DuWest Village Is Toronto’s Best Kept Secret

Duwest Village is one of Toronto’s best kept secrets. It is situated on Dundas Street – west of the CNR/CP tracks intersecting at Dufferin, Brock and west of Gladstone.  It is one of Toronto’s older neighborhoods with housed working class families who helped build Toronto.

Dundas Street West in the Toronto Village of Brockton is becoming an increasingly popular neighbourhood. It can be described as how Queen Street West was (10-years ago).  It still maintains the look of Old Toronto with most of its architecture still in place. Unlike other established Toronto districts, it has little or no infiltration of StarBucks or Tim Horton’s franchises.

Duwest Graffiti
Duwest Graffiti (photo by Bruce Christie 2015)
DuWest Graffiti
DuWest Graffiti (photo by Bruce Christie 2015)

The area still maintains its Portuguese roots and has many family run businesses. Artists are predominant and tasteful Street Art is now rivalling the Queen and Bathurst area. A newly painted alley is just next to the Lula Lounge on the south side of Dundas near Sheridan. Here is an example of work by 3 of my favourite street artists Bruno Smoky, Shalak Attack and Gilda Monreal (aka Fiya Bruxa). They are amazing artists and are beautifying Toronto and other cities around the world. Here’s an example of their work near the Lula Lounge on Dundas West near Sheridan.

Lula Lounge DuWest
Lula Lounge (photo by Bruce Christie 2015)

If you get hungry, there is no shortage of eateries and bakeries run by families who make home cooked meals. One of my favourite bakeries is Padaria Brasil. It’s a family run bakery and is situated at 1566 Dundas Street West. They have a wide variety of freshly baked pastries and breads – both sweet and savoury. I recently had the cod sandwich on a freshly baked bun for just around $5! The custard tarts are also fantastic. If you want something more formal, yet casual. try The Federal situated at 1438 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1Y6.

Rose Will Studio
Rose Will Studio (photo by Bruce Christie 2015)

Another place to check out is Rose Will Studio located at 1630 Dundas Street West. It opened up just 3 years ago and is run by a fantastic artist (and person) Tenille. She specializes in colourful oil paintings and some of her work has appeared on labels of Hillebrand Wines. The studio is run as a co-op and has regular events and classes. Fine art is also available for sale at great prices. I have recently joined the co-op and will be showcasing my photography there as well.

DuWest TTC Streetcar
DuWest TTC Streetcar (photo by Bruce Christie 2015)

Make sure you check out DuWest. It has something for everybody!

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