During yesterday’s Portugal Parade we stopped in to Eagle’s Nest Espresso and Ice Cream Bar for a taste and a talk with the owner, Claudio. Claudio has been in the neighborhood for a long time: he grew up nearby and ran the home decor shop previously in the location.
Eagle’s Nest is on the south side at 1199 Dundas Street W, just next door to The Garrison, and serves coffee and espresso drinks, pastries, and ice cream. As it was the morning, we had some coffee and pain au chocolat. The pastries come from Circles and Squares, which supplies a lot of the fine coffee shops in Toronto with tasty treats, and they were tasty!
There were at least 12 flavors of ice cream available for scooping into sugar or wafer cones, including Caribou Tracks, Heavenly Hash and Espresso Robusto. It’s the perfect time of year for ice cream, and not a lot of places to get it nearby. Stop in and say hello to friendly owner, Claudio, and try some for yourself!
In our continuing series on the great patios on Ossington, today we highlight two options for enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon, while watching the Ossington crowd roll by (which, on a Sunday, may include a few walks of shame from the Saturday night festivities) – the Lakeview Restaurant and The Crooked Star.
The Lakeview Restaurant has one of the prime outdoor spots, and includes a great menu for brunch, and recovery from the prior night’s activities. Boasting cheap Caesars and Mimosas, it’ll help you revive the hangover while you sit out in the sun on Dundas listening to the rumble of streetcars and watching locals walking over to Trinity Bellwoods. The outdoor area of the Lakeview only fits around 16 people, so can get pretty busy on nice afternoons. The patio is, in fact, open every day for lunch.
If you’re not looking for food, and just craving the hair of the dog while sitting outside enjoying the company of locals, another option is the Crooked Star. This friendly neighbourhood bar is not known for its food, but for a wide selection of beverages including a cask draft beer and other locally made brews. The plastic chairs are somewhat awkwardly placed and it can be hard to navigate down the fenced off area, however it makes for many opportunities to get to know your neighbours at the close-by tables.
We were saddened to see the departure of Ministry of the Interior this week. The great shop with some of the funkiest and most unique home products in the city is now locked tight. We featured some of their products in giftguides over the last couple years, and they brought some unique design to the neighbourhood. We do still have OneTwenty Modern on the northeast corner of Argyle and Ossington bringing us great design products, and on top of that they have a sale going on with 40% off stock items and 15% off new items.
However we are also excited to see that a new Espresso and Ice Cream Bar called Eagles Nest will be moving in along Dundas in a space previously held by an import kitchen housewares shop right close to The Garrison. Our research suggests that it’s the same owner as the kitchen shop, but they have decided to go in a different direction.
We will keep an eye on both spaces and let you know how they evolve.
Other Rumours and Notes:
There is discussion about a small brewery looking to locate in one of the local Ossington spaces. Nothing is set yet, as it’s early stages.
Gallery 129 Ossington is closed for the summer for renovation. Looking to be open again in the fall.
City Store Grocery on Dundas closed their doors and the space is now for lease.
We also know that Union wants to open their patio and is still waiting for the city’s approval. Would be nice to share that prime rib for two al fresco, non?
In the meantime, we have news about another patio on Ossington that is going to expand.
Those who follow us on Twitter likely already know the news that BQM is planning to renovate their front patio and add a back patio on Rolyat Street. This southern facing patio gets a lot of sun and is busy for lunch, dinner and drinks, so customers will likely approve the expansion.
Don’t forget, we began a patio guide earlier this spring, put it on hold after weeks of rain, but we’ll be back with more very soon!
It’s finally springtime, and it’s time to sit outside. Ossington has a number of great outdoor venues both in the back and out front. This Saturday a couple of them were in full use. Here’s the first part of our Ossington patio guide outlining some of the great places to sit outside on Ossington.
I-Deal Coffee – has a nice outdoor space, if a little unkempt at times. Only last year did they fence it in and clean it up a bit, as it was getting used in the years prior. Don’t expect service out there, as you’ll have to get your coffee inside, but it’s one of the best spots on Ossington to catch some rays, being on the north side of Foxley.
BQM – This burger joint on Roylat and Ossington also has a south-facing patio and this Saturday, early in April, people were out having drinks and burgers. At BQM, you will get full service, and it’s also licensed. The wooden benches aren’t always the most comfortable at BQM, but there are umbrellas to keep parts of the patio in the shade.
More than Pasta is planning another open house in one week! Next Sunday, April 10, you are invited to stop by 121 Ossington to try some of their fresh made pasta, pesto, and now sauces, balsamic vinegars, olive oils and more! The Open House runs from 12-3PM.
For those of you who haven’t read the articles, More Than Pasta has low-carb, healthy pasta. You don’t need to wait until next Sunday to go buy some goods, either. More Than Pasta has been open for business for about a month already.
Congratulations to the three employees from Ossington bakery Ontario Bread Co. who won Lotto Max! Three men who have worked in that bakery for years are now splitting $50 million!!
For those of you walking down Ossington from Dundas smelling baking bread, that’s coming from Ontario Bread Co, which is in the alley behind and north of the Home Hardware.
We have a lot of bakeries in the neighborhood, but this one is the bakery itself, with no retail space, unlike Nova Era, Venezia and others.
If you are looking for some fresh pasta to cook at home, or some pre-made meals you just need to heat up, stop by 121 Ossington Avenue where More Than Pasta is now open.
We posted recently about our visit during their open house, where we tried some linguini with pesto sauce. They have also received some other local press. Now, More Than Pasta is open for business. Stop by Tuesday-Sunday, between 11am-6pm, and on top of all the other products we’ve mentioned, you can try their weekly chef special, a pre-cooked meal like meat or veggie cannelloni.
So welcome Gabriella, the owner, and Rod, the chef, to Ossington.
Next Sunday we will all have a chance to try some of the food soon to be on offer at More Than Pasta. Gabriella from Hollywood Foods informs us she is having an Open House next Sunday, February 20. More Than Pasta, which should be open soon at 121 Ossington, will be offering free samples of their product, answering your questions, and introducing themselves between 1PM and 4PM on February 20.
We have been waiting a few months to try some of their pasta and prepared meals. We’ll see you there on the 20th!
If you’re looking to find Dinner on Ossington on Christmas Day you’re going to be pretty much out of luck. There are a couple places to get food on Christmas day including the Pho place Tien Thanh and Lakeview Restaurant, and you’ll be able to stop by Sweaty Betty’s and Opera Bob’s for drinks.
We’ve collected the hours from many of the local restaurants, cafes and bars for the Christmas weekend so you don’t end up heading out to a closed restaurant or bar.
During yesterday’s Portugal Parade we stopped in to Eagle’s Nest Espresso and Ice Cream Bar for a taste and a talk with the owner, Claudio. Claudio has been in the neighborhood for a long time: he grew up nearby and ran the home decor shop previously in the location.
