Where to Eat in Etobicoke, Toronto: Lakeshore to Kipling

Etobicoke eats by the block. Follow Lake Shore Boulevard West and each business improvement area, or BIA, hands you a different main street with restaurants and cafes among its businesses. Then the route swings north to The Queensway and finishes in Islington Village, close to Kipling.

Where are Etobicoke’s food streets?

Start at the lake and head west.

Mimico by the Lake. The BIA runs along Lake Shore Boulevard West between Allen Avenue and Alexander Street and includes retail shops, restaurants and cafes, health and wellness providers, and professional services. It provides annual events such as the Summer Music Series, Pumpkin Parade and Winter Tree Lighting. Our Mimico guide pairs this strip with the waterfront.

Mimico Village. This one is on Royal York Road, from Evans Avenue in the north down to Judson Street at the GO station. It is made up of retail shops, restaurants and food service businesses, and various service providers, and it organizes the annual Tulip Festival every May.

Lakeshore Village. The BIA is located along Lakeshore Boulevard West from Dwight Avenue to Twelfth Street. The City says it is made up of retail stores, restaurants and cafes, bars, health and wellness providers, and a range of other service-providing businesses, more than 150 businesses in total.

Long Branch. The BIA is located along Lake Shore Boulevard West from Twenty Second Street to Long Branch Avenue. It hosts the annual Long Branch Fest, a community event featuring food, live music and children’s activities.

The Queensway. The Shop The Queensway BIA is located along The Queensway from Parklawn Road to just west of Kipling Avenue. It is largely made up of restaurants, cafes and retail stores, as well as a range of personal service providers.

Islington Village. The Village of Islington BIA is generally located along Dundas Street West from Montgomery Road to Kipling Avenue. It is made up of retail stores, health and wellness providers, restaurants, pubs, and a range of professional and personal service businesses. It is also home to the murals in our Islington Village walking guide.

How do you get to Etobicoke’s restaurants without a car?

The City of Toronto’s 2019 cultural loops guide says to take the 501 Queen streetcar westbound and get off at Royal York Road, or take the GO train to Mimico GO station and head south on Royal York Road to Lake Shore Boulevard. Further west, the same guide places the Long Branch Loop, the TTC’s Long Branch streetcar terminus, on Lake Shore Boulevard West.

For the Kipling end, the same guide says to take the Bloor-Danforth subway westbound to Kipling station and continue on the 44 Kipling south bus to Lake Shore Boulevard, or take the 501 Queen streetcar west to Lakeshore at Kipling Avenue. For Islington Village, the City’s Montgomery’s Inn page says to take the Bloor/Danforth subway line to Islington station and either walk north or board the Islington 37 northbound bus.

Metrolinx says its GO Expansion program includes the capacity for trains every 15 minutes or better on the Lakeshore West line. Check the TTC and GO trip planners before you head out, since routes and schedules change.

How do you turn it into a full day out?

Use the food streets as bookends and walk between them. Mimico Waterfront Park provides 1.1 kilometres of shoreline park space between Norris Crescent Parkette and Humber Bay Park West, and the City’s 2019 guide describes the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail as mostly paved and connecting over 140 communities and hundreds of green spaces. That is a lot of room to work up an appetite.

On the Dundas side, the City says the Village of Islington is home to 28 murals depicting the area’s history, and the BIA organizes walking tours of them. A mural walk before dinner is the easiest plan we know.

Which Etobicoke restaurants can we recommend right now?

A short list, on purpose. We only name a restaurant when we have seen recent activity on its own channels and found a separate listing that names it. We will add more as we confirm them.

1

Posticino Ristorante

EtobicokeOfficial site Share

On The Queensway, Posticino Ristorante at 755 The Queensway is listed in the Shop The Queensway BIA directory. The name means “little spot” in Italian, and the restaurant opened its doors in June 1999. Its site says it offers private dining and catering. Our pick for a table with the group.

2

D Spot Dessert Cafe

EtobicokeOfficial site Share

Save room for dessert. D Spot Dessert Cafe lists an Etobicoke location at 1060 The Queensway, and the Shop The Queensway BIA directory lists it too. D Spot says it offers homemade ice cream, cakes, Belgian chocolate and unique savoury food items. We love a dessert-first stop.

3

St. James's Gate Irish Pub

IslingtonOfficial site Share

In Islington Village, St. James’s Gate Irish Pub is at 5140 Dundas Street West and is listed in the Village of Islington BIA directory. It describes itself as offering indoor and patio dining and takeout. Its events page lists entertainment on Friday and Saturday dates through the end of October. Planning a group night? The Arthur Guinness room is a private room with its own wireless network and a grand fireplace. Pair it with a mural walk first, then pull up a chair.

Where does the Etobicoke food route go next?

Our Etobicoke neighbourhood hub keeps the walks, history and food together, and the history of Etobicoke explains how these streets came to be. If you are planning a bigger Toronto eating spree, start with our guide to what to eat in Toronto.

Send this to the friend you would bring on a Lake Shore to Kipling food day.