Daniel and I both took last Thursday off to spend time with each other and our little one. It was a busy day. We started off at the Brazilian Consulate to pick up our visas for the upcoming trip to Brazil. We made our way south to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and then had a late lunch in Kensington Market.
I grew up around the Market. My grandparents own a business in Chinatown and my mum used to work in the area. I remember going to St. Andrew’s Poultry with my mum as a child. You used to be able to go behind the counter and serve yourself; my mum would slip on some plastic gloves and shove fistful of raw chunks of freshly killed fowl. I thought it was utterly disgusting and hated visits to St. Andrews. Twenty-years later, whenever I’m in the market and heading home soon, I stop by to pick up a couple of whole chickens; they have the most reasonable prices for whole chickens in the city.
Kensington Market’s history is as long as it is storied. It is constantly changing- residents, storefronts and restaurants come and go at pace that’s hard to keep up. It means something completely different for everyone who visits. Even for me, the relevance of Kensington Market has evolved over time. It meant a despised smelly chicken butcher shop to a child version of myself, a place to shop for vintage clothing when I was a teenager, and now, an adventure in gastronomy and a place for cheap eats.
Four Places for Cheap Eats in Kensington Market
Here are the things we ate in the market on our gastronomic adventure:
My Market Bakery | 172 Baldwin Street
I always, always, always make a stop at My Market Bakery when I’m in Kengsington Market. It’s on old habit. I usually buy a pastry or a couple of Montreal style bagels to snack on while I wander the market. This time around, I picked up a loaf of raisin egg bread for the Little. He loves raisin bread- calls it “berry bao bao”, and likes to pick out the raisins to eat first. The loaf was delicious. Daniel and I ate it with cinnamon butter for dessert last night and then I made a bread pudding with the leftovers for breakfast.
Cost: $2.50 for the raisin bread
Sanagan’s Meat Locker | 176 Baldwin Toronto
Sanagan’s is a well loved butcher shop in Toronto with multiple locations. They are known for quality meats, knowledgeable staff, and exceptional service. Personally, I can’t vouch for any of that. Thursday was my first time visiting Sanagan’s and we tried the chicken sandwich from their hot food’s counter. Served on fresh buns, there is a healthy (or unhealthy, depending on how you look at it) spread of creamy and mustard-y remoulade and a generous amount of juicy roast chicken. The best part is a piece of crispy seasoned chicken skin that gives the sandwich a perfect crunch. It is by far the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever had.
Cost: $7 for the chicken sandwich; $3 for fries
Rasta Pasta | 61 Kensington Ave
As hinted by its name, Rasta Pasta mixes Jamaican and Italian cuisine together. How? I’m not quite sure because I only had the opportunity to try the amazing jerk-chicken special- a piece of sweet and spicy chicken thigh smouldered in a jerk gravy, over a bed of rice and steamed vegetables. The chicken, sourced from the nearby St. Andrew’s Poultry, is tender and juicy, the smokey flavour seeped into every bite, thanks to days of marinating. We devoured the chicken so quickly, we didn’t have an opportunity to take a photograph. Where is the Italian, you ask? Rasta Pasta also serves pasta with a rastafarian spin. Magnus Patterson, the rasta influence who stands outside the shop tending to the barbeque spit, indicated that he hopes to expand the Italian menu with his partner and co-owner, Mary Neglia, the bringer of the Italian influence, when they have the time. As of late, the demand for their jerk chicken has been occupying most of their time.
Cost: $5 for the jerk chicken special
Seven Lives | 69 Kensington Avenue
After a share of savoury foods, we were ready for dessert. Hoping for some vegan cupcakes, we were disappointed to find that Miss Cora’s Kitchen is now closed. In its place stood Seven Lives, a southern-California taco joint. Tacos seem to be the trendy thing to eat in Toronto, with Seven Lives rumoured to be one of the best in the city. I’ve only had one taco in Toronto; it was a delicious blackened mahi mahi one from Seven Lives- a delightful explosion of flavour. I wished we ordered everything on the menu. What isn’t there to like about fresh meaty fish balanced with lime crema, tangy pico de gallo, and a spicy garlic sauce all made in house? We paired the taco with a cup of agua fresca, refreshing fruit juice in rotating flavours.
Cost: $5 for one taco; $2 for a cup of agua fresca
And Here’s Some More Places to Eat
Global Cheese | 76 Kensington Ave OR
Cheese Magic | 182 Baldwin St
Another old habit is picking up cheese at Kensington Market for the road (I need snacks, okay). I don’t have a preferred store for cheese; I usually step in which ever one I see first. Global Cheese has a bigger product selection whereas Cheese Magic, I find, has better service.
Banh Mi Nguyen Huong Co. | 322 Spadina Avenue OR
Banh Mi & Che Cali | 318 Spadina Ave
Okay, these two are just outside of Kensington. East of the market, in Chinatown on Spadina, there are two side-by-side banh mi shops. My mum used to buy me sandwiches from one or the other for lunch. I’m not a big sandwich person, but I love my bahn mis (it’s the picked carrots and cilantro). Toronto has seen it’s influx of speacialty banh mi shops, serving fancier variations with pulled pork and kalbi and whatnot, but call me oldschool- I prefer the traditional pork liver pate variety.
Cost: $2.00 for a small sandwich, which is the perfect size for lunch. Note, Daniel needs two for lunch.
Pancho’s Bakery | 214 Augusta Ave.
By the time we finished our taco, we were much too full for anything else. Had I had room for dessert, I would have stopped for some sugary goodness that is Pancho’s Bakery house-made churros. Every time I visit, the yummy fried churros are fresh and warm with a crispy outside and a soft doughy interior. You can get churros filled with chocolate, caramel or jam, but I like my plain with a dusting of cinnamon sugar- just the right amount of sweetness!
Cost: $4 for 5 churros
Moonbean Coffee Company | 30 St. Andrew St.
And how can you have dessert without coffee? Moonbean coffee offers a great selection of fair-trade coffees. They also have lots of tea for those who don’t drink coffee (*ahem* Daniel). Moonbean has been a long standing resident of Kensington Market. While it has changed owners, this coffee shop remains true to its bone and serve excellent coffee in a charming cozy atmosphere.
Cost: $1.25 for a cup of coffee
Last Word
Our afternoon in the market cost us $30, spread among four different eating establishments. Our money went towards a hearty lunch for two-ish people (the Little had his fare share of the french fries and jerk chicken) and bread to take home.
There are a few companies that offer walking tours around Kensington also promising edible treats along the way. Most of these tours range between $30 to $69, depending on the nature and extent of the tour. For the frugal kindred spirits, I recommend creating your own “Tasting Tour” and explore the market in a leisurely haphazardly kinda way.
Side Note
On another note, we were lucky to be gifted two sets of tickets to the aquarium and used up the first pair on Thursday. The aquarium was wonderful albeit a bit chaotic with the sheer amount of traffic; the Dangerous Lagoon (shark tunnel) seemed like the 401, Canada’s busiest highway, for strollers. Each gallery was well-thought out and filled with sufficient fun facts for an educational experience; the Dangerous Lagoon was stunning. The Little was equally impressed, though at times more with the conveyor belt than the actual aquatic life. He loved the Pacific Kelp tank, which is an impressive 360,000 litres, and tried to count each fish that swam by (he can only go up to ten, skipping five). He was incredibly happy to find Nemo, confused as to why there were so many and excited to play in water at the Discovery Center. All in all, our day off was a huge success!
What should we try next time at Kensington Market?
