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Posted by MikeR
June 1, 2007

Roncesvalles is a bit of a sausagefest. Known to most Torontonians as "that Polish area in the West End" of the city, there's no denying that this is Toronto's Little Poland. Countless Polish bars, butchers, bakeries and restaurants serve up tasty, authentic polish sausage, borscht, cabbage rolls and sauerkraut exactly like your Eastern European grandma used to make.

The rich heritage of the area's older generation, evidenced not only by great food, but by countless images of Pope John Paul II, give Roncesvalles its own unique character and provide much of the draw for visitors.

However, this area is not just for Pollocks. The 20 something crowd has made this their downtown suburb. It's close enough that downtown is easily accessible, as well as clean, safe and relaxing with very nice, reasonably priced apartments. With this younger crowd has come a slew of great coffee shops, brunch spots, Thai restaurants, grocery stores, bars and boutiques.

Young people have also bolstered Roncesvalles' second most noticeable feature - social responsibility. The emphasis on local, fair trade, ethical consumer choice is tangible and present in multiple locations. From the coffee shops to the bookstores, you can expect to feel good about the money you're spending.

The neighbourhood is essentially defined by Roncesvalles Avenue itself between Queen and Dundas. But a little off the beaten track are some hidden gems such as Mitzi's on Sorauren or the Olga Korper Gallery in an industrial corner of Morrow Avenue.

Some other places worth a visit include:

LOONS Restaurant & Pub
LOONS' spacious back patio seems to be a well-kept secret of the neighborhood, think of it as Little Poland's version of Toronto's Madison Pub. Though it's a place where you'll find the usual pub grub and brews on tap, they do serve up weekend brunch too if you're a fan of the hollandaise.

Sue's Thai Food / Vicky's Fish And Chips
Known by most in the area as "Sue's", this unique restaurant offers up both Fish and Chips and Thai food. Until recently (April '07), Sue's was rather divey, which was part of its charm, and well known for it's chaotic takeout lineups, cheap eats and the lovable Sue trying to keep it all under control. A recent makeover has created a more dine-in atmosphere. Sue's also has a rather hidden spacious summer patio that's great for relaxed casual dining.

The Local
The Local is the watering hole for twenty somethings on Roncesvalles after dark. What it lacks in not having a patio, it makes up for with ample character, bands, great chicken wings and a wide selection of board games.

Alternative Grounds
Before organic and fair trade coffee became the norm in Roncesvalles Village, Alternative Grounds was the place to head for a fresh cup and a little nosh. It's not always the quietest spot, as grind your own coffee is a big seller, but there's something comforting about picking out a favourite mug from the shelf and filling it with your choice of one of several tasty bean blends.

Freshwood Grill
It took some time when Freshwood first came on the block to hit their stride, now they've got it down to a science and the place is packed. Friendly wait staff greet you immediately and willingly offer up tips on best wines or share the secrets to their killer mac & cheese (some say the best in the city). The restaurant also has a great patio that's ideal for weekend brunch. Try the smoked salmon eggs benedict on a bagel with half-and-half homefries and salad. I'm salivating at the thought of it.

Queen of Tarts
Well-known and popular neighbourhood cake and pastry shop Queen of Tarts is where I like to stop in for holiday treats such as gingerbreadmen (and women) decorated like Elvis, Paris or Miss Piggy. For more conventional customers elves and ghosts are available. Hanukkah cookies are a hit too.

Butler's Pantry
If you're in the mood for some food on the healthier tip, everything at Butler's Pantry tastes amazingly fresh and has that hippie organic air to it. The menu is small, but you can't go wrong. My personal favorite is the The Spinach Nut Casserole.

Sukha Health Spa
The moment you walk through the door at Sukha Health Spa you can sense the calmness. The slight rumble of the streetcar outside seems melodic as they dish up natural facials or shiny pedicures, but go for one of their massages - like the Traditional Thai Massage - and you'll be in another world entirely.

