St. Lawrence neighbourhood is a lovely, historic area located in downtown Toronto. Its boundaries are Queen Street East to the north, Parliament Street to the east, Yonge Street to the west, and the Gardiner Expressway to the south. St. Lawrence Market’s vibrant community, excellent accessibility, and proximity to other Downtown Toronto’s neighbourhoods such as Financial District, Distillery District and Leslieville, and residential and entertainment amenities are some reasons which have put this neighbourhood on high demand.
To me, as a Toronto Real Estate Agent, St. Lawrence is a delightful place to live and work in, especially for young adults and couples. It has it all, from the old brick buildings and lofts, to high end residential condos, to restaurants and bars. St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, is where modernism meets classic Toronto.
To get to this lovely and lively neighbourhood in Toronto’s downtown, you can follow the below:
504 streetcar operates along King Street and buses run up and down on Parliament and Sherbourne streets. If you want to reach St. Lawrence by subway you can get on and ride from any station in Toronto to Union Station. Also, if you are driving a car from St Lawrence market, within few minutes, you can commute to the other parts of the city via the Gardiner Expressway, the Don Valley Parkway, and Lake Shore Boulevard.
In the early 1800s, the tallest building in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood had only three stories, Lake Ontario waves lapped against Front Street, most of the area was fields and forest and the population of the newly established Town of York was less than 10,000. Since then, the Old Town area has witnessed many events such as devastating fires, and even armed rebellions.
South St. Lawrence Market was built in 1845 as the first official City Hall in Toronto. After many modifications, in 1902 it turned to the shape we see today. North Market (aka. Farmer’s Market) was erected in 1820 and during one and a half century many changes took place there. The building which we see today was constructed in 1968.
In 1793, when the Town of York was established, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe planned a road to link the town to the north, primarily for military supply purposes. This road later was named after Simcoe’s friend, Sir George Yonge, as Yonge Street.
By the time, as Toronto became an important municipality and hence a commerce and politics hub, many developments such as First Parliament Buildings (1799), Bank of Upper Canada (1827), Toronto’s First Post Office (1833), St. Lawrence Hall (1850), St. James Cathedral (1853), Lorraine Kimsa Theatre (1888) and Gooderham “Flatiron” Building (1892) took place in the area.
There are more than a dozen really good restaurants and bars in the area. Barsa Taberna at 26 Market St is a very popular Spanish eatery. HOTHOUSE on Church St is another great place to eat. Its open-air patio is a perfect place to have a delicious meal.
Cluck Clucks Chicken & Waffles at 222 The Esplanade is the best to have chicken and waffles. Their prices are also very affordable. Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ at 81 Church St is the place to go for lunch. Admired by many customers, the price, staff, and the quality of the meals are decent.
If you are looking for genuine Italian food, Terroni at 57 Adelaide St is the best choice. Their fried calamari, deli platter, and pizzas are really delicious. If you are extremely hungry and can devour a big meat palate, I offer The Carbon Bar at 99 Queen St East. They have got a very cool interior space and vibe.
You will have a memorable dining plus an Arabic belly dance show in The Sultan’s Tent and Cafe Moroc.
C’est What at 67 Front St East, Woods Restaurant & Bar at 45 Colborne St, CC Lounge, and Whisky Bar at 45 Front St East and Beerbistro at 18 King St East are some of the best bars in the area.