Neighbourhoods
Kensington Market
Toronto's most unique neighbourhood, Kensington Market retains its charm and wonderful diversity through its eclectic mix of vintage clothing stores, Latin American grocers, fresh produce, cafes and watering holes. Defiantly independent and progressive, Kensington hosts street festivals like Pedestrian Sundays in the Summer months and December's annual Festival of Lights. Often overlooked but not to be missed is the stretch of Nassau street between Augusta and Bellevue, home to spots like I Deal Coffee, Kid Icarus and This Ain't the Rosedale Library.
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specific in Kensington Market?
4 Life Natural Foods / Grocery Stores
4 Life Natural Foods carries an array of organic produce and bulk foods, as well as hormone-free meats. A Kensington Market favourite, the tidy store features a helpful labeling system...
Agave & Aguacate / Restaurants
Agave & Aguacate is not your typical Mexican fast-food joint. Unlike most fast-food cooks, owner and lone-chef Francisco Alejandri trained at the prestigious Stratford Chef School and pours his culinary...
Akram's Shoppe / Restaurants
Akram's Shoppe has a simple philosophy: delicious, fresh and healthy food at prices affordable to everyone. Akram and his wife Hiyam reopened the shop in May 2010 after a nightmare...
Amadeu's / Restaurants
Amadeu's is a popular Portuguese restaurant in Kensington Market . They have a casual patio fronting Augusta and the park as well as a slightly more formal dining room inside....
Antojitos Peruanos / Restaurants
Antojitos Peruanos sees Lorena Ramos serving fragrant Peruvian gourmet foods on the weekend. Find tamalitos ($5), arroz con pollo--a stew of cilantro and saffron-tinged rice and chicken with carrots and...
Augusta House / Bars
Augusta House is the newest venture from the former owner of White Orchid on Dundas (now Zed), and just like White Orchid, the parties are eclectic and run the gamut...
Average Joe's / Cafes
Average Joe's on Baldwin St. in Kensington Market is more lunch spot, less coffee house. While they do have numerous drinks on offer, the main attraction here are the sandwiches...
Avo / Restaurants
Avo brings Portuguese street food to the Latin American foodcourt at 214 Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market. On the menu are salt cod fritters, shrimp fritters, veggie fritters (all $1...
Baldwin Cafe / Cafes
The Baldwin Cafe is essentially a re-brand of the old Shai's Cafe that was in the same location. Like it's predecessor, the Baldwin Cafe focuses more on food than coffee....
Bellevue / Restaurants
The Bellevue is doing something different. This inconspicuous diner at the corner of Bellevue and Nassau in Kensington Market is now open and serving breakfast, lunch and brunch fare that...
Big Chubby Burger / Restaurants
Bug Chubby Burger, with its bright green facade and giant logo in the window, is nestled between Bungalow and Good Egg in Kensington Market. Also in the window are two...
Big Fat Burrito / Restaurants
Home of the yam burrito, Big Fat Burrito makes 'em just as it sounds. But hold off on the salsa - it's way too sweet and tastes store bought. ...
Bikes on Wheels / Services
Bikes on Wheels is a good option when you're looking for a slick urban commuter bike or accessories for tooling around town. Operating out of Kensington Market for over 20...
Blue Banana Market / Design Stores
I've often thought that Toronto could use a really good artists market. I'm thinking something like Madrid's Mercado de Fuencarral or the Market NYC in Lower Manhattan. So I was...
Buddha's Vegetarian / Restaurants
Last night I met up with some friends at Buddha's Vegetarian, a little hole in the wall on Dundas, just East of Bathurst. They had eaten there before and consider...
Bungalow / Fashion Stores
Contributed by Jaime Kawamoto I admit to not having the patience for vintage shopping. Scouring through crammed racks of dubiously cared for hand-me-downs while inhaling the intoxicating odour of mothballs...
Bungalow West / Fashion Stores
Bungalow West in Kensington Market got me good - one look at the red and white party dresses in the window and I was in love. The newest addition to...
Burger Bar / Restaurants
Burger Bar has opened in Kensington Market in the space formerly home to Rice Bar. But this restaurant on North Augusta is more than just a place to fill up...