Thai Chef Cuisine
The Thai Chef is one of the newer restaurants on what is being a crowded strip of Thai delights. The pad thai is quite good, with some of the largest juiciest shrimp you'll find.

Qi Natural Food
Qi is a favorite organic/veggie food store and health store. The granola selection is decent, and the fresh dumpling (made every-other-day) are a must pick-up on every visit. The vitamin and herbal supplement selection is quite good, and the staff is friendly and helpful

Scooter Girl
If you've got gifts to give and kids are on your list Scooter Girl's got something to pull out the playful side. Buying gifts for a bunch of newborns was easy. I've left with finger puppet zoo animals, plush rattles and bath toys all wrapped up and ready to go. Great to browse for big kids too.

Frock
Frock fits in perfectly with the eclectic mix of Roncy's shops. The clothing store seems to have a bit of everything and nothing in too much excess. It's one of those places where you'll feel like you've been on a bit of a treasure hunt but can easily come away from it with a prize piece in your possession.

Thin Blue Line - Cheese Boutique
This recent addition to Ronces' boasts a broad selection of Canadian and one-of-a-kind cheeses. It's one of those places you'll want to wander by to poke your head in for a sample and then end up walking away with a proud package of delightful local cheeses.

Tinto Coffee House
If you're living a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle, Tinto is the place for you! And the coffee is pretty damn good as well. Tinto also hosts the occasional documentary film screening or spoken word night on its upper level.

The Film Buff
The Film Buff is Roncesvalles' local video store/ ice cream parlor. It has a great selection of TV show series and the ice cream is good and cheap.

Cherry Bomb
When this place popped up on Roncy it seemed to give the street an air of indie cool, like something you'd find on West Queen West. The decor is cheerful and includes a couple brightly painted bikes. There can be a bit of a line but I hear the sandwiches are delish and I'm a fan of the Dark City coffee too.

Otani Shiatu Clinic
Otani Shiatu, in an unassuming little strip at the bottom of Roncy, is where I head for a no-frills massage at about half the usual hourly rate found across the city. There might be just a curtain separating me from the next girl or guy but I can rest assured knowing the practitioners have a firm handle of the therapeutic nature of shiatsu and an intuitive sense of where to find my pressure points.

For more photos of this neighbourhood visit 416Style and Fotograf.416

With contributions from Mike, Todd and Sookie.

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pretty accurate description of Roncesvalles Village. My only comment is that naming it a "downtown suburb" does not portray a correct image of neighboorhood...especially for those who have not visited it but know what a real suburb is. Obviously Roncesvalles is not in the downtown area, but it is in Toronto and it strives with small local businesses and increasingly trendy places. From a vibe perspective, as a Roncesvalles resident I'd say it's more like a small town within the city.

Posted by: iuliana at July 9, 2007 5:16 PM

LOVE the Freshwood patio and food! Thai Chef Cuisine is by far the best Thai food around (and the shrimp ARE big and juicy). I'm a huge fan of Blueline Cheese Boutique as well - especially the cheese described as "candy for adults"! So glad I moved to this unique hood!

Posted by: PAC at July 9, 2007 6:14 PM

Ronces has always been a great food destination and continues to be. Growing up in the area as well as being a local business owner, I have seen many positive changes over the years. This area boasts assets that perhaps were somewhat overlooked in the past, namely the park and lake. Note to readers: Ronces Village is not a downtown suburb! I'll continue enjoying the food here!!

Posted by: zofi at July 9, 2007 6:46 PM

I was wondering if anyone could inform me of a particularly good sports(football) bar to watch matches with fellow Polaks:)

Posted by: ASquared at July 11, 2007 4:20 PM

One thing Roncy has too much of is "Sports Taverns" but a popular one is probably "Chopins". You can get your "Polish Plate", Polish Beer and soccer on the big screen. "Gabby's" is better than expected but I don't think it's particularly "Polish".

