Scarborough's own answer to the Markham Night Market — a summer outdoor food and culture event celebrating Scarborough's extraordinary diversity through street food. Dim sum buns, jerk chicken, samosas, sushi burritos, and roti sit side by side as a portrait of Canada's most multicultural suburb.
Neighbourhood: Scarborough · Address: Various Scarborough locations (check annual announcements) · Hours: Summer evenings — check @scarbnightmarket
Why Visit
Scarborough Night Market brings together dishes from dozens of immigrant communities in one buzzing outdoor stretch, letting you graze on everything from Trinidadian doubles to Korean tornado potatoes in a single trip. There’s always something you haven’t tried before.
What Makes It Unique
Unlike bigger, more commercial night markets north of the city, this one feels genuinely local—vendors are often Scarborough chefs with OG recipes, and prices are (mostly) wallet-friendly. You’ll see families, teens, and grandparents from every background lining up for their comfort foods here. Live performances mix cultural styles you won’t catch at other Toronto food events.
If you want to understand Scarborough in one evening, go to the Scarborough Night Market hungry and with a little patience. It’s basically Scarborough’s answer to the Markham Night Market, but the thing that makes it special isn’t just the format — rows of food stalls, music, crowds, string lights, people carrying too many plates at once. It’s that the lineup of food feels unmistakably Scarborough. You’ll see dim sum buns, jerk chicken, samosas, sushi burritos, doubles, shawarma, roti, Filipino barbecue, bubble tea, and something you’ve probably never tried before, all within a few steps of each other. That mix isn’t curated for tourists. It’s just a reflection of the neighbourhood.
The market moves around depending on the year, so check the announcements before you go, but the vibe stays pretty consistent. Summer evening, parking lot or open event space, bass from a stage somewhere in the background, smoke from grills drifting across the crowd, kids hyped up on skewers and slush drinks, groups of friends debating what to split next. It gets busy fast, especially on opening weekend, and that’s honestly the best time to go if you want the full energy of it. Everyone shows up ready to eat. Vendors usually bring their A-game early, and there’s a real buzz in the air that can fade a bit later in the run.
What actually happens there is pretty simple: you wander, you line up, you snack strategically, and you keep making bad but enjoyable decisions like “we should also get the dumplings” after already ordering jerk chicken and roti. Go with people who like sharing. That’s the move. You’ll get way more out of it if you split five or six things instead of committing to one giant plate right away. Some stalls are cash only, some take cards, and the signal can get weird when it’s packed, so bring a bit of cash just in case.
It’s also family-friendly in a very real Scarborough way, not in a polished festival way. You’ll see toddlers dancing near the stage, teens filming their food, aunties carrying containers home for later, and older couples just out for a stroll and a snack. There’s usually live entertainment or DJs, sometimes local performers, and the whole thing feels local without trying too hard.
A practical note: don’t expect a calm, leisurely sit-down dinner. Seating can be limited, lines can be long, and if you hate crowds, go earlier in the evening. If you’re taking transit, Kennedy or Scarborough Town Centre is usually your best bet depending on the location that year, but check before heading out because the venue can change. Wear something casual, bring napkins, and don’t make ambitious plans after. You’ll probably leave full, slightly sticky, and very happy.
The reason to come back is simple: Scarborough’s food diversity is on another level, and this market puts it all in one place for a few hours. There are very few events in Toronto where the city’s multicultural reality feels this visible, this casual, and this delicious.