Neighbourhoods
Bloorcourt
Bloorcourt is a Toronto neighbourhood on the rise. The area along Bloor between Christie Pits and Dufferin has been down and out for decades but in the last year has welcomed an influx of new restaurants, stores and cafes in search of cheap(er) rents and access to the Bloor subway line. The mix of restaurants here reflect the diversity of the local community and include the Portuguese favourite Sardinha the King of BBQ Chicken, Mexican cantinas Mexitaco and El Jacal and Lebanese stalwarts Beirut Palace and The Empire. They've been joined by new favourities like the Concord Cafe, Saving Gigi and Disgraceland as well as indie clothing boutique Freedom Clothing Collective.
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2Q Video / Services
2Q Video continues to expand and thrive, even as the corporate competition lumbers toward its demise. Through a commitment to "quality movies" and "quick service", the independently operated chain has...
69 Vintage Collective / Fashion Stores
69 Vintage Collective has something for everyone. Seriously. It's like a Watership Down-warren of vintage that is sure to yield something for those who burrow through the building's many hidden...
African Palace / Restaurants
African Palace is an Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant just west of Shaw Street on Bloor West. You know it when you find it. Everyone has that one type of food that...
Arte Gelato and Caffe / Restaurants
Arte Gelato and Caffé has opened just in time to say goodbye to summer. Of course, it's not the most opportune time to introduce Bloor and Dovercourt to its perfect-for-hot-weather...
Bakerbots / Baked Goods
Bakerbots is just eight weeks old and only open on weekends and evenings, but it has already earned a reputation for some of the best ice cream sandwiches around. I head...
Banjara / Restaurants
Banjara has been a welcome addition to an otherwise non-descript strip on Bloor west of Christie Pitts. Located in something of a mini strip-mall (ok, there's Banjara and one other...
Beirut Palace / Restaurants
Beirut Palace has been a little lonely since the closing of the Paradise Cinema next door, but it thankfully hasn't slowed them donw. Try the falafel , kabob or...
Cleopatra Restaurant / Restaurants
Looking for Middle-Eastern take-out, sit-in, anything? Cleo has it all....
Courense Bakery / Baked Goods
Courense Bakery has been around for 25 years and with men playing chess inside, the locals are clearly comfortable and eating lots of custard tarts. Making over 4,000 a week...
Cyclemania / Services
Cyclemania is a long, bike-filled space on Bloor West's busy bike shop stretch. It isn't for dilettantes - the owner would like you to know what your bike is worth,...
Disgraceland / Restaurants
Disgraceland opened earlier this year on Bloor West and quickly won over local fans for its weekend brunch lineup. Having heard glowing reviews from friends but mixed reviews in the local...
El Cafecito / Cafes
El Cafecito is one of those cafes you have to know about. Inside, it's bright and spacious, with lots of seating, high ceilings, and chic vintage decor. But from the...
Ferre Sposa / Fashion Stores
Ferre Sposa carries big names like Alfred Sung, Lesposa, Sophia Tolli and Anjolique, but also creates custom dresses from their own line of pure silk tops and skirts. Relaxed salespeople...
Freedom Clothing Collective / Fashion Stores
Freedom Clothing Collective is a non-profit cooperative that supports local emerging artists, designers and musicians, as well as sustainable, socially-conscious principles. It offers unique one a kind products from...
Hogtown Vegan / Restaurants
The Hogtown Vegan is the second restaurant in a little over six months from the vegan restauranteur trio responsible for Kensington Market's all vegan doughnuts and burrito joint, Hot Beans....
Hollow Ground Barber Shop / Fashion Stores
Hollow Ground Barber Shop is where I find Beejay Diona. The last time we crossed paths was when he was waiting for customers on a quiet winter afternoon at Mike's...
Hurricane's / Restaurants
Hurricane's is a self-described Roadhouse Restaurant near Bloor and Ossington that has one of the better back patios in the area. Inside the vibe is karaoke with a side of...
La Bella Managua / Restaurants
La Bella Managua serves up traditional Nicaraguan cuisine as well as a few imported dishes from around the world. ...
Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant / Restaurants
Serving tasty and reasonably priced Ethiopian Food, Lalibela on Bloor Street has a variety of chicken, lamb and vegetarian options. Photo from Richelle Forsey ...
Long & McQuade / Services
Long & McQuade has branches all over the country, but its Bloor Street store is the mothership, sprawling over most of a city block, with a storefront for everything you...
Madras Masala / Restaurants
Madras Masala is located right next to Banjara on Bloor Street. The restaurant specializes in South Indian cuisine including 20 types of dosas. ...
Mazz Sushi / Restaurants
Mazz Sushi is a little Japanese & Korean resto in Bloorcourt with a big menu, terrific service, and impressively fresh fish at reasonable prices. Unlike the Sushi-crowded Annex, Mazz...
Mexitaco / Restaurants
This is part 1 in a series where I attempt to discover Toronto's best burritos. Mexitaco occupies an awkward spot in Toronto's burrito landscape. The taqueria, located on a corner lot...