Posted by: Peter at August 1, 2007 4:47 PM

Someone should really include a write-up of Krak Restaurant. That place is great and the amount of Polish food they serve on your plate is gargantuan.

Posted by: Jason at August 10, 2007 5:18 AM

I don't think Cherry Bomb sells sandwiches anymore but their scones and muffins are fantastic. Be warned the muffins usually aren't ready till later in the morning but they are served up still warm from the oven.

Posted by: Courtney at August 13, 2007 10:46 PM

This write up could be titled: Gentrification guide to your neighborhood. Most of the businesses featured are quite new and do not reflect the neighborhood feel adequately .

Posted by: mark at September 24, 2007 8:37 AM

I have to say, it's amazing that you can list the stuff on roncesvalles and only show the places that cater to yuppies. There's so much cool stuff on the street that's affordable and excellent that you didn't mention.

1) All of the greengrocers. I usually only go to the one at the end of my street, where most things are from Ontario and the purchase price is always much less than expected. There are four or five great ones up and down the street.

2) Any of the delis. A lot of them only have prepared meats, but Warmia Deli and a few others have wonderful fresh meat and cheese. Also very affordable.

3)Holy Land Food. Possibly the best baba ganouj and tatziki I have tasted.

There are many more things, but you can't give a summary of Roncesvalles without mentioning these places.

Posted by: Anonymous at October 7, 2007 2:14 PM

Roncesvalles is a mouthful to say to be sure.
It would be interesting to see what people use as nicknames/monikers to shorten this otherwise lenghty name.

Posted by: Jesse at January 7, 2008 3:51 PM

And on the topic of food in the Roncesvalles 'hood... I had a horrific eating experience at Freshwood Grill. It was so bad that I will most likely never be back despite my living just one block away.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 7, 2008 3:55 PM

Roncy :)

Seriously?!? Freshwood is usually so solid! What did you order?

Posted by: rotenblog

at January 7, 2008 4:35 PM

If youre looking for a great new restaurant, Abstract Tree just opened up on roncesvalles. (Right across from the TD bank) Its a cozy place with excellent food! Its open kitchen is a great opportunity to see your food made fresh to order!

Posted by: Jess at February 19, 2008 4:49 PM

Hi, looking forward to trying Abstract Tree and other restaurants in the neighbourhood, as I'm new. Have been to "B" a few times and will defintiely become a regular. Had been to Butler's Pantry years ago and would still go....but the place could use a good shelf dusting and cleaning to make it more palatable again. Menu looks good.

Posted by: newneighbour at February 28, 2008 12:48 AM

I've lived in the area for 8 years and Roncesvalles Village has seen a dramatic lift in Real Estate prices with many home doubling there value in 4 years. It is also the highest per capita area in Toronto with children under 2 years old. It is a few minutes from the lake and a few minutes from High Park, making it a recreation centre. I tend to discribe it as a low rise, low density urban neighbourhood with small town friendlyness and shopping. Roncey has everything you need from hardware to fashion all within walking distance. 10 minutes by car to downtown. TTC access includes a subway stop at the North end, Dundas/College streetcar in the middle with Queen and King streetcars at the south make it one of the most accessable neighbourhoods in the city.

Posted by: Wayne Carrigan at February 29, 2008 9:15 AM

I would say the short form is in the pic, Ronces, with a hard e.

There are so many places to eat and cool shops. i would add aries place, so good for breakfast. Boho, that place is awesome. I agree all the fruit markets are amazing, along with the delis, soooo good. Krak is awesome, there so nice and the weiner schnitzl is great.

Posted by: al at March 18, 2008 5:59 AM

Actually, most people out in our neck of the woods call it "Roncey". You don't hear "Ronces" much. Whoever mentioned the fruit markets and delis, I agree; an essential and great part of this neighbourhood. And the film buff is the best video store in town...much more than just a good selection of tv shows, that's for sure. A tiny new sushi place (Vincent Sushi) has recently opened next door to it....excellent food, and very friendly. Also new is Naturalis Montreal-style bagels to satisfy your fix.

