When you enter Unit for the first time, it may take a minute to grasp what's going on. With an interior adorned with found-object art, Unit has boldly – if not incongruously – packaged itself as a "Snackbar," in a rapidly gentrifying area.

Sandwiched between the Gladstone Hotel and The Drake, and dangerously close to the West Side Lofts project, "UNIT" has little in common with its current neighbourhood brethren. Attempting to recapture the true art ethos of Queen West, Unit features artful touches of Parkdale nostalgia, with old movie sign letters and a vintage roulette wheel where a clock might normally be. And take a close look at that bar counter. Yes, that is indeed wood from an eighty-year-old gym floor.

No other bar in town packs as much over-the-top playfulness and urban eclecticism into so narrow a space. Even with no TV screens (a standard for this area), the sensory overload approaches the dizzyingly surreal vision of its creative owner, Matt Beckerlee. Unit overflows with neon, polished surfaces, techno-noise and hyperactivity among servers and patrons alike. Late night, the room makes way for a revolving door of a crowd who keep the place going until close.

This address itself has housed myriad businesses, from a print-making shop to a 1900's railroad junction drinking spot. Even the wrought iron sign spelling out "UNIT" is reminiscent of train tracks and harkens back to simpler times. One can almost envision old-time railway workers knocking back pints in this place.

Not a slick gallery nor a big-buzz lounge-bar, the space manages to meld art and commerce in a way that seems sincere, as opposed to the nearby condo construction sites and Starbucks whose main concern is capturing the now-hot neighbourhood dollar.