Toronto’s Yorkville is bounded by Bloor Street on the south, Avenue Road on the west, Davenport Road on the north and Yonge Street to the east.
Yorkville is perfectly located within walking distance of the Bloor/Yonge subway station on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line and the Bay station on the Bloor-Danforth subway line. For those commuting by car, the Don Valley Parkway is approximately five minutes from Yorkville.
Toronto’s most Cosmopolitan neighbourhood
Bloor-Yorkville is known as Toronto’s Fifth Avenue. To me, as a Toronto real estate agent, Yorkville is one of the most elegant shopping and dining areas in Toronto. It also is one of Toronto’s most dynamic neighborhoods. It is a diverse mix of luxury condominium apartment buildings, commercial office towers, five star hotels, theaters, gourmet restaurants, a prestigious shopping district and charming Victorian homes, many small courtyards, alleyways plus excellent designer boutiques, attractive antique shops and galleries which are a destination point for tourists, as well as Toronto residences from all over the city.
Yorkville is also one of most cosmopolitan neighborhoods in Toronto. It has wide appeal with domestic home-buyers from within the Greater Toronto Area, as well as across Canada and internationally. The commercial heart of Yorkville is located on both Yorkville Avenue and on Cumberland Street. Yorkville’s shops and restaurants are located in pretty Victorian houses on Yorkville Avenue, Hazelton Avenue, Cumberland Street and Scollard Street. The Hazelton Lanes shopping centre located at 55 Avenue Road features over 100 exclusive shops and restaurants.
Where to Shop in Bloor-Yorkville:
The main attraction for many of visitors in such places would be shopping. It would not be so hard to find your dreamy shopping place by exploring among many designer shops and boutiques lining Bloor Street in Yorkville neighborhood which is Toronto’s most upscale shopping district. Bloor-Yorkville is generally acclaimed as Canada’s preeminent shopping district.
The Manulife Centre situated at the south-east corner of Bay and Bloor features 12 state-of-the-art movie theatres.
Holt Renfrew Centre – Yorkville
Holt Renfrew Centre at 50 Bloor Street West Toronto M4W 3L8 is “Always Trending”. Holt Renfrew Centre has four floors of retail space, including brands like Giorgio Armani, D&G, Hugo Boss and Louis Vuitton. There are some other leisure places such as salons, spas, restaurants and cafés. You can easily find GAP and ZARA at the ground floor and Aritzia at the next level.
While enjoying this special neighborhood of Toronto, you can take a stroll around Yorkville and Cumberland Avenue. You can see that it is quieter than Bloor Street, these blocks enjoy a selection of smaller boutiques like Pink Tartan and Kimina Fashion.
Read More : The Most Luxurious Stores in Yorkville
Brands in Yorkville
From the intersection of Bloor and Avenue head east toward Yonge Street is known as “Mink Mile” because of its gathering of classy designers like Chanel, Gucci, Tiffany and Hermès.
Yorkville Village offers high-end boutiques, designer brands, gourmet eateries, unique events, exhibitions, art installations and pop up stores, in the heart of Bloor-Yorkville neighborhood, along Avenue Road, north of Bloor Street. The Yorkville Village Shopping Center offers even more in the way of trendy fashion and lifestyle brands while some of which are exclusive to Toronto.
PRADA and Burberry are other popular shops in Toronto’s Yorkville Neighborhood.
Where to Eat in Bloor-Yorkville (Yorkville restaurants)
There are many options for eating from the elegant and ultra-sophisticated to the more reasonably priced restaurants. One of the famous restaurants in the heart of historic Yorkville is Sassafraz . Set in an array of Victorian houses, an iconic little house and its charming interior make this remarkable place as one of the most stunning restaurants in Toronto. You can find this beloved landmark at 100 Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario and enjoy its contemporary Canadian cuisine and ever-evolving seasonal menu of Chef Geoff Webb.
If you are looking for a melt-in-your-mouth Italian cuisine then you probably will go to Blu -an Italian Fine Dining Restaurant in Yorkville-with Contemporary Italian dishes which was created by executive Chef; Eric Bucher. Some of the attractive features of this place are the romantic atmosphere, cozy leather seats, dark wood tables plus live ambient piano music Fridays and Saturdays evenings. You can also enjoy a romantic wine bar which will bring every visitor back frequently for date nights or a quick drink before the theatre. This memorable fine dining restaurant is located at 90 Avenue Rd, Toronto.
I should mention the point that all these restaurants are temporarily closed due to Covid-19 and they are committed to welcoming you back to these restaurants as soon as it is safe.
Neighbourhood Amenities in Bloor-Yorkville
Toronto’s Yorkville is a very amenity rich neighbourhood. Below we’ll go through some of the prominent ones that might be interesting to families and residents of Toronto’s most cosmopolitan neighbourhood.
