The Ultimate Food Tour at Kensington Market Toronto

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Kensington Market is an area west of Spadina Ave providing the city of Toronto diverse cultural restaurants, shops, and groceries right at the heart of the city. Colourful houses surrounding the neighbourhood and chic looking stores that definitely catches someone’s attention.

Whenever I visited back my family when I worked in the states, I try to stop by here because it makes me feel like a local all the time. Walking on the streets of Baldwin Street, Kensington Avenue, Augusta Avenue, and Nasau Street always makes me feel like I’m at home and I’ve been coming here ever since I knew of the market so I’m no stranger to the places that are here. In addition to that, all the places I’m going to recommend have been consistently listed at the top of every ‘Best Of’ lists of the top Toronto, Canadian, and Travel food websites. Therefore, they all are reputable.

It hosts Pedestrian Sundays, a yearly event every summer at the last Sunday of the month, where the market is vehicle free! Therefore, here are my top places to eat at Kensington Market that will leave your bellies satisfied and feel like you took over the world!

Blackbird Baking Co.

Blackbird Baking Co. bakes fresh bread every morning every day 365 days a year. Rated as one of the best bakeries in the city, you sure would want to stop by here and get your daily bread and pastries. You would not miss it because you’ll smell that freshly bake right away when you walk on Baldwin Street. Every baked good is absolutely delicious and fresh! I always buy a pastry for myself and buy a sourdough bread to take home. Dip it with blasamic vinegar and olive oil is the perfect way to enjoy it! They also serve cannele which I absolutely love and I think they only sell them on some days from Thursday to Sunday. Come early because they run out of them very quickly!

They are open from 8:00 to 19:00 Monday to Saturday and 10:00 to 18:00 on Sunday.

Jumbo Empanada

Latin American restaurant that’s been in the market for almost when I remember started coming here. Been here since 1991, they serve authentic Chilean empanadas paired with salsa that for sure satisfies any tummies out there! In addition, they also serve Chilean desserts alfajores and empolvados.

My favourite is the chicken empanada. Chicken is not dry and it has an egg inside. I love eggs! The beef empanada also has it and they have cheese for the cheese-lovers out there! All empanadas are such good portions that will leave you full after. Their dough has the great brown baked colour and it doesn’t lie! The crunch is perfect with the fillings inside.

Open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 20:00 and 11:00 – 18:00 on Sunday.

Seven Lives

Seven Lives is an oldie but always always a goodie. Full name is Seven Lives Tacos Y Mariscos but every local knows it as Seven Lives. They have been consistently voted as one of the best tacos in Toronto almost every year in every Toronto food ranking lists. BlogTO, Indie88, Narcity, you name it. They’re there.

Their menu has extensive selections of meat and seafood in their tacos topped with more hefty goodness and sauces that blends well with the main savoury ingredient. The most popular item is the Gobernador comprises with smoked marlin, shrimp with shredded cheddar cheese drizzled with chipotle. Also, my favourite, the baja fish taco where the fish is deep fried to crispiness garnished with cabbage and salsa. For my vegetarian friends out there, enjoy the rare combination of mushroom and cactus (cactus?!) taco exclusive from this place.

They are very consistent in their taco making and sadly, they ran out and close when they sold out so I highly recommend you come here as soon as possible and get all the tacos like what you would do at an all you can eat buffet restaurant. Google and yelp reviews are raving, there’s a line but trust me, it’s worth it.

Moo Frites

Love moo frites and they’re cultural take in poutine! Classifying themselves as Belgian frites, they serve crispy fries with mayo on top on a paper cone. That’s the traditional kind but the restaurant, being in Canada, of course they’re serve the loved Canadian fries dish called the poutine. Though, they do poutine in a whole another level by incorporating ingredients from another country. Converting that Canadian loved dish to a fusion dish. With that said, they’ve been at the top of every Toronto food list as one of best poutines in town. Poutines are worldly-infused as the names themselves suggest: Kimchi, Japo, Macho, Chili Cheese, War, and Speciaal. Of course, they have the classic poutine.

My favourite is the Japo poutine. What they do is they top of those crispy fries with kewpie mayo, wasabi mayo, seaweed, and green onion. Seasoned with some black and white sesame. It’s the perfect Japanese-Canadian fusion!

Also, they have tons of sauces and I’m a sauce-y person so I order a couple and dip my (Yip, I do things over the top) already sauced fries aka poutine. I get the garlic mayo and chipotle ketchup and ketchup (Filipinos love ketchup!).

Open from 11:30 – 20:30 Sunday to Thursday and 11:30 – 22:00 Friday and Saturday.

The Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles

Who doesn’t love chicken and waffle? That Southern delicacy that this place perfected has become a favourite eat in Kensington too. They make very good chicken and waffles that they’ve opened another one on Bloor St.

You can order the crispy fried chicken on a waffle or with fries. They have chicken burgers as well. To make things better (or worse, depends how you perceive it), you can order them with bacon. Yummm! For the boneless lovers, they have chicken tenders on waffles or fries. Basically every order has chicken to your liking!

Open from 11:00 – 20:00 Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 – 22:00 Friday and Saturday.

Torteria San Cosme

New kid in the block but not so new anymore. Since 2016, they’ve been voted as one of the best places to eat Mexican food, sandwiches, churros, and got amazing salsa selections. They are Mexican to the core and they do it right and I recommend to always order churros for dessert. They’re sandwiches are amazing and filling. Perfect for lunch and sharing as well. I usually seat at the bar and people watch while eating Del Chavo sandwich and drinking Horchata (while also singing Vampire Weekend’s song Horchata <3 <3 ).

Open from 11:00 to 20:00 Monday to Thursday, 11:00 to 21:00 Friday and Saturday, and 11:00 – 18:00 Sunday.

Millie Creperie

When you’re finished with all the savoury foods you can fit in your stomach, maybe it’s time for dessert. Yeah?! Millie Creperie prepares Japanese infused desserts from crepes, gelatos, and parfaits and more! They are very famous for Japanese crepes and crepe cakes. Their most popular item is the Japanese crepe which has matcha gelato, azuki, matcha sauce topped with fresh whipped cream. I myself enjoy the same ingredients but on a parfait.

Open from 12:30 to 20:30 Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursdays and 12:30 to 22:00 Friday and Saturday so they’re closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Cold Tea

So when you are still in the market and it’s evening already and looking for a place to drink and hangout with friends, you may want an adventure and find this hidden bar.

Cold Tea is this speakeasy bar that’s a staple name in the market. Speakeasy bar is a type of bar that is hidden and the name came from back in the day in the 20s when selling and consumption of alcohol was prohibited. That how hidden bars emerged and it stuck to the bars these days that are not facing the streets thus ‘hidden’.

Open after 18:00 and stays open until 2:00 the next day from Tuesday to Sunday, this place is located in the most obscure place. It’s inside Kensington Mall which is at 60 Kensington Avenue. Don’t be scared to enter. It may look sketchy (trust me it’s worth it specially when you’re into this hidden and ‘hipster’ places like me) but just walk in after 18:00, venture through the hallway passing the clothing shops and you should see a silver door with a red light at top like this. If the lit red light means Cold Tea is open and ready to serve you the best drinks and shareable food curated by the best of Toronto chefs!