A few blocks of Victorian houses turned into shops, occupied in turn by every group that has arrived in Toronto since 1900.
Kensington is a few blocks of narrow Victorian houses west of Spadina, most of them converted to shops with the living quarters above, and it is a National Historic Site — designated not for a building but for what the neighbourhood represents.
It has been the arrival district for wave after wave of migration, and each has left something.
The layers
Irish and Scottish working-class housing from the 1880s.
Jewish from around 1905 — Eastern European immigrants who could not buy elsewhere set up market stalls in front of their houses, creating what was called the Jewish Market. At its height there were around thirty synagogues in the area; the Kiever Synagogue of 1927 still stands and is a heritage site.
Portuguese and Azorean from the 1950s, when the Jewish community moved north.
Caribbean, Chinese, Vietnamese and Latin American from the 1960s and 70s.
Ethiopian, Mexican and Middle Eastern more recently.
None of them fully displaced the last, which is why you can buy Portuguese custard tarts, Jamaican patties, Mexican tortillas, Chilean empanadas and Hungarian sausage within a hundred metres.
What to eat
Jamaican patties at Patty King or Golden Patty. Portuguese egg tarts. Empanadas at Jumbo. Cheese at Global Cheese and Cheese Magic. Fish at Coral Sea and Hooked. Bagels, churros, Ethiopian, taco counters.
Blue Banana Market and the vintage shops on Kensington Avenue.
Grow Op and the head shops — Kensington was the centre of Toronto’s cannabis dispensary scene well before legalisation in 2018 and retains the atmosphere.
Pedestrian Sundays
Held monthly from about May to October, closing the streets to traffic for the day, with music, performance and stalls. Started in 2003 by residents and it is the neighbourhood at its best.
The fight against change
Kensington has resisted development repeatedly and vocally. A proposed Walmart nearby was defeated after a long campaign; a large condominium at the edge produced years of opposition.
Rents have risen anyway and several long-standing businesses have gone. It is a live argument and you will see signs about it.
Practicalities
Free to walk. Shops keep their own hours and many close on Mondays.
Streetcar 510 Spadina or 506 College get you to the edge; the nearest subway is Spadina or Queen’s Park, both about fifteen minutes’ walk.
Chinatown begins immediately east across Spadina, and the AGO is ten minutes south-east.
