Chinatown & Kensington Market
Start: Osgoode subway station.
Finish: Queen's Park subway station.
Time: At least 2 hours. Depending on how long you want to linger at the Art Gallery of Ontario and at various stops, perhaps as long as 8 hours.
Best Times: Tuesday through Saturday during the day.
Worst Times: Sunday, when many of the stores in Kensington Market close, and Monday, when the Art Gallery is closed.
This walk takes you through the oldest of Toronto's several Chinatowns. The original Chinatown was on York Street between King and Queen streets, but skyscrapers replaced it long ago. Although today there are at least four Chinatowns and most Chinese live in the suburbs, the intersection of Dundas Street and Spadina Avenue is still a major shopping and dining area for the Asian community. As a new wave of immigrants has arrived from Southeast Asian countries -- Thailand and Vietnam in particular -- this old, original Chinatown has taken them in. Today, many businesses are Vietnamese or Thai.
Successive waves of immigration have also changed the face of the nearby Kensington Market. From the turn of the century until the 1950s, it was the heart of the Jewish community. In the 1950s, Portuguese immigrants arrived to work in the food-processing and meatpacking industries and made it their home. In the '60s, a Caribbean presence arrived. Today, traces of all these communities remain in the vibrant life of the market.
From the Osgoode subway station, exit on the northwest corner of Queen Street and University Avenue, and walk west on Queen Street. Turn right onto McCaul Street. If you're interested in crafts, you'll want to stop at 52 McCaul St., on the left side of the street, and visit the:
1. Prime Gallery
It sells ceramics, jewelry, fabrics, and other art objects crafted by contemporary artisans.
On the right is:
2. Village by the Grange
The apartment and shopping complex consists of a series of courtyards (one even contains a small ice-skating rink). Go into the complex at the southern end and stroll through, emerging from the food market. En route you'll come across some small fashion boutiques and 18 Karat (tel. 416/593-1648), where the proprietors design and create jewelry behind the counter.
Take a Break
Also in Village by the Grange is one of the city's oldest and most popular Chinese restaurants, Sun Lok (tel. 416/593-8808). The Food Market contains stalls that sell everything -- freshly brewed coffee, schnitzels, satay, Japanese noodles, salads, falafel, hot dogs, Chinese food, kabobs, pizza, and fried chicken.
Exit at McCaul Street and turn right to continue walking north. You'll pass the Ontario College of Art on the other side of the street. At Dundas Street, you'll encounter a Henry Moore sculpture, Large Two Forms, which describes precisely what it is. Turn left onto Dundas Street. On the left is the entrance to the:
3. Art Gallery of Ontario
If you don't want to go in to see the collections, you can browse the gallery stores without paying admission. The wonderful restaurant, Agora, is open for lunch.
Cross to the north side of Dundas Street, opposite the Art Gallery. A worthwhile stop is:
4. Bau-Xi
This gallery, at 340 Dundas St. W. (tel. 416/977-0600), represents modern Canadian artists. From here, continue west along Dundas Street.
At the northwest corner of Dundas and Beverley is the:
5. Consulate General of Italy
It doesn't look like a government building: The rambling late 19th-century mansion, with its sandy brick, quasi-Gothic windows, and wrought-iron decoration, is a beauty. Too bad it doesn't offer tours.
You're now walking into the heart of Chinatown, with its grocery stores, bakeries, bookstalls, and emporiums selling foods, handcrafts, and other items from Asia.
What follows are some of my favorite stops along the stretch of Dundas Street between Beverley Street and Spadina Avenue. On the south or left side as you go west is:
6. Tai Sun Co.
At nos. 407-09, the supermarket carries dozens of different mushrooms, all clearly labeled in English, as well as fresh Chinese vegetables, meats, fish, and canned goods. Melewa Bakery, no. 433, has a wide selection of pastries, like mung-bean and lotus-paste buns. Outside Kiu Shun Trading, no. 441, dried fish are on display; inside you'll find numerous varieties of ginseng and such miracle remedies as "Stop Smoking Tea."
