Human settlement in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Photo: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Midtown is a district in Toronto north of downtown. It isn't an area with a large number of museums, theatres, or other tourist attractions - although there are a few sights to see. The best way to enjoy it is to pretend that you live there, and enjoy the shops, restaurants and cafés. For this guide, we look at “Midtown” in a larger geographic sense. It includes what is considered the traditional neighbourhood of Midtown, Leaside and the old borough of York. Rough boundaries are Davenport Rd in the south, Lawrence Ave in the north, the Humber River in the west and the Don Valley in the east. Midtown has two axes: Yonge Street is the north/south axis along subway line 1, and St Clair Avenue West is Midtown's east/west axis along the 512 streetcar line.
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Nice rose gardens. The gardens provide access to the Blythwood Ravine and Sherwood Park, which are forested areas with trails that are good for running or a leisurely walk. The park is named in honour of Alexander Muir who composed the rousing British-Canadian song "The Maple Leaf Forever".
This small park features a replica of a fountain in the Peace Palace (Vredespaleis) in The Hague. The fountain consists of a U-shaped wall with a small lion head emitting water from its mouth. (It might be easier to see the replica in Amsterdam Square than the original at the fenced-off Peace Palace.) The park received its current name in 1974 when Toronto and Amsterdam became twin cities. There is also a wall along the Avenue Road side of the park with an inscription about Jewish survivers of the Holocast in the Netherlands.
The Wychwood Barns is a former streetcar depot converted into an establishment for art organizations. The area is now a public park, and the public may enter the main corridors of the building. The roof on the southern section of the building has been removed and the area is an experimental fruit and vegetable garden. Off the building's main corridor is a cafe and a WC. Outside of event days, the site is fairly quiet, and usually art is not displayed in the public areas. The building was built in stages from 1916 to 1921 and the facility once had over 20 tracks for the storage and maintenance of streetcars. On the western side of the "barns", you can see curving black-coloured sidewalks; these trace the path of the former streetcar tracks that used to circle the building. Inside, there are a few old photos of streetcars.
In 1911, financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt decided to construct Canada's largest private residence. The resulting European-style castle is now a Toronto landmark and popular tourist attraction. Casa Loma has decorated suites, secret passages, a 250-metre long tunnel, towers, stables and beautiful 5-acre estate gardens. A self-guided digital audio tour in 8 languages (English, French, Japanese, German, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin and Korean) is available.
The Castle Loma stables are located on the north side of this tiny park. The stable building is a fanciful, castle-style building. There was an underground passage between Casa Loma and the stables..
The Hemingway
From October 1923 to January 1924, Ernest Hemingway lived in a top-floor unit of this attractive, four-storey, brick and stucco apartment building, renamed The Hemingway after its former resident. While in Toronto Hemingway worked as a journalist for the Toronto Star newspaper. Although the building is not open to the public, there is a small oval historical plaque by the building entrance.
Don Valley Brick Works
The Evergreen Brick Works is a former clay quarry in the Don River valley that has been converted into a large, attractive and distinctive city park. There are naturalized ponds and wetlands while the former brickworks buildings have been restored and opened as an environmentally focused community and cultural centre by Evergreen, a national charity dedicated to restoring nature in urban environments. The wetlands have attracted many species of birds as well as mammals, reptiles and some fish.
Park Lane Apartments
Famed Canadian pianist Glen Gould had a penthouse apartment in the Park Lane Apartments, an art-deco building. Although the building is not open to the public, there is a historical plaque in front of the building.
The park features a cast metal statue of Peter Pan along with other fairy tale figures. The statue, consisting of seven castings, was created in 1929 and is a duplicate of a statue in Kensington Gardens in South Kensington-Chelsea, London, England. The park has no mementos related to pianist Glen Gould other than its name.
Nicknamed "the castle", this Toronto Hydro substation resembles a chateau rather than the industrial building it is. Built in 1930, the building features ivy-covered stone walls, oak doors and leaded glass windows. The huge oak freight doors on Glengrove Avenue resemble a grand entrance for carriages.
This tiny park was built in 1984 to honour artists Frances Loring (1887–1968) and Florence Wyle (1881–1968). The parkette contains 4 of their sculptures. The two artists had a studio in a converted church schoolhouse, the building still standing one block south of the parkette at 110 Glenrose Avenue. Near the sidewalk there is a plaque honouring the artists.
