One Toronto neighbourhood just ranked as one of the world’s ‘coolest’ on earth

At the patio of Blood Brothers (left), and the curried lamb tartare at General Public (right). (CTV News Toronto/Alex Arsenych)

This west-end Toronto neighbourhood has been named one of the “coolest” across the world.

Davenport, sprawling between Bathurst Street and Lansdowne Avenue, placed 26th in TimeOut’s 39 coolest neighbourhoods of the year.

To determine what neighbourhoods are worthy of such acclaim, TimeOut says they surveyed their writers and editors worldwide to nominate “the vibiest district” in their towns. From there, the U.K.-based media company said it ranked each area, judging it by its culture, community, food and drink, liveability, night life, and “that hard-to-define sense of ‘nowness.’”

The travel guide raved over the lively patios, cafes and “cultural warehouse spaces,” calling the area a “magnet” for creatives and potentially foodies too, as it credits General Public as being the “anchor” of the area.

TimeOut also credited Davenport’s breweries—Blood Brothers and The Greater Good are both situated on Geary Avenue—as well as the underground nightlife as part of the reasons why the “cool crowd flocks to the area.” It also noted how Davenport is a local hub for art and design, known for the Geary Art Crawl as well as boasting the Black-owned creative studio, All Ours Studio.

Spending “the perfect day” here starts with a matcha latte at Balzac’s Powerhouse, according to TimeOut, before heading over to the Cardinal Gallery to peruse photography.

“Dig into a spicy eggplant sandwich at Amelia’s Market for lunch, or a mind-blowing falafel at Parallel Brothers, before hitting Paradise Grapevine’s Space Cowboy ‘darty’ (a frosé slushie machine and mechanical bull daytime party),” the list reads.

Then the night can be capped off with a slice of North of Brooklyn Pizza and listen to music at Standard Time, according to TimeOut.

One other Canadian neighbourhood cracked the list too, with Montreal’s Plateau-Mont-Royal landing at 22.

Here is the list of all of the “coolest” neighbourhoods worldwide, according to TimeOut:

1. Jimbōchō, Tokyo, Japan
2. Borgerhout, Antwerp, Belgium
3. Barra Funda, São Paulo, Brazil
4. Camberwell, London, England
5. Avondale, Chicago, U.S.
6. Mullae-dong, Seoul, Korea
7. Ménilmontant, Paris, France
8. Nakatsu, Osaka, Japan
9. Vallila, Helsinki, Finland
10. Labone, Accra, Ghana
11. Nguyen Thai Binh, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
12. Anjos, Lisbon, Portugal
13. Digbeth, Birmingham, England
14. Red Hook, New York, U.S.
15. Perpetuo Socorro, Medellin, Colombia
16. Burwood, Sydney, Australia
17. Linden, Johannesburg, South Africa
18. Former French Concession, Shanghai, China
19. Quartieri Spagnoli, Naples, Italy
20. Bencoolen, Singapore, Singapore
21. Endoume, Marseille, France
22. Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montreal, Canada
23. The Liberties, Dublin, Ireland
24. North Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
25. Portales, Mexico City, Mexico
26. Davenport, Toronto, Canada
27. Little River, Miami, U.S.
28. Kemang, Jakarta, Indonesia
29. Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
30. Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
31. Barranco, Lima, Peru
32. Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
33. Clarksville, Austin, U.S.
34. Margit-negyed, Budapest, Hungary
35. Glen Park, San Francisco, U.S.
36. MiZa, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
37. Villa Devoto, Buenos Aires, Argentina
38. Mehrauli, Delhi, India
39. Poblacion, Metro Manila, Philippines