Cafe Pamenar / Cafes
Cafe Pamenar has recently opened at the northern tip of Augusta Avenue, adding to the already congested coffee scene in Kensington market. But while the market sure has a range...
Cafe Unwind / Cafes
Cafe Unwind sits tucked away in a quiet residential section of Kensington Market on the corner of Wales and Leonard Avenue. I was initially quite sceptical about the awkward location...
Casa Acoreana / Grocery Stores
Casa Acoreana is a long time Kensington Market fave even if few people know its name. Often referred to as the place at the corner of Baldwin and Augusta, or...
Casa Acoreana Cafe / Cafes
August has been coffee month for me. Maybe it's the blog. Maybe it's the wars. Maybe it's the escalators that lead up to gyms. Whatever the reason, I've consumed more...
Cheese Magic / Grocery Stores
Cheese Magic on Baldwin Street competes with Global Cheese for the hearts and wallets of cheese seekers in the neighbourhood. ...
Chocolate Addict / Grocery Stores
Chocolate Addict in Kensington Market sells chocolate and more chocolate. There are all sorts of truffles, chocolate bars, fresh chocolate sauce, cocoa powder and lots of other chocolate goodies....
Chura Hair Salon / Fashion Stores
Chura Salon is a Japanese owned and managed hair salon with locations in Vancouver, Tokyo and this one in Kensington Market....
Cold Tea / Bars
Cold Tea is modeled on the principle that a good thing is hard to find. This new Kensington bar is hidden at the back of the unassuming Kensington Mall through...
Courage My Love / Fashion Stores
Kensington Market favourite Courage My Love has been open since the seventies, and has won a loyal following among Torontonians looking for cheap vintage, exotic beads, exquisite jewelry from faraway...
Crows Nest Barbershop / Fashion Stores
Crows Nest Barbershop is the place for guys to get a hair cut in Kensington Market. In a sub-level space on Kensington Avenue south of St. Andrew, the barber shop...
Detour Bar / Bars
Detour is the latest addition to Kensington Market's bar scene, and the best way I can think of describe it is this: imagine that Beetlejuice bought a seedy cowboy bar,...
El Gordo Fine Foods / Restaurants
El Gordo's certainly not about ambience. There's plenty here to suspect that its previous incarnation was a Kensington market butcher shop (increasing the suspicion is the fact that the proprietors...
El Trompo / Restaurants
El Trompo in Kensington Market, with its west-facing patio, is one of my favourite places to be on a sunny afternoon in Toronto. This spot, serving up delicious and simple...
Emporio Latino / Grocery Stores
Emporio Latino is the Pepsi to Perola Supermarket's Coke. Both stock almost the same mix of hard-to-find fresh, canned, jarred and frozen Latin American products and, come weekends, feature the...
Essence of Life / Grocery Stores
Essence of Life in Kensington Market is one of the best health food stores in the city. The prices here are much better than Noah's and the Big Carrot; and...
Exile / Fashion Stores
Exile is a staple in Kensington Market and a go to spot for cheap vintage fashion, iron-on tees, plain t-shirts and costumes....
Free Times Cafe / Restaurants
After turning down a string of Hanukkah "Latke Party" invites last past week due to work committments, I was craving those greasy taters so badly come Sunday night. Walking...
Fresco's Fish and Chips / Restaurants
Fresco Fish and Chips is a take-out joint located across the street from Kensington Park, ideal sitting grounds for a takeaway meal. Having grown up in a small fishing community...
Fresh Collective (Kensington) / Fashion Stores
Fresh Collective in Kensington Market is the new re-branded space of what used to be Fresh Baked Goods. This is one of three Fresh Collective boutiques in Toronto, the others...
Global Cheese / Grocery Stores
Globe Cheese in Kensington Market is one of the best cheese stores in the city. There are a range of domestic and imported cheeses, some unpasteurized; as well as fresh...
Good Egg / Design Stores
Good Egg's thoughtful selection of brilliant books and artful yet functional kitchen and kitchen-themed products combine to make this Kensington Market storefront an essential stop for any food lover....
