If you’ve never set foot on Geary Avenue, it’s high time you gave it a visit. On a small strip north of Dupont, between Ossington Avenue and Dufferin Street, you’ll find a little strip of eateries that stray from the businesses on Ossington. But it’s not just the lack of passers-by and tourists that make this one of the best strips to visit — Geary Avenue also offers delicious food, outstanding bars and spacious patios, this street has it all!
Check out our top places to eat on Geary Avenue.
Parallel
The relaxed, comfy atmosphere at Parallel is as wide open as it’s garage doors—which, paired with the restaurant’s white walls, high ceilings and large windows make the space well-lit in what should be an otherwise dark industrial area. Openness is this restaurant’s forté apparently, as customers can see right through to the back of the restaurant and into the open kitchen. On the menu, Parallel serves up Mediterranean cuisine with a twist—and Israel’s tahini at the heart. With share plates of falafel and hummus at the forefront of the menu and a lengthy list of wines and beer, this is the kind of space to spend your summer nights with your best group of friends.
Famiglia Baldassarre
Okay, so we may have said one of the perks of dining on Geary is that it’s not as busy as other major restaurant strips, but that’s not the case at Famiglia Baldassare, where, if you show up during their lunch service, there is always a line-up out the door. But that’s because they only serve up their handmade pastas ready to eat for a few hours a day—and the Geary locals know it’s worth the wait. There’s a reason Famiglia pastas are used in Toronto’s finest restaurants. Though there are very few seats to dine inside, that just gives you the opportunity to take your pasta out and begin exploring even more of Geary and all the adorable parkettes nearby.
Blood Brothers Brewing
Geary wouldn’t be the next big restaurant strip if it didn’t have a casual welcoming brewpub, but luckily it has Blood Brothers. The warehouse-style setting is complete with an open bottle shop, tap room, and front patio. There’s always something going on in the tap room with games like darts and cornhole often set up, and the biggest spots games broadcasted on the TV. Small bites are on the menu to pair with Blood Brother’s vast selection of some of Toronto’s favourite craft beers.
Paradise Grapevine Geary
Why travel all the way to Niagara for a taste of a winery when you can head to Geary? Paradise Grapevine owns two side-by-side units on Geary: one is a dedicated winery and one is a bar and restaurant. A large patio spanning around the side of the building is supplied with relaxed wooden picnic benches, matching the wooden touches in the interior wine barrels in the warehouse. Though you’re probably visiting for the wine rather than the food, some light and fresh fare is on the menu to keep you steady as you move on to glass two and three. Paradise Grapevine has actually just added some new menu items in time for summer, including a crab dip and melon salad.
Big Trouble Pizza
Between Big Trouble Pizza and North of Brooklyn Pizza just down the street, there’s no limit to the amount of comfort food to be found on Geary Avenue. Big Trouble Pizza serves up pies and smash burgers that are oh-so-cheesy, greasy and delicious. Like Geary Avenue, Big Trouble Pizza is one-of-a-kind pizzas like the fan favourite Butter Jam Jam with raspberry jam, butter cream, and balsamic.
