Spotting Toronto in Meghan Markle’s TV show ‘Suits’

TORONTO – Before she was linked to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle became known to Canadians through her role on the TV legal drama “Suits” and as a pitchwoman for Canadian retailer Reitmans.

Markle moved to Toronto to play Rachel Zane in the long-running USA Network/Bravo series, which recently wrapped its seventh season.

While Markle’s Zane and the other main characters are supposed to be based in Manhattan, Toronto’s streets and hot spots are barely concealed as stand-ins for New York — fans could easily plan a drinking game around spotting Toronto landmarks in any given episode.

And many Torontonians who live or work in the financial district have encountered a “Suits” film shoot over the years. The parked New York City yellow taxis, USA Today newspaper boxes and New York subway signs are a dead giveaway.

Here are a few familiar Toronto sights quickly identified in episodes of “Suits”:

— The show’s central law firm, Pearson-Specter, appears to be based in an opulent, high-end Manhattan office tower. The series uses the luxe marble-walled lobby of Toronto’s downtown Bay-Adelaide Centre for scenes showing the lawyers leaving and arriving at work.

— Anyone who spends a lot of time walking Toronto’s King and Bay Streets will easily recognize those stretches of the city on “Suits.” Landmarks including Old City Hall have appeared in the background of some scenes, along with Canadian retailers you won’t find in New York like Shoppers Drug Mart.

— New York City’s public transit buses are painted white and blue but it’s the Toronto Transit Commission’s red-and-white vehicles that are seen whizzing past most often. A streetcar and the city’s iconic CN Tower are even prominently displayed in one scene — although the dialogue indicates some “Suits” characters had actually met up in Toronto.

— One of Toronto’s most famous hotels, the Fairmont Royal York, has been used several times for scenes, as has the Omni King Edward Hotel. Restaurants that have been featured in the series — but not by name — include Brassaii, Bymark, Hy’s Steakhouse, Nota Bene and Rosewater Supper Club.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version misspelled the name of the restaurant Brassaii