Union

What is Union? Occupying 72 Ossington Avenue, Union has anchored the strip since 2009 under chef-owner Teo Paul, combining classic Paris bistro spirit with Ontario farm-to-table sourcing. The narrow room moves from a horseshoe bar and counter overlooking the open kitchen to exposed brick dining tables and a leafy, string-lit back patio. It trades sterile pretension for lived-in wood, chalkboard menus, and genuine neighbourhood warmth.

Union Menu & What to Order The chalkboard menu rotates daily around local harvests, anchored by a tight roster of perennial favourites. Order the Union Salad—a towering arrangement of organic greens, double-smoked bacon, and chèvre anchored by a crisp potato rösti—alongside the sweet-and-sour sticky ribs and mirin-glazed elk sliders on challah. The house steak tartare and warm polenta gratin are essential cold-weather staples, perfectly backed by low-intervention French wines and rotating Ontario craft taps.

Know Before You Go Dinner reservations are strongly advised, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings, but counter seating and front-bar stools accommodate prompt walk-ins right around the 5:00 p.m. open. The tranquil back garden patio fills up rapidly during peak summer evenings, so arrive early for brunch or golden-hour dining. Reach the room via the 501 Queen or 505 Dundas streetcars, as nearby street parking along Ossington is scarce on weekends.