Little Portugal

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Explore Little Portugal

Now is the time for residents to experience all that tourists have been raving about for years. Discover shops, stops, places and spaces on city main streets. Stay curious, Toronto.

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We hope that you enjoyed exploring this Toronto neighbourhood and found many other points of interest along the way. While StrollTO highlights some of the 'hidden gems' in the neighbourhood, there may be others that could be included in a future edition. Would you like to share a point of interest that you discovered in the neighbourhood? Email us at StrollTO@toronto.ca.

Neighbourhood Stroll

Bright and lively, Little Portugal is sure to bring a little bounce to your step. From the delectable local eateries, Latin music and colourful murals of Dundas Street West to the fashionable shops and galleries on Queen Street West, this neighbourhood will inspire you. The quieter residential streets offer up an array of architectural features and popular Mary McCormick Park and Recreational Centre offer a space to either play or relax and unwind. Fantastic local businesses can be found in the Little Portugal on Dundas, West Queen West, College West, and College Promenade BIAs

Main Streets: Dundas Street West, College Street and Queen Street West

The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West
The Gladstone Hotel - now known as Gladstone House - is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto. It was originally built to service the tourists, travellers and workers of the then-adjacent Parkdale railway station that serviced the Grand Trunk, Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) trains. Though built in 1889, much of the building's original architecture, designed by GM Miller in the Romanesque style, can still be seen today. The Gladstone Hotel features an art gallery with free admission, a bar and a restaurant.

Heritage Homes on Beaconsfield Avenue
10 Beaconsfield Avenue
*Note: Private property. Please observe these houses from the street only. Ten Beaconsfield Avenue was built in 1926 to 1927 as a purpose-built apartment building. Originally frowned upon by Toronto, in fear of re-creating New York style "tenements", apartment buildings were gaining popularity through necessity in the 1920s (due to a population boom in at the beginning of the century). Continuing up the street, take in the many beautiful heritage-designated Victorian row and semi-detached houses built in the 1880s and 1890s. Strolling up Beaconsfield Avenue, you'll find a few murals behind the restaurants facing Queen.

Former Corner Store
206 Argyle Street
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. Though this house is a private residence today, subtle clues exist that point to its commercial past as a corner store. In a time before the car and the supermarket dominated, local shops and services were frequently found in the older residential neighbourhoods of Toronto. Many relics like this building now blend in with the surrounding houses but, if you look close enough, you'll find yourself spotting more around the neighbourhood!

Heritage Homes on Mackenzie Crescent
4 & 7 Mackenzie Crescent (Between Lisgar Street and Dovercourt Road.)
*Note: Private property. Please observe these houses from the street only. Wander along Mackenzie Crescent and take in the grandeur of its numerous heritage homes. Fans of Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley may recognize this street from her film 'Take this Waltz' (2011). On the west side of the street, houses 7 to 37 are heritage-listed, as well as 4 to 12 on the east side. These homes were built in the 1890s and are part of the ubiquitous Bay and Gable style that was popular in Victorian Toronto. Most striking is the house at 4 Mackenzie Crescent: a whimsical mansion covered in vines.

Vivian Rosas Artbox
Southeast Corner of Dundas Street West and Gladstone Avenue
The design is inspired by the young vibrant community of people in the city. The people can be seen in the local farmer's markets, on trendy Queen West, headed to yoga, or delivering your lunch. Showing the range of diversity, and creativity the community has.
Site of the 1930 Bank of Commerce Robbery
1435 Dundas Street West
This is the former site of a Bank of Commerce branch. A notable armed robbery occurred here on April 24, 1930 as it was the first in Canada to feature a "female bandit", as contemporary newspapers proclaimed. Cecil Irving urged his 17-year-old sister-in-law Kathleen Boyle to help him rob the bank to provide for his new baby. Kathleen brandished a nickel-plated .38 revolver at the teller and other patrons while Cecil carried a sawed-off rifle from which he fired one warning shot. They lived just down the street at 158 Gladstone Avenue, so their capture and arrest was swift! The newspapers spilled much ink on speculating what motivated Ms. Boyle: was she really trying to help her family, or was she a just bad seed with loose morals? In any case, Toronto's girl bandit was in action two years before Bonnie and Clyde!

Mary McCormick Park and Recreation Centre
66 Sheridan Avenue
Mary Virginia McCormick was the daughter of Cyrus H McCormick, who invented a very successful mechanical crop harvester, called the mechanical reaper. Mary V. McCormick was a philanthropist who donated funds for her namesake recreational centre located in her namesake park. The park features a baseball diamond, two basketball courts, a wading pool and a children's playground. The recreational centre offers a wide variety of programs and is wheelchair accessible from the nearest TTC stop.

Jose Ortega Mural and the Dundas West Open Air Museum
1547 Dundas Street West
This colourful, towering mural by Jose Ortega is a great backdrop for selfies as you explore this neighbourhood. Over 15 other murals can be found both east and west along Dundas Street West as part of the Dundas West Open Air Museum. The project is led by Creativo Arts Collective, Lula Lounge and the Dundas West and Little Portugal BIAs, with support from the City of Toronto.

Lula Lounge
1585 Dundas Street West
Artist Jose Ortega and his friend Jose Nieves founded a non-profit arts collective called Open City and began by hosting concerts, dance lessons and other cultural events in Ortega's own apartment but quickly out grew the space. In early 2002 they were able to secure the Dundas Street West property and open the Lula Lounge which has been host and home to Toronto's Latin music scene ever since. This attraction boasts the confluence of art, spoken word, music, dance and food! Ortega is responsible for designing many of the neighbourhood's murals and inviting other Latinx artists to create the many others. In 2010, Ortega was celebrated for his contributions to Toronto's music life with the Roy Thomson Award of Recognition.

Former Brockton Town Hall
1617 Dundas Street West
This building was formerly The Brockton Village Town Hall and Jail. Brockton Village was named after James Brock (cousin to Sir Isaac Brock, famed War of 1812 hero). James was granted a 100-acre settlement in the area and, over time, the land was subdivided, populated and, in 1876, incorporated into the village of Brockton. This building was erected in 1881 to 1882 with a council room on the second floor and two jail cells in the basement. Many of these features, as well as doors, mouldings and staircases have been preserved but are not accessible to the public. The life of this town hall was relatively short lived, as Brockton was one of the first areas to be amalgamated into the City of Toronto in 1884. The building now houses a plumbing and heating supplies store.

Accessibility information: All points of interest on this stroll are viewable from the street with no steep grades or stairs along the route. Most attractions are wheelchair accessible and most list further accessibility features of their interior spaces on their websites.

The StrollTO itineraries may follow routes that do not receive winter maintenance. Please review winter safety tips and for more information contact 311.

Soundtracks of the City

From global superstars to local favourites and ones to watch, the Soundtracks of the City playlists all feature artists who have called Toronto home. Whether it’s a lyric about the neighborhood, an artist representing a cultural community, or a tie-in to the StrollTO itinerary itself, all the music reflects connections to an individual ward or the City as a whole.

Music was chosen based on an artist’s Spotify presence and each song’s broad appeal, as well as its associations with the cultures, languages and ethnicities that reflect Toronto’s neighborhoods and diverse music scene. Soundtracks of the City combines 425 songs that feature more than 500 different local artists or acts, showcasing songs in 23 different languages.