What are the best West End Toronto Neighbourhood Blocks?
We work all over this city but we especially love the west end. Toronto is a city full of small neighbourhoods and within neighbourhoods there are even smaller communities. A lot of west end communities have little micro-neighbourhoods on each city block. These blocks may be off-the-radar but they are hugely valuable to the surrounding residents. Here are our top five favourite hidden-secret west end Toronto blocks.
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Parkdale: Queen St. from Lansdowne to Dufferin is chock-a-block full of restaurants and boutique shops. This stretch of Queen West is an extension of the iconic Queen st w neighbourhood but it still manages to maintain a bit of the authentic character that we love about Parkdale.
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Roncesvalles: Roncesvalles Avenue from Howard Park to High Park BLVD. Most of the action on Roncey happens south of High Park BLVD, which is unfortunate because North of High Park is packed with great shops and restaurants, including book shops and the Revue cinema. The sidewalks are also a little wider, which makes it easier to keep a safe distance from other people these days.
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Geary: Geary Ave from Dufferin to Dovercourt is known for being pretty industrial and not-nice. However, it has been revived in recent years and is now home to some amazing restaurants (The Greater Good, Parallel, Blood Brothers Brewing to name a few).
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Dupont: Dupont St from Edwin to Campbell is another under-the-radar city block that is bustling with great destinations for residents. Within this predominantly residential neighbourhood, you can find amazing restaurants such as Farmhouse Tavern, Tuckshop Kitchen, Mattachioni, Love Chix, and Defina Wood Fired to name just a few.
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Royal York: The southernmost part of Royal York, just south of the QEW and North of lakeshore has a great main-street vibe for the surrounding residents. There are a lot of small businesses along this stretch, but our favourites are San Remo Bakery and Queens Pasta.
Also, a subtle reminder to shop locally and to order directly from independent restaurants. It takes all of us to keep these neighbourhoods thriving.
As always, stay safe!
Robyn VanderVennen
The Kim Kehoe Team
