Reasons to Love Toronto: No. 5, because these 21 new businesses opened on Roncesvalles
Reasons to Love Toronto: No. 5, because these 21 new businesses opened on Roncesvalles
Every weekend, the sidewalks of Roncesvalles Avenue are jammed with strollers, tethered dogs and couples in heated debate over which of the six new brunch spots is worth the lineup. It’s a frenetic scene few west-enders could have imagined a year ago, when construction cut off transit to the strip and struggling businesses seemed to close every other week. The sewer mains and streetcar tracks were finally replaced last spring, and the empty spaces left behind filled up in a whirl of openings. The new low-key restaurants and shops blend in effortlessly with the old-school produce stands and Polish butchers. And promising, papered-over windows spark constant neighbourhood speculation. Here, a tour of a street in triumphant transition.
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- This spring, the regal old bank building at Howard Park reopened as the offices and storefront of the landscape architects responsible for such pristine city spaces as Ledbury Park and Mel Lastman Square. 416-340-8700.
- No. 421—NAK Design Strategies
- No. 421—NAK Design Strategies
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- Beth Davyduke and Tom Earl, the owners of this new brasserie, make simple, seasonal dishes, like delicious smoked trout on latkes. 416-551-6660.
- No. 413—The Westerly
- No. 413—The Westerly
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- Last fall, owner Leah Eyles reno’d a former Cashmax and filled it with knick-knacks and accessories sourced from Canadian artisans, which explains the pervasive wildlife motif: antler-handled mugs, squirrel-front journals and owl-print tea towels. 416-546-6922.
- No. 405—Scout
- No. 405—Scout
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- The new outpost of this mini-chain specializes in Etsy-esque jewellery and frocks made by a dozen Toronto designers. A plethora of ruffles and polka dots attracts free-spirited teens and their moms. 647-352-7123.
- No. 401—Fresh Collective
- No. 401—Fresh Collective
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- To the delight of anti-franchise purists, a Second Cup at Neepawa Avenue shut down during the strip’s construction and the locally owned Bean popped up in its place last December. It still looks exactly like a Second Cup, but house-made waffles compensate for the lack of indie café cool. 647-350-2326.
- No. 385—Roncy’s Bean
- No. 385—Roncy’s Bean
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- David and Deborah Peets moved their Ottawa furniture shop here last November. The space, filled with uncommon finds like cork and walnut sideboards, resembles the living room of a wealthy anthropology prof. 416-272-5005.
- No. 365—Green Light District
- No. 365—Green Light District
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- Chef Geoff Hopgood’s restaurant, named after his parents’ Nova Scotia grocery stores, opened this spring. It’s already renowned for Maritime dishes like fancified crab dip with Triscuits, and Halifax donairs served on paper bags. 416-533-2723.
- No. 325—Hopgood’s Foodliner
- No. 325—Hopgood’s Foodliner
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- The brick room looks like every other slickly rustic pizzeria to open last year, but there’s a Roncy-appropriate lack of pretension at Defina—substitutions are encouraged, pizzas comes pre-sliced, and staff joke with regulars. 416-534-4414.
- No. 321—Pizzeria Defina
- No. 321—Pizzeria Defina
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- The smokehouse that kicked off Roncy’s poly-gastronomic boom last April has become a neighbourhood nerve centre. The scent of apple wood–smoked meat wafts down the block. 416-532-7700.
- No. 299—Barque
- No. 299—Barque
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- In May, one of the city’s best sustainable fishmongers opened a second location in the old Spring Creek butcher spot. Residents tired of driving miles for Malpeques uttered a collective “Finally!” 647-350-3355.
- No. 291—De La Mer Fresh Fish Market
- No. 291—De La Mer Fresh Fish Market
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- Sara Wood spent nearly a year negotiating the lease on a former Polish souvenir shop. In May, she finally opened a coffee shop with an upstairs craft room for kids. 416-530-0888.
- No. 287—Smock Café and Wonder Workshop
- No. 287—Smock Café and Wonder Workshop
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- Matt Lewis-Strauch and Stuart Reid ditched IT jobs to open a frozen yogurt and bake shop in the space left behind by The Queen of Tarts. They pipe the Dirty Dancing soundtrack through speakers onto the sidewalk. 647-725-2138.