Graffiti's Bar & Grill / Bars
Graffiti's Bar & Grill has an interior that is dark, maroon-lit and pulsating with activity, making me feel like I'm within the heart of something enormous. An apt decorating scheme,...
Greens Vegetarian Restaurant / Restaurants
Greens Vegetarian Restaurant is on Dundas West just steps from Kensington Market. The menu is 100% vegetarian with plenty of mock meat dishes with a decidedly Chinese influence....
Grilled Cheese / Restaurants
The Grilled Cheese in Kensington Market has taken a simple concept, perfected it and unleashed it on the neighbourhood at just the right time to capitalize on the mass...
Grind House / Cafes
The Grind House is a new cafe in Kensington Market, tucked into a small space near the top of Augusta. It assumes the space that was formerly home to Pennylicks....
Hibiscus Cafe / Cafes
Why Hibiscus Cafe doesn't charge more for its delicious treats is one of Toronto's greatest mysteries. It seems to me that healthy food is like bikini material: the less there...
Hot Beans / Restaurants
Hot Beans has recently opened in Kensington Market. The idea to open a vegan taco restaurant in the area is such an obviously brilliant idea, it's surprising it has taken...
Hot Box Cafe / Cafes
Hot Box cafe is a novelty cafe in Toronto if there ever was one. While the menu offers a reasonably robust selection of breakfast/lunch/diner and other 'munchies', the real draw...
Hotshot / Galleries
Hotshot is a new gallery in South Kensington Market that was started in late 2007 by a group of five artists, designers and creative entrepreneurs. The gallery showcases regular exhibits...
House of Spices / Grocery Stores
House of Spices is a quintessential Kensington Market store. From bags of garam masala to bins of roasted coffee beans from Tanzania, this neighbourhood staple lives up to its name...
Hungary Thai / Restaurants
Hungary Thai is a quirky little resto in the heart of Kensington Market that marries stick-to-your-ribs Eastern European fare with trendy Thai dishes. Sure, it's a bit of an...
I Deal Coffee / Cafes
Why do I prickle with guilt upon walking into my local Starbucks? I guess I've seen one too many docs on the world's second most valuable commodity and can't...
Juice Dept. / Restaurants
Juice Dept. has been under construction for the past year, finally revealing itself to the Kensington community for the first time this week. Hitomi Kobayashi decided to open up her own...
Jumbo Empanadas / Restaurants
So empanadas eh? I can eat a couple. Especially if they're from Jumbo Empanadas in Kensington market. Unlike the picture above, this particular frigid afternoon it's hard...
Ka Chi / Restaurants
Along St Andrew's St, where Chinatown meets Kensington Market, a little Korean restaurant is busy winning over regulars from both sides of the neighbourhood. I'd just left the Moonbean cafe in...
Kensington Cornerstore / Restaurants
The Kensington Cornerstone is a 100% gluten-free restaurant but you can forget about noticing that, in fact, most people wont. The only indication about it's status comes from a small...
Kensington Fruit Market / Grocery Stores
There are only two shops I rely on in Kensington Market for my weekly fix of fruit and vegetables. One is Oxford Fruit at the corner of Nassau and Augusta;...
Kensington's Espresso Bar / Cafes
Kensington's Espresso Bar sits at the southeast corner of Kensington and Baldwin and proclaims to have the best coffee in town. While that may be overstating it, they do have...
Kid Icarus / Design Stores
Nassau is one of my favourite streets in Toronto. In one little block between Bellevue and Augusta there's the original I Deal Coffee, eco-friendlies Heart on Your Sleeve and Left...
Kim's a la Cart / Restaurants
Kim's a la Cart at 214 Augusta is the building's resident Korean street food stand, serving cucumber kimchi for $4, Korean pancakes from $1.75, a selection of pan-fried dumplings, and...
King's Cafe / Restaurants
King's Cafe on Augusta in Kensington Market is a vegetarian restaurant serving noodle soups and a variety of mock meat options. ...
