Discover who your neighbours are and why they love it here so much as we profile the locals who live and work or just merely hang out in the area.
When naturopathic doctors Sue Love and Sapna Patel Flower opened Restore Integrative Health in 2012, Leslieville didn't have anything quite like it at the time. You either went to your family physician or a walk-in clinic for whatever might ail you, but there was a void in integrative and complementary healthcare choices beyond the standard check-up.
Read MorePrepped meals, charcuterie, cheese and chocolates — indeed, all four essential food groups are covered off at Sandy Aleksander, the one-stop shop for specialty food in Leslieville. Max Ryan, the impeccably moustachioed face behind the counter, isn't just a culinary expert. He's one of the friendliest and most personable folks in the neighbourhood, and he's just as keen to send you off with one of the shop's scrumptious ready-to-go meals as he is to carry on an eager conversation about the story of cheese and what variesties pair best with cured meats and wines.
Read MoreWhen it opened in the fall of 2012, Hastings Barber Shop had an immediate presence on the neighbourhood that felt like it had been around for years. The cozy shop at the corner of Queen and Hastings quickly gained a following for its laidback, no-nonsense approach to men's grooming. Owner Karolina Conroy is a big part of the shop's immense personality and reputation for quality fades and shaves. She's now brought on a new partner in barber Gary Carroll, and together the duo run point on two locations (the other in Cabbagetown) and keep Toronto dudes looking tight.
Read MoreDave Steadman and Cindy Wilkes live only a couple of blocks from Brooklyn Avenue, the Leslieville street which ends at the front door of their Queen Street restaurant and helped provide inspiration for its name. In nearly two years in business, Brooklyn Tavern has been embraced by the neighbourhood for its superb comfort food as well as its cozy, casual atmosphere. It's the kind of place that's equally suitable for a night out with family and friends or a quiet drink that lends itself to sparking up a conversation with Dave and Cindy, who are as full of warm and colourful stories as the old photographs that hang from the restaurant's walls.
Read MoreHaving had a hand in three businesses on the east side and living in Leslieville going on 10 years, you could say Douglas Tiller knows a thing or two about the neighbourhood. Check out this Q&A with the owner of Hitch, the cozy, dimly lit bar at Queen and Leslie that's become a neighbourhood local since opening in 2013.
Read Moregoodhood is #allpointseast #eastsidelove
#eastsidelocal #eastsidetillwedie
GOODHOOD is a community-based blog dedicated to showcasing all things good about Toronto's east side neighbourhoods of Leslieville and Riverside. Sometimes beyond.
