The Toronto Group Chat: What your friends are talking about this week (April 1)

Your group chat is buzzin’, Toronto! And we’re here to keep it going. Welcome to another week of the Toronto Group Chat. This is your weekly rundown of the city’s biggest and hottest updates. Here, you’ll find all the stuff you actually want to share in your group chat. Every week, we’re dishing out five must-know highlights of what’s going on in the city.

Maybe people are already talking about it, or maybe you’ll start the conversation? Let your crew know.

Check out what’s new in Toronto. Let’s get into it!

Did you hear, Toronto?

You can get free flowers this week

April showers bring May flowers, amirite? Well, it sounds like the flowers are coming early cause this new Toronto coffee shop is handing some out for free.

Save the name Botanic Coffee & Caphe. This new spot is located at 662 Queen St. W., and it’s opening on April 2, 2026, right at noon. There is a catch, though; you need to purchase a drink to get your flowers. Which, if we’re being real, makes sense. Why would you go all the way to a coffee shop, indulge in the aromas and tantalizing flavours and not get a coffee?

Order from the shop’s signature menu and get your free flowers. See you there!

#BabyLongNeck name drop! The Toronto Zoo’s baby giraffe has just been named

So remember how a few group chats ago we shared how the Toronto Zoo is looking for the public’s help in naming its new baby giraffe? It’s finally been chosen.

After over 23,000 votes were cast, #BabyLongNeck is officially named Imara. Out of the four names available, Imara received over 8,000 votes, which is wild. Imara is Swahili for strong, firm, and resilient, and the Toronto Zoo says that the name suggestions were chosen through a partnership with the Kenyan Honorary Consulate in Toronto. Too cute!

TikTok food critic Keith Lee stopped by this family-owned Vietnamese restaurant, and the lineups are never-ending

So remember how last week, Keith Lee stopped by Pho Ngoc Yen, a Vietnamese restaurant off Adelaide Street West and Peter Street? He literally said it might be “the best pho” he’s ever had in his life. That was enough for people to flock to the restaurant the next day and have been ever since the review dropped.

I even saw a TikTok that showed lineups out the door.

I actually went to Pho Ngoc Yen a few weeks before the review and easily walked in, no reservation required. Now it looks like it’s going to take a bit of waiting to try its cuisine – at least it’s worth the wait.

Toronto Tempo is throwing a kick-off party this month

If you needed an excuse to party this month, the Toronto Tempo is hosting a one-hour kickoff rally at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. Before the Bounce will be the team’s first public gathering, bringing the team, partners, and fans together. And you’ll get to experience Tempo basketball on its home court and get an early taste of the in-arena atmosphere.

It’s going down on April 14, 2026, from 7 to 8 p.m. Stick around for music, dance crew performances, and in-arena entertainment. There will also be a fireside chat with Head Coach Sandy Brondello, Team President Teresa Resch, and General Manager Monica Wright Rogers, hosted by Kayla Grey. Tickets are $15, and all proceeds are going to MLSE Launchpad through Tempo Impact.

Sorry Italy, Bosnia & Herzegovina will face off against Canada for the World Cup

I guess Toronto’s Little Italy community will have to cheer for Canada on June 12 now. For the third time in a row, Italy will miss the FIFA World Cup after losing against Bosnia & Herzegovina last night. That means the latter will join Canada, Switzerland, and Qatar in Group B.

Canada will face off against Bosnia & Herzegovina as our first opponent during the World Cup. A lot is on the table, and I can already sense Italians will be cheering on Canada this spring.

That’s all for now, Toronto. Don’t worry, we’re sure we’ll have more deets to share next week.

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Karen Doradea

Senior Staff Writer, Toronto – Karen is a multimedia journalist based in Toronto. With a strong knowledge of reporting and editing through all forms of media, she has a true passion for storytelling. She carries several years of journalistic experience and has covered the Toronto scene from local stories to national news. When Karen isn’t publishing fire content, you can find her binge-watching sitcoms on Crave, at a must-try restaurant, or scrolling endlessly on TikTok looking for the next best thing – News never sleeps.

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