Neighbourhoods
Parkdale
No longer the down and out neighbourhood it once was in the late 1900's, Parkdale is slowly, but inevitably extending Queen Street's rejuvenation past the Dufferin jog. This diverse community is home to Tibetan, North African and West Indian enclaves mixed in with some of Toronto's best vintage fashion, furniture and fabric stores. Popular new bars and live music venues like Wrongbar happily co-exist with pub stalwarts like the Cadillac Lounge and Mitzi's Sister.
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specific in Parkdale?
36 Chambers / Galleries
36 Chambers is a studio collective near Queen and Dufferin that is home to a number of artists working in different mediums. The space used to be home to Ushers...
Alexandria Falafel / Restaurants
Alexandria Falafel has a prime spot at the corner of Gwynne and Queen where it dishes out fresh falafel sandwiches to hungry patrons as they clear out from the Parkdale...
Ali Baba's / Restaurants
You're travelling home from work - a journey that reminds you that you're hungry but have no food in your house, and you don't feel like eating in a restaurant....
Ali's West Indian Roti Shop / Restaurants
When it comes to roti in this city there's plenty of options. Normally when I'm anywhere near Parkdale I'll opt for Bacchus but as they were unexpectedly closed earlier this...
Bacchus / Restaurants
If there's one food that Toronto should be known for it's roti. It's a mainstay of summer festivals like Pride Week and is rumoured to be in consideration as a...
Bar Salumi / Restaurants
Bar Salumi straddles the border of Parkdale and Roncesvalles on the gentrifying frontier of antique row. Not just a bar but not quite a bistro, Salumi offers a selection of...
Bhavna's Food / Restaurants
Bhavna's Food is a cheap, take-out restaurant in Parkdale that serves up vegetarian Indian food....
Big Guy's Coffee Shop / Cafes
The Big Guy's Coffee Shop is the second addition to owner Steve Turner's cafe chain. The original, The Big Guy's Little Coffee Shop on Lakeshore W. opened just over a...
Black Pug DMK / Design Stores
My aversion to antique stores started early. I can remember being dragged into them by my parents who, while road-tripping across the country, wanted to see if there were any...
Boreal Gelato Company / Restaurants
The Boreal Gelato Company is a new Parkdale gelato shop and cafe that carries its eco-friendly mandate from construction to cone. The shop itself is a testament to owner Melanie Clancy's...
Butchukoy / Restaurants
Butchukoy is part grocery store, part take-out restaurant in south Parkdale. Go here for hard-to-find Filipino food to-go including large portions of cafeteria-style lunches for under ten bucks....
Capital Espresso / Cafes
Capital Espresso is a pleasant sight on the gloomy Saturday morning when my friend and I decide to meet early to check out what Parkdale's newest cafe has to offer....
Chartreuse Style / Fashion Stores
Chartreuse Style is an eco-friendly clothing store with an emphasis on style."I wanted to open a shop with environmentally-friendly clothes that don't necessarily look 'eco,'" owner Mary-Ann Kowala tells me...
Common Sort (Parkdale) / Fashion Stores
Common Sort, a two-and-a-half year Leslieville staple, welcomed a West-end sister to the family this month. The second-hand clothing shop expanded to a second location in Parkdale just two weeks...
Community 54 / Fashion Stores
Community 54 is not a video arcade, per se, but so it will serve for me from now on when I have time to kill in Parkdale. All of the...
Conspiracy Culture / Bookstores
Conspiracy Culture in Parkdale is a great source for books and videos on any and all conspiracy theories. The store also host regular reading events and seminars. ...
Coriander Girl / Design Stores
Coriander Girl, a new interior design store in Parkdale, selling furniture, home accessories, cards and locally grown flowers, opened about a month ago. I'd initially thought the store operated as...
Cowbell / Restaurants
Go to Cowbell if you like your meat - especially if you like it local and organic. Chef Mark Cutrara's Parkdale bistro's menu changes almost daily based on what he...