The cemetery has miles of walking paths and is the resting place of many famous people, including former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, pianist Glenn Gould, the co-discoverers of insulin Frederick Banting and Charles Best, and Timothy Eaton. The western side of the cemetery contains a number of mausoleums including the , a structure resembling a miniature residential castle, and the , resembling a temple with two lions guarding the entrance. Walking tours of the cemetery are available (Muddy York Tours).
UK artist Phlegm painted what was once thought to be the world's tallest mural (8 storeys) on the side of a building. However, since then, a 23-storey mural named the Equilibrium Mural was erected in Toronto's Downtown East district.
Summerhill railway station; LCBO Summerhill store
The station, constructed in the Beaux Arts tradition, consists of a 43-metre (140-foot) clock tower and a three-storey main terminal. The tower is modelled after the Campanile di San Marco in Saint Mark’s Square in Venice. The main terminal gallery has an 11.6-metre (38-foot) high ceiling supported by marble walls and with elegant bronze suspended light fixtures. Opened in 1916, closed 1930, the building serves today a very elegant liquor store.
Ramsden Park is a relatively large, urban park, on the western edge of the Rosedale neighbourhood, with its entrance right on the west side of Yonge Street. In summer this is a very nice place to have a picnic and in winter there is a large skating rink, there are also tennis courts.
Rosedale Valley is an enormous green space separating Rosedale from the Yorkville neighbourhood in downtown Toronto. The view from the north side of the valley is absolutely breathtaking, with skyscrapers giving way to a very steep, tree-filled slope. The best view is from the bridge that carries Sherbourne Street across the valley. It is also a pleasant place to stroll during the day, a green oasis just north of the hustle and bustle of downtown, however, like the rest of the ravines in the city, it is unsafe at night.
St. George Lofts is a former church converted into 33 condominium dwellings. Dormers added to the church's sloping roof, and balconies facing the street give the building an interesting look. There is also a colourful flower garden between the building and the street. The location is private property, but it can be easily viewed from the public sidewalk.
Adjacent to Casa Loma, this museum gives a more authentic version of Canada's history. It's also a cultural centre, hosting music and art events. Hours and admission vary with the season. Check the website for what's on, or call their event hotline at +1 416-338-3888.
The Tollkeeper's Park
This 1835 cottage housed the family of a tollkeeper who collected tolls along Bathurst St. The cottage contains period furnishings. In the south-west corner of the park, there is an exhibit of 19th century road paving materials using logs.
This attractive Tudor-style, 2-bay firehall was built in 1931. It was retrofitted in 2003 to accommodate a taller aerial ladder truck which, if you are lucky, might be parked outside.
Balmoral Fire Hall
Balmoral Fire Hall was built in 1911 when horses pulled hose wagons through its double doors. Still visible along the east wall is a second-storey projecting beam and doorway where hay was hoisted into a loft for feed. In the rear, a tower capable of drying 50-foot hoses still stands. The building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990, for its rare adoption of the Queen Anne style.
This fire station can be difficult to spot as it is in a residential area and, surprisingly, looks just like another house in the area. Built in 1912 in the "residential" style, the station has two storeys with one small bay.
Built in 1916, this cute "Amsterdam"-style fire station has a three-storey main section with two bays and a tower located at the rear.
This attractive rooftop patio has plants, small trees, a water feature, tables and benches. On the west side are five panels describing local history including public transit. One could buy a coffee from the food court (elevator level P1) and take it up to the patio. The patio is open to the public even though there is little signage to direct visitors to it.
Great Middle Eastern. Try the $9 lunch combo plate (hummus, babaganuj, tabule and falafel). Reservations recommended.
The seasoning makes the food very flavourful. Indoor seating plus seasonal patio.
Espresso bar with baked goods and light meals.
A local chain of upscale burger joints.
Serves fancy sandwiches; seasonal exterior patio
Banh mi sandwiches, baos and tacos. Seating area. There is often a long line at lunchtime. The sandwiches are moist and tasty.
Coffee shop serving coffee & pastries and selling coffee beans. Interior decor: "industrial-chic".
Cheap American diner, surprisingly good food. Daily, 7AM-10PM.
Independent coffee shop: Espresso, pastry, gelato.
Espresso bar, French pastries, light meals.
Among other brunch items, the diner offers 17 variations of Eggs Benedict including the typical version.
