BlogTO has exhaustive list of World Cup in Toronto hotspots

As we in TO know, our city is second best only to the host country for watching the range of World Cup teams. Of course every four years we see lists in local media for the best spots to watch and absorb the WC atmosphere.

The award for best list this year goes to Blog TO for its 60-strong list of suggested viewing places. Props to them for mentioning Nino D'Aversa for watching Italy games, and for finding a 'Bosnian bar' , La Rakia, on Queen St E. Personally, I can't wait to get to Etobicoke to watch Germany matches as The Musket. Link to story

Globe and Postcity offer two more useful 'where to watch' guides

The media heavy hitters are great at telling you where to go before the games take place. It's all I can do to describe a bit of where I was and what it was actually like, from my glib perspective as fleeting footballphile and diehard neighbourhood nerd.

That said, here are a couple more good lists:

• Globeandmail.com has not just a list but an interactive Google Maps mashup.
• Postcity.com has a straight-up alphabetical-by-country list that quickly tells you where and why 

Slovenia... Slovenia... you border on the Adriatic

Slovenia 1-0 Algeria

Culinary tip: If you like a) Slovenia and b) donuts, don't bother stopping at Claudia's Donuts--right across from Slovenia Hall in south Etobicoke--for donuts. Inside the church/cultural centre hall you'll find the game blasting with big-screen projector, a pumped up crowd decked out in green-and-yellow jerseys, plus all the Slovenian donuts you can handle and more.

After a scoreless half, the TV feed in the hall cuts away from soccer-jock commentary to some advertisements promoting Slovenian culture in Toronto. Fun facts:

• The Toronto Slovenian Youth Organization is 49 years youthful.
• Slovenian folk dancing requires much dedication, but dancers get to wear rose-covered hats!
• My wife, who's awake early to travel and watch with me, takes exception to my idea that we raise our future children to be Slovenian.

Another intermission highlight: a TV public service announcement featuring dangerously incapacitated drunks  getting severely injured as they fall down, keel over or bang their heads against very hard surfaces, with the voiceover cheering "I like drinking beer!'

Anyhow, the game: Algeria substitute Ghezzal (who along with several Slovenia players named 'Z'latko indulges my love of 'Z') rushes on field and immediately draws two yellow cards and so is sent off with a red, handicapping his side who had been playing elegantly. Slovenia capitalizes as Robert Koren deposits a tally following a series of slick passes. Slovenia Hall erupts into cheers that last a good ten minutes; it's thrilling to watch a match among the winning side finally!

Ghana 1-0 Serbia
After Slovenia we head to Fox and Fiddle on Dundas West in Etobicoke's Islington Village to meet friends for breakfast and Ghana-Serbia. F&F is neither Ghanaian nor Serbian territory, so not much to report blogwise, although the number of widescreens make this a good viewing spot for casual fans. As an aside, I'm glad Croatia's not in this tournament as I can't keep all the Balkan nations and their blue-white-and-red flags straight.

The game: Ghana beats Serbia 1-0. The hero is Asamoah Gyan, whose penalty  after an inexplicably moronic hand-ball by defender Zdravko Kuzmanovic in the goal zone qualifies the poor Serbian as Cup Goat thus far--more goatlike even than that English goalkeeper. I hope to cheer with the West Africans at Mamma Pee's for Ghana's next match.

Get him to the Greektown

Greece 0-2 South Korea

A trip to the Danforth requires I wear the sandals of a Spartan and eat the breakfast that made those warriors strong: goat's milk yogurt. Don't believe me? We... are... PROBIOTIC!

Between Logan and Pape are umpteen pubs, open-air cafes and patios: Fox and Fiddle has the most screens, but there's also Bar 521, Caffe Frappe (arguably the nerve centre) the Iliadic Kaffeteria and even a Mr. Greek--which is ironically the only patio with empty seats. It's already 1-0 for South Korea when I arrive at Cafe Frappe, which means the indigenous tribe is despondent. Overcast morning skies and spitting rain don't help.

Korean confederates are widely interspersed throughout Greek Nation, with the nucleus of Asian teenage hipsters chattering at the Euro Crepe Cafe, oblivious to the icy sentiments along this stretch of Danforth. A pair of Korean women jogging by Cafe Frappe stop to check the score, laugh cockily and quickly run away. There's another run-by Korean gloating after the half at Mr Greek, where, still 1-0, I park to enjoy spanakopita and shore up flagging Hellas. But Greece keeps being cut off at each attacking angle. Don't these guys know about trigonometry? They invented it! Disappointing, considering the Samian obsession with triangles.

S.K. makes it 2-0 on a beautiful charge by Park Ji-Sung after an Argive giveaway and that's my cue to exit. I hear rumours of a Nigerian picnic in the North York wilderness of Jane and Sheppard.

Nigeria 0-1 Argentina
The rumours are true! Unfortunately, the weather is foul. By the time I find Northwood park--off a driveway north of Sheppard between Jane and Keele--things are even soggier than Greektown. The Nigerian-Canadian Association has gone to admirable lengths for this party, including open-air tents, a roasted corn station, and mock trophies for the kids. CBC  quizzes the crowd and spirits are high. I'm certainly the sole spectator with an Italy cap, yet I manage to avoid a heckling, as it's the Argentinians who are the target of wrath after a diving header goal by Gabriel Heinze in the sixth minute.

I leave at the half, as non-Cup errands put the blog out of commission for the rest of the day (including England-USA), so don't get a chance to try the corn. I hope the next Nigerian festa is a bit closer to downtown.

Well I found my Ghanaian restaurant

Mama Pee's at Jane and Wilson - thanks to Daniel for the tip!

Also tracked down this 2006 list from toronto.com - some good choices there (albeit skewed toward downtown). Much better list from this 2006 National Post article. UPDATE: See this BlogTO post for 2010 selections.

Caveat Spectator

Take my advice, and think twice about the advice of http://www.wheretowatchtheworldcup.com/ - which for every single match in Toronto (click top right to toggle city) seems to list a bunch of British/North American sports pubs, not national hotspots. The site claims that French fans like to hang out at the Duke of Gloucester? C'mon.

This could be an excellent resource, but certainly needs more submissions. Perhaps their 'intel' will improve as the matches begin, but so far WTWTWC seems more like a transparent advertising ploy for selected venues.

South Africa v. Mexico - suggestions?

Twitter and Facebook have revealed the genius of laziness, ie asking more knowledgeable friends and strangers to do all the research. And even though this is a World Cup blog, I am the first to confess my football ignorance.

I'd like to cheer with the host nation for the first match. For South Africa venues in Toronto, chowhound.com says http://www.nandoscanada.com may be South African.

Also, Toronto Life has recommendations for African restaurants but these may be wide of the mark.

So far, I've only seen NOW magazine provide a T.O. Cup-viewing primer and I can't even find it online.

A thread on tripadvisor.com has asked similar questions for the 'not-so-famous' teams.

The next few days will require some research!