Dat Salon / Fashion Stores
Dat Salon launched last March, under the assumption that the Dufferin jog construction would soon after be complete. Unfortunately, 8 months later, re-routing is still underway. I wondered if such...
Designer Fabrics / Design Stores
Contributed by Jessica Bartram Designer Fabrics is a Parkdale landmark, a mecca for those who make their own clothes or are planning an interior design project. Its massive size and mind-blowing...
Easy Breakfast / Restaurants
My absolute favourite place to have brunch in the city is Easy Breakfast on Queen West near Roncesvalles. A nominee in our inaugural Best of Indie Toronto poll, Easy impresses...
Family Thai / Restaurants
Family Thai has replaced Lee Thai Spring Roll on Queen West in Parkdale. Along with the name change, both the menu and the decor has received a bit of a...
Fringe / Fashion Stores
At Queen & Brock, favourite Fringe beckons the stylish in the neighbourhood (and out) to come and give it a try. ...
Future of Frances Watson / Fashion Stores
The Future of Frances Watson is like rehab for fashion-overkill. The two-month-old Parkdale shop is a back-to-basics apparel destination, where crisp denim and simple pieces rule. Don't get me wrong,...
Gallery 1313 / Galleries
Contributed by Laura Mendes Originally built as a police station at the height of Toronto's art deco boom, Gallery 1313 has been luring Queen West gallery hoppers to the district of...
Gallerywest / Galleries
Gallerywest is one of Parkdale's survivors, having risen from the ashes of the closure of gallery DK. Behind the space's resurrection is Saskatchewan native and multimedia artist Evan Tyler. As...
Gary Armstrong Woodwinds / Services
Gary Armstrong Woodwinds has been in business for 35 years at locations all over the west end. Armstrong arrived in Parkdale a few years ago where he sells mostly clarinets...
General Hardware Contemporary / Galleries
General Hardware Contemporary really did used to be an old hardware shop, but you'd barely know it from the chic interior. Gallery director Niki Dracos, a 20-year veteran of the...
Good Catch / Grocery Stores
Opened in June of 2006, Good Catch General Store in Parkdale is a smorgasbord of a shop mixing everyday staples such as bread and milk with vintage clothing, work by...
Goodfellas Gallery / Galleries
Goodfellas Gallery opened in Parkdale last month, featuring mostly large-scale abstract works well-suited for commercial spaces. The owners, however, don't want to get too niche. "We enjoy participating in things...
Grand Electric / Restaurants
Grand Electric has Torontonians flocking to Parkdale to sample the powerful Mexican flavours, absorb the pulsating rhythms and imbibe in brown-hued liquor. The brainchild of former Black Hoof'ians, Chef de...
Ground Level Cafe / Cafes
The Ground Level Cafe in Parkdale is an initiative from Ground Level Youth Ventures. The cafe specifically hires and trains youth who have limited skills and education in order to...
Hideaway Antiques / Design Stores
Hideaway Antiques distinguishes itself from other Parkdale shops with its suburb customer service delivered by owner Bill Jarman himself. Bill is known to help overwhelmed customers sort through his collection...
House of Vintage / Fashion Stores
House of Vintage was one of the city's best vintage stores before it closed a few summers ago, but vintage-hounds can rejoice this holiday season as the shop has reopened...
Keriwa Cafe / Restaurants
Keriwa Café opened three months ago in Parkdale, bringing some Aboriginal flavour to the neighbourhood. The café marks Algonquin chef Aaron Joseph Bear Robe's first foray into the sphere of...
Kotta Japanese Restaurant / Restaurants
Kotta Japanese Restaurant has recently surfaced near King and Dufferin in the old Hue's Kitchen location. As the name of the restaurant suggests, the kitchen is squarely focused on providing...
Leesa Berry Haircutting / Fashion Stores
Leesa Berry Haircutting has taken over the former space of Misfit Yoga Studio, just down the street from Capital Espresso. Cuts are currently $68....
Local Kitchen & Wine Bar / Restaurants
The Local Kitchen & Wine Bar is the first of what I suspect to be many interesting restaurants popping up on the western edge of Parkdale. Open for about a...
