Toronto/Downtown East

Here are some of the neighbourhoods in Downtown East:

• Church-Wellesley Village is affectionately known as the "Gay Village" and is one of Toronto's biggest tourist attractions. There are a number of restaurants and pubs in the area centred at its namesake intersection.
• Cabbagetown gets its name from the large cabbages said to be planted in front lawns by Irish immigrants in the 19th century. It was once one of Toronto's poorest neighbourhoods, but is now a distinctive neighbourhood populated with elegantly renovated Victorian homes. The commercial heart of Cabbagetown is at Parliament and Carlton Streets with stores and restaurants catering to the local residents.
• Old Town Toronto is an area with many preserved Victorian-era commercial buildings. The area is roughly south of Queen Street East between Yonge Street and Parliament Street. The St Lawrence Market neighbourhood is south of King Street and is essentially the southern portion of Old Town Toronto. Included in this area are St Lawrence Hall and St Lawtrence Market.
• Corktown and the West Don Lands are neighbourhoods south of Queen Street East between Parliament Street and the Don River. This area includes the Distillery District, a complex of preserved Victorian-era industrial buildings.

By public transit

Subway line 1 along Yonge St provides access to the western side of the district; stations of note are:

• Wellesley - One block east is the Church-Wellesley Village.
• King - One block east is the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood.
• Union - Two and half blocks east along Front St will bring you to the St Lawrence Market.

Streetcar 504 King has two branches which overlap along King Street. Branch 504A runs from downtown to the Distillery District while branch 504B continues to Broadview Station on subway line 2 (Bloor-Danforth). Both branches connect with the U-shaped subway line 1 at St. Andrew and King stations.
Streetcar 506 Carlton runs through Cabbagetown from College Station on subway line 1 at Yonge St.
Bus 65 Parliament serves Parliament Street through Cabbagetown to Castle Frank Station on subway line 2 (Bloor-Danforth).
Bus 121 Fort York-Esplanade runs from Exhibition Place via Front Street and Union Station on subway line 1 (King St at Yonge St) and continues past St Lawrence Market to the east entrance of the Distillery District on Cherry Street at Mill Street.
Both streetcar 504B and bus 65 come within 2 blocks of the Distillery District, but streetcar 504A and bus 121 will deliver you right to its east entrance. There is more frequent service on route 504 than on routes 65 or 121.

By car

The main streets are Carlton and Parliament.

Sites of interest are mostly clustered north of Gerrard Street or south of Queen Street.

North of Gerrard Street

• Allan Gardens

  address: 19 Horticultural Ave
  Allan Gardens is a conservatory containing six greenhouses on large landscaped grounds. Admission is free and the greenhouses are open to the public year-round. The greenhouses contain plants native to many different countries and from different climactic regions of the world. Countries represented include Australia, Brazil, China, Mexico, and many others. On any given day one is likely to come across frolicking squirrels or birds that have found their way in through the doors. The ponds are home to turtles and fish and, if you look up, you just might see a snoozing raccoon. Allan Gardens is wheelchair accessible.

• Cabbagetown residential areaThe best area to see a concentration of Victorian residences is east of Parliament Street and 1 block north of Gerrard Street. The Cabbagetown Preservation Association describes the area as "one of the largest areas of continuous, preserved Victorian housing in North America." Many of the residences have a heritage building plaque by the front door.

• Winchester StreetWinchester Street is the main route from Parliament Street to Riverdale Farm, and is lined with Victorian houses with attractive front gardens. The street's landmark is the former St Enoch's Presbyterian Church built 1891 in Romanesque Revival style. Since 1979, the former church has housed the School of Toronto Dance Theatre.

• Millington Street/Sackville PlaceMillington Street and Sackville Place are two names for the same street which is a laneway lined with an eclectic mix of old and new small houses.

• Salisbury AveThis narrow street (virtually a lane at its western end) is lined with Victorian residences circa 1887.

• Laurier AveA short, narrow street lined with 3-storey Victorian townhouses (circa 1888) each having a second-floor balcony over each entrance.

• Wellesley CottagesWellesley Cottages is the name of a street and three cottage-style buildings built in 1886-1887 by William Hooker from the plans that won him an architectural award in 1851 at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London. The cottages in the middle are row houses for labourers while the two cottages at each end were for supervisors. Wellesley Cottages is a private street not owned by the City of Toronto but by its residents who are responsible for its maintenance such as for sewers and snow removal.

