The Gemini

What is The Gemini? Accessed via an unassuming stairway above Caldense Bakery at 1209A Dundas Street West, The Gemini is an intimate 35-seat seafood hideaway run by hospitality veterans Jenny Warne, Mike Couvillon, and Craig Spence. The room balances tavern warmth with eccentric vintage accents, church pew bench seating, and an analog 6-CD changer spinning in the background. Counter stools and close-set wooden dining tables keep the atmosphere convivial and unpretentious.

The Gemini Menu & What to Order Head chef Ken Envidia runs an agile, seafood-centric kitchen centered on Canadian coastal catches, Ontario freshwater fish, and market vegetables given equal culinary weight. Start with whatever pristine seasonal crudo is on the board, move to the light and crisp shrimp tempura, and order the charred octopus or daily pan-seared whole fish. The drink program leans heavily into low-intervention natural wines sourced via the owners' Bittern Imports agency, flanked by delicate vermouth- and sherry-based aperitifs and a razor-sharp house martini.

Know Before You Go Tables are booked through Resy with strict dining limits of two hours for small parties, though solo walk-ins and duos can often score bar stools right at opening. Parking along Dundas West is notoriously limited, making the 505 Dundas streetcar to Dovercourt Road the most seamless transit option. The room operates Thursday through Monday starting at 5:00 p.m. and takes Tuesdays and Wednesdays off.