M&B Yummy / Restaurants
Already veg-friendly Ethiopian food is kicked up a notch at Parkdale's M&B Yummy where faux beef and chicken dishes allow vegetarians to see just what this tibs thing is all...
Made You Look / Fashion Stores
Made you Look is a destination jewelery boutique in Parkdale that stocks a great collection of locally made rings, necklaces and other jewelery crafted by a growing collective of on-site...
Maialino Enoteca Italiana / Restaurants
Maialino Enoteca Italiana is the latest Italian offering to set up shop near the corner of Queen and Roncesvalles. Joining the Local and Bar Salumi, Maialino serves up a long...
Mezzrow's / Bars
Mezzrow's is a classic Parkdale neighborhood pub in every sense of the word, where the friendly staff, long wood bar and large back patio welcome regulars and newcomers alike. ...
Misfit Yoga Studio / Fitness Clubs
Misfit Yoga Studio's owner Amber is an atypical yoga instructor, but I might have guessed that from the studio's name. She's brazen, kind of glamourous, and in a way a...
Mitzi's Sister / Bars
Mitzi's Sister is a venerable live music venue that also offers weekend brunch and a full dinner menu including good chicken wings....
Mother India / Restaurants
I first reviewed Mother India back in June 2006. At that point, the restaurant had just opened its doors and was serving up some tasty Indian food (including great thali)...
My Roll Life / Fashion Stores
My Roll Life opened last week in the west end, tying in with the wrap-up of the first ever Roller Derby World Cup. The Parkdale shop is a roller skating...
Neubacher Shor Contemporary / Galleries
Neubacher Shor Contemporary (NSC) is only officially launching this month, but it's already a hive of activity. When I visited late afternoon the Friday before the official launch party, there...
Noodle Menu / Restaurants
Noodle Menu is a Parkdale Vietnamese restaurant known for its more-than-generous portions. The menu offers pretty standard Vietnamese fare including pho, dumplings, cold rolls, and more....
Not My Dog / Bars
One of my favourite new patios is Not My Dog. At first glance, Not My Dog appears to be another cozy bar in the heart of Parkdale with art on...
OM Restaurant / Restaurants
OM Restaurant is Parkdale's newest go-to spot for authentic Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian eats. Owned by a Tibetan family and featuring a Nepalese chef who lived and worked in Delhi,...
Parkdale Drink / Bars
This ain't your grandmother's Parkdale. With its swank leather club chairs and floor to ceiling waterfall, the newly-opened Parkdale Drink brings a little highbrow to the just-west-of-Dufferin area. But...
Parkdale Prana Room / Fitness Clubs
Parkdale Prana Room is found up a flight of stairs in Parkdale just east of the public library. Open mainly during the evenings and on weekends, the studio offers a...
Parts & Labour / Restaurants
Parts & Labour takes over the old hardware store in Parkdale with a massive, two level space devoted to food, drinks and live music. The owners are the same guys...
Philistine / Fashion Stores
Philistine was founded in 2007 as a once-per-month pop-up shop, but only settled into permanent Parkdale residency this September. The tiny space houses mostly vintage duds (peppered with choice new...
Pho Asia 21 / Restaurants
Pho Asia 21 is a low key Vietnamese eatery popular with the Liberty Village lunch crowd. ...
Pia Bouman / Fitness Clubs
Pia Bouman is Parkdale's answer to the National Ballet School. Found just north of Queen on Noble Street, it's home to a range of ballet classes for toddlers, kids and...
Pinball Cafe / Cafes
The Pinball Café is every retro-loving, arcade fanatic's wet dream. There she lies humbly in the heart of Parkdale, offering her shiny silver balls for a mere $0.25 a game....
Poor John's Cafe / Restaurants
After too much green beer on Saturday, a hearty breakfast was called for. I met up with a couple friends and headed over to Poor John's Cafe at 1610 Queen...
Public Butter / Fashion Stores
Vintage (by it's essence) was gone for a while, but with stores like The Public Butter in Parkdale, it's pretty safe to say it is officially here to stay. ...
