Parkdale Toronto Restaurants: Momos, Little Tibet and More
Start on Queen Street West with Parkdale's Little Tibet momos, then add a Mexican dinner and a Peruvian table, with the neighbourhood's story on the way.
Queen Street West through Parkdale has a way of sending you home with steam on your glasses. It is a strip where momos, molcajetes and ceviche share a few city blocks, and where the street itself has changed names more than once. Here is where we would start, and what we could confirm.
Why is Parkdale called Little Tibet?
The Canadian Encyclopedia says the neighbourhood of Parkdale is known colloquially as “Little Tibet” and is home to many Tibetans, and that the community’s presence is reflected in the numerous Tibetan-owned restaurants and shops. That is the reason to come hungry and early, and it is why our first stop is a momo stop.
The wider Parkdale story is worth a minute too. The Parkdale Village BIA says it covers Queen Street West from Dufferin Street to Roncesvalles Avenue, and its history page notes that the village was proclaimed a municipality in January 1879, became a town in January 1886 and was annexed by the City of Toronto in March 1889.
Queen Street West looking west to Roncesvalles Avenue, City of Toronto Archives.William James / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Garleek Kitchen is at 1500 Queen Street West. Its own About page says it was officially opened in February 2018 and that its founder wanted to open in Parkdale’s Little Tibet but stand apart by serving favourite dishes from across Asia: Tibet, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Vietnam.
The kitchen says it makes many dishes in-house, including momos, sepen hot sauces, tsampa dishes, thukpa and tingmo. If those words are new, the restaurant’s blog is a friendly primer. It describes thukpa as a hearty noodle soup enjoyed in different forms across the Himalayan region, and it has a post on ema datshi, a traditional Bhutanese chili and cheese dish. The Parkdale Village BIA lists the restaurant in its business directory. When we checked the blog in October 2026, we saw recent posts on it. Check the restaurant’s site for hours and ordering.
What counts as Himalayan food?
Garleek’s FAQ puts it simply: Himalayan cuisine reflects the diverse food traditions of communities living throughout the Himalayan region. Its menu leans on Tibetan, Nepalese and Bhutanese influences, with comforting dishes such as momos, thukpa, tingmo, shaphaley and tsampa. Order one dumpling dish, one soup and one thing you cannot pronounce, and you have a proper first visit. Ask the kitchen what is good that day, and let the table share everything.
Molkagtez’s own site describes sizzling molcajetes, tacos, ceviches and colourful cocktails in the heart of Parkdale, plus DJs, karaoke and weekly events. It gives the Parkdale address as 1263 Queen St W, and the BIA lists it in the same directory. It is our pick for a group that wants a lively table. Check the restaurant’s site for hours and booking.
Next door at 1265 Queen St West, Nuna’s reservation listing describes modern Peruvian cuisine, saying it portrays authentic Peruvian flavours reimagined through modern execution. The BIA directory lists it too. It is a good pairing with its neighbour: lively Mexican on one side, a quieter Peruvian table on the other. Check the restaurant’s site for hours and booking.
The Parkdale Village BIA’s fall 2026 Hidden Patios of Parkdale page names both Molkagtez at 1263 Queen St W and Nuna at 1265 Queen St W among its participating businesses.
What was Parkdale before the restaurants?
A resort, if you can believe it. The BIA’s history page says that because of its closeness to the lake, Sunnyside Beach and the CNE, Parkdale was once a resort spot for Torontonians. The name itself, fixed upon in the 1870s, was meant to convey images of decorative gardens and fertile countryside.
Look for 1313 Queen Street West on your walk. The BIA says an 1888 building at Queen and Cowan housed Parkdale’s first police and fire department, and the building now at 1313 was built in its place in 1931. Today it is home to the BIA office, numerous non-profit organizations and arts workers.
What are the street’s name changes?
Queen Street has had more aliases than a spy. The BIA’s history page says the road has been called Niagara Road, Burlington Road, Lot Street and Lake Shore Road, and that the name Queen Street was first used in 1859. By 1878 Queen Street had emerged as the main thoroughfare of Parkdale.
The side streets have stories as well. The BIA says Colonel Walter O’Hara named two avenues himself in his 1856 subdivision, Roncesvalles and Sorauren, after battle sites in Spain where he fought in 1813 and 1815. Next time you say “Roncy,” you are quoting a battlefield.
The Queen Street subway near Dufferin Street, photographed in 1896.Josiah Bruce / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
How do you plan the evening?
Treat it as a progression. Start with momos or a soup at Garleek, walk Queen West to burn off the afternoon, then head to Molkagtez or Nuna for dinner. The strip is built for wandering, and our 501 Queen streetcar guide is a good way to see the rest of the route. For a wider food day, try our cheap eats list or the best butter tarts in Toronto, and see the Parkdale neighbourhood page for more.
We checked every place here for current activity in October 2026, and we left out other Parkdale favourites we could not confirm. If you know a place we should look at, tell us through our send-a-tip page, and we will check it the same careful way.
Send this to the friend you would bring for momos.
