We asked our friends at West End showrooms where best to eat, drink and discover. Because who knows better than the purveyors of great design?

Head to the West End for quirky boutiques, addictive Persian brunch and to-die-for Japanese clothes.

Word of Mouth

1 “Imanishi (1330 Dundas St W) has great food, service and sake; it’s the perfect place for a small group because of their delicious sharing plates (which are actually kind of hard to share because they are so tasty).” – Juli Dault Baker, Mjölk

2 “Skyline Restaurant (1426 Queen St W) for its original retro interior. This old-school diner has new owners and everything was left as is, except now it’s polished and cleaned up. It makes you step back in time when you walk into this diner.” – Ferdinand Suzara, Studio Brillantine

3 “La Cubana (392 Roncesvalles Ave) is light and airy. The palette feels like summer all year round.” – Mischa Couvrette, Hollis+Morris

4 “I often dream of Persian brunch at Tavoos (1120 College St) – a perfect party platter of a little bit of everything. The combinations they offer (try the eggs with dates and walnuts) are an unexpected flavour fest.” – Danielle Suppa, Souvenir

Must-Stop Shopping Spots

5 “The Outclass flagship store (1122 College St) along college is minimalist and made in Canada. Something we relate to!” – Mischa Couvrette, Hollis+Morris

6 “I am trying to shop more consciously and support Canadian wherever I can and Coal Miner’s Daughter (87 Roncesvalles Ave) has a wonderful selection of some of my favourite designers.” – Leah Eyles, Scout

7 “The Blue Button Shop (1499 Dundas St W) is full of Japanese clothes and stationery that you just don’t know you need until you see them. The quality of everything they carry makes us feel like everything’s alright in the world.” – Peter Coolican, Coolican & Co.

8 “Queen West Antique Centre (1605 Queen St W). It’s nice to come across vintage classics that are lovingly restored, knowing that they will be passed on to the future, and to see actual vintage design classics that are usually just in books or online.” – Ferdinand Suzara, Studio Brillantine

Sights Worth Seeing

9 “St. Helen’s Avenue with its four great galleries right there – Daniel Faria, TPW, Scrap Metal and Clint Roenisch. It is very familiar to the Toronto art crowd but, being in a mixed residential/industrial area means it isn’t somewhere that a visitor is going to just stumble upon.” – Shaun Moore, Made Design

10 “The curious architecture of the Ukrainian Church (143 Franklin Ave) – its hooded archways are worth the detour – and biking down Indian Road. Feel the slopes and curves of the street beneath your wheels and steal glimpses of the beautiful homes!” – Peter Coolican, Coolican & Co.

11 “You feel in the city and in nature along West Toronto Railpath. Plus, you can create a great little brewery crawl, starting at Halo (247 Wallace Ave) and then snaking down to Henderson (128 Sterling Rd) and finally Bandit (2125 Dundas St W) at the tail end.” – Danielle Suppa, Souvenir

Explore the rest of Toronto with our other Super Friendly Guides to Queen West, Midtown, Uptown, King West, King East, and Queen East.