Toronto has a hidden gem problem.
Social media platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, have become a search engine to discover new places, food spots and clothing styles. Whenever I need a restaurant to try in the city, I hop on over to scroll through the videos and photos available.
But every other post is some food influencer sitting in their car, calling every and any place a “hidden gem.”
I’m not the only one saying this.
A Reddit user took to the site two years ago and wrote about how the term “hidden gem” is overused, especially by Toronto lifestyle publications — who are often just highlighting already popular destinations, like Casa Loma.
In the same thread, another user jokes that at least people don’t know about the CN Tower yet.
A Substack article by a daughter of a small restaurant owner asks if there are any hidden gems left in the world, or how the virality of hidden gems can strip these places of their uniqueness.
Now, this issue isn’t special to Toronto. It’s found in any major city or oversaturated market. In another Reddit thread, a user said they like Reddit because “it doesn’t (yet) fall into the same trap as [a] Google search, chasing attention with cliché phrases that mean nothing.”
The user later goes into how it’s misleading to call the wrong things a “well-kept secret” or a “hidden gem” just to get attention.
But here’s the thing — they’ve all got a point. We’ve become so obsessed with all things “hidden gem” and being the first to claim a spot that we’ve lost the plot completely.
Every scroll on TikTok, and I see someone calling a restaurant with over 500 Google reviews a hidden gem.
When every café is a hidden gem and every restaurant is underrated and every neighbourhood is Toronto’s best-kept secret, those labels lose meaning.
If you disagree with me or have a true hidden gem or hole-in-the-wall spot you’d like to share, let me know at aia@thegreenline.to.
And if you’re ever bored in the city and looking for tried and true places and activities, check out our Rise & Thrive newsletter and download our No-BS guide to city living.
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