• Alpha AvenueA short, narrow street lined on each side with a row of two-storey Victorian townhouses circa 1887.

• Wellesley AvenueWellesley Avenue (not to be confused with Wellesley Street) is a short, narrow street lined on both sides with semi-detached Victorian houses (circa 1888). There is a quaint decoration at the end of the street.

• Dermott PlaceThis narrow street, only one lane wide, has a variety of small residences in different styles on both sides of the street, some with narrow front gardens.

Canadian Sculpture Centre

phone: +1 647-435-5858

address: 500 Church St

A small collection of sculptures to promote local artists. The collection changes every several weeks which might result in additional closed days. (Two founders of the Sculptors Society of Canada were Frances Loring and Florence Wyle who have a small park, Loring-Wyle Parkette, named in their honour.)

Chapel of St. James-the-Less

address: 635 Parliament St

Chapel of St. James-the-Less, erected in 1860 and opened in 1861, sits atop a knoll at the highest point in the St. James Cemetery. This small funeral chapel is an example of Victorian Gothic design with stone walls, enveloping roofs, and a soaring spire. It is a designated National Historic Site of Canada.

Equilibrium Mural

address: 111 Carlton St

In summer 2018, artist Okuda San Miguel erected a very colourful, 23-storey mural on the east side of the Parkside Student Residences building. The mural has an LGBT theme.

Gallery Arcturus

phone: +1 416-977-1077

address: 80 Gerrard St E

This small contemporary art gallery has changing displays in five rooms. The gallery is located in a heritage building built in 1858 for a local barrister.

Riverdale Farm

address: 201 Winchester St

Riverdale Farm is a turn-of-the-20th-century Ontario farm and the site of Toronto's first zoo. Attractions include demonstrations of milking, cream separating, butter-making, egg collecting, sheep sheering, wool spinning and dying, amongst others. There is no parking on the grounds, but street parking is available near by.

Toronto Necropolis

address: 200 Winchester St

This cemetery is the resting place of many prominent Torontonians, and has a chapel at its entrance built in 1872 in Gothic Revival style.

South of Queen Street

• Berczy Park

  address: 35 Wellington St E
  This small park contains a large fountain with a humorous theme; there are statues of dogs perched on 2 levels of the fountain all staring upwards towards a large bone perched at the fountain's peak. A few interesting buildings are easily viewed from the park: A large trompe l'oeil mural on the rear of the Flat-Iron Building, and three beautifully preserved Victorian-era buldings built in 1872 across the street on the south side of the park.

• Cathedral Church of St. James

  phone: +1 416 364-7865
  address: 65 Church Street
  This impressive, gothic revival cathedral was built in 1844. It has an extremely pleasant garden that allows for relaxing people watching on King St.

• Corktown Common

  address: 155 Bayview Ave
  Situated on former industrial lands, the park features a lush landscape with a marsh, sprawling lawns, urban prairies, playground areas, a splash pad and other features like a fireplace, permanent barbeque, large communal picnic tables and washrooms. The park has a hill giving views of the surrounding area. Railfans can get a view of the GO Transit Don Yard for storing commuter trains between the AM and PM rush hours.

• Distillery District

  phone: +1 416-364-1177
  address: 55 Mill St
  The Distillery District is a historic and entertainment precinct. It contains numerous cafés, restaurants and shops, as well as art galleries and a theatre, all housed within heritage buildings of the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery. The 13 acres (5.3 ha) district comprises more than forty heritage buildings and ten streets, and is the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America. The district was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1988. Walking tours are available from the Distillery Visitor Centre.

• First Toronto Post Office

  phone: +1 416-865-1833
  address: 260 Adelaide St E
  Toronto's First Post Office (or Fourth York Post Office) is an 1834 post office that is today a historical museum with a few postal and local history exhibits. It is the oldest purpose-built and the only surviving example of a post office that functioned as a department of the British Royal Mail. The style of the building is late Georgian architecture. Visitors can prepare an old-fashioned folded-sheet letter using a quill pen and sealing wax for a small additional fee. The museum also contains a modern post office outlet.

• Bank of Upper Canada Building

  address: 252 Adelaide St E
  This building was built in 1827 for the Bank of Upper Canada, a bank that failed in 1866. It is a National Historic Site and one of the few buildings in Toronto that predates the city itself, known as the Town of York until 1834. The building is used today for commercial office space.

