Kensington Market and Chinatown

This walk takes you through the bustling lanes of Chinatown and the bohemian avenues of Kensington Market, highlighting the rich history of immigrant communities and independent spirit that define these iconic Toronto neighborhoods.

Listen to this tour in the Mira app →Walk it in street view

1. Graffiti Alley

Graffiti Alley, officially known as Rush Lane, runs for about one kilometer through the heart of the Fashion District. It is defined by the dense, ever-changing layers of spray paint that coat the back walls, garage doors, and fences of…

2. Chinatown Centre

Chinatown Centre is a multi-level shopping complex located at two hundred twenty-two Spadina Avenue. You can identify the site by the Chinese characters displayed on its exterior and its position along one of the busiest corridors in the…

3. Dragon City Mall

Dragon City Mall stands at the southwest corner of Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street, a five-story structure that looms over the heart of Toronto’s Chinatown. You can distinguish it by its sheer density and the way it tucks a maze of small,…

4. Anshei Minsk

Anshei Minsk is a synagogue in Kensington Market defined by its Byzantine Revival architecture and its brick exterior. It was founded in nineteen twelve by Jewish immigrants from Belarus, then part of the Russian Empire, who initially…

5. Kensington Fruit Market

Kensington Fruit Market is recognizable by the produce displays that spill out onto the sidewalk, a tradition that has defined this storefront for decades. Located on the corner of Kensington Avenue and Saint Andrew Street, it operates as…

6. Bellevue Square Park

Bellevue Square Park is a half-hectare green space defined by concrete pathways that intersect in a central gathering area. Once the front lawn of the Bellevue estate, the land was donated to the City of Toronto in eighteen eighty-seven by…

7. Garden Car

The Garden Car is a colorful, retired sedan overflowing with flowers, herbs, and vegetables on the southwest corner of Augusta Avenue and Oxford Street. It functions as a miniature, community-tended parklet, where the hood serves as a…

8. El Mocambo

The El Mocambo is defined by the glowing neon palm tree sign that hangs over the sidewalk on Spadina Avenue. This three-story building, which dates back to nineteen ten, became a fixture of Toronto’s nightlife after opening as a cocktail…

The audio tour continues in the Mira app →