Cafeography
Toronto · Kensington Market & Chinatown

Cafés in Kensington Market & Chinatown

Augusta Avenue, Baldwin Street and Chinatown on Spadina Avenue, with bubble tea next to espresso.

Photo: SilBaBum _, Pexels License

Kensington Market is a grid of narrow streets bounded roughly by College Street, Spadina Avenue, Dundas Street West and Bathurst Street, and was designated a National Historic Site in November 2006.1 Its small houses went up in the 1880s for Irish and Scottish laborers. Eastern European Jewish and Italian immigrants followed, and by the 1920s it was known as the Jewish Market; Azorean, Caribbean, East Asian and Latin American families came later.1

Chinatown runs along Spadina Avenue at Dundas Street West, on the market's eastern edge. It formed there after the city expropriated Toronto's first Chinatown, at Bay and Dundas, in the late 1950s to build City Hall and its square.2 The 505 Dundas and 510 Spadina streetcars serve both neighborhoods.2

Local tip: Go on a Pedestrian Sunday, usually the last Sunday of the month, when Augusta, Baldwin and Kensington are closed to cars;1 Jimmy's Coffee at 191 Baldwin Street opens at 08:00 on Sundays.

At a glance

70Cafés listed
18With opening hours
00:00Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Lola, from 00:00 (Daily 00:00–02:00, 14:00–00:00).
  • Closes latest: Harmony Cafe, until 00:00 (Mon–Thu 08:00–20:00 · Fri–Sat 08:00–00:00 · Sun 08:00–20:00).
  • Most listed streets: Baldwin Street (9), Spadina Avenue (7), Dundas Street West (6).
  • Most common features: bubble tea (11%), wi-fi (10%), open late (7%).

Petit Nuage

  • 707 Dundas Street West
  • Mon–Tue 12:30–19:00 · Wed Closed · Thu–Sat 12:00–19:30 · Sun Closed
  • +1 416-902-5632
  • Wheelchair access
  • Smoke-free indoors
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Coffee chains in Kensington Market & Chinatown

Augusta Avenue and Baldwin Street

Augusta Avenue's shops emptied in the 1990s and were revived by new immigrant businesses.1 Today it has Film Cafe at 230, Hibiscus Vegan Cafe at 238, Krepesz Cafe & Bar at 253 and Cafe Pamenar at 307. The Arch Café at 293 Augusta opens daily 09:30–00:00.

Baldwin Street has two café runs. At the market end, west of Spadina, are Sadie's Juice Bar at 146, Dipped Donuts at 161 and Jimmy's Coffee at 191, which opens at 07:00 Monday to Saturday. East of Spadina, toward McCaul Street, Butter & Blue is at 7 Baldwin, Rooms Coffee at 17 and Carbonic Coffee at 37, open until 21:00 from Wednesday to Sunday.

Pedestrian Sundays and the market's hours

Since 2004, Pedestrian Sundays have closed parts of Augusta Avenue, Baldwin Street and Kensington Avenue to motor traffic, usually on the last Sunday of the month.1 The Winter Solstice parade, started by Ida Carnevali in 1987, brings giant puppets, fire-breathers and samba musicians through the streets.1

Several market cafés start late and finish late. Fika Cafe at 28 Kensington Avenue opens at 10:30 from Monday to Thursday, while Lola at 40 Kensington Avenue serves from 14:00 until 02:00. Harmony Cafe at 75 Nassau Street stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and The Sweet Spot at 41 Baldwin until 22:00 every night.

Chinatown and Spadina Avenue

Chinatown sells East Asian food and groceries, including Chinese and Vietnamese cooking, and its main malls are Dragon City and Chinatown Centre.2 Its cafés lean to tea: no part of the city has more bubble-tea counters. Cha Tra Mue is at 341 Spadina, Icha Tea at 235 Spadina and Ten Ren's Tea at 454 Dundas Street West. For espresso, Dark Horse Espresso Bar is at 215 Spadina Avenue.

Dundas Street West and the AGO

The Art Gallery of Ontario, at 317 Dundas Street West, reopened in November 2008 after Frank Gehry's redevelopment, and visitors 25 and under have entered free since May 2019.3 CafeAGO and the AGO Espresso Bar share its address.

A block east, The Library Specialty Coffee at 281 Dundas Street West puts the espresso bar at the front and a slow bar at the back. When Sprudge visited in 2019, founder Jeffrey Ji, who had worked in Melbourne coffee for six years, was roasting on a Diedrich at the rear of the shop.4 It opens 08:00–18:00 on weekdays and from 09:00 at weekends.

Sources

  1. Kensington Market, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Chinatown, Toronto, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Art Gallery of Ontario, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Toronto, Sprudge (January 2019), accessed October 2026
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In Kensington Market & Chinatown, also browse: Specialty coffee Patios Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Open late

FAQ

Kensington Market & Chinatown cafés: questions

When are Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market, Toronto?

Pedestrian Sundays in Toronto's Kensington Market usually fall on the last Sunday of the month. Since 2004 they have closed parts of Augusta Avenue, Baldwin Street and Kensington Avenue to motor traffic. Jimmy's Coffee at 191 Baldwin Street opens at 08:00 on Sundays, and The Arch Café at 293 Augusta Avenue at 09:30.

Where can you get bubble tea in Toronto's Chinatown?

Toronto's Chinatown, centered on Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West, has more bubble-tea counters than any other part of the city. Cha Tra Mue is at 341 Spadina Avenue, Icha Tea at 235 Spadina Avenue and Ten Ren's Tea at 454 Dundas Street West. The 505 Dundas and 510 Spadina streetcars stop nearby.

Which cafés in Kensington Market, Toronto, stay open late?

In Toronto's Kensington Market, Lola at 40 Kensington Avenue serves until 02:00 and The Arch Café at 293 Augusta Avenue until midnight every day. Harmony Cafe at 75 Nassau Street stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and Carbonic Coffee at 37 Baldwin Street until 21:00 from Wednesday to Sunday.

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