The latest buzz, rumours, gossip and heresay from around the 'hood. We aim to seek out the awesome, feel-good stories that make you want to high five your friends.
There’s a new spot in the east end to get your ice cream fix.
Mira Mira, which has been operating a catering business from 1372 Queen St. East for the past couple of years, is set to open its storefront to the neighbourhood with an ice cream and sandwich bar.
Mira Mira also operates a spot in the Assembly Chef’s Hall downtown on Richmond St West.
The new shop is set to launch Aug. 1. Stay tuned or visit eatmiramira.com/ for more info.
Photo: Yardsale Bar
Step back into the ‘60s and ‘70s at Yardsale Bar — the newest kid on the Gerrard block that pays homage to the past.
Launching in the former space of Sugar Loaf Bakery at the corner of Jones, the retro cocktail den features a menu of signature, throwback and classic cocktails served in vintage-style glassware.
Sip on something more traditional or check out one of their original creations in a mid-century themed space. Drinks are paired with Spanish-influenced tapas-style dishes.
Its website calls the essence of the space as “Mad Men-meets-your-uncle's-basement vibe” with beanbag chairs and lava lamps backed by a ‘60s and ‘70s soundtrack.
Yard Sale Bar is now open at 1062 Gerrard St. E. Check out yardsalebar.com for more information.
Brandon’s has mid-century modern decor, vinyl records supplying the tunes, and a menu of classic cocktails served in vintage-style glassware. In other words, it’s exactly the kind of place where we would expect to see a Midge Maisel type at the table next to us working on some new jokes. But if you want to slip into this dimly lit retro drinking den, you’ll need to know where to find it–and when.
As storefronts continue to close on Queen, more and more businesses are drawn to the cheaper rents on Gerrard. The next up-and-comer: Yardsale Cocktail Bar.
Going into the former space of Sugar Loaf Bakery at the corner of Gerrard and Jones, Yard Sale Bar is set to launch in June with retro cocktails and a menu of shareable plates.
The abundance of new businesses opening is a boon to the Beaches. Queen Street East, one of the areas targeted under Councillor Brad Bradford's Strong Main Streets initiative, has a ton going on this summer. Here's what is underway.
Read MoreAvling Brewery is about to make its big reveal in Leslieville.
The east end’s newest brewery, which has been under construction for a year, released a sneak peek of its inaugural lineup of beers. The roster includes a Baltic porter, pilsner, saison, and an IPA.
Read MoreAll 58 outdoor pools and 104 wading pools in Toronto will begin their full-time summer schedules on June 30 and will remain open with varying schedules until Labour Day weekend.
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Photo: Toronto Public Library archives
Long before Rogers Centre (and SkyDome), and prior to Exhibition Stadium, Maple Leaf Stadium and even Hanlan's Point Ballpark, there was The Toronto Baseball Grounds. Home to the city’s first pro baseball team, The Torontos, the stadium was located just off the Don Valley in the city’s east end.
A new street in Riverside Square near Queen East and Broadview Ave. has been named Baseball Place in recognition of the original Toronto Baseball Grounds.
The street is located in almost the same spot as the former Baseball Place, a leftover legacy of the roadway that provided access to the city’s first baseball stadium. The original street disappeared decades ago.
When the stadium opened in 1886, admission was a quarter and its grandstand, which overlooked the Don Valley, could seat 2,000 fans. The name eventually changed to Sunlight Park, in honour of the nearby soap factory, and it stayed in operation until 1913 when baseball moved to the Island.
A plaque attached to the building at 655 Queen St. E honours Sunlight Park and the Toronto Baseball Grounds.
The artist for the TTC Leslie Barns Public Art Competition has finally been selected. Dean Baldwin will be creating
A pair of installations that are a tribute and gateway to the Leslie Spit will be coming soon to the intersection around Leslie and Lakeshore.
The sculpture “Typha,” will be constructed of Toronto streetcar railway track, rods and other profiles of corten weathering steel, and made into a collection of reeds, rushes and cattails bundled into an 11,000-pound arrangement. "Trajat" is a quiet tribute to the discovery of 11,000-year-old old fossil-like footprints made by native ancestors. The remains were discovered in blue clay on the floor of Lake Ontario near Toronto Island while the lake bed was drained during the sewer construction of 1908.
The works, being created by artist Dean Baldwin, are part of the Leslie Barns Public Art Competition that took place during the construction of the facility. .
Photo: Morning Parade Coffee Bar
A parade is usually what we expect from our morning coffee and a new cafe in Beach Hill is bringing just that. Morning Parade Coffee Bar has launched near Gerrard St. E and Woodbine Ave.
The east end’s newest coffee shop is serving fresh, locally-roasted Sam James Coffee, the east end’s own Sloane Tea and a variety of baked goods from local bakeries, including Front Door Bakery (the bakers behind Red Rocket’s treats).
“I’m excited to bring a bright, warm, welcoming space to the Beach Hill community,” says owner Elektra Simms.
She is a resident of Toronto’s east end herself and so it’s particularly special to her to open this space in the neighbourhood.
The bright space features murals by Toronto artist Justin Rousseau that represent the idea of the morning parade.
“The name of the cafe refers to the daily parade we each take and the people all around us doing the same. Morning Parade Coffee Bar is a place for us all to connect on that route.”
Morning Parade Coffee Bar is now open at 1952 Gerrard St. E. Pop in Monday-Friday from 7 a.m - 4 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. A grand opening celebration is slated for June 8.
Photo: NBA Cares
Raptors fever is running at an all-time high across the city with fans clamoring to watch games, spot players and get in on the excitement of a championship. That’s why it’s almost unthinkable that sightings of the team’s biggest stars would happen in Leslieville of all places — especially after the historic first-game win of the NBA Finals.
