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A popular area for students and visitors alike, Harbord Street is a neighbourhood that lies not far from the commotion of downtown Toronto, but retains a quieter charm.
Location
The Harbord Street Business Improvement Area is located on Harbord Street just west of the downtown campus of the University of Toronto. It is bordered by Spadina Avenue in the east and Borden Street in the west, not far from Bathurst Street. For more information on this BIA, visit www.harbordstreet.ca.
The area is considered to be the southern part of the neighbourhood known as The Annex, which stretches north to Bloor Street and beyond.
Getting Around
To reach the area via public transportation, the easiest route by taking the 510 streetcar along Spadina Avenue. This route runs every few minutes from Spadina Station in the north down to the waterfront.
Harbord Street is also a short walk from the north-south Yonge-University subway line, as well as the east-west Bloor-Danforth line. There is also the 94 Bus runs from Ossington Station on the Bloor-Danforth line to Wellesley Station downtown on the Yonge subway line.
The biggest draw to the area is obviously the University of Toronto, which is situated just east of Spadina Avenue. The school's proximity has had an influence on the area since the mid-19th century, when it was originally built as a residential area soon after its founding. Today it is an eclectic mix of restaurants, cafés, small shops and boutiques
Cuisine
Harbord Street is perhaps best known for its food, which has increasingly become a big draw here in recent years. There are a number of restaurants here that are know for having some of the best food in the city, but tend to have a more laid-back atmosphere.
There is Thai, Middle Eastern, French and Italian food, as well as several which focus on Canadian recipes made with local ingredients.
Splendido Restaurant, located just west of Spadina, is considered one of the city's finer dining restaurants. The regularly-changing menu is geared towards locally-grown foods, including dishes such as smoked beef brisket with chanterelle mushrooms, and cippolini onion.
Harbord Room is another popular spot, with Canadian inspired dishes as well as some of the most talked-about cocktails in Toronto. It is regularly in the running for best restaurant in the city, and a few years ago was voted third-best new restaurant in Canada by Enroute Magazine.
Nightlife
No doubt due to the large number of students in the area, there is a casual nightlife present here, with several of the restaurants turning into bar/lounges at night after the dinner rush.
Harbord House is one such popular pub/restaurant, and is famous for its wide selection of beers on tap, especially local Ontario brews. There are also a number of cafés here, including Dessert Trends, which can be a great place to bring a date.
Shopping
In addition to the many eateries along Harbord Street, there are also a variety of shops and services. Perhaps due to its proximity to the students at the University of Toronto, there are several independent bookstores here, including Atticus Books and the Toronto Women's Bookstore.
Wonderworks is another bookstore that has a focus on spirituality, one of several shops devoted to health and well-being, in addition to several yoga studios and health spas
There are also music stores (Ring Music), bike shops (La Carrera Cycles), beauty salons (Hutoshi Hair Salon & Skin Care) and travel companies (Drum Travel). There are also several arts & crafts shops, including art galleries and a pottery studio (Clay Design).
Bars and Restaurants:
- Cora Pizza
- Subway
- Papa Ceo
- Harbord Fish & Chips
- Tati Bistro
- Tik Talk Cafe
- Dessert Trends Bistro
- The Boulevard Cafe
- Harbord Bakery
- B.B.Ques
- River Tai Restaurant
- Splendido Restaurant
- Momo's Restaurant
- Harbord House
- 93 Harbord Restaurant
- Messis Restaurant
- Olive & Lemon
- Loire Restaurant
- Flip, Toss & Thai Kitchen
- The Harbord Room
Shops and Services:
- Atticus Books
- Caversham Booksellers
- Toronto Women's Bookstore
- Wonderworks
- Ring Music
- Royal Bank
- Neveen Convenience
- Gleaner Community Press
- Coinorama Laundromat
- Harbord Convenience
- Joe's Cleaners
- Scholar House Productions
- Harbord Health Centre
- Lotus Yoga Centre
- Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre
- Divine Scents
- La Carrera Cycles
- Hutoshi Hair Salon & Skin Care
- The Curl Ambassadors
- Things Japanese
- RQ Inc.
- Torreira Import Auto Service Ltd.
- Clay Design
- Ms. Emma Designs
- Tangle Gallery Framing Shop
- Drum Travel
- Wonderworks
- Bustan Gardening.
- Tangle Gallery Framing Shop
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