On the north side of the street is:
7. J & S Arts and Crafts
This shop, at no. 430, is a good place to pick up souvenirs, including kimonos and happy coats, kung-fu suits, address books, cushion covers, and all-cotton Chinatown T-shirts. Kim Moon, no. 438, is an Asian bakery that features almond cookies, deep-fried taro pastries, and dim sum pork buns.
At the northwest corner of Huron and Dundas streets, is:
8. Ten Ren Tea
At no. 454, Ten Ren sells all kinds of tea -- black, oolong, and so forth -- stored in large canisters in the back of the store. Charming small ceramic teapots are priced from C$25 to $75 (US$18-$53). You will probably be asked to sample some tea in a tiny cup. The large variety of gnarled ginseng root on display is also for sale. Next door, W Y Trading Co., Inc., has a great selection of records, CDs, and tapes -- everything from Chinese folk songs and cantatas to current hit albums from Hong Kong and Taiwan. At no. 482A, Po Chi Tong is a fun store that sells exotic remedies, like deer-tail extract and liquid-gold ginseng or royal jelly. The best remedy of all time is the "slimming tea." Watch the staff weigh each item out and total the bill with a fast-clicking abacus.
At Spadina Avenue, cross over to the southwest corner to:
9. Dragon City
The three-level Asian shopping complex at 280 Spadina Ave. is complete with a food court. Here you'll find books, music, clothing, toys, and homeopathic remedies under one roof.
Spadina (pronounced spa-dye-na) Avenue is the widest street in the city because the wealthy Baldwin family had a 40m (132-ft.) swath cut through the forest from Queen Street to Bloor Street so that they could view the lake from their new home on top of Spadina Hill. Later, in the early 20th century, Spadina Avenue became Toronto's garment center and the focal point of the city's Jewish community. Although it's still the garment center, with wholesale and discount fashion houses, as well as the fur district (farther south around Adelaide), today it's more Asian than Jewish.
If you enjoy strolling through supermarkets filled with exotic Asian delights, including such fruits as durian in season, visit the:
10. Tai Kong Supermarket
Look at all the different provisions -- chile and fish sauces, fresh meat and fish (including live tilapia in tanks), preserved plums, chrysanthemum tea and other infusions, moon cakes, and large sacks of rice.
Take a Break
For fine, reasonably priced food, a Chinatown favorite is Happy Seven, 358 Spadina Ave. (tel. 416/971-9820). If you don't mind lining up, head for the ever-popular Lee Garden, 331 Spadina Ave. (tel. 416/593-9524). For speedy service, check out Co Yen, 334 Spadina Ave. (tel. 416/597-1573), a Vietnamese takeout spot (there are no seats). Continuing north, cross St. Andrews Street.
11. Tap Phong Trading Company
This shop, at 360 Spadina Ave., stocks terrific wicker baskets of all shapes and sizes, as well as woks and ceramic cookware; attractive mortars and pestles; and other household items.
Cross Baldwin Street and you'll come to:
12. Plaiter Place
At 384 Spadina Ave., it has a huge selection of finely crafted wicker baskets, birdcages, woven blinds, bamboo steamers, hats, and other fun items. Fortune Housewares, no. 388, carries kitchen and household items -- including brand names -- for at least 20% off prices elsewhere in the city.
Now double back to Baldwin Street. You're heading into the heart of the Kensington Market area, which has always reflected the city's waves of immigration. Once it was primarily a Jewish market; later it became a Portuguese neighborhood. Today, it is largely Asian and Caribbean, but there are still many Jewish and Portuguese elements.
As you walk west, you'll find:
13. Medeiro's Fish Market, Seven Seas, and Coral Sea
At these and other fish stores on the north side of the street, folks buy their supplies of salt cod.
14. My Market Bakery
The merchandise at 172 Baldwin St. (tel. 416/593-6772) will doubtless lure you in to buy some bread. Focaccia, sourdough -- you name it, they have it.
