Two more neighbourhoods battle it out to win the title of Curbed Cup Neighbourhood of the Year Award. Last week, you voted and Parkdale beat out Forest Hill for better neighbourhood. Similarly, Leslieville took down Rosedale with its Hey Meatball! sandwiches and trendy shops. Who will be crowned today's best neighbourhood—Parkdale or Leslieville? You decide.
Leslieville: While no one's really sure where Leslieville's boundaries lie—does it end at Coxwell? Kingston Road? Greenwood? Most can agree the area is buzzing with activity. Restaurants and bars are opening at a frenzied pace, but can the neighbourhood handle being the new Ossington? The owners of places like Hitch, Skin + Bones and Bero are betting on it. It's also a carnivore's dream neighbourhood: Rodney Bowers chose Leslieville as the second location of his popular Hey Meatball! sandwich place, which is on the same block as bacon-sandwich purveyors Rashers, which in turn is right across the street from Leslieville Pumps, a Southern-style BBQ joint. Home cooks are in luck, too, from the fresh, sustainable fish at Hooked to the award-winning sausages at Meating on Queen. You'll also find no end of galleries, vintage shops and tiny boutiques like Damzels and Thrill of the Find. Development is coming to the area, too, although the lowrise condo at Queen and Pape has been stalled for nearly three years.
Parkdale: After decades of hard times, Parkdale is on its way back up. Artists and restaurateurs who found themselves priced out of Queen West studio and restaurant space began taking a chance on Parkdale about ten years ago, and now the blocks west of Dufferin are so full of bustle that a year-long moratorium on issuing new food and liquor licenses was enacted by the city (it's still in effect). Notable restaurants include Grand Electric, Parts & Labour, and longtime local favourite Bacchus Roti. The bar scene has Not My Dog (which, according to Yelp reviews, has its own bar cat), Wrongbar, and if you're feeling like you're on your own/without a home/like a complete unknown, there's always Stone's Place, owned and operated by a genuine Rolling Stone associate (with walls covered in artwork by actual Rolling Stone Ron Wood).
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