1. Le Bar à Soupe
A bouquet of prairie flowers brightens the window of this brand new takeout spot. Owner Nathalie Barin (who hails from Poitier in western France) serves up a tasty collection of potages and veloutés. Classic baguette sammies (like jambon-fromage) make for robust companions. 164 Ossington Ave., 416-854-4886.

2. I Deal Coffee
Where the ridiculously hip (dour-looking freelancers in wellies and free-trade cotton) come to pen anti-commercial screenplays. I Deal has secured a fierce following with its drum-roasted beans and artfully crafted blends. TIP: Buy a pound of beans and enjoy a free latte. 162 Ossington Ave., 416-534-7700.

3. Cindiloowho
Owners Dani Elwell and Stefano Dal­bello’s home emporium offers vintage wares and lovely custom-made reclaimed-wood pieces. Dalbello (a cabinetmaker) designs harvest tables, consoles and hutches that look straight out of Beatrix Potter’s Lake District cottage. 134 Ossington Ave., 416-538-7887.

4. Virginia Johnson
The local designer’s cotton voile frocks and tunics have all the joyful salt-air freshness of a Raoul Dufy watercolour. Her spring line—vibrantly patterned with birds, ocean waves and orchids—sparks fantasies of a beachside life. 132 Ossington Ave., 416-516-3366.

5. Jaidens Petals
From the owners of Cindiloowho comes a new flower boutique named for their daughter. Countertops are strewn with stray petals, old-world botanical books and Mason jars full of vibrant spring buds. TIP: Jaidens Petals delivers downtown for $8. 130 Ossington Ave., 416-532-8040.

6. Get Real! Café
Carrie McKitrick and Maico Meier’s cozy veggie resto could make a vegan out of Fred Flintstone. A bountiful menu offers scrumptious soups (clove-perfumed split pea, cayenne-spiked carrot), sandwiches (try the portobello mushroom) and inventive salads. 135 Ossington Ave., 416-532‑4564.

7. The Sparrow
This resto-bar, adorned with fake bunnies, a taxidermic pheasant and crystal chandeliers, is the kind of alt-glam place you might find tucked away in the Lower East Side. The chef takes a slow-food approach, favouring hearty, well-stewed flavours. 92 Ossington Ave., 416-537-0134.

8. I Miss You
Like its nostalgic moniker, this carefully curated vintage shop will make you yearn for a more glamorous past. Owner Julie Yoo restores every piece by hand, thereby ensuring that, in true ladylike fashion, nothing reveals its age. 63 Ossington Ave., Unit K, 416-916-7021.

9. Sweaty Betty’s
This crimson-washed boîte—well-doused in the woozy cologne of stale beer and panelled in photos of tattooed sailors—is the ultimate fashionably unfashionable Queen West West watering hole. Velour couches are food stamp chic; no designer cocktails, just the real juice (absinthe, scotch and an impressive selection of tequila). 13 Ossington Ave., 416-535-6861.