Posted by: Lisa Norton at April 2, 2008 2:07 PM

Abstract Tree is absolutely fantastic. I've dined there 3 times now, and each meal is delicious. Great wine selection, too. The chef and staff are very nice, very warm people. Krak is awesome, too.

Avoid Loons! God, what a dump.

AVOID Freshwood Grill!! The place is a dump, the total lack of hygiene in the kitchen is not to be believed. My girlfriend and I ordered chicken tandoori sandwiches there - we each took one bite, got up and walked out. I am not exaggerating when I say it was the most atroicious food I have ever 'sampled'.

And by the way, what's up with the name 'Polish Festival'?
What a slap in the face to all the great non-Polish businesses on Ronces. Am I the only one who thinks it needs to be re-named 'The Ronces Festival'??

Posted by: JABO at April 3, 2008 3:51 PM

I absolutely agree about Freshwood Grill - please people, if you value your stomachs, don't eat there. The place is so overrated. The cooks do NOT wash their hands on a regular basis, after touching various items that warrant hand wash washing. My sister and I witnessed this while waiting for our take-out orders. We walked out, that's how repulsed we were.

Brad's Takeout & Eatery is a VERY nice place. Very attractive and CLEAN interior design. The staff are super friendly and efficient, and Brad is one great cook! Brad's weekend breakfast is wonderful. His burgers are delicious, too. They have a wine selection now, and beer, I think.

Abstract Tree is, yeah, I agree, a great place to dine.
Very cozy, very good food at reasonable prices. Check it out.

Will somebody PLEASE purchase the God-awful Starpolska Restaurant and turn it into something more than half decent?

Posted by: Helene at April 3, 2008 3:59 PM

Freshwood Grill has what is easily the worst veggie burger I've ever had, which is saying something considering I've eaten the V Burgers at McDonald's, Burger King, and Harvey's. I couldn't even eat half of it and will probably never go back there even though I had an okay omelet there once.

Qi absolutely rocks. It's my favorite health food store in the city. I also quite like KO Market for organic produce.

Posted by: Dobbs at April 14, 2008 7:30 PM

Freshwood Grill is terrible!
It used to be a decent place, but in the past year has gone so far down in quality and service I can't go back. The kitchen is very careless and service is shoddy. I have had sandwiches with unpeeled onions grilled to shoe leather. The reaction from the cook was a shrug and a half hearted apology.

Posted by: rob at April 26, 2008 11:31 AM

I'm not an expert on this, but it is my understanding that the word "Pollocks" used in this article could be considered offensive.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polack

I believe "Poles" would be a more appropriate word.

But frankly, I find the whole structure of the sentence is flawed. The idea that a neighbourhood in Toronto would be only "for" one ethnicity is somewhat offensive to me.

And while I'm at it, I'm not really buying into supposed influence of the "20 something" crowd. The gentrified set in the neighbourhood strike me as more likely to be thirty-something.

Posted by: Anonymous at April 28, 2008 1:56 PM

As a Pole, I don't really find the term "Pollack" offensive. In essence it comes from the Polish word "Polak" which simply means "Pole". It really all comes down to context, if someone is using the term in a pejorative way (as it sometimes was used in the past), then ya, it's offensive. But I don't think that was the author's intent in this article.

I definitely agree with Mark and his disapproval of the article focusing on "yuppie" places on Roncesvalles. There are SO many great little places that are affordable to those of us who don't live a yuppie lifestyle! The green grocers, the delis - especially the delis, Krak, the Revue cinema...

Either way, it's a great neighbourhood that I'm proud to call home, whether or not it's labelled "Polish" or "yuppir" or whatever.

Posted by: Chris at May 7, 2008 3:59 PM

IS ANYONE AN ACTUAL RONCES,WHICH THEIR LAST NAME IS RONCES??????

Posted by: Imelda Ronces at May 15, 2008 1:44 AM