A leisurely stroll away from both High Park and the lake, Roncesvalles is a picturesque, family-friendly neighbourhood populated by independent shops and cafés. Its resident Polish community will happily fill your belly with sauerkraut, schnitzel, pastries and pints of lager — especially during the Polish Festival in September, when the street is filled with beer tents and polka bands.
OLD STANDBYS Full disclosure: we love The Local (396 Roncesvalles, 416-535-6225). With its hardwood floors, exposed brick and a small stage that’s home to live entertainment like Elvis Bossa Nova on Sunday nights (“Hits of the king as Latin instrumentals. Sort of”), this is a laid-back, cool place to drink with friends. Bonus points for the framed ISBN above the bar. (We looked it up — it’s for Jane Jacobs’ Dark Age Ahead.)
Gate 403 (403 Roncesvalles, 416-588-2930) is a little bar with a big selling point: live jazz and blues performances every night, sans cover. The joint starts rockin’ right after work, so get there early.
Fancy-pants drinkers head directly to Fat Cat Wine Bar (331 Roncesvalles, 416-535-4064), which boats a classy back patio as well as an extensive selection of vino. And with Domani Restaurant & Wine Bar (335 Roncesvalles, 416-516-2147 ) on the same block, this is pretty much wine-bar central for the nabe.
NEW LOCATION, same wood panelled walls. We were relieved to discover that the new location of The Intersteer Restaurant (357 Roncesvalles, 416-588-8054), two doors down from the original, looks a lot like the old one — same layout, same wood-panelled walls — but with a shinier bar and a revamped menu (tofu-pumpkin burger, anyone?). Catering to a lively mix of old Polish dudes and young hipsters, it’s an ideal place to spend the night feeding quarters to the excellent jukebox.
ALL UP IN YOUR GRILL Head out to the relaxing back patio at Freshwood Grill (293 Roncesvalles, 416-537-1882), where you can enjoy a wood-grilled sourdough wrap or 100 per cent organic burger along with one of the six beers on tap — or stay inside and marvel at the giant swordfish mounted on the wall of this diner-style café.