Top 5 food shops and markets in Toronto

NOW Toronto's March 2026 article said Raise the Root had been going viral for its posters comparing prices to Loblaws, with some items selling for 50 per cent less. blogTO reported in January 2024 that the Leslieville store drew community attention for posting prices side by side with Loblaws. Daily Hive covered the same price comparison in January 2024, calling it a local independent grocery store.

• “Local independent grocery store, Raise the Root in Leslieville, recently drew community attention for their unique way of listing prices.”

  blogTO, Thalia Gonzalez Kane · news · January 14, 2024 (opens in a new tab)

• “Located at 1164 Queen St. E, Raise the Root is a local independent grocer.”

  NOW Toronto, Breanna Marcelo · news · January 18, 2024 (opens in a new tab)

• “Local independent grocery store Raise the Root in Leslieville recently drew community attention for their unique way of listing prices.”

  Daily Hive · news · January 15, 2024 (opens in a new tab)

• “Organic market Raise the Root in Toronto's Leslieville has been going viral over the past couple of years for its posters comparing its prices to Loblaws, with some items selling for 50 per cent less.”

  NOW Toronto, Eva Zhu · best-of list · March 22, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Raise the Root's website

blogTO's 2026 report on the shop's connection to Martha Stewart described maitre fromager Afrim Pristine selecting French cheeses and Canadian cheddars and goudas, along with cured meats from across Europe. Daily Hive called it a stalwart local cheese shop in a June 2025 article about its annual Canada Day festival on Ripley Avenue.

• “In the decidedly smaller, though, in my view, no less important world of Toronto cheese shops, that role is filled by Afrim Pristine of Cheese Boutique fame.”

  blogTO, Phoebe Knight · feature · May 2026 (opens in a new tab)

• “The stalwart local cheese shop.”

  Daily Hive, Phoebe Knight · feature · June 24, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

blogTO reported in February 2025 that the downtown location, opened at 26 Edward Street near Yonge and Dundas, carries the full T&T selection alongside a street food section with quick comfort foods from Asian cuisines. NOW Toronto's January 2026 piece on nostalgic grocery stores for newcomers named T&T as the place to find hotteok buns, dim sum platters and brown sugar boba ice bars.

• “The new location will carry the standard collection of T&T goodies as well as a street food section offering a selection of quick and easy comfort foods from an array of Asian cuisines.”

  blogTO, Phoebe Knight · news · February 9, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

• “Customers can buy the famous hotteok buns, an assorted dim sum platter, brown sugar boba ice bar, and other foods.”

  NOW Toronto, Aliya Karimjee · best-of list · January 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

NOW Toronto covered the opening of this two-level marketplace in November 2025, describing quick-service counters with Roman-style pizza, pastries and grab-and-go panini on the ground floor, and a full marketplace with fresh and dry goods, a wine shop and a gelato bar upstairs. blogTO reported in December 2025 that the 25,000-square-foot space includes two restaurants, a grocery section and take-out counters.

• “A lineup of quick-service counters for shoppers and commuters, including Il Gran Cafe, Roman-style pizza alla pala, pastries, and grab-and-go panini.”

  NOW Toronto, Patricia Dolor · news · November 27, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

• “The marketplace spans 25,000 square feet across two floors and features two dine-in restaurants, La Pizza & La Pasta and La Piazza, a grocery section for fresh foods, grab-and-go take-out counters, and a wine shop, Vino e Birra To-Go.”

  blogTO, Sandeep Panesar · news · December 2025 (opens in a new tab)

NOW Toronto's January 2026 article on grocery stores for Toronto's newest locals described Kohinoor Foods as a South Asian grocery store inside Gerrard's India Bazaar, carrying everything from spices and specialty foods to kitchen supplies. The article confirmed its address at 1438 Gerrard St E in Little India.

• “Inside Gerrard's India Bazaar, North America's largest South Asian mainstreet marketplace, is South Asian grocery store Kohinoor Foods.”

  NOW Toronto, Aliya Karimjee · best-of list · January 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab)