Neighbourhoods
Dundas West
No longer just Little Portugal, Dundas West is one of Toronto's most overlooked micro-neighbourhoods. No worry. Better that locals don't need to fend off tourists at favourite spots like Musa, Ella's Uncle and The Communist Daughter. And while dining and drinking are definitely on the agenda here, a walk east to west wouldn't be complete without ogling at the Canadian furniture and designs at MADE, emerging artists on display at LE Gallery or stopping in for a trim at Grateful Head.
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Alison Smith Gallery / Galleries
Alison Smith Gallery is one of the nicest looking spaces I've visited in recent memory. The long, but not too narrow room is well lit and nicely polished. ...
Apt 909 / Fashion Stores
Apt 909 is a well-stocked vintage clothing shop on Dundas West that sells both men's and women's clothing and accessories....
Balloon King / Fashion Stores
Balloon King's tiny exterior doesn't look like much until you step inside, but this well stocked party shop offers a surprisingly large selection of novelty items and supplies. At Halloween...
Barbarella / Fashion Stores
Barbarella is a boutique hair salon on Dundas West. Loyal customers swear by this place for a good, affordable cut in the neighbourhood....
Black Dice / Bars
With Black Dice, Brockton-area rockabilly types finally have a little drinking hole to call their own. Although the digs are small, Black Dice really is cozy, and the carefully crafted decor...
Black Hoof / Restaurants
After opening to rave reviews, this city's newest hit is The Black Hoof, 928 Dundas Street West, and I was dying to pay them a visit. So last...
Bookhou / Design Stores
Bookhou is a gem of a store that I wish was in my neighbourhood - it strikes a perfect balance between local yet worldly, crafty and sophisticated, accessible and accomplished....
Brazil Bakery and Pastry / Baked Goods
Far along Dundas Street West, past the quaintness of Little Portugal and beyond the gentrification creeping out from West Queen West, there appears to be a dearth of good eating....
Breds Custom / Fashion Stores
Breds Custom has thrown open the doors of its new retail space, ready to offer its customized clothing to Toronto's tee freaks and those looking for one-of-a-kind, locally milled tops. Clothes-obsessed...
Cafe 668 / Restaurants
Dining out with vegetarian friends is always a challenge. You wouldn't think so, but the number of times we have to send something back that has meat/fish sauce, crab or...
Caffe Brasiliano / Cafes
When I posted about the rise and fall of Dundas West, commenter Eli Budd rightly pointed out that I had failed to give props to Caffe Brasiliano. In fact, Eli's...
Caldense Bakery / Baked Goods
Caldense Bakery is a Portuguese bakery with a number of locations in the Toronto area including this one at Dundas St. West and Palmerston. Baking breads and pastries since 1968,...
California Sandwiches / Restaurants
California Sandwiches has locations all over the GTA (all still family-member owned), but downtowners have access to the original location at 244 Claremont, open since 1967. Some locations serve sides,...
Camp 4 / Bars
Camp 4 is a laid back spot in a Dundas West area still continuing to define itself. Inspired by a mountain hangout at California's Yosemite National Park, the bar is...
Ciccio's Pizza / Restaurants
Ciccio's makes the best pizza on Dundas West. They have a new location near Bathurst after they shuttered the original near Bellwoods last year. This is a take out operation...
Communal Mule / Cafes
There is a feeling of optimism inside The Communal Mule, and it's contagious. Peter Primiani, new owner and staff of one, has just finished telling us that business at his...
Communist's Daughter / Bars
For years, The Communist's Daughter at Ossington and Dundas was one of those hidden-gem spots that people in the know loved to be in the know about. Cozy, candlelit and...
Cristal Shoes Boutique / Fashion Stores
Cristal Shoes Boutique is a new Dundas West gem that stocks a terrific selection of dress shoes for men and women....
Ella's Uncle / Cafes
Ella's Uncle is understated cool with its retro black and white tiles, lime green walls and scribbled chalkboard menu. While the cafe has been on Dundas West for more than...
Ezra's Pound (Dundas West) / Cafes
I wish the new Ezra's Pound had come along a few years earlier. When I was living at Dundas and Bathurst, the only sign of life on that strip was...
Garrison / Bars
The Garrison opened this fall to a lot of hype from the city's indie music fans, many of whom will be loyally following former Sneaky Dee's booker, Shaun Bowring, to...
Gaucho's BBQ / Restaurants
Gaucho's has a varied menu with hefty portions of Brazilian dishes on offer with the Portuguese classics mixed in almost as an afterthought. Plates are beautifully presented, and the chicken...
Gayley's Cafe / Restaurants
Gayley's Cafe is a quiet, sunny, beer-serving breakfast place on Dundas West. It's apparently the place to go when you're hung over and want to wait in line for an...
Grain Curd & Bean / Cafes
Grain, Curd and Bean is "not a health food store", says owner Mike Wdowiak. Nor is it a tofu factory. There's something meaty about the name, something clinical that may...
Happy Daze / Cafes
Happy Daze caters to a niche audience looking for a little something extra with their caffeine addiction. Part cafe and part smoke shop, the space has desserts, coffee and a...
Hard Luck / Bars
Hard Luck, found near Bathurst and Dundas West, brings a new dimension to Toronto's music scene by billing itself as a hard rock venue. Reminiscent of The Horseshoe or even,...
Henhouse / Bars
There's something afoot on Dundas West. Traditionally the place you went to get a Portuguese tart or some other kind of fix, the last few years has seen a steady...
Hoof Cafe / Restaurants
The Hoof Cafe has been open about a month. When we stopped by for a recent visit, either the cold or the holidays kept this cozy yet well appointed...
IF Lounge / Restaurants
Considering the fact that I substituted booze for food last night, you KNOW I was excited to have brunch when I woke up this morning. I've been wanting to...
Independent Designer's Outlet (IDO) / Fashion Stores
Have you ever wondered what happens to indie designers' left-over clothing? Where does it go? I picture their refrigerators filled with cashmere sweaters, extra camisoles stuffed into walls as insulation,...
Kilo Buffet Restaurant / Restaurants
Kilo is one of Toronto's only Brazilian-style restaurants where you pay for your food by the kilogram....
Lakeview Restaurant / Restaurants
When the iconic Lakeview Lunch closed earlier this year, I wasn't the only one who was disappointed. Sure, the service was lousy and the food was worse but there was...
LE Gallery / Galleries
Contributed by andi argast Much like its Dundas West neighbourhood, LE Gallery is quickly establishing itself as a destination of choice. When I stop by LE one evening to chat with...
Lula Lounge / Bars
Lula Lounge on Dundas West is ground zero for latin music in Toronto. Dinner, dance lessons and show package offered on weekends. ...
MADE / Design Stores
Since opening up shop in September of 2006, MADE has already secured its position as a staple within Toronto's, as well as Canada's, design community. Slightly disguised by means of...
Magpie / Bars
On a typical night at Magpie, if there is such a thing, a small crowd of smokers can be seen from blocks away hanging out in front of the tiny...
Monkey's Paw / Bookstore
Monkey's Paw is unlike any other bookstore in Toronto. There's no Harry Potter or Suzanne Somers Eight Steps to Wellness here. Instead, the shelves are a treasure trove of the...
Multiple Organics / Grocery Stores
I've been eying Multiple Organics for a while now but it wasn't until someone prodded me with an email that I decided it was about time to go inside for...
Musa / Restaurants
My frequent dining companion (we'll call him Mr. C) and I have decided that every time we go out to try some new eats, half way through we'll do what...
Naco Gallery Cafe / Cafes
Naco Café and Gallery is a place where babies meet. Well, it's a place where people from the neighbourhood meet, but the Naco neighbourhood is full of babies. At some...
Nova Era / Baked Goods
Nova Era Bakery now has seven locations in Toronto including the one pictured above at 352 Oakwood Avenue. The first location on Dundas West still makes the delicious Portuguese style...
Odile Chocolat / Grocery Stores
Odile Chocolat's bright turquoise exterior sits on a quiet strip on Dundas West, just west of Bathurst St.. Behind a glass case lies rows of chocolate truffles wrapped in crinkly...
OMG Baked Goodness / Baked Goods
OMG Baked Goodness on Dundas West radiates an electric and eclectic energy that justifies its outcry of a name 100%. And the hot pink sign and huge antlers(!) in the...
One 800 Gallery / Galleries
One 800 Gallery on Dundas West has a unique kind of seriousness about it. It's approach is not to take itself, nor the art world in general, too seriously. This...
Opera Bob's Public House / Restaurants
Opera Bob's is a newish pub on Dundas West near Ossington. It's a bit of a cavernous space inside which could use a bit of a makeover already; but when...
Penny Arcade Vintage / Fashion Stores
Penny Arcade is, hands down, my favourite vintage store in Toronto. Nestled in among dingy-looking storefronts on Dundas West just west of Ossington, the long space feels welcoming the second you...
Pho Linh / Restaurants
Colonialism sucks, right? Sure it may not be cool to admit you're a fan, but riddle me this batman: where d'ya think that yummy bowl of soupy noodles...
Pho Phuong / Restaurants
The rich, spicy and refreshing flavours of pho make it the gateway dish for Vietnamese cuisine, but don't let it stop there. Many of the Vietnamese restaurants scattered throughout the...
Press Club / Bars
The Press Club is a low key bar on Dundas West that has a good beer selection and a side patio....
RAD / Fashion Stores
R.A.D. has exactly 24 items in stock. Each one is black, gray, or cream. "I definitely have an urban colour palette," owner Kia Waese chuckled. The former ad agency art...
Red Canoe / Fashion Stores
Red Canoe is a brand that boasts licensing deals with Boeing, CBC and the Royal Canadian Air Forces - if you ever wanted the retro logo of the CBC on...
Red Light / Bars
For those who associate West Queen West and Ossington with the word gentrification, The Red Light is perched just on the periphery, far enough away from the action to ease...
Saving Grace / Restaurants
Brunch at Saving Grace feels like visiting a friend who has a better apartment than you, but isn't smug about it. The small, high-ceilinged room seats twenty people (many,...
She Takes The Cake / Baked Goods
"I've been baking so long that I just started emailing two years ago," says Adrienne Weinberg, owner of She Takes the Cake bakery café. "It's such a far cry from...
Show & Tell Gallery / Galleries
In preparing to write this profile of Show & Tell Gallery, I stopped by the gallery's blog to see if there was any additional information that I might glean. ...
Sleeping Giant / Galleries
The story of how Sleeping Giant was founded is becoming more and more common: an art lover with a head for business starts a makeshift gallery in his home, realizes...
Tampered Press / Cafes
The Tampered Press is a hybrid café combining health with hot cups of coffee. Mismatched wooden chairs in a sea of soft green line the different sized tables, while bookshelves...
The Department / Galleries
Opened in November 2008, The Department is one of the few galleries I've visited that could accurately be described as a multi-purpose space. Sure, lots of gallery owners assure...
The Nutritionista / Grocery Stores
The emergence of The Nutrionista is one of the latest signs that the burgeoning Lower Ossington and Dundas West neighbourhoods are starting to round themselves out. Local residents can only...
The Palmerston / Cafes
The Palmerston cafe covers everything from ice cream, brunch to beer. They have a spacious outdoor patio, large screen TVs and cozy tables for two inside. I visited last Saturday during...
Unlovable / Bars
Unlovable is positively subterranean in a city that has its share of underground and basement bars. Practically camouflaged beneath a travel agency on Dundas West, the place is invisible unless...
Zoots Cafe / Cafes
Zoots takes a little bit of magic and a lot of soul to create the intriguing mix of a cafe winning hearts in Dundas West. Owners Melanie and Shawn combined...
Neighbourhoods
Other Neighourhoods
- Annex
- Baldwin Village
- Bayview and Leaside
- Beaches
- Bloor West Village
- Bloorcourt
- Bloordale Village
- Cabbagetown
- Chinatown
- Church Wellesley Village
- Corso Italia
- Danforth
- Distillery District
- Dundas West
- East Chinatown
- Financial District
- Forest Hill Village
- Harbourfront
- Junction
- Kensington Market
- King East
- King West
- Koreatown
- Leslieville
- Liberty Village
- Little India
- Little Italy
- Mount Pleasant
- Ossington
- Parkdale
Community
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