Neighbourhoods
Chinatown
Sometimes referred to as Old Chinatown, the Chinatown on Spadina Avenue around Dundas Street West is one of the largest in North America but just one of seven distinct Chinatowns in the greater Toronto area. Local businesses reflect a mix of Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese influences making this area a great (and cheap!) place to eat. Many restaurants are open late (check the best spots to indulge in late night Chinese food). By day, Spadina is a hub of activity as residents and tourists elbow for cheap housewares, fruits and vegetables. On weekends, the Bright Pearl is just one of many popular options for some traditional dim sum.
Looking for something
specific in Chinatown?
Asian Legend / Restaurants
Asian Legend has a large menu of banquet dishes and every time I go I think about trying a new dish - but never do. I always get the...
Bahn Mi & Che Cali / Restaurants
Bahn Mi & Che Cali (BMCC) has long been my go-to spot for random Vietnamese desserts. I'm not always sure what's being scooped into my take-out containers, but I know...
Banh Mi Nguyen Huong / Restaurants
Banh Mi Nguyen Huong Vietnamese Sandwiches is one of the most famous Pho bun bakeries in Chinatown. For only $1.75 you can chow down on a Vietnamese sandwiches with a...
Bright Pearl / Restaurants
Bright Pearl is a famous dim sum restaurant in the heart of Toronto's Chinatown. Located on the second floor of a big yellow building at the corner of St. Andrew...
Butterfly Bakery / Baked Goods
Butterfly Bakery is the new kid on the block in the hustling center of Chinatown. With a wide selection of baked goods including traditional Chinese pastries as well as...
Chan Sheung Kee Book Company / Bookstore
Chan Sheung Kee Book Company is the perfect store for those looking for a place that sells a variety of Asian literature. From the most up-to-date Chinese newspapers and...
Chinatown Optical / Fashion Stores
Chinatown Optical has been on Dundas West for over 20 years. This roomy but well-stocked store features lines like Mikita and Philippe Starck, at prices ranging from $200 to $800....
Chinese Traditional Buns / Restaurants
I love the almost musical lilt of Mandarin. I've studied it on-and-off for years, vainly hoping that some of it would stick. It definitely takes a little while for...
Dark Horse Espresso Bar (Chinatown) / Cafes
Dark Horse Espresso Bar has expanded where space is concerned, centralized where location is concerned, and is the opposite of dark (...where light is concerned). The new home of this...
Ding Dong Pastries & Cafe / Restaurants
The Ding Dong bun house is a narrow, pleasant Chinatown shop. The walls are lined with tanned and golden buns, reclining under steam-clouded domes, weirdly reminiscent of Brigitte Bardot...
Dumpling House Restaurant / Restaurants
Picking out a restaurant in Chinatown can be a little daunting sometimes. There's always an overload of options and you want to make sure you leave satisfied without a large...
E-Pan / Restaurants
E-Pan brings a touch of class to Toronto's Chinatown. Nowhere to be found are the familiar plastic tablecloths or neon signs. E-Pan does it up in a contemporary setting. Most...
El Mocambo / Bars
One of Toronto's most famous and best-loved live music venues, the two-story El Mo features indie bands, DJ sets and live performances at least three nights a week....
Furama Cake and Desserts Garden / Baked Goods
Furama is the king of Chinese and Vietnamese pastries. They have two locations in the city - on Spadina south of Dundas in Chinatown; and in the lower level of...
Gold Stone Noodle / Restaurants
Gold Stone Noodle is one of the few Chinese restaurants south of Dundas on Spadina. It's open late and serves up terrific steamed dumplings, hot and sour soup and more...
Grossman's Tavern / Bars
A blues institution in Chinatown since 1948, Grossman's Tavern holds the Toronto record for the longest-running Sunday night jam....
Gwartzman's Art Supplies / Design Stores
A tour of Toronto art supply stores (if there was such a thing) wouldn't be complete without a stop at Gwartzman's. Located on Spadina on the edges of Chinatown, it's...
Hong Kong Island Bakery / Baked Goods
Hong Kong Island Bakery is a new addition in Chinatown where customers are greeted with a collection of pastries, tempting them to indulge in delicately designed bakes. With a...
House of Gourmet / Restaurants
When going for dinner in Chinatown, it's so easy to stick to a few fave places and ignore the rest. Sometimes though, it's nice to try someting new... and...
K&K Specialty Tropical Fruits / Grocery Stores
Just because a shop has tropical fruits, doesn't mean they have good tropical fruits. I've spotted many long dead rambutaans, but not at K&K. K&K Tropical Fruits consistently...
Kim Moon / Restaurants
I go to Kim Moon Bakery for breakfast when Toronto's feeling like Hong Kong - polluted, muggy, and crowded. I guess it's the weather that gives me a craving for...
King's Noodle House / Restaurants
Beyond the roast duck and squid hanging in window, King's Noodle House has been serving up fresh noodles (along with a full Chinese menu) to hungry patrons for decades. ...
Kom Jug Yuen / Restaurants
Kom Jug Yuen is an unassuming spot and regular hangout for white-haired grannies and grandpas seeking out senior's deals after their daily stroll around the 'hood. It's definitely an old...
