Smaller and considerably more authentic than the main Spadina Chinatown, with fewer tourists, older establishments, and some of the best Vietnamese and Chinese food in the city at prices that feel like they haven't changed since 1995. The neighbourhood's slower pace of gentrification has kept it genuinely local.
Area: East End · Address: Gerrard St E at Broadview Ave, Toronto, ON · Best time: Dinner or late night
Insider tip
Pho Hung has been here since the 1970s — it makes one of the best bowls of pho in Toronto and the menu has barely changed. Kim Moon Bakery for freshly baked Chinese pastries and egg tarts. The area around Broadview and Gerrard has excellent bubble tea, dim sum spots, and Vietnamese baguette shops that most of the city has no idea exist.
Getting there
Subway to Broadview (Line 2), then walk south to Gerrard. Or streetcar 506 Carlton east to Broadview.