Queen West Antique Centre / Design Stores
It's a testament to human ingenuity that old stuff which outlived its obvious usefulness can be creatively recycled and add richness to the world. Truly, it can be said, one...
Quinn West / Fashion Stores
Quinn West is a mini-antique shop and hair salon all in one, offering a nice browsing alternative to flipping through pages of LiLo's latest drug debacle while waiting for a...
River Trading Company / Bookstores
The River Trading Company is somewhat of a silver lining for owner David McGowan, who, after 28 years in I.T., found himself with a cardboard box full of desk contents....
Roti Lady / Restaurants
Just when I thought I'd never meet a roti I didn't like I found one. The prize belongs to the Roti Lady, an unassuming spot on Dunn Avenue south of...
Rustic Cosmo Cafe / Cafes
Rustic Cosmos Cafe, at 1278 Queen St W, is the kind of place you really want to like. It has warm welcoming decor, friendly staff, and bustles with cheerful...
Salvador Darling / Bars
Now that the West End is crawling with club district, Bay St. and the burbs on the weekends, it's only natural that the artists, aging hipsters and musicians have all...
Shopgirls Gallery Boutique / Fashion Stores
I've always liked the concept behind Parkdale store Shopgirls. Owner Michelle Germain was working for Holt Renfrew and The Bay when she started expressing her secret indie side by hosting...
Skyline Restaurant / Restaurants
The Skyline Restaurant in Parkdale is the kind of oldschool diner that's been around for ages, and while it tends blend in with all the other shops, one thing about...
Stampede Bison Grill / Restaurants
Parkdale's Stampede Bison Grill is located just off Queen St West on Brock and specializes in, you guessed it, bison burgers. I stopped in with a friend this past...
Stella Luna / Fashion Stores
Contributed by Jessica Pollack If you ever find yourself walking near Queen and Roncesvalles, the most common thing you'll see lining the sidewalks is antique chairs, desks, armoires and so on....
Studio 1686 / Fashion Stores
Maybe we need a new term: what's vintage, if it's only a year or two old? Or less? Used clothing, I guess, but, for me, that conjures up images of...
Studio Brillantine / Design Stores
It doesn't matter where they put this store. It's a drive-to destination. If you want what they have, you'll drive to Wawa to shop here. Alessi, Iittala, George Jenson, and...
The Abbott / Cafes
The Abbott, near King and Dufferin is full of carefully-curated antiques, solid wood and a beautiful painted aluminum ceiling. Unfortunately, the coffee doesn't quite live up to the decor of...
The Cadillac Lounge / Restaurants
I've been to the Cadillac Lounge many times to grab a pint and chill on their huge back patio, but it wasn't until recently that I sampled the food. The...
The Hot N Dog / Restaurants
The Hot 'N Dog is Parkdale's take on the gourmet hot dog trend. Found just south of Queen on Close Avenue, this mostly take-out spot offers a ridiculous number of...
The Mascot / Cafes
The Mascot opened last month in the huge corner space at Queen and Elm Grove that has been vacant ever since The Shop Custom T-Shirts moved out about a year...
The Rhino / Restaurants
When in need of decent sit-down place to eat in Parkdale, time and again I find myself at Rhino. The atmosphere at this bar/restaurant is totally laid back and the menu...
The Workroom / Fashion Stores
If there was any doubt we're living in the DIY decade, the Workroom may have just erased it. The Workroom is Toronto's first Sew by the Hour Space. For...
Tibet Kitchen / Restaurants
Tibet Kitchen is one of a number of Tibetan restaurants in Parkdale, which has in recent years become the neighbourhood to head to when you feel like a little po...
Wrongbar / Bars
Wrongbar has emerged in the old Dragonfly space in Parkdale. Check out our January review and photos of Kid Sister making the crowd go nuts on the dance floor....
Yummy Stuff / Baked Goods
For the past five years Yummy Stuff, specializing in custom cakes and decorated cookies, has been a popular online store and commercial bakery. Through word of mouth, business built...
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
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