- No. 283—Gurts
- No. 283—Gurts
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- Last November, Maggie Ruhl (co-owner of The Dakota Tavern) and Greg Boggs turned a long-defunct Chinese eatery into a laid-back resto-bar. The room retains its pagoda wallpaper and booths, which are crammed well past midnight with couples debating whether to have one more. 416-792-7729.
- No. 231A—The Ace
- No. 231A—The Ace
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- Lysa Fina moved her five-year-old Dundas West hair salon to Roncesvalles last fall. After a three-month overhaul, the space looks like an artist’s loft as reimagined by Siouxsie Sioux—a fitting venue in which to get an asymmetrical bob. 416-915-4323.
- No. 231—Grateful Head
- No. 231—Grateful Head
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- This new green body and home decor boutique caters to the many earth-embracing Roncesvallians devoted to things like organic cotton sheets and bath towels in various shades of hemp brown and unbleached cream. 416-516-2234.
- No. 191—Ecotique
- No. 191—Ecotique
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- Granowska’s, a 40-year-old Polish bakery of paczki renown, closed last December when mother-daughter owners Elizabeth and Kathy Klodas retired. A green grocer is rumoured to be opening in the coveted corner space this summer.
- No. 175—Name TBA
- No. 175—Name TBA
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- Landscaper Sarah Jameson turned the old Buddha Dog space into an eco-aware florist, miniature garden centre, stationery shop and occasional purveyor of shabby-chic home stuff (Jameson’s mom sells her hand-made quilts for $150 each). 416-537-3700.
- No. 163—Sweetpea’s
- No. 163—Sweetpea’s
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- In March, Beata Kowalczyk turned Lala Bistro, her tattered Polish watering hole, into a cute speakeasy. Young couples now outnumber stoic old-timers, and expert booze slinger Vanessa Handford has replaced cheap pints with fancy cocktails, like blood orange manhattans. 416-516-2577.
- No. 145—Marcy
- No. 145—Marcy
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- The waffle shop that took over the Abstract Tree space (an old Polish restaurant) early this year is like an indie IHOP with its colourfully upholstered booths, $3 kids’ meals, old-school sundaes and all-day breakfast menu. 416-828-1698.
- No. 133—Masquerade Waffles and Crêpes
- No. 133—Masquerade Waffles and Crêpes
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- This spring, the artisanal College Street sub shop will open a second location in the two-floor space formerly occupied by the fair-trade café Tinto.
- No. 89—Hey Meatball
- No. 89—Hey Meatball
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- Gleeful hellos greet you at the door of the minuscule room. It’s a cheery place to have a bite, but most patrons nurse complimentary oolong tea while waiting for takeout orders of strange yet tasty Canadianized sushi, like scallop pot pie rolls. 647-717-8744.
- No. 67—Sushi 67
- No. 67—Sushi 67
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- Reasons to Love Toronto: No. 5, Because 21 new businesses opened on Roncesvalles
- Reasons to Love Toronto: No. 5, Because 21 new businesses opened on Roncesvalles
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the title is misleading…some places haven’t opened yet (hey meatball 2) and some places have already closed (maquerade waffles has already closed and is becoming a wing place)
Don’t know what TL has against pet stores. There have been numerous articles in TL for new openings on Ronces but Fetch has never been mentioned.
Fetch is the eco-friendly one-stop-shop for all things Fido. They offer grooming, walking, boarding, daycare and only the best, most healthy earth-wise products. Most of their products are either made locally or made in Canada and all of their products are good for you, your dog and the earth.
Roncesvalles has always been one of T.O.’s coolest streets. By all means try the new places but try some of the older polish restaraunts, bakeries and deli’s…, the best doesn’t always look the trendiest. I’ve always loved Roncesvalles <3
Friends: you got the photos and captions switched up for numbers 5 & 6 in the photo slideshow (Roncy’s Bean and Green Light District).
Your unpaid editor,
B