St. Lawrence Market Toronto: How to Plan a Hungry Visit

Walk through the doors on Front Street and you step into a Toronto landmark more than 200 years in the making, by the City’s own count. Here is how the whole complex fits together, so you can plan a hungry visit.

What is St. Lawrence Market, exactly?

It is more than one building. The City of Toronto describes the St. Lawrence Market District as a public asset managed by its Corporate Real Estate Management Division. The district covers three buildings: St. Lawrence Hall, the North Market and the South Market. It is bounded by King, Market, Wilton and Jarvis Streets. The market’s own site gives its address as 92-95 Front Street East.

The City says the district has served as a Toronto landmark for more than 200 years and remains one of the most prominent historical sites in the city. That is a lot of history to fold into a lunch stop, and the market manages it.

How did the market get here?

Heritage Toronto traces the market back to 1803, calling it the city’s oldest. The first market sat on the northwest corner of Front and Jarvis Streets. In 1845 a joint city hall, police station and market building opened on the south side of Front Street. That is the ancestor of today’s South Market. When the building was threatened with demolition in 1971, citizens successfully petitioned to preserve it. Toronto, it turns out, will fight for a good market hall.

What is the South Market like?

This is the main market building. It is open six days a week and holds more than 60 specialty vendors. The market’s directory sorts them into categories you can use as an eating plan: Cheese/Dairy/Eggs, Coffee, Pastries/Bakery, Prepared Foods, Produce/Fruits, Restaurants, Seafood and Specialty Foods, plus Artisans and Bulk Foods. It also lists Grass-fed Meats, Poultry, Beverage and Flowers.

A good first visit is a slow lap. Walk the whole building before you buy anything, then circle back for the stall that made you slow down. For the stall details, use the market’s vendor directory and each vendor’s own listing.

Why does Saturday matter?

Because the North Market is primarily known for its Saturday Farmers’ Market. The market’s homepage lists Saturday as the Farmers’ Market day.

The farmers’ market has a story of its own. After a stretch at 125 The Esplanade, which began in July 2015, the market returned to the rebuilt building: the St. Lawrence Market North building hosted its first Saturday Farmers’ Market there on April 5, 2025. The City’s release that day announced a grand opening community celebration for Saturday, May 10. The City describes the new building as five storeys, with a ground-floor Market Hall, and court rooms and administrative spaces on the upper floors.

The City says the North Market was redeveloped to improve the utility of the district for the community, vendors, visitors and shoppers. On the other six days the North Market doubles as an event space: the City’s rental page describes a main floor of 12,500 square feet with 14-foot ceilings, and notes the floor is not rented out on Saturdays because of the farmers’ market. Saturday belongs to the farmers.

If you are planning a market day in cold weather, our list of winter farmers’ markets in Toronto has more ideas.

Where does St. Lawrence Hall fit in?

The Hall is the third building in the district. The City says it was built in 1850 and calls it one of Toronto’s most celebrated heritage venues, used for weddings, receptions, galas and corporate events. It is not a food stop, but it is worth a look from the sidewalk while you are on Front Street.

For the longer story of the building, our guide to the history of St. Lawrence Market goes back to the beginning.

How should you plan a first visit?

Treat this as a loose script, not a rule. It works because the district has a clear shape: one building for everyday stalls, one for the Saturday farmers, and one for the history.

1. Pick your day. Saturday is farmers’ market day in the North Market, and the South Market is open most of the week.
2. Arrive hungry and skip breakfast, then walk a full lap of the South Market before you buy anything.
3. Use the directory categories to choose a theme: a seafood lunch, a bakery run, or a cheese and specialty foods haul.
4. Finish with a loop outside, past the Hall and along Front Street, so you see all three buildings.
5. Check the market’s site for hours and events on the day, because stalls set their own schedules.

Is there a bagel to try?

There is. St. Urbain Bagel has been at the back of the South Market since the early 1990s, according to the market’s vendor page. The market’s own listing credits it as the first company to introduce Montreal-style bagels to Toronto (their wording, not ours), and that all of its bagels are baked fresh daily on the premises.

We watched the bakery’s own Instagram account in mid-October 2026 and saw its team posting regularly, with new posts on October 5, 8, 9 and 14. That is a good sign that the ovens are on. Check its page before you go, since stalls set their own schedules.

What else is on at the market?

The market’s homepage carries a “Coming Up at the Market” events listing, so check it for what is on the day you visit. Our what to eat in Toronto guide places the market inside the wider city food map, and our St. Lawrence neighbourhood page links more to see on the same trip.

Send this to the friend you would bring along on an empty stomach.