North America : Canada : Ontario : Golden Horseshoe : Greater Toronto Area : Toronto : Kensington Market
Toronto - Kensington Market
Kensington Market is a district of Toronto.
During the 1920s, it was known as the Jewish Market. Today, you can sense the city's rich, multicultural mix, obvious in the shops packed with goods from Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East, South America and Asia. A visit to Kensington is like a sensory trip around the world. It's also a treasure trove of vintage and second hand clothing shops, tucked in among eclectic restaurants and cafés.
Get in
Transit
Kensington is served by the College and Spadina streetcar lines. On College, ride the car West from Queen's Park Station until Augusta, then walk South into the market. On the Spadina cars, you can disembark at almost any stop between Dundas and College and walk west into the centre of it all.
Do note that the Spadina car in particular can get very, very crowded during rush hour. However, as the Spadina cars have a right-of-way and barriers separating them from ordinary traffic, once you're on the car itself the trip (either South from Spadina Station or North from Union) is fairly short. The Spadina cars embark and disembark at "islands" in the middle of the road, so mind you don't wander right into traffic!
The more adventurous can hike over from Queen's Park station. Exit the station by taking a right, then a left, and walk West until you hit Spadina. You can either continue along College, taking you past the border of the University of Toronto campus, or cut Southwest and pass through quiet, but pleasant, residential areas. When you hit the streetcar line, do a block or two more to the West, and you'll be in Kensington.
Driving
As Kensington is quite comparable to an open-air market, it's not an especially car-friendly place. There are "Green P" (Municipal) lots in the area, and there is street parking on most throughfares, but the sheer pedestrian volume (especially on weekends in summer) can make driving a daunting prospect. In particular, Kensington has "Pedestrian Sundays" in the summertime: any cars parked between noon and 7-10:00 PM (Depending on the location) will be towed to a local lot at the owner's expense.
If you must drive, park on Spadina or College instead. If you must drive through Kensington, keep an eye out for jaywalkers, and do note that most of the local streets are one-way.
Walking
Kensington is fairly accessible from the fringes of the downtown, but is a bit of a hike from the City Hall-financial sector and points East. The "main drag" runs North on Kensington from Dundas to Baldwin, then West to Augusta, then North again to College; approaching it on foot from either direction should give you plenty of exposure to the neighborhood. Bring comfortable shoes: there isn't much public seating.
See
Kensington market was the site of the Canadian television sitcom King of Kensington which aired on CBC Television from 1975 to 1980 and starred Al Waxman, who was himself born in the neighbourhood. A memorial, erected to Al Waxman following his death in 2001, can be seen in Bellevue Square Park.
- El Mocambo on Spadina just South of College has frequent musical acts upstairs and is one of Toronto's oldest musical venues. Acts that have performed here include Elvis Costello, who recorded a live album, and the Rolling Stones.
- Down the road on Spadina you'll find Grossman's Tavern known as "Toronto's Home of the Blues", not to mention home of one of the best and cheapest burgers you'll find in the city. You'll find bands playing every night, as well as Saturday afternoons and there is never a cover charge.
Do
On Sundays throughout the summer the streets are shut down to motorists, and pedestrians take over the streets. There are frequently concerts, exhibitions of art (visual and performance), and occasionally political displays, which generally relate to ecology, going car-free, or anti-globalization.
Kensington Market is, first and foremost, a market: its shops are generally accepted as some of the finest in the city to purchase fresh food (especially cheese and meat), spices, vintage/thrift clothing and almost anything esoteric or exotic. Bring cash; it's taken everywhere and will save you hassles, as many of the smaller stores will not take credit or debit cards. American currency is taken at some stores, but may result in sneers and less-than-kind glances at others.
The Market is also home to an eclectic art community, and there are several galleries, many of them free, offering constant shows of local talent. This is helped by proximity to OCAD (The Ontario College of Art & Design. If you see something in the sky that looks like the offspring of a crossword puzzle and a Rubik's Cube standing on pencil crayons, you're looking at OCAD.) There are no major concert venues in Kensington, but especially in summer, many cafes and restaurants offer live music; in particular, Supermarket (South of College on Augusta) is popular with young urbanites.
If there's one thing you should keep in mind when visiting Kensington, it's that there is no local Starbuck's. This is a very friendly but very protected enclave where vegan cran-apple muffins take the place of Big Macs and anyone who so much as says the words "double mocha venti" might get into trouble if the wrong people are listening. While it can be a great place to bring the kids and spend a day exploring the world, this is not a shopping mall. It's gritty, it's real, and it's organic.
Buy
The Kensington Market is a great place to find second hand clothing. There are many second hand and new clothing stores spread out through the market.
- Parts Unknown is tucked away in behind Jumbo Empanadas and is the best place to find second hand bicycle parts in Toronto.
- Courage My Love is a eclectic vintage clothing store on Kensington Ave. A must-see on any trip to Kensington Market.
- AAA Army Surplus on Baldwin Ave. is the place to buy all your fatigues, boots, flight jackets, handcuffs...whatever you need.
- Uprising Books is an anarchist non-profit bookstore.
- Bungalow is mix of vintage clothing, mid-century furniture and recent fashion finds.
Money/Banking
There are a cluster of major banks at Spadina and Dundas; don't mind the Chinese signage, the tellers also speak English, as do the ATMs. Many of Kensington's smaller shops will not accept credit cards or debit, so visitors are advised to bring at least some cash with them if they plan on doing any shopping.
There is a little tucked away TD Bank machine on Kensington, near St. Andrew. Take a deep breath and hold it before you walk in.
Eat
There are many places to buy food.
- Jumbo Empanadas, 245 Augusta Avenue. Delicious and inexpensive empanadas in both meat and vegetarian varieties.
- My Market Bakery, 184 Baldwin St. The best in baked goods you'll find in all of Toronto.
- Big Fat Burrito, On Augusta one block south of College. Try the Yam Burrito.
- herbivore.to, On Augusta one block south of College. A popular vegan restaurant that mostly does takeout sandwiches and soups.
- Last Temptation, On Kensington just North of Dundas. Known for it's seafood and tropical decor.
- Global Cheese, 76 Kensington. Likely one of the best places to buy cheese in the city. Excellent, friendly, knowledgable staff.
- Supermarket, 268 Augusta — just South of Augusta and College. A wide selection of Asian fusion dishes, and the bar is quite popular with bright young things in the evening. A bit more upscale (in decor, menu and price) than the rest of Kensington.
Drink
Kensington is a great place to go to find an out of the way quiet bar with cheap drinks and a friendly atmosphere.
- Embassy, 223 Augusta Avenue. Cozy place to get a drink, with couches and booths as well as a patio in the summer.
- Last Temptation, On Kensington just North of Dundas. They have reasonable priced pitchers of some popular Ontario beers.
- Grafitti's, At the intersection of Kensington and Baldwin. Grafitti's generally has a live music act nightly.
Sleep
Budget
- Kensington Castle, Hostel, located at 75 Bellevue.
Mid-range /Splurge
There is no mid range or luxury hotel in the Kensington Market.
Contact
This page was last edited at 14:08, on 11 October 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Lynda Olesen, Ivan Korenyuk, Diane, Tom Holland and Niels Elgaard Larsen, Wikitravel user(s) Texugo, Morph and Asploded, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.