Krepesz European Palacsinta Cafe / Restaurants
Krepesz European Palascinta Cafe is a new spot on Kensington's cafe-happy Augusta Ave. Specializing in Hungarian-style crepes, it features an interior as sweet and comforting as its culinary creations....
Krome Roses / Fashion Stores
Krome Roses is the new Kensington Market hair salon named after its head stylist and founder who studied at the John Amico School of Hair Design....
La Tortilleria / Restaurants
La Tortilleria is Toronto's first place that makes fresh corn tortillas every day. Not quite as good as what you'll find in Mexico, but still better than the frozen or...
Last Temptation / Restaurants
Last Temptation is one of the quintessential Kensington Market hangouts. It's best on a sunny Summer's day, sharing a pitcher of beer among friend on the front patio. Inside, things...
Le Kensington Bistro & Rotisserie / Restaurants
Le Kensington Bistro & Rotisserie is not chef Jean-Charles Dupoire and sommelier Sylvain Brissonnet's first foray into Toronto's French restaurant scene. The longtime friends already own the acclaimed Loire restaurant...
Longboard Living / Fashion Stores
Longboard Living is a prized mecca for a booming longboarding community. Having only been around for a few years, Longboard Living offers skate lessons, skateboard art, a wide variety of...
Macondo / Restaurants
Macondo's first and only location offers Colombian-style dishes such as beef and chicken empanadas ($2), cheese-filled tequenos--including choco-cheese, which includes Venezuelan chocolate--and patacones ($2), which are fried green plantains. Here's...
Mendel's Creamery / Grocery Stores
Mendel's Creamery is the third wheel in the Kensington Market cheese store triumvirate. Found just south of Global Cheese, the store doesn't measure up to the other two for the...
Mexican Salsas Grill / Restaurants
Mexican Salsas Grill is a new joint promising authentic Mexican fare in the heart of Kensington Market. And while I like Tex Mex as much as the next person...
Mike The Bike / Services
Mike The Bike owner Mike Wilson's affably grungy little shop is the essence of Kensington old school - not much interested in impressing you as much as getting the job...
Miss Cora's Kitchen / Baked Goods
Miss Cora's Kitchen is a bright, cozy bakery and take-out spot tucked under an orange awning in Kensington Market. Miss Cora DeVries herself presides over the warm wood counter...
Model Citizen / Fashion Stores
I needed something last minute, something unique and sexy, an outfit to catch a girl's eye, something that might garner a compliment, an "Event" outfit. I shot down to Model...
Moonbean Cafe / Cafes
If there's one topic we've got covered around here, it's caffeine. From the hardcore espresso drinkers to fluff-n-whip style hot chocolateers, fair trade bean pickers to pure black tea steepers,...
My Market Bakery / Baked Goods
My Market Bakery is a Kensington Market favourite. They sell pretty much everything here except a good selection of spelt and gluten free options (hint hint). For everyone else, there's...
Oishi Kada / Restaurants
Oishi Kada is, surprisingly, the lone sushi purveyor of Kensington Market. After twelve-years, Oishi Kada (translation: that was delicious!) is comfortably settled in its niche between a hostel and a...
Oxford Fruit / Grocery Stores
Kitty corner to the now closed J&J Fruit Market, Oxford Fruit is still thriving in the heart of Kensington. Boxes of fresh fruit pushing out to the curb at...
Pancho's Bakery (Kensington) / Baked Goods
Pancho's Bakery first opened at Dufferin and Davenport, and has been in 214 Augusta for just a few weeks, collecting a faithful following for its house-made churros ($1.50), which are...
Paradise Bound / Services
Paradise Bound is a Kensington Market music store that also sells Japanese art. The vinyl sits in low bins made from old wine and port crates - a truly creative...
Patty King / Baked Goods
Patty King reigns in Kensington market. My favourite is the Spicy Beef, with its great savoury filling and perfectly crisp and tender pastry. Patty King also offers Chicken, Goat,...
Paul's Boutique / Services
Paul's Boutique is the sort of place you go to equip your prog-folk math rock jam band. The ghost of Church St. pawn shop legend Richmond's Trading Post has returned...
