Full of galleries and unique shops, West Queen West is a neighbourhood that shows a different side to Toronto.
What’s West Queen West all about?
The man behind the counter at the organic market inadvertently manages to encapsulate the West Queen West Area. “We don’t sell water,” he says. “Water should be free. Drink coconut water instead – it’s good for you.
West Queen West is the part of Toronto that changes perceptions about the city. The pleasant but bland image gives way to something a bit cooler, a bit more happily independent and considerably more creative.
Queen Street West gets interesting in the two kilometre stretch between Bathurst and Dufferin Streets. It sprouts with restaurants, cafés, shops and galleries, and strolling along turns into a hugely pleasing mooch of discovery.
A walk through West Queen West’s highlights
It’s all about the serendipitous discoveries, but a few galleries are worth planning a route around.
Further along, the Stephen Bulger Gallery offers rotating photographic exhibitions, alongside selections from its permanent collection. There are also free movie screenings on Saturday afternoons.
Meander along, dipping into shops and cafés, and you’ll eventually end up at the Trinity Bellwoods Park, where people lay out picnic blankets, throw Frisbees, walk dogs and coo at the squirrels. There always seems to be something going on there – whether a live music performance or art installation.
Nearby on Shaw Street, the Artscape project is a Toronto-wide non-profit movement that acquires old buildings then turns them into sustainable living and workspaces for artists and magicians.
One of the most remarkable of these is Artscape Young Place, which is inside the Shaw Street Public School. Former classrooms are now studios, a 55 seat theatre has been installed for intimate musical performances and a curated arts programme regularly puts something quirkily site-specific onto the stairways.
Where to eat in West Queen West
Good Son tries to reflect the cultures that have gentrified the area, selling local and season organic produce. There’s a wood-fired oven and grill imported from Italy, which makes for some pretty excellent pizzas, but the more interesting options are elsewhere on the menu. The bulgogi short ribs, with kimchee fried rice and sunny side quail eggs is particularly excellent.
Where to shop in West Queen West
There are several interesting shops opposite Trinity Bellwoods Park, including the Paper Place, which offers gorgeous stationery, including decorative paper imported from Japan.
The Drake General Store is part of the ever-expanding Drake Hotel empire and keeps up the knowingly hip vibe. There’s a barber’s shop at the back, a store-within-a-store selling solely New Balance trainers and, elsewhere, there’s a carefully curated range of goodies veering from small batch piccalilli sauces to colouring books for adults. It’s opposite the hotel.
West Queen West hotel recommendations
The Drake is the knowingly hip hotel-meets-nightspot that the area has flourished around. Wooden-floored rooms with clever space-saving design, original art, grey boxer-style robes and little Inuit dolls bring plenty of character. The little postcards featuring bad Tripadvisor reviews show more than a little sass.
The Gladstone House is the other, slightly more restrained artsy boutique hotel on the strip. It hosts all manner of events, from karaoke to colouring-in sessions for adults. But it has kept its heritage features, such as the creaky, vintage lift, and each of the rooms is strikingly individual.
The Beverley is just outside the West Queen West zone, but an easy bus ride or walk into the heart of it. The emphasis is placed on the restaurant downstairs, but the crash pads upstairs are fresh-looking and well kitted-out, if a little small.
More Ontario travel
Other Ontario travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
- Why Kensington Market is Toronto’s best neighbourhood for food.
- How to get cheaper tickets for the Art Gallery of Ontario.
- How to get cheaper tickets for the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
- The way to get cheaper tickets for Casa Loma in Toronto.
- What you see on a helicopter tour over Toronto.
- A first-time visitor’s guide to Niagara Falls, Canada.
