Neighbourhoods
Church Wellesley Village
Church Wellesley Village, home to Toronto's original LGBT-oriented community, is still going strong even if the younger crowd has migrated to Parkdale, West Queen West and beyond. The stretch of Church from Carlton to Bloor also goes by more colloquial names like the Village, the Gay Village, the Gay Ghetto or Gaybourhood, but either way you slice it it's still home to a thriving mix of restaurants, cafes and clothing stores. It's also ground zero for the annual Pride Week, one of Toronto's biggest summer festivals and one of the largest Prides in the world.
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specific in Church Wellesley Village?
7-24 Movies & More / Services
7-24 Movies & More is located in the heart of the Church and Wellesley Village. They boast Toronto's largest collection of LBGT-oriented films, and, indeed, one of the city's largest...
A La Turque / Restaurants
A La Turque is located in the heart of the Village at Church and Wellesley. For $5.25, you get a delicious shawarma packed to the brim with tzatziki, hummus, garlic...
About Cheese / Grocery Stores
The other day I visited About Cheese (located at Church and Maitland) with Dara hoping to become a cheese connoisseur. I don't think I'm ready to host parties yet, but...
ACME Burger (Church St.) / Restaurants
The ACME Burger Company continues to expand - this time with a Church St. outpost in the old Zelda's location....
Asahi Sushi / Restaurants
Asahi just might be the best sushi restaurant on Church St. In addition to the usual nigiri, sashimi and maki, they all serve a variety of Korean dishes including bulgogi...
Black Eagle / Bars
The Black Eagle is a leather bar in the Village. What that means is don't show up here unless you're outfitted in at least two pieces of fetish wear OR...
Boutique Bar / Bars
Boutique Bar is a stylish Church and Wellesley cocktail bar with tasty drinks and a great patio area. Owner Julien Salomone brings a wealth of experience from France, the US...
Brown Bag Sandwiches / Restaurants
Brown Bag Sandwiches doesn't do plates. As I watched my sandwich being wrapped up in foil and then placed in the ubiquitous (brown) bag, I wondered if I had...
Bulldog Coffee / Cafes
Bulldog Coffee is not without an extra shot of bad customer service (if the anonymous internet commentator brigade is to be believed), but on my weekday visit I found no...
Bumpkin's / Restaurants
Bumpkin's bills itself as serving Fine French Continental Cuisine. On the menu are traditional dishes like French Onion soup, Caesar salad and Canard a l'Orange....
Byzantium / Bars
Byzantium bills itself as the grand matriarch of the gay village and backs it up with a massive menu of martinis ranging from the Jean Harlow (vodka, jagermeister, peach schnapps...
Chino Locos (Church St) / Restaurants
Chino Locos has carved out a spot in a Toronto burrito market as saturated as the demand for more Beatles biographies by using surprising ingredients normally associated with Asian cuisine...
Crepe It Up (Church St.) / Restaurants
Crepe It Up on Church is one of two locations of this popular location crepe mini franchise. The other one is located on the lower level of the St. Lawrence...
Crepe Masters Cafe / Restaurants
Crepe Masters Cafe divides its savoury namesakes by country, such as the Norwegian, which is a blend of salmon and dill. Also find coffee and milkshakes....
Crews & Tangos / Bars
Crews & Tangos has recently re-launched with a new and improved space to pair with a steady diet of drag shows, DJs and other live performances....
Cumbrae's / Grocery Stores
One of Toronto's most popular butchers and a supplier to some of the city's better restaurants, Cumbrae's hand selects their meats from small family farms that meet their exacting standards...
Daybreak / Restaurants
It's Tuesday, it's raining and there's no food in the fridge. Naturally, all I can do is torment myself with thoughts of the scrumptious Saturday brunch I had a Daybreak...
elmspa / Fashion Stores
elmspa is the progeny of Toronto's posh Elmwood Spa. Promising the same service-level, but in "a more spontaneous environment", with "a less formal atmosphere". The description makes it sound like...
Express Pizza / Restaurants
Express Pizza is a late night pizza favourite in the Village. As the sign says, you can buy one and get one free....
Eyes on Church / Fashion Stores
Eyes on Church is small, but makes up for size with glam, and has a loyal clientele that changes eyewear almost as often as their shirts. Owner Farhad Gharemani insists...
Fabarnak / Restaurants
Fabarnak is not your typical community centre eatery, so don't be fooled by the location. Housed in The 519 Church Street Community Centre, Fabarnak is a social enterprise offering employment...
Fly Nightclub / Bars
Fly is like a club out of an 80s Madonna movie. It has dark corners and metal staircases and a banging sound system. It's three floors in total, although the...
Fuzion / Restaurants
Fuzion surfaced on Church St. a number of years ago and initially drew acclaim because it's chef was the former personal chef for Oprah Winfrey. He has moved on but...
George Heinl and Co. / Services
George Heinl and Co. has walls on the main floor showroom covered with signed pictures going back decades - a testament to the loyalty professional customers have for this stringed...
Ghazale (Wellesley) / Restaurants
Ghazale on Wellesley is the latest outpost of the popular local falafel chain. Check out the review of the Bloor St. location here....
Ginger / Restaurants
I've been meaning to write about Ginger's Church Street location for months, but every time I go there, the food shows up looking so good that everyone digs in before...
Guu Izakaya / Restaurants
Guu Izakaya is the first Toronto outpost of the popular Guu group of restaurants from Vancouver. It's located in an otherwise unassuming strip mall on Church Street, though the striking...