Pearl Harbor Gift Shop / Services
Pearl Harbor Gift Shop draws inspiration from Japanese and American WWII-era art and design. Officially open since May 1st, it's a light, open and inspiring space to have one of...
Perola Supermarket / Grocery Stores
Perola Supermarket is the Coke to Emporio Latino's Pepsi. Both stock almost the same mix of hard-to-find fresh, canned, jarred and frozen Latin American products and, come weekends, feature the...
Pizzeria Via Mercanti / Restaurants
Pizzeria Via Mercanti is the latest addition to Toronto's Neapolitan-style pizza scene, and in many ways holds its own with some of the other major players in this city like...
Playdead Cult / Fashion Stores
Playdead Cult is bringing a little dark art and skull and monster fashion to Kensington Market. Though the brand has been around for more than 10 years now, owners Bean...
Poetry Jazz Cafe / Bars
Poetry Jazz Cafe is not a cafe, nor is it a poetry club. There's no appreciative snapping, subtle allegories, or hushed, whispered words between friends. Rather, Poetry Jazz Cafe a...
Pretty Freedom / Fashion Stores
Pretty Freedom was born in the typical fashion of start-up businesses, as the brainchild (conceived over too many drinks) of two friends exhausted by corporate work life. American Apparel expats...
Pure Vegetarian Restaurant / Restaurants
Denison and Dundas is a competitive area for Asian vegetarian food. With Buddha's Vegetarian next door, Full Moon Vegetarian Restaurant a few steps away and others close by, the aptly...
Rebozos (Kensington) / Restaurants
Rebozos, long a fixture on Rogers Road, has recently opened an outpost at 214 Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market. Owner Indalecio Marroquin was drawn to Kensington Market for its significant...
Romeo's Juice Bar / Restaurants
Romeo's Juice Bar guarantees that its juices and smoothies are made with the freshest possible fruits and vegetables. And that guarantee comes with a pretty good backing — Romeo, himself,...
Ronnie's Local / Bars
In Kensington Market, there's a place where everybody knows your name. Well, they will if you advertise it. And if they still remember it the next time you go. But...
Sadie's Juice Bar / Restaurants
Sadie's Juice Bar is the first offspring of the popular vegan breakfast hotspot, Sadie's Diner. While the original Sadie's serves up vegan friendly diner staples, its new offshoot is honing...
Sanagan's Meat Locker / Grocery Stores
Sanagan's Meat Locker on Baldwin Street might be easy to miss from under the red Max & Son-branded awning, but one should not overlook this new kid on the Kensington...
Segovia Meat Market / Grocery Stores
Segovia Meat Market is a Kensington staple that sells chorizo infused sausages and other Latin American inspired meats. In addition to raw meat, they also sell some delicious prepared food...
Shampoo / Fashion Stores
Kensington offers second-hand shopping, cheese, fruit, poultry and also hair-cuts. On St. Andrew. ...
Six String Garage / Services
Six String Garage opened in Parkdale in May. The shop sells a modest selection of mostly affordable instruments up front, services and builds guitars in the back, and hosts classes...
Sonic Boom (Kensington) / Services
Sonic Boom records recently announced they were vacating the premises at 512 Bloor West, to be replaced by not one but two new locations. While the store in the...
Spicy Grill / Restaurants
Spicy Grill has taken over from the short-lived Debu's on Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market. While Kensington doesn't really need another Indian restaurant (the serviceable Indian Waterfalls and Tapas is...
St. Andrew Poultry / Grocery Stores
I used to go to St. Andrew Poultry all the time. That was back in the day (really, just a year ago) where I actually ate animals and they'd let...
Sublime Cafe / Cafes
Sublime Cafe is part coffee shop, part vinyl store. And it is perhaps that combination that has allowed it to thrive in Kensington Market for the past six years. Oddly...
Supermarket / Restaurants
Supermarket is an asian tapas parlour and DJ venue at the northern end of Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market. The food here is good value and is a good for...
Tasty Corner / Restaurants
Tasty Corner has moved into the awkward corner of Augusta and Nassau. The kitchen serves up both breakfast and lunch including omelettes, pancakes, salads, burgers, roti, rice dishes, wraps and...