But that’s exactly what happened today.
The Raptors along with NBA Cares, the league's social responsibility initiative, dedicated a newly created Learn & Play Centre at the Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre — a legacy for kids and families in the east end of the city.
Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Danny Green, along with GM Masai Ujiri, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and others, rolled up with an entourage on Queen East and joined youth from the community for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The upgraded centre is intended to be a space for sportsmanship, respect, teamwork and more. The facility has been given a decor refresh and has been appointed with new equipment, furnishings and tools for learning.
Spaces inside the centre, including a multi-purpose room, a recreation room, a preschool room and the gym, were renovated over the past week. Visitors will be able to sit down at new computers and also sharpen their basketball skills, play ping pong and video games. The outdoor basketball court was given fresh paint, new baskets and a We The North makeover.
Photo: Kathryn McLean
The famous Leslieville tree that was toppled in a summer windstorm in 2013 was the one that inspired Alexander Muir in 1867 to write “Maple Leaf Forever,” Canada’s almost-national anthem. The silver maple can now also add a playground to its legacy.
A revamp of the park near Queen and Leslie streets is now complete and it includes a brand-new playground for kids with slides, swings and structures to climb.
The park’s official address is 62 Laing St., accessed off Memory Lane — a little street that runs between Greenwood and Leslie, south of Queen Street East.
It’s also the site of Maple Cottage, one of the few remaining examples of Ontario cottage architecture style in the east end.
The tastes and experiences of Toronto's east end will be celebrated during an upcoming food and drink showcase on June 6-7.
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Photo: Dean Seguin
Yet another business has fallen in the east end.
Kaboom Chicken — the spot that brought Korean-style street food to Riverside — is now closed for good.
“We’ve had so much fun serving our Korean Goodness to all of our customers,” they wrote in an Instagram caption, “and are unbelievably grateful for all the support and love we’ve received.”
After a successful run as a pop-up eatery, Kaboom Chicken put down roots near Queen and Broadview in the fall of 2016.
Fans of Kaboom will he happy to know that the hunt is on for a new location and the business plans to pop up at festivals and events this summer.
The Beaches International Jazz Festival, now in its 31st season, is returning with Sounds of Leslieville and Riverside.
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Photo: Komplete Strength
Toronto’s east end has no shortage of gyms, studios and fitness centres to choose from. And now Komplete Strength has entered the mix in Riverside.
Komplete Strength focuses on strength, conditioning and mobility, movement, with one-on-one and small-group classes.
The class-based training is programmed differently each day and involves a range of movements and equipment such as kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, sleds and bodyweight movements.
The studio coaches clients as athletes to reach performance goals and a healthier lifestyle. They also provide space for freelance trainers to use the facility to train their own clients.
Classes start as early as 6:00 am Monday - Friday and 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays. The gym currently has an introductory offer that saves 50% on first-month memberships.
Komplete Strength is now open at 740 Queen St. E. Check out kompletestrength.com for more info.
From the streets of Berlin to the streets of Toronto, the east end has a new destination for German street food.
Read MoreRashers, the Leslieville take-out spot that paid serious homage to all things bacon has shut down.
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Photo: PizzaForno
Leslieville’s pizza game is on point. We’ve got old school, handcrafted, deep-dish, Neapolitan, Roman-style — heck, even Detroit-style. And now we can add… robot pizza.
Just launched in the east end, PizzaForno is a vending machine/robot/computer/pizzeria hybrid that pumps out fresh pizzas 24/7 at the push of a button.
What a time to be alive.
Robotic arms take the pie from the fridge to an oven where it’s baked at super-high temperatures, boxed and served from a slot — all in under three minutes.
The 12-inch pizzas are pre-made by hand with an approach that includes a romana crust, locally sourced ingredients that are said to be natural and fresh, as well as quality cream-based and tomato sauces. There are four different types to choose from: BBQ chicken, honey with goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, and of course, pepperoni.
Prices range from $11 to $14 and include tax.
The automated pizza concept, launched in Toronto late last year with three machines, is quickly expanding with another 10 slated to open across the GTA.
Next time you’re foraging for food, you’ve now got the choice for pizza with a side of humans or bots.
PizzaForno is now open at 629 Eastern Ave. Check out thepizzaforno.com for more information.
The venerable Shamrock Bowl, an east end landmark near Coxwell and Gerrard, has been restored to its former glory and is set to welcome in newcomers and bowling aces alike on Feb. 28.
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Photo: Farm Boy
Farm Boy is now open at Leslie and Lakeshore in Toronto’s east end.
The supermarket has launched, at an already busy intersection for groceries, with farm-fresh produce and organic, natural and locally sourced foods.
The 20,038 sq. ft. location, its second in the GTA, will employ 130 and offers a wide variety of products including butcher-quality meats, artisan cheese, fresh dairy and chef-inspired meals.
The store also features a fast-casual restaurant experience including made-to-order pizzas and fresh sushi. The store will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner with daily features such as grilled paninis, seared Farm Boy sausages and gourmet grilled cheese. Shoppers can take the meals home or dine in the store’s eating area, which will be WiFi enabled.
“Offering healthy, fresh, wholesome foods and friendly service has been the heart and soul of our business since 1981,” Jeff York, Farm Boy co-CEO, said in a statement.
Farm Boy opened its first Toronto store in Etobicoke last March. The supermarket chain currently operates 27 locations in Ontario.
Farm Boy is located at 1015 Lake Shore Blvd. E. Visit farmboy.ca for more information.
The third location of Grasshopper is now open at 2252 Queen St. East, in the Beaches.
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GOODHOOD is a community-based blog dedicated to showcasing all things good about Toronto's east side neighbourhoods of Leslieville and Riverside. Sometimes beyond.
