Chinatown Toronto

The historic Chinatown Toronto is located just north of the downtown area, and it is just one of several so-called “Chinatowns” in the wider Toronto area.

The first known Chinese individual to set foot in Toronto operated a laundry shop in 1878, and by 1930, the city’s Chinese population had grown to become a significant economic and cultural force. Chinatown moved from its original position in the downtown area to its current location in the mid-1960s, when construction of the then-new Toronto City Hall shifted much of the territory occupied by Chinatown westward, concentrating north and south of Dundas Street along each side of Spadina Avenue.

There are numerous real Chinese restaurants in the region, as well as several ethnic businesses providing things like herbal cures, fresh produce, meats, baked goods, arts and crafts, films, books, and more. Two nearby malls include a wide variety of goods and services aimed specifically at the Chinese population. Chinatown has bilingual street signs, written in both Chinese and English.