Hair of the Dog / Restaurants
Nachos, salads, weekend brunch and many of the usual pub favourites are what's on the menu at Hair of the Dog on Church Street. ...
Ho's Place / Fashion Stores
Ho's Place is the go-to spot to get a cut in The Village. The team is quick, friendly and they know their stuff. ...
Indian Hut / Restaurants
The Indian Hut, on Church St. just south of Bloor, cooks up Indian classics like butter chicken and aloo gobi. The big draw though is their reasonably priced lunch and...
Juice Box / Restaurants
Juice Box is one of Toronto's best juice bars. Located right in the middle of the Village, the small take-out destination makes fresh squeezed fruit and vegetable juices but shies...
Just Thai / Restaurants
Just Thai endures as the most popular Thai restaurant in the Village. The small front patio is a near perfect spot for people watching in the summer....
Kawa Sushi / Restaurants
Kawa Sushi is where the old Omi Sushi used to be in the Village. While the fish doesn't live up to the former tenant's glory, it's more than serviceable and...
Kokoni Izakaya / Restaurants
Kokoni Izakaya is the latest Toronto restaurant to jump on the popular Izakaya trend offering a variety of small, tapas-style specialty dishes that go well with beer and cocktails. Found...
Ladybug / Design Stores
Ladybug sets itself apart from other florists with a high commitment to service, as countless relieved brides can surely attest. With its flagship location at Church and Wellesley (and another...
Lola's Kitchen / Restaurants
Lola's Commissary opened up earlier this year in an old Victorian on Church St. just south of Bloor. Wanting to check it out for a while, we finally stopped in...
O'Grady's / Restaurants
O'Grady's is a popular pub in the Village that has some pretty sweet patio to stake out space in the summer. Brunch is served on weekends and featured celtic pancakes...
Oishii Japanese Restaurant / Restaurants
Oishii Japanese Restaurant & Bar has taken over from Kaiseki Sakura which never seemed to get much traction for its high-end Japanese cuisine. While the look of the restaurant may...
Olympic 76 Pizza / Restaurants
Olympic 76 Pizza is not new to Toronto. This restaurant and pizzeria opened in - you guessed it - 1976, the same year Canada last hosted the summer Olympics. With...
ONOIR / Restaurants
O.NOIR was undoubtedly the biggest dining gimmick to hit the Toronto restaurant scene in 2009. For those unfamiliar, the novelty of O.NOIR centers on eating in a pitch-black room and...
Passage Tattoo Parlour / Services
Passage Tattoo Parlour. If you're not looking for it, you will miss it. Nestled in the thick of the Village, firmly planted on Church St., its only storefront is an...
Pegasus Bar / Bars
Pegasus Bar in the Village may have just four tables, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in Gaga abundance (only a bonus, of course, if you...
Pita Pan / Restaurants
Pita Pan offers something that is apparently unique to the Toronto area: zucchini in place of chickpeas for the actual falafel balls. This Jordanian twist was so unusual that...
Priape Toronto / Services
Priape has roots in sex goods specific to gay men but they have evolved in their 30-year history. The Toronto location, a 4-year Church Street staple, carries a little something...
Primrose Hotel / Hotels
The Primrose Hotel on Carlton St. in Toronto isn't going to win any awards. The reasons someone might want to stay here is that the hotel is (a) somewhat...
Pusateri Fruit Market / Grocery Stores
Doing a brisk business in quality produce since 1966, Pusateri Fruit Market is owned and operated by the founding Pusateri's son-in-law and his business partner. ...
Red Rocket Coffee (Wellesley) / Cafes
Red Rocket Coffee cannot bribe me with free shortbread cookies. While I thoroughly encourage the attempt I simply cannot be bought. Truth! The thing is, they don't have to. I...
Regal on Church / Restaurants
Regal on Church might promise dim sum in the heart of the Village but the menu reads more like something you'd find at Kelsey's. Daily specials range from rainbow trout...
Reither's Fine Food International / Grocery Stores
Reither's on Church St. in the heart of the Village stocks a wide range of gourmet food products including meat, cheese and condiments....
Sagrario Pilates Studio / Fitness Clubs
Sagrario has a decor - black floors and Asian-inspired accents - that gave it a dojo vibe and I wondered if I mistakenly signed up for a martial arts class....
Smith / Restaurants
Smith is the new restaurant and last night spot that has replaced Straight Lounge. Menu highlights include poutine, a charcuterie board and Bermuda onion rings. The third floor dance floor...
Spirits Bar & Grill / Restaurants
Spirits Bar & Grill has a big screen TV, karaoke and serves typical pub favourites like nachos, wings and fish and chips....
Steamworks Toronto / Fashion Stores
Steamworks is easily the most popular bathhouse in Toronto. It's a destination for local and visiting gay men during Pride Week and Halloween. There are line-ups during holidays. Don't even...
Sugo Trattoria / Restaurants
Sugo Trattoria on Church St. is all about homemade Italian food. The extensive menu features fresh pasta, plenty of salad and antipasti, pizza and grilled meats....
The Church Street Diner / Restaurants
As the weather gets warmer, I find myself drawn back to Church Street for afternoon walks amidst the village crowd (and their puppies). This is definitely a part of...
Village Vapor Lounge / Cafes
Village Vapor Lounge is Church Street's answer to the ever-popular Vapor Central on Yonge St. What's on offer here is just what you'd expect - a safe and welcoming place...
Woody's and Sailor / Bars
Self-proclaimed as Toronto's hottest gay bar, Woody's has been living up to its name since springing to life in 1989. Famed for its weekly Best Chest and Best Ass contests,...
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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