Toronto Walking Food Tour: Chinatown & Kensington Market

Learn a bit of Toronto history and sample food from all over the world on this walking food tour with Culinary Adventure Co., the #1 rated food tour company in Toronto.

Every time I travel to a new city I try to book a walking tour to get to know the area, and a food tour to sample some local fare. I had the opportunity to go on a hosted walking food tour in Toronto with Culinary Adventure Co. and co-hosted by the Toronto chapter of Travel Massive, and even though I live here it was a chance to learn the backstory of some local businesses, meet fellow Travel Massive members, and try some new dishes.

Chinatown & Kensington Market Food Tour

It doesn’t quite cut it to call this a food tour, it’s more of a neighbourhood history and food tour. Kevin, owner of the company, and CJ were our guides for the day and they know all about the area, two very diverse neighbourhoods in Toronto, and the local businesses.

Our tour was 3 hours and took us to a sit down restaurant, an Asian grocery store, and a handful of other local small businesses. Each business has their own unique story and flavours, which you’ll learn about as you move from place to place to sample the dishes prepared for you.

Our meeting point was the cat on the chair public art sculpture, “Home Again, Home Again Again” by artists David Hlynsky and Shirley Yanover. If you stand on the northwest corner of Spadina Avenue and St. Andrew Street, which is the the entrance to Kensington Market, and look up you’ll see a statue of a cat standing on a kitchen chair. It’s a simple sculpture that really represents the neighbourhood. The kitchen chair depicts the comfort of home and the cat honours felines who were often spotted in the early days living throughout the neighbourhood.
We went to Chinatown West, which was developed in the 1950s but isn’t the original Chinatown. The original location underwent some redevelopment and some businesses moved west while others moved to what is now known as Chinatown East.
Kensington Market has a long history, with many immigrant stories starting in this neighbourhood. It started with English & Irish immigrants, the Jewish community arrived in the early 1900s and for a long time the market was known as the Jewish Market. Designated a National Historical Site of Canada in 2006, Kensington Market is now an eclectic mix of historical Victorian homes, diverse food shops & restaurants, cafes, plus a variety of used, surplus and vintage clothing shops. Today over 80 cultures are represented in Kensington Market.

What we ate on the food tour

Dim Sum

We started off with a dim sum feast. Often served in the late morning around brunch, and on the weekends be prepared for a line. Kevin ordered an array of dishes for us, including the most delicious sweet potato egg custard dessert that kind of looked like a pumpkin. It was crispy on the outside with a slightly sweet, gooey centre. I’ve never had dessert at a dim sum restaurant before, but if this is on the menu I’m definitely getting it again!

This was the first stop and it was truly a full experience, with Kevin sharing a bit about the tea pouring etiquette, a history of the restaurant, and why you’ll see wooden clothes pins with numbers on each dish. Each dish was delicious and a feast really is the best way to describe it. This was the longest stop, with the most food of the tour.

If you’re on this tour and start with dim sum, my suggestion is to pace yourself. There’s lots to eat at this restaurant but also lots more to come.

Snacks from the Asian Grocery Store

While we were in the area we stopped in at a local grocery store. I’ve been to this store many times, but usually I’m on a mission to get a few things and go on my way. On this occasion I took some time to really pay attention to some parts of the store that I don’t usually shop, particularly the fresh fish and seafood counter.

At the front of the store you’ll find stacks of fresh produce, the middle is pantry items, and the back of the store is dedicated to the fresh meat and seafood counters.

Of course, what’s a food tour without a bit of food. CJ and Kevin grabbed a small snack for us to try. Each time they do this tour they select a different snack, so you never know what you’re going to get!

Vietnamese Street Food

It was the the tail end of winter and still quite cold outside, and this was an outdoor stop so it we had a quick bite of Vietnamese Cha Gio, a deep-fried spring roll filled with cabbage, shredded veggies, black mushrooms, and pork before we moved from Chinatown to Kensington Market.

Charcuterie

Our next bite was a little charcuterie tasting at a local butcher shop. It was also supposed to be an outdoor stop because the shop was closed, but they kindly let us in because it was such a cold day.

We sampled an array of local cheeses, meats from their in-house charcuterie program, and few pickled veggies.

This wasn’t just a little bite. Kevin walked us through each cheese, describing the flavour, where in Ontario it comes from, and the kind of milk used to make it. It’s these little touches that makes this particular food tour an impeccable experience.

Tacos

A Mexican restaurant was next on the list. It was small with just a handful of seats, colourful art on the walls, and some grab-and-go Mexican snacks.

Our tasting was tacos al pastor, and as CJ explained, it translates to shepard’s taco or shephard-style taco. In the early 1930s some Lebanese people moved to Puebla, Mexico and brought their recipes, including spit-roasted lamb shawarma. Tacos al pastor is a Mexican adaptation of the Lebanese dish.

Gluten-Free, Vegan Dessert

A sweet treat was the final stop of the tour. The locally-owned bakery is 100% vegan and 100% gluten-free, and absolutely delicious. We had a chocolate whoopie pie with a peanut butter filling.

About Culinary Adventure Co.

After spending a few hours with Kevin and CJ, it was easy to see how they were rated Trip Advisor’s #1 Toronto food tour. They have developed relationships with all of the local businesses in the area and have curated a experience with an array of delicious and diverse bites. At each stop they share local history, a bit about the restaurant owner, and the food you are about to eat.

Small, family-owned and operated company
Founded in 2010
They offer public and private tours in different Toronto neighbourhoods
CJ and Kevin have known each other for over a decade, and they expertly lead, tell stories, and create a fun experience