St. Lawrence Market

St. Lawrence Market at 93 Front Street East, in Toronto's Old Town, is the city's best-known food market and has operated on this part of Front Street for more than two centuries. The main South Market hall holds over 100 vendors selling meat, fish, cheese, bread, produce, spices and prepared foods, and the lower level adds more specialty stalls. The signature order is the peameal bacon sandwich, a Toronto staple built on cornmeal-coated back bacon, and other favourites include smoked fish, pierogi, pastries and fresh pasta. On Saturdays a farmers' market operates in the separate North Market building from the early morning, and a weekend antiques market has historically run there on Sundays. The South Market is open Tuesday to Saturday, with Saturday hours beginning very early, and is closed on Sunday and Monday, so timing matters. A visit normally takes one to two hours, longer if visitors sit down to eat. Saturday mornings are the busiest and most atmospheric, but lines for popular stalls grow long by late morning; weekday mornings are calmer and easier for browsing. Entry is free, and prices range from cheap snacks to premium specialty goods. The market is a short walk from Union Station and is served by the 504 King streetcar. Photographers will find good subjects in the produce displays and the hall's historic brick architecture, though stallholders appreciate being asked before close-ups. Nearby attractions in Ontario's capital include the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Distillery District and the Flatiron Building, so the market fits easily into a downtown walking day.