Full disclosure, it’s possible we started this “neighbourhood spotlight” segment in our weekly blogs so that we could have an excuse to go out for lunch. As a team we seriously value food. Most of our meetings involve talking with mouths full of food and we’re so OK with that. As we introduce neighbourhoods to this blog, we’ve decided to be your foot soldiers. We are doing primary research by going to the source. We’re checking out the restaurants so that you don’t have to. We take our job very seriously. You’re welcome.
We’ll get back to lunch, but let’s reverse a little and talk about Roncesvalles properly because this neighbourhood is really so much more than its (fantastic) restaurants. There is some dispute over the true eastern border of Roncesvalles. Some say it is Sorauren and others say Macdonell or even Lansdowne. There is no dispute, however, in the western border. The Roncesvalles neighbourhood ends at Roncesvalles avenue. The full length of Roncesvalles, which runs from Queen to Bloor, boasts some of the best independent shops, restaurants and grocery stores in the whole city. The fact that this many independent and boutique businesses can thrive is testament to the community in Roncesvalles. This is the definition of a “walkable community”. If you visit Roncesvalles avenue on a Sunday morning no one would blame you for thinking you had stumbled into some kind of sidewalk festival. The sidewalks are packed with families going about their daily errands and talking to their neighbours along the way. Cafes are overflowing. If you’re a dog or baby person, buckle up for some intense cuteness.
Roncesvalles houses are mostly Victorian (circa 1880’s-1901’s) and Edwardian (circa 1901-1919) in style and age. In the past decade, many of the very old homes have been totally renovated by new buyers coming into the area. It is common to see an old exterior with a modern renovation on the inside. The streetscape in Roncesvalles is particularly lovely with beautiful old homes and mature trees.
Back to our lunch. There are plenty of delicious food options in Roncesvalles. We could have gone to one of the many old polish delis. We could have gone to Barque for some BBQ. We could have had Pizza and Pizza Defina. We could have gone to the ACE and eaten anything (it’s all delicious). But we decided to go old school and head to our favourite, tried and true sushi restaurant, Sushi on Roncy. As always, it is exactly what you expect of sushi but somehow it just tastes fresher here. It was delicious and our “meeting” was a success. We’re always so much more productive when there’s food.
Our very silly lunch selfie
Our totally biased, non-scientific favourites list for Roncesvalles.
- Best Park: Sorauren Avenue Park. Roncesvalles is very close to High Park, which usually gets all the credit, but Sorauren park is great in it’s own right. With a weekly farmer’s market, a baseball diamond and great green space for running around this park is a community hub.
- Best Restaurant: Too many to choose. But we always love Sushi on Roncy for fresh food and unpretentious atmosphere.
- Best Store: Another Story Book Shop. One of the few remaining independent bookstores in Toronto. Another Story focuses on social justice issues and also carries a fantastically curated selection of fiction for adults and children. This store also has one of the best young adult fiction selections in the city.
- Best Bar: The Local. This is an institution in Roncesvalles. It’s always busy and there’s always great beer on tap.
- Best Entertainment: The Revue Cinema. Independently owned, not-for-profit cinema with great film selections.
Do you want to talk more about Toronto neighbourhoods? Give us a call. We’d love to chat.