Thai Noodle / Restaurants
Thai Noodle straddles the border of Kensington Market and Chinatown at the corner of Baldwin and Spadina. Its tacky appearance puts it more into the nondescript Chinatown restaurant category, but...
The Boat / Bars
There's nothing like The Boat in Kensington Market. The epitome of kitsch, this second story nautically themed bar is always a good time and is a great intimate venue for...
The Rage / Fashion Stores
Ah, streetwear! Deconstructed tees, cotton frocks, handpainted items, and kitschy jewels, I knew thee well! I may have grown out of my streetwear phase, but I'm still fond of the...
Thirsty & Miserable / Bars
Thirsty & Miserable hopes to be your new beer forward destination in Kensington Market. The bar, formerly Planet Kensington, Freshwood Grill and Havana Cuba - is a tiny little nook...
Tibet Cafe / Restaurants
The only Tibetan restaurant in Kensington Market, the unassuming Tibet Cafe may be short on looks but what it lacks in appearances it more than makes up in flavour. Best...
Tom's Place / Fashion Stores
Tom's Place in Kensington Market is famous for its huge selection and discount prices on men's suits, formal and business wear. They also have a selection of coats and women's...
Torito / Restaurants
A few days ago I had dinner at Torito, a new Spanish tapas restaurant on Augusta in Kensington Market. I had a hunger to go there for a while. ...
Tutti Frutti / Grocery Stores
Tutti Frutti is a great health food store in Kensington Market which sells a variety of bulk cereals, flours, nuts and spices. ...
Urban Herbivore / Restaurants
Whether you're looking for organic salads, vegetarian sandwiches, vegan soups or just a really healthy, flavourful (and filling) lunch, Urban Herbivore has got you covered. Sure enough, Toronto is already a...
Wanda's Pie in the Sky / Baked Goods
Stepping foot in Wanda's Pie in The Sky is sort of like meeting a famous person. The name of the place has certainly made its rounds about the city. I...
Waterfalls Indian Tapas / Restaurants
Waterfalls has stuck to its chef's roots and re-branded itself as Indian Tapas. It might be a tough sell with popular tapas-ish spots Supermarket and Torito across the street, but...
We Are Radar / Fashion Stores
We Are Radar is located in Kensington Market, and offers its in-house and namesake fashion label alongside eclectic and conceptual clothing, jewellery, and items for the home....
We Are Radar / Fashion Stores
We Are Radar is located in Kensington Market, and offers its in-house and namesake fashion label alongside eclectic and conceptual clothing, jewellery, and items for the home....
Whippersnapper Gallery / Galleries
Whippersnapper Gallery has moved to a new space, and there's a brand new vision to go along with it. The gallery, now located at the southern tip of Kensington Market...
WilBe Bloomin / Design Stores
WilBe Bloomin is the best florist in Kensington Market. They have a good selection of fresh cut flowers, orchids and a stunning floral bath....
Neighbourhoods
Other Neighbourhoods
- Annex
- Baldwin Village
- Bayview and Leaside
- Beaches
- Bloor West Village
- Bloorcourt
- Bloordale Village
- Cabbagetown
- Chinatown
- Church Wellesley Village
- Corktown
- Corso Italia
- Danforth
- Distillery District
- Dundas West
- East Chinatown
- Eglinton West
- Etobicoke
- Financial District
- Forest Hill Village
- Harbourfront
- Junction
- Junction Triangle
- Kensington Market
- King East
- King West
- Koreatown
- Leslieville
- Liberty Village
- Little India
- Little Italy
- Markham
- Mount Pleasant
- North York
- Ossington
- Pape Village
- Parkdale
- Port Lands
- Queen West
- Richmond Hill
- Riverside
- Roncesvalles Village
- Rosedale
- Scarborough
- St. Clair West
- St. Lawrence Market
- Upper Beaches
- West Queen West
- Yonge & Bloor
- Yonge & College
- Yonge & Dundas
- Yonge & Eglinton
- Yonge & St. Clair
- Yonge & Wellesley
- Yorkville
Community
Something missing?
Know a great local business we should include on the site?
