There are plenty of awesome and fun things to do at Kensington Market in Toronto.
Kensington Market is one of the city’s most eccentric neighbourhoods, and it has everything from eclectic vintage shops to cool coffee shops!
Many different cultures and ethnic groups have lived in and around Kensington Market over the decades, which is why it’s become such a diverse Toronto neighbourhood today.
A lot of the Victorian-style houses that were built in the late 1800s still stand today, and have been lived in by immigrants of all ethnicities, including:
- 1800s: Scottish & Irish
- 1900s: European Jewish
- 1950s: Portugese, Italian, Caribbean, & East Asian
- 1980s: Latin American, African, & Asian
The history behind Kensington Market is truly fascinating, and you can do plenty of tours to learn more about it, including this 2-hour Kensington Market & Chinatown walking tour.
There’s also an event called Pedestrian Sundays that runs from summer through fall, so you can wander around the streets completely car-free!
Here’s how to spend the perfect day exploring the Toronto Kensington Market neighbourhood, including all the best things to see and do.
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More things to do in Toronto
If you’re looking for more fun things to do in Toronto, you might enjoy these posts:
- Searching for more things to do in Kensington Market? Check out the best coffee shops or vintage shops.
- Looking for great eats? Hit up some of the best Chinatown restaurants.
- Love exploring new areas? You might enjoy visiting these cute Toronto neighbourhoods.
Best things to do in Toronto’s Kensington Market
Go on a Kensington Market food crawl
Kensington Market is the perfect place in Toronto to go on a food crawl, and you can even do food tours!
There are so many awesome food spots in Kensington Market, and you can grab a dish to share with a friend at each restaurant.
Here are some of my fave food spots in Kensington Market:
- Seven Lives serve up some of the best tacos in Toronto.
- Koi Japan Sushi offers unique tofu pocket sushi.
- Rasta Pasta has some of the best jerk chicken in the city.
- Otto’s Berlin Döner offers German street food bites.
- Fresco’s Fish & Chips has some of the best fish and chips.
- Dirty Bird has all the chicken and waffles.
Kensington Market is also located right by Chinatown, so you can stop into some of the best Chinatown food spots while you’re there as well!
Go café hopping in and around Kensington Market
Kensington Market has plenty of adorable coffee shops and cafés in the neighbourhood, and it’s the perfect spot to go café hopping.
Sip on some fresh brews and enjoy some handmade pastries from these super cute cafés in Kensington Market!
Start at FIKA Café, a Swedish-inspired café known for their aesthetically-pleasing book wall.
Make your way up to Little Pebbles, where you’ll find French-inspired Japanese baked goods and desserts alongside super unique drinks.
You’ll then want to stop into Jimmy’s Coffee, a beloved and local Toronto coffee chain that serves up incredible cups of joe.
End off your café hop at Film Café, which serves up a really creative drink menu, with unique options like their Pistachio Matcha Latte and Coconut Butter Coffee.
You can also walk a few minutes up to College to visit Voodoo Child, a cool café and cocktail bar that serves up espresso in a cool skull glass!
If you’re more in the mood for treats to enjoy alongside your coffee, definitely hit up Dipped Donuts for their epic donut creations or Blackbird Baking for their delicious baked goods.
Explore the colourful street art and buildings
Kensington Market is one of the best neighbourhoods in the city to see Toronto street art.
There are a lot of cool graffiti and murals, and even the houses are painted in fun and vibrant colours!
Kensington Market isn’t a super huge area, so you can take a walk around the entire neighbourhood to see all the cool street art and buildings in the area.
With all the vibrant colours of the neighbourhood, it’s one of the most Instagram-worthy spots in Toronto!
Shop at Kensington Market’s vintage stores
Kensington Market is filled with great vintage stores, where you can shop everything from clothes to knick knacks.
While you’re exploring and looking at the street art, you can take a peek and do some window shopping at the vintage stores in Kensington!
Sub Rosa Vintage, Space Vintage, and Courage My Love are some of my favourites, but there are plenty more Toronto vintage clothing stores in the area.
A lot of the vintage shops in the area take part in the Toronto Vintage Crawl, a seasonal event where you can shop deals on all things vintage!
Shop at Kensington Market’s ethnic food shops
Like I said earlier, Kensington Market has been lived in by a plethora of different cultures and ethnicities.
From artisan cheese to tasty snacks from Asia, you’ll find plenty of unique stores in Kensington Market to shop from.
Stop by a bunch of their ethnic stores and bring an entire food haul home from all around the world!
Stop into Shop 404
If you’re a lover of all things ~cute and kawaii~, you need to pay a visit to Shop 404.
This adorable gift shop in Kensington Market has everything from eclectic jewelry, to anime-themed pins, to hand-painted succulent pots.
They even offer decoden phone case workshops, where you can completely customize your own fun phone cases!
You’ll find all kinds of cool gifts, bits, and bobs, and it’s even just a great spot to shop for yourself if you like cute things.
LOCATION: 160 Baldwin St Unit 6, Toronto, ON
Indulge your sweet tooth at Dipped Donuts
Dipped Donuts is one of the best doughnut shops in Toronto, and you absolutely need to try their epic and Instagram-worthy creations.
They make their doughnuts from scratch daily using fresh ingredients, and offer a variety of amazing flavours like S’mores, Brown Butter Sea Salt, and Carrot Cake.
They even have some vegan doughnuts for my plant-based friends.
Their shop is very small, but they do have a bench out front if you’re looking to enjoy your treat right away!
LOCATION: 161 Baldwin St. #1, Toronto, ON
Grab a tasting flight at Kensington Brewing Co.
If you’re a big craft beer lover, you’ve gotta try this local Toronto craft brewery.
Grab a tasting flight and sample some local craft beer at Kensington Brewing Co. in Kensington Market!
They’re temporarily closed at the moment, but definitely stop into their brewery once they reopen.
LOCATION: 299 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON
Best things to do in Kensington Market:
- Go on a Kensington Market food crawl
- Go café hopping in and around Kensington Market
- Explore the colourful street art and buildings
- Shop at vintage stores
- Shop at ethnic food shops
- Stop into Shop 404
- Indulge your sweet tooth at Dipped Donuts
- Grab a tasting flight at Kensington Brewing Co.
Kensington Market is a Toronto neighbourhood filled with so much incredible history and culture, and it’s a lot of fun to explore, whether you’re a local or a tourist!
Kensington Market can be a little sketchy at night, so I would recommend visiting during the day at more populated hours.
If you’re planning a trip to Toronto, be sure to check out my posts on the most fun things to do in Toronto (including free things), the best time to visit Toronto, and what to wear in Toronto.
If you’re looking for fun tours and activities to try in Toronto, check out this Kensington Market food tour!
Have you been to Kensington Market in Toronto? What are some of the best things to do in the neighbourhood in your opinion? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram!
More things to do in Toronto
If you’re looking for more fun things to do in Toronto, you might enjoy these posts:
- Searching for more things to do in Kensington Market? Check out the best coffee shops or vintage shops.
- Looking for great eats? Hit up some of the best Chinatown restaurants.
- Love exploring new areas? You might enjoy visiting these cute Toronto neighbourhoods.
Be sure to keep up with me on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest if you aren’t already!
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Feature photo by Kerry Meneses
Kensington Market is relatively safe to visit during the day, especially during the busy summer months and on the bustling weekends.