Laksa / Restaurants
Laksa is a new, modern-looking restaurant in Chinatown. The menu is mostly Thai, but there is also a second, smaller menu with a range of Malaysian dishes. ...
Lee Garden / Restaurants
Lee Garden is a favourite late night spot to dig into vegetable fried rice or some other fresh out of the kitchen creation. ...
Lucky Moose Food Mart / Grocery Stores
Lucky Moose Food Mart in Chinatown has a clean and simple layout. You can easily navigate through the aisles and find exotic ingredients and imported snacks at a reasonable price....
Material Matters / Galleries
Material Matters, located in the heart of Chinatown, features contemporary Canadian glass art. ...
Minh Chau Optical / Fashion Stores
Minh Chau Optical is a recent arrival in Chinatown that specializes in blingy eyewear designs from labels like Chrome Hearts and IC! Berlin, and while their range starts on the...
Mother's Dumplings / Restaurants
It was a Tuesday night and I was being led down the stairs of 79 Huron Street by friends who swore I was about to try the best dumplings in...
New Ho King / Restaurants
New Ho King is one of the few tied, tested, and true go-to places for late night Chinese eats in Chinatown. Open until 4am, it's a hot spot for post...
New Sky Restaurant / Restaurants
New Sky Restaurant takes me back to childhood memories of banging chopsticks, spilling tea and poking holes into plastic table coverings. This is a classic destination for large groups and...
Noble Restaurant / Restaurants
Rainbow Restaurant on Dundas (just west of Spadina) is definitely my favourite cheap dim sum place in Toronto. Partly because Mon-Fri til 4pm you can get near any dish...
Oriental Harvest / Grocery Stores
Oriental Harvest on Spadina north of Dundas is always a reliable bet to find tasty fruit like Rambutan and Lychee that they may not stock at the local Dominion....
Pho 88 / Restaurants
The last time I did a Chinatown eatery post, I spoke highly of the cheap and yummy pho noodle dishes served up at Pho Hung. You all suggested I hit up...
Pho Ai My / Restaurants
Pho Ai My is yet another restaurant that joins the sprawling Vietnamese community in Chinatown. Walking into a white-on- white concept dining room in this neighbourhood is like finding...
Pho Hung / Restaurants
After spending Saturday afternoon at work in an underground office with only tictacs (having forgotten my lunch at home), I decided that lunner (yes, lunch/dinner) was going to have to...
Plaiter Place / Design Stores
Plaiter Place is the wicker heaven where they feature various woven baskets and goods of all sizes and finishing. They also have a collection of paper, wood and a...
Queen's Patisserie / Baked Goods
Queen's Patisserie is a small chain of Chinese bakeries including the above location at 442 Dundas West. Inside, the bakery sells an assortment of cellophane wrapped treats like sinfully delicious...
Red Room / Restaurants
Gothic older sister of the Annex's Green Room Cafe, the Red Room welcomes you into it's lantern-lit embrace with eclectic cheap-eats kind of menu and one kick-ass Sangria recipe....
Rol San / Restaurants
Line-ups out the door don't deter Rol San fans from their Chinese weekend brunch. The mercy of disposable plastic tablecloths and sonic-fast service keeps that line keeps a-moving anyhow. ...
Saigon Palace / Restaurants
Communal style tables and a large window view into the bustling kitchen make Saigon Palace a casual and fun spot to grab a hot bowl of Pho and some crispy...
Sen Ming Garden Seafood Restaurant / Restaurants
Towards the late hours of Nuit Blanche, we were feeling tired and a little worried about where we would go to get nourishment. As we were very close to...
Shima / Restaurants
Shima is a Japanese restaurant in Chinatown that serves a huge range of Japanese dishes including Lobster sashimi, maki, udon, tempura, six types of sushi pizza and various bento box...
Studio Gallery / Galleries
Studio Gallery isn't exactly the most conspicuous space I've ever visited. But, while the second floor location at College and Spadina may not be the easiest for pedestrians to...
Swatow / Restaurants
Walking into Swatow in the middle of the night is like walking into some kind of night-owl clubhouse. A crowd of regulars shuffle in and out, greeting the staff...
Tap Phong / Design Stores
Tap Phong is the place to go when looking for kitchen supplies on the cheap. From restaurant-grade dishes, top quality knives, ceramics, cookware, kitchen utensils, rice cookers and bento box...
Thai Bangkok Restaurant / Restaurants
Walking home on a bitterly cold January evening is hardly my idea of a good time, but one positive side-effect is friends' willingness to try out any restaurant I pick...
Xe Lua Vietnamese Cuisine / Restaurants
I think that pho may be the world's most perfect food .Warming on cold days, hydrating on warm ones and always delicious, pho is the ideal antidote to whatever pains...
Neighbourhoods
Other Neighourhoods
- Annex
- Baldwin Village
- Bayview and Leaside
- Beaches
- Bloor West Village
- Bloorcourt
- Bloordale Village
- Cabbagetown
- Chinatown
- Church Wellesley Village
- Corso Italia
- Danforth
- Distillery District
- Dundas West
- East Chinatown
- Financial District
- Forest Hill Village
- Harbourfront
- Junction
- Kensington Market
- King East
- King West
- Koreatown
- Leslieville
- Liberty Village
- Little India
- Little Italy
- Mount Pleasant
- Ossington
- Parkdale
Community
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