You know it’s spring in Kensington Market when lo-
cal artsy types start popping up like crocuses in flan-
nel shirts outside this deeply cherished local dive. The
picnic tables out front get full sun, and the pitchers are
dirt-cheap, so staying cool is no problem. Bonus: OM
Grilled Cheese across the street is under new manage-
ment (now with 100 per cent fewer labour violations!)
and still delivers melty, gooey sandwiches right to your
seat.
RONNIE’S LOCAL 069
69 NASSAU. TORONTO
Divide a plethora of rare, imported and one-off craft
brews by a tiny amount of square footage and you get
one hot ticket. That’s doubly true now that everyone’s
favourite beer bar on Yonge is set to close this fall to
make way for an incoming condo development. (The bar
is set to reopen at an undisclosed location.) That means
there’s no better time to grab a chair outside under the
twining ivy vines and sip a pint of Trou du Diable – if you
can find a seat, anyway.
BAR VOLO - CLOSED
587 YONGE, TORONTO
Enjoy some of the city’s best small brews (with a side of
jealous stares from the other side of the white picket fence)
on Bellwoods Brewery’s small front patio. The beer, natu-
rally, is the thing that gets folks in the door, but eats like
lemongrass ribs mean the kitchen is more than deserving
of props. Plus, the sliding garage door at the mouth of the
brewery brings the patio experience inside.
BELLWOODS BREWERY
124 OSSINGTON. TORONTO
After a year-long whirlwind of praise and publicity,
Grant van Gameren’s white-hot pintxo spot on Col-
lege is settling nicely into itself, attracting just as many
trend-chasing diners as neighbourhood locals popping
in for a morning tortilla española and spiced coffee or
a mid-afternoon tin of sardines. Their sunny streetside
patio has also evolved, thanks to the addition of a roof
that keeps things warm in the winter and breezy and
shady in the summer.
4GUYS.CA
BAR RAVAL
505 COLLEGE ST, TORONTO
25