Mike's Scissors / Fashion Stores
Mike's Scissors, a barber shop opened near Bloor and Dovercourt in 2005, offers a full range of services for men including a haircut, fade, wash and cut, hot lather shave,...
Nazareth / Restaurants
Nazareth is an Ethiopian restaurant in Bloorcourt. It's hard to decide what's best here - the pleasant staff, the intimate atmosphere, or the more-than-reliably delicious food. Pick one of the...
Pam's Roti / Restaurants
Near the corner of Bloor and Dovercourt, Pam's Roti can easily be overlooked. A closet-sized space nestled between Hurricane's bar and Nazareth Ethiopian restaurant, Pam's evokes a family gathering space...
Paradisos / Restaurants
Oldschool grill serving up frill-free souvlaki and all other things Greek....
Pidza / Restaurants
Pidza brings Turkish pizza to Bloorcourt. But don't stop at a slice of pie and walk out of here before trying the lahmacun....
RE:Style Studio / Design Stores
RE:Style Studio is the answer to that hideous inherited floral loveseat that just refuses to cooperate with a tidy modern decor aesthetic. It's an anti-IKEA. It's a hub of DIY...
Regal Garden / Restaurants
Nothing says, "let's get delivery," like a cold and rainy November evening, so this week I dug into my pile of semi-junk-mail delivery menus and rang up Regal Garden Chinese...
Ristorante Roma / Restaurants
Family friendly during the day, beer-buddy friendly in the evenings, this Italian spot along Bloor St West near Dovercourt has owned this corner for years with a classic menu and...
Rustic Owl / Cafes
Rustic Owl is a 2,000-square-foot gallery and cafe new to Bloor and Dovercourt. While many indie cafes of late like to throw a few paintings on the wall and call themselves...
Sardinha O Rei Dos Frangos / Restaurants
Sardinha, Toronto's self-appointed King of BBQ Chicken, thrives on a loyal contingent of Bloorcourt locals: a succession of portly retirees, skinny hipsters, kerchiefed grandmas and leather-jacketed bruisers. With this motley...
Sheesha Lounge / Restaurants
Sheesha Lounge and Coffee House is a hookah bar in Bloorcourt that also serves up unexpected sandwiches like smoked meat, roast beef and a long list of build your own...
Site 3 coLaboratory / Galleries
Site 3 coLaboratory brings back memories of 1984. If you recall, 1984 saw geek culture take a turn for the better when the archetypal 80's film Revenge of the Nerds...
The Cream Brewery / Restaurants
The Cream Brewery seems like it was plucked from a mad scientist's lair. A giant silver canister of liquid nitrogen frosts along the spout and nozzle, spewing out at a...
The Empire / Restaurants
More than just good Schwarma, The Empire serves up a lengthy menu of Middle Eastern and East African dishes. Don't leave here without trying their falafel, one of Toronto's best....
The Piston / Bars
The Piston on Bloor near Ossington may finally be the tipping point for Bloorcourt - the up-and-coming neighbourhood that's been on the brink of up-and-coming for several years without ever...
Tierra Azteca / Grocery Stores
Tierra Azteca is a Latin American grocery store on Bloor that sells Colombian empanadas plus a large selection of grocery items. ...
Toronto BJJ / Fitness Clubs
Toronto BJJ sits directly between Ossington and Bathurst at 813 Bloor Street West. The two storey blue and gold brick building opened its doors in 2006, and now instructs over...
Vince Gasparros / Grocery Stores
I like that Garparro's Meat Market's business cards can just say "Vince, Nick & Pat". The family-owned butcher on Bloor St. West has been around for 18 years now. And...
Zembaba / Restaurants
Zembaba in Bloorcourt serves up traditional Ethiopian eats including a wide range of meat and veggie dishes....
Zoinks / Bookstores
Zoinks is only three years old but, somehow, it captures the feeling of the essential neighbourhood store that's been around forever. On Bloor West near Dovercourt, this small but well...
Neighbourhoods
Other Neighbourhoods
- Annex
- Baldwin Village
- Bayview and Leaside
- Beaches
- Bloor West Village
- Bloorcourt
- Bloordale Village
- Cabbagetown
- Chinatown
- Church Wellesley Village
- Corktown
- Corso Italia
- Danforth
- Distillery District
- Dundas West
- East Chinatown
- Eglinton West
- Etobicoke
- Financial District
- Forest Hill Village
- Harbourfront
- Junction
- Junction Triangle
- Kensington Market
- King East
- King West
- Koreatown
- Leslieville
- Liberty Village
- Little India
- Little Italy
- Markham
- Mount Pleasant
- North York
- Ossington
- Pape Village
- Parkdale
- Port Lands
- Queen West
- Richmond Hill
- Riverside
- Roncesvalles Village
- Rosedale
- Scarborough
- St. Clair West
- St. Lawrence Market
- Upper Beaches
- West Queen West
- Yonge & Bloor
- Yonge & College
- Yonge & Dundas
- Yonge & Eglinton
- Yonge & St. Clair
- Yonge & Wellesley
- Yorkville
Community
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