Toronto just got two colourful new restaurants across from its most popular park

One of Toronto's busiest and buzziest neighbourhoods is reaching new heights with the addition of two new restaurants this summer.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a time when Trinity Bellwoods Park and its surrounding area isn't utterly overwhelmed with throngs of tourists and locals alike, but the summertime is something else entirely.

This summer in particular has given the area an extra breath of life, as two new restaurants have moved in on the south side of Queen West, just steps from the park, and are drumming up significant buzz of their own.

When legendary Italian restaurant Noce closed its doors at the corner of Queen West and Walnut, right across the street from the park’s southeast border, after 30 years, the city reacted with equal shares of heartbreak and excitement about what was coming next.

What was coming next, you ask? Little Ese, a new concept from Pnut Gallery Hospitality, the team behind Ossington's Papi Chulo's and Aleria on Queen West.

The restaurant officially opened in mid-June, and it became evident very quickly that Little Ese would become the go-to apres-park party pad for the neighbourhood's frequenters.

Boasting a lush, sizeable patio along the quieter Walnut side of the property, take-out margaritas, pizza, nachos, and what could only be described as mozzarella batons (to call them sticks would be underselling it), it's just the sort of playful, unpretentious spot that people gravitate to for a weekend happy hour.

They've got colourful cocktails with rubber ducks as garnishes, they've got poutine, and they've got aperol margaritas. Sure, it's not particularly high-brow, but when did we decide that everything had to be?

Amid all the excitement, a new neighbour moved in a few doors down, breathing life into a long-vacant space at 897 Queen St. W. It's called Plush Cafe and Bar, and it's the perfect toned-down foil to Little Ese's neon and bubbles.

An offshoot of the also recently opened Plush Residence, a short-term rental-style hotel, the restaurant serves elevated takes on classic comfort food staples across a variety of international cuisines. There's a Tandoori Cornish Hen, Saltfish & Ackee Soufflé and a particularly droolworthy Smoked Lamb Shank, to name just a few.

While West Queen West is no stranger to top-notch cuisine, Plush Cafe and Bar sits right on the boundary, bridging the gap with an accessible menu of elevated cuisine.

When your next game of spikeball at Trinity Bellwoods gets you working up an appetite, now you can rest assured knowing two new spots have got your back, and they’re just a stone's throw away.

Little Ese can be found at 875 Queen St. W., in the corner space that was held for years by Noce, while Plush is at the very long-vacant 897 Queen St. W. a bit down the street.