Hotels near Kensington Market

Kensington Market is a small 7-hectare neighbourhood west of downtown - Toronto's most authentically multicultural and bohemian district. The area developed as a Jewish-immigrant market in the early 20th century; subsequent waves of Portuguese, Caribbean, East Asian, Latin American, and South Asian immigrants have layered their cuisines and shops without displacing earlier ones. The neighbourhood preserves its 1900s-1920s wooden Victorian housing and remains stubbornly resistant to development.

Standout stops: Wanda's Pie in the Sky (cult bakery, 8 CAD apple pie), Otto's Berlin Doner (Berlin-style kebabs), Pancho y Emiliano (Mexican corner store with the city's best tortilla chips), Augusta House (small live-music bar), and the dozens of independent vintage clothing shops along Augusta Avenue. The neighbourhood closes streets to traffic the last Sunday of each summer month for Pedestrian Sundays - a major street festival.

Pro Tip: Visit on the last Sunday of May, June, July, August, or September for the Pedestrian Sundays street festival - the entire neighbourhood goes car-free with street musicians, food stalls, and local artisans. The combined Kensington and Chinatown walk (Spadina Avenue south) is one of Toronto's best urban afternoons.