Village of Yorkville Park:
Village of Yorkville Park is located in the heart of this fancy neighborhood. It actually is located at 115 Cumberland Street and has won a lot of design awards for its thematic landscape based on elements of Yorkville history as well as the Canadian landscape. The rock in the centre of the park is from the Canadian Shield. It weighs 650 tonnes, and is 1 billion years old. For many, this contemporary park may just seem like a pleasant place to eat lunch, however this park is one of the most fascinating outdoor public spaces in Toronto. This park features a giant granite boulder, which brings the raw beauty of the Canadian Shield right into Toronto’s urban centre. It’s a beautiful place for people to watch and rest between shopping bouts. It really is “A Green Space Gem!” as have been said over and over. This true jewel of Yorkville neighborhood is used by tourists and Toronto residents alike. Village of Yorkville Park has a significant role in daily life of Yorkville, the park plays host to the Bloor-Yorkville BIA’s Holiday Magic Tree Lighting in November, Icefest in February, and Music in the Park over the summer, as well as other unique events. The next time you walk by the park, take a moment to appreciate this multi award-winning gem of green space.
The Yorkville Public Library
The Yorkville Public Library at 22 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto, ON M4W 1L4. Closest major intersection Yonge Street and Bloor Street. Located west of Yonge Street; 2 blocks north of Bloor Street, east of Bay Street, north side on Yorkville Ave. There is a lot of paid-parking in the vicinity of the library. For public transition you can reach there by Bloor-Yonge subway station or Bay subway station walk north to Yorkville Ave. This fantastic library is generally open Monday to Saturday, actually every day except Sundays. However, presently all library branches are closed to support efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus and all programs and room rentals are cancelled.
Art Exhibit Space and Book Discussion Group are some of the general features of this branch. You can contact them if you want to use Yorkville Library space for an Art Exhibit or need more information about Book Discussion Group. This place has some equipment for persons with disabilities like Book stand, Computer with screen magnification software (Zoomtext), Large print keyboard, Large trackball mouse, Magnifier, Natural spectrum lamp, Page turner and Wheelchair accessible furniture. There is Free WiFi access for all visitors.
You can find wide range of collection in the Yorkville Public Library, such as, Adult Literacy Materials, Audiobooks on CD, Large Print Collection, Lesbian Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Collection, Local History Collection, Theatre Play Collection and also Large collection in French in case of Language.
Museums in Yorkville, Toronto
The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), and the McLaughlin Planetarium are all within walking distance of this neighbourhood.
Top Schools in Bloor-Yorkville
The Rosedale Day School offers co-educational private education for children from junior kindergarten to Grade 8. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, this school offers an exclusive blend of urban and nature-based learning opportunities. The school is adjacent to the University of Toronto campus. The Rosedale Day School students will experience a supportive and collaborative partnership between school and home.
St. Michael’s Choir Sr School is another school in Yorkville which was selected as one of the top secondary schools in the province based on Fraser Institute rankings. This semi-private Roman Catholic boys’ school has a focus on musical education, and requires boys to audition in Grades 3 and 4 for a spot in the program.
Read More: Top 5 Condos in Toronto’s Yorkville Neighbourhood
Hotels in Toronto’s Yorkville Neighborhood
The Hazelton Hotel is located 0.4 km from Yorkville district in the vicinity of a number of Toronto’s best restaurants and world class spa centers.
Park Hyatt Toronto also welcomes guests which is located in Bloor- Yorkville, Toronto, 0.6 km away from Yorkville.
What is Yorkville famous for?
Today It is famous for its top shopping and dining centers but in the 1960s, Toronto Yorkville was the center for “Bohemian Culture”.
It was the center of Canada’s hippie movement and artists like Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Margaret Atwood and Joni Mitchell were going there.
Is Yorkville a rich and expensive Toronto neighbourhood?
Yorkville is one of Toronto’s most amazing areas. Everything from high-end shopping centers, top restaurants and beautiful houses have made this small village one of the most expensive areas in North America.
This Toronto neighbourhood also is one of the most expensive areas in Toronto and Canada and in the case of buying real estate, the value of the market has been rising during the past several years.
How to get downtown Toronto from Yorkville
In order to get downtown, you can use line 19 bus (11 mins), line 1 subway (13 mins), line 320 night-bus (15 mins), take a taxi (3 mins) or walk (31 mins).
Galleries in Yorkville Toronto
There are many art galleries in Yorkville that you can discover. The bests include the Canadian Fine Arts Gallery specialized in contemporary and historical Canadian art. Loch Gallery specialized in 19th and 20th century Canadian art.
One of the best galleries in the Yorkville neighbourhood is Mayberry Fine Art for sure! This Torono’s art gallery specializes in Paintings of the Group of Seven and also Canada’s post-war artists.
Mira Godard Gallery is another one. This Gallery specializes in contemporary Canadian and international art.
Miriam Shiell Art specialized in 20th century modern and contemporary art since 1978.
Watching a Movie
If you need to relax in the afternoon, a simple way is to go and see a movie in Yorkville courtesy of Varsity Cinemas. Cineplex Varsity Cinema is located at the Manulife Centre in the center of Bloor-Yorkville.
This famous theater shows the newest movies and also offers VIP areas where you have the option of ordering food and drinks to your seats before and during the movie. So, Have your beer and watch a movie!
Conclusion:
Finally, whether you’re looking to relax and unwind and enjoy Yorkville’s facilities at home, check out this official website of this charming neighbourhood for shopping online, Order your favorite takeaway in a few steps and so much more!
Official website link: https://www.bloor-yorkville.com/
Are you considering purchasing a home in Yorkville? Click here and within a few steps one of the best Toronto Real estate Agents who covers the Yorkville Area will contact you.
Also a huge shout out to @iamclaralifestyle who follows us on Instagram, for providing some of the nice photos in this article about Toronto’s Yorkville.