nice place that isn't ungodly expensive, but I would honestly recommend the Drake Hotel – which is of no relation to Drake, the musician. It's on the west side of Toronto, so it's near all the places that I've been talking about. It's a boutique hotel, and it has a really nice cafe on the bottom, and a really good bar. That's 100 per cent where I would stay.

What keeps drawing you back to Toronto?

It's just an awesome city. A lot of my friends live there, and so that's mainly what keeps me coming back – just the close friendships that I have. But every time I go, I feel like I get to know it a bit more and my goal is to just keep getting to know the city and see it change.

Fire from the Hip, Finn Wolfhard's second studio album, is out Friday 10 July 2026