• De La Salle Institute

  address: 258 Adelaide St E
  De La Salle Institute built a Catholic school here in 1871. The institute took over the First Toronto Post Office building in 1874 and the Bank of Upper Canada Building about 20 years later. The institute left all three buildings in 1916.

Gooderham Building

address: 49 Wellington St E

The Gooderham Building, generally known as the Flatiron Building, is a five-storey, wedge-shaped building at the intersection of Front, Church and Wellington Streets. It was built in 1892 and was the first flatiron building in a major city. Until 1952 the building housed the offices of Gooderham & Worts Distillers, whose distilling buildings now make up the Distillery District several blocks to the east. Also, take a look at the trompe-l'œil mural on the rear of the building from the adjacent Berczy Park.

Kim's Convenience

address: 252 Queen St E

For fans of the CBC TV comedy Kim's Convenience. With a switch of name on the exterior signs, Mimi Variety Store became Kim's Convenience to appear in the like-named sitcom. Mimi's/Kim's is still a functioning variety/convenience store.

Old Toronto Street Post Office

address: 10 Toronto Street

This Greek Revival building was the Toronto Street Post Office (1851–1872) and a Bank of Canada branch (1872-1959). It was later owned by Argus Corporation which came under the control of Conrad Black. It was here that Conrad Black got in trouble with the U.S. justice system by removing boxes of documents from this office. The building is a designated National Historic Site of Canada.

St. Lawrence Hall

phone: +1 416-392-7809

address: 157 King St E

This ornate, Renaissance Revival building was built in 1850 to be Toronto's main meeting space and was a major centre for political speeches and concerts. It is now used for a diverse range of uses, from weddings to art shows.

• St. Lawrence Market

  phone: +1 416 392-7120
  address: 92 - 95 Front St E
  A city market has been on the southwest corner of Front St East and Jarvis St for over 200 years. The current incarnation of the Market Building contains over 200 permanent food-related vendors on two floors, including butchers, fishmongers and numerous specialty and takeout businesses. The Market Building is open daily Tuesday to Saturday. Another market, in a temporary location south of the Market Building, opens only on Saturdays for a farmers' market, when farmers from surrounding townships sell their wares, and on Sundays for an antique market.

• Toronto Sculpture Garden

  phone: +1 416-515-9658
  address: 115 King St E
  Toronto Sculpture Garden has a changing exhibit of sculptures. The small park is nestled between two buildings and has a waterfall fountain along its east wall.

• Underpass Park

  address: Lower River St at Trolley Cres
  Underpass Park is located under bridges for an expressway ramp, a location one would normally associate with ugliness. However, artists have created a colourful mural gallery at the east end of the park (at Lower River St) painting bright murals on all the pillars and crossbeams supporting the bridges. There are also a few similar murals nearby where the same expressway ramps cross King St E at Virgin Pl.

Church-Wellesley Village

• "The 519"

  phone: +1 416 392-6874
  address: 519 Church Street
  City-funded LGBTQ community centre hosts various community, athletic and cultural groups.

• Elm Spa

  address: 557 Church St
  An urban boutique spa that is natural, modern, and environmentally responsible. Elm spa treatments are designed to de-stress, relax, and revitalize your soul.

• Spa Excess

  phone: +1 416 260-2363
  address: 105 Carlton St
  A men's bathhouse open 24/7/365. Clean, well kept w/ friendly staff. Wide demographic - probably the best of 6 or 7 baths in Toronto. Open daily 24 hours. A short distance outside of Church-Wellesley Village but still in the spirit of the village.

Stage theatres and concert venues

• Alumnae Theatre Company

  address: 70 Berkeley Street
  Variety of dramatic productions staged by a long-running women-led company in a converted firehall (Berkeley Fire Hall Number 4, built in 1905).

• Berkeley Street Theatre

  address: 26 Berkeley Street
  Performing arts theater: stage plays.

• Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

  address: 12 Alexander St
  Venue for bold gay & lesbian theatrical expression.

• The School of Toronto Dance Theatre

  phone: +1 416-967-6887
  address: 80 Winchester St
  Venue at a contemporary dance school offering classic & new choreographed dance shows. Since 1979, the theatre has been housed in the former St Enoch's Presbyterian Church built 1891 in Romanesque Revival style.

• St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts

  address: 27 Front St E
  Performing arts venue with 2 small theatres for theatre, art & musical performances in many genres.

• Meridian Hall

  address: 1 Front St E
  Large venue with elegant decor hosting concerts, theatre performances & cultural events.

