One of the best parts of discovering a part of the city is tasting local delights. Tasty Tour comes in handy when you’re in dire need of that “best food experience in Toronto”. Tasty Tours is an award winning food tour and chocolate tour company. Their mission is to enable guests to taste local delights whilst having a best food experience in Toronto. Whether its a popular place or even a hidden gem tucked away, Tasty Tour has got you covered.
Two weekends ago, Tasty Tour invited me to their #KensingtonMarket tour. Their walking tours occur every Sunday (from 11:30AM – 2:00PM), features behind the scenes & exclusive samples. Upon booking the tour & receiving our electronic tickets, we were informed of our exact meeting location.
{Stop #1} Ding Dong Pastries & Cafe
Ding Dong Pastries & Cafe is probably one of the longer standing establishments along Spadina. Everyday they produce a galore of fresh baked goods that could be smelled from shops away. Best of all, you can watch all the magic happen through their glass wall that divides the store and the kitchen.
When we arrived at Ding Dong Pastries & Cafe, we were greeted by our tour guide Audrey. She was really personable and well informed providing us with the history of the neighbourhood, facts & the background on how each of the shops on our tour came to be.
{Stop #2} TenRen’s Tea & Ginseng
Our second destination was a special stop as its not normally part of the tour. TenRen is a Taiwan-based company that specializes in tea and ginseng products. We were welcomed with different samples of tea, snacks & bubble-tea followed by a proper tea pouring ceremony.
TenRen’s Tea is currently offering tea classes. Their tea school is dedicated to educate people on tea and the tea culture. Tea is more than an important part of people’s day-to-day ritual, but also is a form of art that brings people back to the origin of life and re-discovers the art of tea drinking in ancient China.
{Stop #3} Moo Frites
Serving up Belgian Style Frites, Moo Frites is pretty much the only shop in Toronto specializing in Belgian Style Frites. Owner Ambrose Lee takes pride in every batch of frites served to patrons. He first fell in love with Belgian Frites when he discovered it while backpacking in Europe and came back home wanting to share the same experience with Torontonians.
Poutine Frites ($5.95)
- Canadian Cheese Curds, House-made Beef-fat Gravy
{Stop #4} Toronto Popcorn Company
I walked into this small yet cozy establishment thinking I was in a candy shop. It’s any popcorn lover’s rejoice! This shop offers handcrafted gourmet popcorn with flavours ranging anywhere from Confetti, Dill Pickle, Nachos, Pina Colada to Strawberry Milkshake!
{Stop #5} El Arepazo
I’ve never tried an arepa before this tour so I’m really glad we’ve made the stop. El Arepazo is all about that perfect arepa – a round and gluten-free cornbread sandwich that is stuffed with a variety of meats, cheeses, veggies, and salsas. Please note that the ones we’ve sampled on the tour were sample sizes and does not reflect the portion sizes normally served.
La Reina
- Chunky chicken and avocado salad
{Stop #6} Pancho’s Bakery
Pancho’s Bakery in Kensington Market is only one of their three locations in Toronto. They are a Mexican company serving up authentic Mexican baked goods. With their brand being “I love Churros”, their menu offers 5 flavours to go with their Churro (crunchy deep fried snack sprinkled with sugar & cinnamon)
{Stop #7} Wanda’s Pie in the Sky
Our second last stop of the tour satisfied my cupcake cravings. Not only does Wanda serves pies but she also serves that daily dose of home cooked meals. The cafe serves up lunch options and brews up some of the best coffee in the city.
{Stop #8} Blue Banana Market
Blue Banana Market offers an extensive and eclectic range of gifts that reflect the ethno-cultural history and diversity of the neighbourhood. Here we were able to sample bits and pieces of chocolate you wouldn’t normally find at your average shop.
This #KensingtonMarket tour was really fun & informative. I definitely took a lot from this tour and glad I had the chance to participate. The best part about this tour experience is definitely all the hidden gems / hole in the walls places we checked out that I’d overlooked during my countless visits to the Kensington Market.
If you want to check out Tasty Tours for yourself or even purchase them as a gift for family & friends, you can use my code foodinthecityto & book before September 30, 2016 to receive 20% off for all adult tickets for any tours including ones that occur after September 30th!
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This tour was complimentary but Foodinthecitytoronto.com remains unbiased in our content.
