Where to eat, drink and shop in the Junction
7 months ago
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7 months ago
That the name itself – the Junction – conjures up the Wild West is telling. For most of its 150-year history, this neighbourhood way out in Toronto’s west end has possessed somewhat of an edgy, frontier ethos.
The Junction was born, and named for, the intersection of four railway lines, which spawned the area’s growth and determined its subsequent booms and busts. The initial boom began in the late 1800s, when factories, mills, and meat packing plants sprang up along the tracks, drawing scores of labourers, as well as enterprising bars and brothels. The party was so out-of-control that in 1909 – a year after the independent town of West Toronto Junction joined the city of Toronto – residents petitioned for a total ban on booze – which lasted until 1999!
It wasn’t until the 21st century that the busted Junction, its factories shuttered and stockyards converted into big box stores, began to boom again. With the end of its century-long dry spell, bars and restaurants began popping up, along with cool cafes, craft breweries, art galleries and vintage stores. Lured by eternal western promises, priced-out artists arrived, followed by young families, and, for better or worse, a certain degree of gentrification and hipsterfication.
Today’s Junction still feels west, but not quite so wild. Yet its mixture of old school-Ontario grit and gracious red brick Victoriana, its mash-up of leafy parks, industrial warehouses and train tracks, still give off a bit of a frontier aura. If you travel out to the area north of Annette Street and south of St. Clair West, running east from Runnymede Road to the CP railway before extending east and south to the Junction Triangle, you’ll find establishments that, whether old-school or too-cool-for-school, have a distinctive neighbourhood vibe. A Junction vibe.
Writing for The Toronto Star, proud Junctionite Edward Keenan noted that, of all Toronto’s hoods, only in the Junction can you ride the Junction 40 bus to a party at The Junction City Music Hall where you can sip Junction Craft Brewery beer, express grief that the Junction Farmers’ Market is closed for the winter, and get into a heated debate over the building of the new Junction House condo complex – a story covered by local news blog, The Junctioneer.
As he confessed, “I’m pretty sure I’ve never lived in a neighbourhood where residents spend as much time talking about how much they like living in the neighbourhood. And saying its name while doing so. It’s fun to say. Try it: Junction.”
2853 Dundas Street West
Of the many junctions within the Junction, the main hub is the crossroads of Dundas West and Keele, a landmark graced by the presence of a historic greasy spoon that, following a careful yet minimal renovation, shelters Toronto’s most acclaimed Southern fried “hot” chicken joint (in 2022, it scored a coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand rating).
After being blown (or rather blasted) away by some scorchingly good chicken he wolfed down in the outskirts of Nashville, Chica’s chef and co-owner Matt Pelachaty was fired up to bring the delicacy north of the 49th parallel. His meticulously tweaked version makes use of locally farmed Ontario chickens, dry brined for 48 hours in a secret spice mix, then fried to a gorgeous crisp according to your desired heat level; mild, medium, or Hot AF (the “AF” rating comes courtesy of ghost and Carolina Reaper peppers).
Those in a hurry can grab a quickly assembled chicken sandwich or box of chicken bites. Otherwise, chill out while you wait for fried-to-order wings and two-to-four-piece platters. Chica’s menu is compact. But between the deep-fried pickles, coleslaw and cajun waffle fries, there are enough sides and extras to personalize the experience – and temper the heat.
384 Keele Street
Before it had a place to come home to, WTPCH spent its early nomadic existence roaming around Toronto’s farmers’ markets in the guise of a BBQ stand. However, once its peameal bacon sandwiches achieved cult status, founders Ryan Gatner and Kimberly Hannam felt behooved to invest in a full-fledged deli-butcher shop, which they opened in the Junction.
Gatner’s roots are Eastern European and Hannam’s are Caribbean, which explains why WTPCH’s offerings run the gamut from porchetta and smoked brisket to jerk chicken and Jamaican patties. Yet while the culinary influences may vary, a fundamental constant is the (responsibly sourced) meats they offer. You can order them by the half-pound or as a meal platter, with sides such as potato-kale salad, kimchi and creamy slaw. But what really gets customers’ juices flowing are the sandwiches.