Events

• Cabbagetown Festival

  address: Parliament Street, Cabbagetown
  This is a local street festival with a number of activities. On the chosen festival week-end, Parliament Street is closed off to traffic between Gerrard Street and Wellesley Street.

• Pride TorontoPride Toronto is the annual LGBT festival which includes the very popular Pride Parade which draws crowds of straight people to discover how LGBT people have fun. During the last weekend, Church Street is closed off in Church-Wellesley Village for festivities.

• Toronto Christmas Market

  address: Distillery District
  Many vendor stands are set up in the Distillery district with a Christmas theme offering food and merchandise. Buy tickets online to avoid the line-up on Sa and Su.

Church-Wellesley Village

• Glad Day Bookshop

  phone: +1 416-961-4161
  address: 499 Church St
  Lesbian, gay, bi and trans bookstore, cafe and wine bar.

South of Queen Street

• Ontario Spring Water Sake Company

  phone: +1 416-365-7253
  address: 51 Gristmill Lane
  An example of Toronto's multicultural nature, this is a craft sake brewery in the middle of the Distillery District. The on-site store sells many different varieties of sake, ceramic and glass serving ware, a few foods, and the usual assortment of promotional clothing. Tours of the brewery are available on the weekends - these are limited to people age 19 or older because of provincial liquor laws.

Church-Wellesley Village

On Church Street between Isabella to the north and Carlton to the south you will find more restaurants than just about anywhere in the city in a comparable distance (comparable to Greektown). The restaurants often suffer in Toronto's tourist districts, this is no exception. If you have to eat here, the take-out often beats sit-down, and you get to walk. There are several good "sub" joints north of Wellesley on Church. The key here is that you are eating as part of a larger plan to be out with friends for drinks, socializing, dancing and having a wild time.

• Byzantium

  address: 499 Church St
  The "see and be seen" attitude restaurant and bar. Overpriced and not what it once was, but still the destination for that first date, a smart little cocktail or introducing the straight family to the village.

• Cafe California

  address: 538 Church St
  Been there longer than anyone else. Extremely popular. Dependable if unexciting menu. Great staff.

• Churchmouse & Firkin

  address: 475 Church St
  English pub grub. Small summer patio.

• Crepe It Up

  address: 507 Church St
  Sweet & savory crêpes, coffee, pastries. Suggestion: Montreal or Hawaiian crepes.

• Ginger

  address: 546 Church St
  Asian fast food. Tasty but high calorie.

• Hair of the Dog Neighbourhood Pub & Restaurant

  address: 425 Church St
  Overpriced pub grub, but they have very good nachos.

Elsewhere

• Snap Coffee

  phone: +1 416-923-3469
  address: 86 Gerrard Street East
  Espresso and espresso based drinks.

• Buster's Sea Cove

  phone: +1 416 369-9048
  address: St. Lawrence Market
  Good selection of seafood dishes

• Chew Chew's Diner

  phone: +1 416-924-7583
  address: 186 Carlton St, Cabbagetown
  Typical diner fare including breakfast meals. There is a breakfast special for those dining before 11AM. The restaurant has a railfan atmosphere including a large, colourful train mural on the exterior wall.

• Cranberries Restaurant

  address: 601 Parliament St
  Serves good, reasonably priced meals, heavy on the comfort food. They also have great nightly specials.

• George's Deli & BBQ

  phone: +1 416-964-6393
  address: 254 Dundas Street E
  Whole barbecued chicken and fries with gravy. No seating. No whacking people ahead in line.

• Khao Hakka Refresh

  phone: +1 416-504-5426
  address: 251 King Street East
  Hakka cuisine is Chinese food with Indian spices.

• Nami Japanese Restaurant

  phone: +1 416-362-7373
  address: 55 Adelaide St E
  Sushi bar, robata grill & tabletop hot pots. (Robata is a method of cooking, similar to barbecue, in which items of food on skewers are slow-grilled over hot charcoal.) Kimono-clad servers add to the traditional atmosphere of the restaurant.

• Peartree Restaurant

  phone: +1 416-962-8190
  address: 507 Parliament St, Cabbagetown
  Restaurant with a fireplace & patio, serving French, Italian, Canadian & Cajun dishes, plus brunch.

• Red Rocket Coffee

  address: 154 Wellesley St E at Homewood Ave
  Finding a branch of this eclectic space-themed cafe is not hard; look for the red circle with the white rocket inside. Licensed by LLBO, serving wines from Niagara Region, beer from the Mill Street Brewery, and Waupoos cider from Prince Edward County.

