This Dundas West stretch might be Toronto’s coolest new spot, Canada Reviews

Nestled between two always-busy Toronto neighbourhoods, Roncesvalles and Trinity Bellwoods, is a tiny area featuring a bustling stretch of Dundas West that is a city unto its own. Brockton Village is everything that makes Toronto great — and if the series of recent new openings in the area is any indication, it’s about to be the city’s next best neighbourhood.

Cafés with more than just coffee

Bright blue on the outside and lined with skateboards on the inside, Brockton Haunt got an upgrade from just a coffee shop to Toronto’s first women- and queer-owned skate shop a few years back. So now you can recharge with a coffee and cookie while browsing for a new board. 

And last month, a bright blue coffee shop made its presence known in the neighbourhood. With plenty of seating for a leisurely morning coffee, great snacks and a DJ booth at the back, Nile Coffee Club is a Black-owned café by day, bar by night — so you can both start and end your day off here. The new space fully commits to the late night vibes — it’s open until midnight Sunday to Thursday and keeps the party going until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

For lovers of plants and adorable little giftables, Run & Gun Coffee is the place to be. Stop in for a coffee in a beautiful mug (that’s half the fun of a café, after all) and then spend longer than you’d planned browsing candles, chocolates and dried flower bouquets.

A DIY vintage crawl

Spread over just a few blocks are enough vintage stores to pretty much make up their own market! Start at The Wanderly, a newer addition to the city’s vintage scene that is a flurry of cotton and linen. Then head to Chosen, a curated second-hand boutique that is especially great for true vintage shoes and formalwear (particularly ’90s LBDs). And don’t forget to stop in at Easy Tiger, an airy lifestyle boutique that stocks coveted Canadian designers, heirloom tomato candles and a neat little stack of zines and poetry. And if you cross just east past the “official” border of Brockton Village, Dufferin Street, you’ll stumble upon a whole bunch more: Expo Vintage, Black Diamond Vintage, Tell Them It’s Vintage and, a little further down the road, VSP Consignment, 96 Tears, PIC Vintage and Bella Picked It. 

Local shopping goes international

Visit Issues Magazine Shop and learn all at once that print maybe, definitely, isn’t dead. This simple boutique lets the pages do the talking: independent magazines from around the world line all the shelves and tables, including some you’ve heard of (Interview, the Paris Review, Wonderland) and many you haven’t — like Toronto-based, eye-catching food mag Serviette.

Japan has been producing some of the coolest fashion brands and designs for decades now — but getting your hands on these pieces from Toronto can be a time-consuming and expensive feat. When Blue Button Shop opened in Brockton Village, it made the hunt for stylish designs from across the globe effortless. They import brands that are often exclusive to the Japanese market — meaning stopping into this shop will likely introduce you to designers you’ve never heard of before. 

Great food with great vibes

A sure sign of an area on the rise? Comebacks and revivals. Last year, a familiar Brockton face made a return: Wallflower, the cosy bar and bistro that shut its doors around the start of the pandemic. Brought back by the same owner with the same casual vibe, stop in here after a day of shopping for a comfort dish (and maybe a slice of Barbara’s famous cheesecake). And the candlelit patio will definitely make you want to stay awhile!

New this year to the neighbourhood is Pinot Grouchio’s — and, as the name suggests, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. With a handwritten, always rotating menu of pours, the selection of small-batch wines here is all priced by the ounce. So kick up your feet at this laid-back bar and opt for sample sips or a very full glass, or the signature baby ‘tini if a cocktail is more your style.

For our neighbourhood guide to Kingston Road Village, click here.