Beyond Kensington Food Tour in Toronto

Have you ever been on a food tour in your home city? I went on a food tour in Toronto and ate some delicious food, discovered new restaurants and met some great people!

The Kensington Market sign in Toronto from behind and backwards. The CN tower is visible in the distance.

I’ve lived in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) for most of my life, and regularly visit & shop in Chinatown and Kensington Market. I have my go-to shops – Sanagan’s Meat Locker, Caribbean Corner, Tap Phong, and often stop at Golden Patty or a taqueria for a snack before heading home. I find myself visiting the same shops and restaurants, so when I had an opportunity to join Local Food Tours for a walking history & food tour and be a tourist in my city I immediately hopped on board!

The front of Sanagan's Meat Locker butcher shop in Toronto's Kensington Market. There is a red and white shop sign on wood above a red & white awning. — Sanagan’s Meat Locker

An angled shot of the outside of Caribbean Corner store in Kensington Market, Toronto. There are boxes of goods on a table outside the store. The shop name Caribbean Corner and a large ATM sign are on the window. — Sanagan’s Meat Locker

About Local Food Tours Kensington Market Food Tour

Discover Toronto’s most culturally diverse neighbourhoods with 6+ exciting food stops. Visit the hidden corners and back alleys of Kensington Market as you learn about the area, its history, its culture and, of course, its food!

This is a walking tour through Toronto’s Chinatown and Kensington Market and runs a few times a week. We had a small group of people so there was a chance to get to know each other, ask the tour leader lots of questions, and enjoy the day without it feeling like a school trip.

The tour takes about 3 hours. You’ll be walking so be sure to wear comfy shoes, bring layers or sunscreen if needed for the weather, and bring some water. There are a few stops and you’ll be eating a fair amount of food, so don’t eat before you go! Depending on your appetite you may want to take a small container to put your leftovers in.

Mother’s Dumplings

The first stop and meeting point was Mother’s Dumplings on Spadina Avenue. I’ve eaten here several times, but the dishes we tried on this tour were all new to me.

Mike, our tour guide, gave us a quick rundown of the food we were going to eat – North Eastern style Chinese steamed dumplings – an overview of the plates, bowls, and cups on the table and how each is intended to be used for those not familiar, plus quick guide to the sauces: black vinegar, soy sauce, and chili oil.

Our menu was preset and consisted of a variety of steamed dumplings: shrimp, egg & chive, winter melon, and glass noodles & tofu, paired with tea.

A bamboo steamer basket filled with Chinese dumplings on a wooden table. — Shrimp, Egg & Chive Steamed Dumplings

A white plate with two green Chinese dumplings on it and a small dish of soy sauce in the background. A pair of chopsticks is holding an orange-ish dumpling with a bit taken out of it. — Shrimp, Egg & Chive Steamed Dumplings

After eating we stopped by to see how dumplings were being made. This was a great way to start the tour. Small, light bites with loads of flavour!

A table filled with white dough pieces. Two ladies are standing at the table wearing aprons and hairnets. One lady is using a cleaver to cut small pieces of white dough and the other is working with a light green dough.

Mashion Bakery

Just down the street from Mother’s Dumplings is Mashion Bakery, where we stopped for freshly made, flaky egg tarts.

An angled shot of the outside of Mashon Bakery. The brown sign above the store has yellow Chinese letters and black English letters.

The egg tarts were warm and lightly sweetened with a super flaky pastry. If you’ve never had an egg tart I recommend giving one a try!

A hand holding an egg tart in a white cupcake paper cup. In the background is a sidewalk. — Egg Tart

A hand holding an egg tart with a bite taken out of it in a white cupcake paper cup. In the background is a sidewalk. — Egg Tart

Chinese Traditional Bun

Chinese Traditional Bun, a small restaurant tucked in amongst a few stores and quite easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention, was our next stop on this tour. It’s a small restaurant is down a few steps with seating if you want to eat there.

We had small bites at the first 2 stops and the bowl of Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles at this stop was quite hearty. The small bowl of noodles is served cold and topped with pork, chili oil, and cilantro on top, and under the noodles is spicy sauce made from red peppercorns, garlic, ginger. It was super delicious and hearty with a spice that warmed me up!

A small white bowl filled with Dan Dan Noodles - white noodles topped with ground pork, chili sauce and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. — Dan Dan Noodles

A small white bowl filled with stirred Dan Dan Noodles - white noodles, ground pork, and chili sauce. — Dan Dan Noodles

Global Cheese

Just around the corner was Global Cheese, our first Kensington Market stop, where we sampled some local deli meats and cheeses. On the sampling board was an Italian salami with red wine, Blythe Farms Queen Bee goat cheese with mead, 1978 DaSilva cheese and 5 Brothers cows milk gouda aged on cedar planks. Simple, delicious, and a great way to continue our journey.

A board filled with sliced deli meat and cheese on a flowered table cloth. Three hands are reaching in with toothpicks to take a sample.

Golden Patty

Golden Patty was next on the list. I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve been to small shop for a patty, a baked treat or some bread.

We each had a half of a Jerk Chicken Patty and cup of homemade Ginger Beer, two items that I haven’t had before.

Half of a jerk chicken patty on a white napkin beside a plastic cup of ginger beer, all sitting on a blue bench.

Fresco’s Fish & Chips

My stomach was getting quite full by this point but the freshly made fish & chips at Fresco’s was too tasty to resist. The extra crispy fish batter had crushed Mrs. Vicki’s salt & vinegar chips and the fries were made with Ontario russet potatoes.

A close up of a small portion of fish and chips on a white-paper covered dish.

Pancho’s

The last stop was dessert at Pancho’s – a freshly made, warm churro. These churros could be filled with dulce de leche but I opted to have mine plain, with just the cinnamon sugar on the outside.

A cinnamon and sugar dusted churro wrapped in red & white paper on a wooden picnic table.

Absolutely! If you want a bit of Toronto history and a variety of delicious food, this tour is a great way to spend half of a day. Mike, our guide, was super friendly and easy going. He guided us from stop to stop with ease, shared some neighbourhood history and answered all questions.