The sandwich trade starts early, with the breakfast crowds clamouring for the original (now legendary) peameal sandwich made from house-brined peameal, cured for seven days, and topped with tomato, kale and maple aioli. Options get increasingly robust as the day advances. Heavily layered with slices of 12-hour smoked and roasted brisket, the smoked meat sandwich has been known to incite the envy of the most chauvinistic of Montrealers. Similarly, hard-core Pennsylvanians regularly marvel at the Philly cheesesteak, whose distinctively flavoured beef is the result of using PEI-sourced cattle (raised on a diet of PEI potatoes!).
As if the regular menu offerings weren’t enough, a secret menu of “Sandwiches Named after Wonderful People” pay edible homage to Junctionite regulars, among them business owners, artists, and even kids.
2766 Dundas Street West
According to Junction legend, John Bil never wanted to open a restaurant that people would make a fuss over. So instead, with his partner Victoria Bazan, he opened a cozy neighbourhood fishmonger – with seating for 20.
The idea was to come in, snatch up the catch of the day and either take it home – or have it cooked up on the spot. A one-time PEI oyster farmer and New Brunswick salmon farm manager, Bil was extremely skilled at tracking down the highest quality, sustainably-sourced fish and seafood in Canada (including Ontario shrimp raised by a former hog farmer!). His prowess ensured that, despite his modest ambitions, fish-aholics were going to insistently brave lineups to score a table at Honest Weight.
Although Bil passed away in 2018, the fuss continues over Honest Weight’s expertly and imaginatively prepared fish and seafood dishes. While a focus on whatever’s freshest on any given day precludes a set menu, certain prized staples appear with reassuring regularity. Among them: fragrant steamed mussels and clams, creamy seafood chowder and Japanese okonomiyaki, made with the fish of the day and sprinkled with a small sea of glistening bonito flakes.
2885 Dundas Street West
In Italian, a nodo is a knot. It also means “junction,” which makes it fitting that the original outpost of this burgeoning empire of casually elevated Italian eateries opened in the Junction just as the neighbourhood was starting to get its groove on.
For close to a decade now, NODO’s long, high-ceilinged and checkerboard-floored dining room has been sought after for its subtly refined but thoroughly in-the-hood ambiance along with its modern takes on traditional Italian fare, prepared with quality ingredients.
While pizzas and pastas are the main draw, over the years, several other dishes have become veritable obsessions. These include Sicilian arancini, filled with molten mozzarella, peas and a meat ragu and the “new school” gnocchi, pan-fried with wild mushrooms, corn and a truffle crema. Taking the comfort level of the food up a few sips is an extensive list of Italian wines and beer, aperitivos and digestivos. Ensuring la dolce vita are classic cannoli and tiramisù.
1617 Dupont Street
Back in 2015, when David Mattachioni opened his namesake bodega/trattoria/bakery/bar, he brought along a certain amount of baggage from his former life as “the principal pizza guy” at Terroni. This included some very cool vintage orange swivel stools he’d salvaged from one of the restaurants as well as expertise acquired with wood-burning ovens and sourdough starters.
The former frame Mattachioni’s cheery lunch counter, ensuring patrons are comfortable as they sit and sip espressos, biodynamic wines and Negronis. The latter not only keeps them devouring pizza, panini, and sandwiches made on the sought-after, daily-baked sourdough bread, but ensures they come back for more.
And there’s definitely more: Heaving antipasti boards, glistening with olives and layered with bresaola, copa, sopressata. Rustic peasant salads with farm fresh veg, dusted in Parm and drenched in finger-licking EVOOs. Creamy burrata served with slice upon slice of the aforementioned sourdough.
Mattachioni is about hanging out – for brunch, lunch, a quick drink or a languid, wine-fueled dinner. But it’s also about takeout. In addition to everything to go, there are crates of market-fresh produce and shelves stocked with house-made pickled veg, bomba and Bolognese sauce. If your timing’s right, there are also freshly made bomboloni and zepole, gooey with fillings such as pear butter and lemon curd, and often (frustratingly, but understandably) sold out before noon.
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