When you reach Kensington Avenue, turn left and you'll find:
15. Abyssinia
It specializes in African and West Indian products. You'll also find Patty King, which stocks Jamaican breads and other West Indian goods, including roti, bread pudding, and tamarind balls. Several seafood stores display a variety of fresh fish and salted cod piled in boxes on the sidewalk; and the Royal Food Centre sells a variety of Jamaican specialties, including goat.
16. Mendels Creamery
This shop, at no. 72, sells smoked fish, herring, cheeses, and fine dill pickles. Another door down, Global Cheese, no. 76, offers an enormous selection at good prices.
As you stroll south along Kensington Avenue and pass Andrews Street, you will find a series of secondhand and vintage clothing stores.
17. Asylum
At no. 42 Kensington Ave., on the west side of the street, the store has good jeans, leather jackets, and assorted accessories. I once found a silk Anne Klein scarf for C50¢ (US35¢) in one of the bargain bins here.
18. Courage My Love
The best spot for cheap but chic vintage clothing is at no. 14. It stocks retro gowns and wedding dresses, suits, and accessories, as well as new jewelry and beads for do-it-yourself projects.
19. Dancing Days
At no. 17 (on the east side of the street), you'll find party-ready glad rags that will make you look like an extra in Grease!.
20. The Pineapple Room
This shop at no. 2 stocks classic cocktail shakers and other doodads among the clothes.
When you reach Dundas Street, turn right and walk one block to Augusta Avenue. Along the way you pass:
21. Win's Flowers
They have gorgeous greenery and blossoms. The jade plants in particular are extraordinarily beautiful.
Turn right on Augusta Avenue; as you walk north, in the center of Denison Square, you'll find:
22. Bellevue Park
The houses facing the south edge of the park have cherry trees in front of them; they are a colorful sight in season.
Stroll through the park; at the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Denison Square you'll find:
23. Kiever Synagogue
This building at 28 Denison Square was completed in 1927. Architect Benjamin Swartz designed it with Byzantine style in mind. The most striking features outside are the twin domes atop the building; inside, stained-glass windows, brass ornaments, and a gigantic Holy Ark dominate the space. (The Kiever Synagogue was the first specifically Jewish building designated a historic site by the province of Ontario.)
Turn back toward Augusta Avenue and you'll see:
24. Sasmart Smart Wear
This discount store has the strangest assortment of goods you'll find anywhere. OshKosh clothing for kids is on display near antique china; a little farther along is kitchen gear (new and used), luggage, and gadgets. It's a weird, cluttered space, but the prices are unbeatable.
Walk north on Augusta to:
25. Casa Acoreana
An old-fashioned store at no. 235, it stocks a full range of fresh coffees, as well as great pecans and filberts. Just up the block at no. 214 is the Alvand Food Mart (tel. 416/597-2252), which specializes in Middle Eastern foods and stocks imported goods from the region.
Just up the street is:
26. Perola Supermarket
This store at 247 Augusta Ave. displays cassava and strings of peppers -- ancho, arbol, pasilla -- hung up to dry and sitting in bins, plus more exotic fruits and herbs.
Take a Break
If you're in the neighborhood after 5:30pm, a perfect place to stop is La Palette, 256 Augusta Ave. (tel. 416/929-4900). Enjoy a meal of classic French bistro staples -- or tuck into one of the many divine desserts.
Cross Nassau Street to get to:
27. Iberica Bakery
The bakery, where you can enjoy coffee and pastries at a handful of tables, is on the east side of the street at 279 Augusta Ave. It represents one of the few remaining traces of the Portuguese presence in the Kensington Market area. Other vestiges are the Portuguese church on Nassau Street and the Portuguese radio station around the corner on Oxford Street. Now just walk up to College Street and hop on the streetcar that runs east to the Queen's Park subway station. The southbound train will take you back downtown.