• Rooster Coffee House

  phone: +1 416-995-1530
  address: 568 Jarvis St
  Three-location chain serving espresso-based coffee. NOW Magazine Readers' Choice 2016.

• Rooster Coffee House

  phone: +1 416-995-1530
  address: 343 King St E
  Three-location chain serving espresso-based coffee. NOW Magazine Readers' Choice 2016.

• SOMA Chocolatemaker

  phone: +1 416-815-7662
  address: 32 Tank House Lane
  Artisan chocolate factory with viewing area crafting treats from bars to spicy cocoa. Try the spicy Maya hot chocolate.

• Tim Hortons

  phone: +1 416-972-0003
  address: 537 Parliament St
  What distinguishes this Tim Hortons outlet from hundreds of others is its setting in the former Winchester Hotel, built in the Second Empire style in 1888. The coffee shop, located in the former hotel lobby area, has bare brick walls adorned with large historic photos.

Church-Wellesley Village

• Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

  address: 12 Alexander St
  A theatre by day, club by night.

• Crews & Tango

  address: 508 Church Street
  The quintessential gay bar/club in the gay village. 2 floors, 3 rooms, and weekly drag shows makes for a great night to town.

• Woody's

  address: 467 Church Street
  The biggest bar in the city. Very friendly. Hosting nightly DJs & men's competitions on weekends, this lively, cavernous gay club boasts 5 bars.

Elsewhere

• C'est What?

  address: 67 Front St East
  A homey subterranean bar that has been open for over 25 years offering Toronto's largest selection of exclusively Canadian microbrews, a varied menu, and a live music stage that has showcased many of Canada's independent musicians before they became famous.

• Mill St. Brew Pub

  phone: +1 416-681-0338
  address: 21 Tank House Lane
  Spacious brewpub with several beers that are only available on-site plus bar food.

• The Wine Bar

  phone: +1 416 362-1957
  address: 9 Church St
  A wine bar with tapas-style menu, casual atmosphere, open kitchen. A good place to dine alone if you sit at the bar.

• HI-Toronto Youth Hostel

  phone: +1 416 971-4440
  address: 76 Church St
  A HI hostel within walking distance of Yonge and Dundas Square as well as Union Station. Clean and well-kept, with friendly, helpful staff, but small rooms. Free Wi-Fi included.

• Holiday Inn Express

  phone: +1 416 367-5555
  address: 111 Lombard St
  Cable TV, free Wifi, coffee and free breakfast, basic but ticks all the boxes. Book 2 weeks in advanced to get the cheaper rate.

• Isabella Hotel

  address: 556 Sherbourne St
  Isabella Hotel and Suites, a historic landmark, offers boutique lodging accommodations in the centre of St James Town near the subway and local tourist attractions.

• Ramada Plaza Toronto

  phone: +1 416 977-4823
  address: 300 Jarvis St
  Restaurant, business center, meeting & banquet rooms, indoor heated swimming pool, hot tub, complimentary WiFi, underground parking available, central location.

• Town Inn Suites

  phone: +1 416 964-3311
  address: 620 Church St
  Five minutes' walk from Bloor-Yonge subway. One-bedroom suites with bathroom and kitchenette; swimming pool. Showing its age, and furniture and fittings of variable quality (in particular, extractor fans generally defective), but redeemed by a friendly front desk and efficient service engineers. For a decent view you need to go to the very top. Recommended for stays of a month or more.

• Tokyo Love Hotel

  address: 29 Wellesley St E
  Japanese-style love hotel with fantasy rooms. Check in online for discretion. Accommodations include a variety of themed rooms, decked out with mirrored walls, a private bathroom, an HD TV, and "sweet treats and adult goodies."

• Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre

  address: 30 Carlton Street
  Less than a block from College subway station, this high-rise hotel is also a 9-minute walk from shopping at the Eaton Centre.

Cabbagetown

• Shoppers Drug Mart

  phone: +1 416-925-4121
  address: 467 Parliament St
  Post office outlet within the store.

• Parliament Street Library

  phone: +1 416-393-7663
  address: 269 Gerrard St E
  Wi-fi, computers with internet access.

Old Town

• Shoppers Drug Mart

  phone: +1 416-203-3700
  address: 18 Lower Jarvis St
  Post office outlet within the store.

• St. Lawrence Library

  phone: +1 416-393-7655
  address: 171 Front St E
  Wi-fi, computers with internet access.