This delicatessan offers slices of various types of pizza which staff can heat up. There is limited interior seating plus exterior tables on the Yonge Street side and on the south side of the building. There are also ready-to-eat sandwiches. STOCK is located in a former post office building built in 1936 during the short reign of Edward VIII; it is probably one of the few buildings in the world to bear his coat of arms which is cast in stone over the entrance to STOCK.
Fantastic sushi. $10-20 a meal.
This restaurant has a pub-style interior with a bar in the rear.
Cafe/patisserie for handcrafted cakes, cupcakes & macarons, plus espresso & hot chocolate. The shop interior has nice decor with kitchen knickknacks hanging from the walls.
French pastries, 5 types of quiche, espresso coffee.
Temporary stands in a park offering a variety of food product many ready to eat.
Gelato made onsite.
French bakery and café. Good almond croissants, friendly service and yummy croque monsieur. Limited seating, cafeteria-like atmosphere.
Sit-down café offering quiche, sandwiches and croque monsieur and excellent croissants, especially the chocolate ones.
Schnitzel, salads, pastries. This restaurant has a good-tasting cappuccino with a creamy foam and sprinkled chocolate reminiscent of fancy coffees in Vienna. Outdoor, covered patio available. You can visit the place just for the coffee if you like.
Excellent gelato.
Upscale Indian restaurant and wine bar
Another French bakery with macarons, croissants, breads and pastries. It also serves sandwiches and quiches. Excellent croissants.
This ice-cream parlour offers about 60 flavours. As a distinctive touch, a few pieces of fresh fruit and some candy floss are added on top of the ice cream scoops on each cone. The shop itself is a site to see as it is decorated with many Dutch-themed knickknacks, and the piped-in music consist of Dutch songs. A few packaged goods imported from the Netherlands, such as stroopwaffels, are on display. There is interior and patio seating.
Portuguese bakery and coffee shop. Portuguese custard tarts (pastel de nata) available here.
Italian delicatessen, bakery, pastry shop and coffee shop. (Tre mari means three seas.) The coffee shop offers espresso-based coffee, and has a small interior seating area plus a seasonal sidewalk patio.
Very tasty Afghan cuisine: Chicken, beef and lamb Kabobs, wraps, some veggie items. It looks like a fast-food restaurant but meals usually take about 20 minutes to prepare. A pleasant Afghan tea is available ($1) even though it is not listed on the menu.
Beer brewed in house, outdoor patio.
McSorley's
No frills pub with typical pub fare. Typically busy as they are one of the only two pubs in the area (as of February 2026)
formerly Crowne Plaza Toronto Don Valley
Slightly outside our definition of Midtown. Indoor pool, whirlpool, sauna. On-site café and restaurant. 9-hole golf course nearby. In-room internet access.
This liquor store is in a very elegant, former railway station with features of its railway heritage preserved. The store has a very large stock of liquor and wine. A craft beer section offers the products of various small breweries within the Province of Ontario. A limited variety of craft beer is available refrigerated, and single bottles (as opposed to a case) can be purchased here.
This family-owned independent book store chain has four locations around Toronto. Expect tables with piles of bargain books and shelfs that are incredibly well stocked.
Metro grocery store (open 24/7), Indigo book store, Rexall pharmacy and LCBO liquor store.
Large, two-storey store with outdoor-sport equipment including bikes, skis & boards plus outerwear & footwear. The larger of two Sporting Life stores in the area.
Paradise for comic book fans.
Retailer of fantasy board games also selling miniatures for painting.
Antiques dealer specializing in English & French furniture, art glass, decor items & silverware.
Location of former LeFevre's Chocolatier
Gourmet chocolates, boxes, gift baskets.
Specializes in books for children.
The shop window displays prints of old ships, steam locomotives and historical events.
Gourmet foods; gift baskets.
Truffles, gift boxes, chocolate bars, novelties.
Specializes in doll houses. Judging from the detailed models in the display window, these are not just for little girls.
As it names suggests, the shop specializes in mystery novels.
By bus
Bus 82 runs from the Rosedale subway station, travels the neighbourhood and terminates immediately north of Rosedale; bus 75 terminates in the eastern end of Rosedale after serving Sherbourne Street…
By streetcar
The 512 streetcar runs along St Clair Avenue from St Clair station to Weston Road.
By car
Coming from Highway 401, Yonge Street will take you through the heart of Midtown. Other exits, like Bayview Ave and Avenue Rd, will also provide access to the district.
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