Two-block strip between Queen and Dundas that pivoted from Portuguese to chef-driven small plates. Bar Libretto, Bang Bang Ice Cream at 93A Ossington, La Cubana, Pinkerton's Snack Bar, Communist's Daughter dive bar.
Mamakas Taverna on Ossington is owner Thanos Tripi's 85-seat Aegean kitchen since 2015, traditional Greek taverna cooking from scratch each day.
Signature: Whole grilled fish, Saganaki
Order: The whole grilled fish, dressed Aegean style with lemon and olive oil.
Tip: Sister Bar Mordecai sits next door for a pre-dinner drink. Weekend lunch runs into early dinner without a break.
Salt Wine Bar at the north end of Ossington is chef Dave Kemp's Iberian-Canadian tapas room since 2009, Portuguese and Spanish wines by the glass.
Signature: Iberian tapas, Portuguese wine flight
Order: A round of tapas at the bar with a Portuguese white from the cellar.
Tip: Closed Mondays. The wine list runs deeper Portuguese than Spanish; ask for the natural-wine section.
Mamakas Taverna on Ossington is owner Thanos Tripi's 85-seat Aegean kitchen since 2015, traditional Greek taverna cooking from scratch each morning.
Signature: Whole grilled fish, Saganaki
Order: The whole grilled fish, dressed Aegean style with lemon and olive oil.
Tip: Sister Bar Mordecai sits at 1272 Dundas West for a pre-dinner drink. Weekend lunch runs into early dinner without a break.
Salt Wine Bar at the north end of Ossington is chef Dave Kemp's Iberian-Canadian tapas room since 2009 with a Portuguese-leaning natural wine list.
Signature: Iberian tapas, Portuguese wine flight
Order: A round of tapas at the bar with a Portuguese white from the cellar.
Tip: Closed Mondays. The wine list runs deeper Portuguese than Spanish; ask for the natural-wine section.
Sam James on Ossington is the strip's reference takeaway counter, a small room with a Slayer espresso machine and rotating Sam James single-origin beans.
Signature drink: Pour-over filter
Order: The pour-over filter or a Mexican cinnamon flat white.
Tip: Sister Harbord location is the original. Walk-up only; cash and card both work.
Caldense Bakery on Dundas West has run Portuguese pastries since 1968, the pastel de nata baked through the day plus full savoury counter with rissois.
Order: A pastel de nata at the counter, plus a galao for the walk home.
Tip: Take a number from the dispenser at the counter. Multiple Caldense locations across the GTA including Symington, Eglinton and Royal York.
Worth the queue: Pastel de nata
Salt Wine Bar at the north end of Ossington is chef Dave Kemp's Iberian wine room since 2009, the cellar deeper Portuguese than Spanish, seasonal tapas.
Signature pour: Portuguese Vinho Verde by the glass
Wine focus: Portuguese and Spanish, natural list
Food: Iberian tapas
Order: A glass of Vinho Verde plus the gambas a la plancha.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Ask the bar staff for the natural-wine bottle list, kept off the main book.
Pinkerton's Snack Bar on Gerrard East is the city's reference snack-and-cocktail dive since 2017, owner Marc Baglio's pan-Asian plates and drinks.
Signature drink: House cocktail rotation
Food: Pan-Asian snack bar
Order: A house cocktail with the bao buns and crispy rice.
Tip: Walk-ins only. Closed Monday. Late nights to 02:00 Friday and Saturday.
The Communist's Daughter on Dundas at Ossington is the strip's reference dive bar since 2003, a former Portuguese diner with low ceilings and cheap beer.
Signature drink: Beer and a shot, well drinks
Food: Bar snacks
Order: A pint of local lager with a shot of rye.
Tip: Cash preferred under $10. Late kitchen has frozen pizzas after 22:00.
Miss Thing's on Queen West in Parkdale runs Polynesian tiki cocktails and Pacific Rim plates since 2013, the painted bamboo interior the strip's reference.
Signature drink: Mai Tai, Tiki classics
Food: Pacific Rim small plates
Order: A classic Mai Tai with the salt-and-pepper squid.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Weekend nights take walk-ins after 22:00 only.
Bar Mordecai on Dundas West is a retro Wes-Anderson cocktail room since 2020, World's 50 Best Discovery list with vintage and modern drinks.
Order: The Mordecai Martini, served with house olives.
Tip: No reservations; small room fills early on weekends. Closed Sunday-Tuesday.
Bellwoods Brewery on Ossington has run the city's reference craft brewery since 2012, hazy IPAs and wild ales with a brewpub and bottle shop.
Order: A Jelly King dry-hopped sour on the patio.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Hawthorne taproom at 21 Hafis Road is the production brewery; Ossington is the brewpub and bottle shop.
The Federal on Dundas West is a diner-style brunch counter since 2012, the breakfast sandwich and steak-and-eggs the menu staples in a vinyl-booth room.
Order: The breakfast sandwich on a Forno Cultura bun.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Weekend lineup starts 09:30; cash and card.
Bar Libretto on Ossington reopened February 2026 as the late-night pivot of the original Pizzeria Libretto site, small bites, pasta, dessert and Neapolitan.
Try: Pizza, pasta, small bites
Order: A Margherita pizza and a Negroni at the marble bar.
Tip: Closed Sunday through Tuesday. Walk-ins only at the bar; tables on Resy.
Get Well on Dundas West is the arcade-and-listening bar since 2015, vintage pinball machines and a vinyl-only DJ booth, the room runs craft beer and bar snacks.
Order: A pint of craft beer and a quarter for the Williams Defender pinball table.
Tip: Cash and card. No reservations; weekends fill from 21:00.
The Communist's Daughter on Dundas at Ossington is the strip's reference dive bar since 2003, a former Portuguese diner with low ceilings and cheap beer.
Order: A pint of local lager with a shot of rye.
Tip: Cash preferred under $10. Late kitchen has frozen pizzas after 22:00.