Neighbourhood guide · West End
Best restaurants in Bloor West Village
Bloor West is three strips pretending to be one: the Village between Jane and Runnymede, The Junction along Dundas, and Roncesvalles running down to Queen. City-wide guides treat all of it as the bit you drive through on the way to Etobicoke. These are the 11 places out here worth stopping for, scored the same way as everything else on the site.
Where to eat, ranked
Every restaurant here is scored out of ten on food, service, value and room. The order is editorial, not alphabetical and not paid for.
The three strips
A search for somewhere “near me” resolves against wherever you are standing rather than against the words on a page, so here is what each part of Bloor West actually is.
Bloor West Village
Bloor between Jane and Runnymede — Polish and Ukrainian delis, a bakery worth queuing at, and the last stretch of Bloor that still feels like a high street.
3 reviewedThe Junction
Dundas St W west of Keele. Dry by law until 1998, and it has spent every year since making up the difference — breweries, pizza since 1957, and the best patios in the west end.
4 reviewedRoncesvalles
Polish Toronto’s main street, now shared with strollers and specialty coffee. Pierogi and schnitzel at 1970s prices, two doors from a cocktail list.
4 reviewedBloor West Village
Bloor between Jane and Runnymede — Polish and Ukrainian delis, a bakery worth queuing at, and the last stretch of Bloor that still feels like a high street.
The Junction
Dundas St W west of Keele. Dry by law until 1998, and it has spent every year since making up the difference — breweries, pizza since 1957, and the best patios in the west end.
Roncesvalles
Polish Toronto’s main street, now shared with strollers and specialty coffee. Pierogi and schnitzel at 1970s prices, two doors from a cocktail list.
Happy hour on Bloor West
6 of these run one. Windows and deals move with the season, so treat every one as a reason to call rather than a guarantee — the full city listing is in the Toronto happy hour guide.
Indie Alehouse
Mon–Fri · 3pm–6pm · Whole room
House pints reduced across the boardBarque Smokehouse
Tue–Thu · 5pm–6:30pm · Bar only
Reduced smoked wings and draughtThe Westerly
Tue–Fri · 5pm–6:30pm · Bar only
Dollar-a-shuck oystersNodo
Mon–Thu · 4pm–6pm · Bar and patio
Aperol spritz and a slicePlaya Cabana Cantina
Tue–Thu · 5pm–7pm · Bar and patio
Margaritas and tacos, both reducedBryden’s
Mon–Fri · 4pm–7pm · Whole room
Pints a couple of dollars offAcross the Humber
Bloor St W does not stop at the river. The Kingsway is the same street one municipality over, and it is a ten-minute drive from the Village — the rest of it is in the Etobicoke guide.
Frequently asked
- What is the best restaurant in Bloor West Village?
- Café Polonez on Roncesvalles is the corridor’s best all-round dinner — pierogi, schnitzel and portions at prices the rest of the city gave up on. In the Village itself, Baka Gallery Cafe on Bloor St W is the standout for coffee and Bryden’s is the only kitchen still serving after eleven.
- Where should I eat in The Junction?
- Vesuvio on Dundas St W for thin-crust pizza it has been making since 1957, Indie Alehouse for beer brewed on site and a kitchen that takes bar food seriously, and Playa Cabana Cantina for tacos and a mezcal list. Nodo is the reliable weeknight pasta.
- What restaurants near High Park are worth a walk?
- Bloor West Village sits directly north of High Park, so everything on this page is a short walk from the park’s north gates. Mabel’s Bakery for something to eat on a bench, Baka Gallery Cafe for coffee before, and Bryden’s for a pint after.
- Is Roncesvalles still a Polish neighbourhood?
- Partly. Café Polonez is the piece of Polish Roncesvalles that never left and is still full every night, but the strip now runs Polish delis and cocktail bars on the same block. Both are worth your time and they are frequently two doors apart.
- Which Bloor West restaurants have a happy hour?
- Indie Alehouse and Nodo in The Junction, Bryden’s in the Village, and The Westerly and Barque on Roncesvalles all run one. Times move seasonally — see our Toronto happy hour guide, and call before you plan an evening around a deal.
- What is open late in Bloor West Village?
- Very little. Bryden’s runs its kitchen until close in the Village, The Westerly serves until 1am on Roncesvalles, and Playa Cabana Cantina is the Junction’s late option. Most of Bloor St W has shut by ten.