After officially earlier this month, The Well鈥檚 Wellington Market, its new food hall, was bustling with hungry office-workers shortly before the lunch rush on a recent Tuesday.
It looks like a classic mall food court, but the selection is much more than your classic New York Fries or A&W.
Each stall is different from the next 鈥 sushi, fish and chips, tacos, burgers, Korean rice bowls; there鈥檚 no theme besides the fact that these are mostly independent shops with deep 海角社区官网roots. The bright red font of Gus Tacos locations dots storefronts across the city from Scarborough to Etobicoke. La Cubana has been a long-time staple of the Roncesvalles neighbourhood, specializing in pork sandwiches, pressed or on a buttery roll. And The Islands Caribbean Cookshop, with locations in Yonge Sheppard Centre and York University, serves up rotis, sandwiches, jerk chicken and Jamaican patties.
La Cubana,聽a long-time staple of Roncesvalles, opened a stall at the Wellington Market in The Well.
Steve Russell 海角社区官网Star鈥淎lthough it is located at Spadina and Front, it doesn鈥檛 feel like the Eaton Centre. It doesn鈥檛 feel like Yorkdale Mall. It feels like something different,鈥 said Rico Adiputra, owner of Hooky鈥檚 Fish and Chips.
鈥淚t still feels like a little neighbourhood market. It just so happens to be smack dab in one of the busiest intersections of Toronto.
鈥淚鈥檓 here with people that I kind of know and have mingled with in my previous days at Bellwoods.鈥
The Well has come a long way from its days as a literal hole in the ground 鈥 nearly 20 metres deep when the Star checked it out in 2018. Since then, the pit, a joint venture between RioCan and Allied Properties, has been filled with a mix of retail, office space and residential buildings, including the Star鈥檚 offices. The entire complex eats up most of the block, hugged by Wellington Street to the north, Spadina Avenue to the east, Front Street to the south and Draper Street to the west. The buildings, combining residents and employees in the office towers, total nearly 11,000 people that work or live in the complex.
The new Wellington Market is made of 35 storefronts and includes restaurants, to-go counters and food-related retail.
鈥淲ellington Market forms part of the Well and establishes it as a cornerstone for food and beverage experiences in 海角社区官网and a social hot spot for King West and the GTA,鈥 the official press release for the market reads.
What we ate at the Wellington Market
Mark: Rosie’s Burger’s bacon cheeseburger and a cookies-and-cream shake
Toronto’s Rosie’s opened a stall at the Wellington Market in the Well.
Steve Russell 海角社区官网StarWhen I first ventured through the food court on its official opening day, I was drawn to the roti of the Islands Caribbean Cookshop. But when I returned Tuesday, my stomach cried out for burgers and bacon 鈥 and who am I to disagree?
So I settled for Rosie鈥檚 Burgers, founded in 2020 with four locations in the city. I ordered a simple, if greasy, bacon cheeseburger and cookies-and-cream shake. There鈥檚 no deep thoughts here. It was star-spangled Americana in a cardboard box and plastic cup. It was delicious.
The shake 鈥 all $6 of it 鈥 was smaller than I would鈥檝e hoped. That鈥檚 a frustrating trend with milkshakes, one of humanity鈥檚 greatest creations. You want to talk about shrinkflation?
This particular shake was more liquidy than my ideal, artery-clogging ice cream drink, but it was exactly what I was sold: cookies, ice cream and a straw. I can鈥檛 complain.
Andy: Hooky’s haddock and chips with garlic mayo
Hooky鈥檚 was on Queen West for five years before shuttering its doors to open a stall at the Wellington Market.
Steve Russell 海角社区官网StarI鈥檓 by no means a fish-and-chips aficionado and a fully deep-fried dish is never my go-to, but Hooky鈥檚 reeled me in.
A Queen West staple of five years, the fish and chips shop had recently shuttered its doors in favour of a location farther into the city鈥檚 core.
Fish and chips are easy to get wrong and oh-so hard to get right. Hooky鈥檚 hit the mark.
The haddock was crispy and meaty, but not fishy, as you might find in a quick-and-half-baked fried fish operation. It鈥檚 not too salty, and a fresh squeeze of lemon across the crispy shell cuts through the fattiness of it all (at least at the start).
The garlic mayo was my choice of sauce, though they had the very British option of mushy peas alongside a variety of other sauces.
For roughly $16, you get your money鈥檚 worth. By the time I got through the fish, I was ready to tap out, but the fries 鈥 a good thick cut and well-browned 鈥 were too good to pass up on.聽
Japadog, hot dogs with a Japanese flair, opened in the Wellington Market at the Well.
Steve Russell 海角社区官网StarWhat鈥檚 in The Well’s food hall?
Here is the full list of shops in The Well鈥檚 Food Market.
The food hall features stalls for full meals, including:
- Bagels on Fire: Montreal-style bagels
- Blue Claw Lobster Shack: lobster rolls, burgers and other seafood fare
- Doraji: South Korean rice bowls
- East Tea Can: Middle Eastern plates and fresh baked bread
- Gus Tacos: taco chain with outposts throughout the city
- Hooky鈥檚: fish and chips, plus other fried seafood
- Japadog: hot dogs with a Japanese flair, outpost of a B.C. staple
- La Cubana: Cuban comfort food, famous for their sandwiches
- MADO Caf茅: Turkish restaurant with dine-in options
- Pokeworks: Hawaiian-inspired, customizable poke bowls
- Ren Sushi: grab-and-go sushi spot
- Rosie鈥檚 Burgers: American classics 鈥 smashburgers, fries and shakes
- Szechuan Express: Chinese to-go spot with Chinese-North American classics
- The Islands Caribbean Cookshop: Jamaican classics 鈥 jerk chicken, oxtail and patties
- Samosarie: colourful samosas, patties and empanadas with a wide range of flavours
- Tong Mein: noodle soups and bowls with bagged bone broth
As well as some snacks, drinks, desserts and gifts:
- 脌 la Table by Hanna: a 鈥済razing meets gourmet鈥 place for spreads, think fancy cheese and cracker plates
- Big Fat Cookies: it鈥檚 in the name
- Bunches: flower shop
- Chatime: bubble tea chain
- Chun Yang: specialty tea shop, also has bubble tea
- Faray Cacao: assorted chocolate bars and truffles
- Isabella鈥檚 Mochi Donuts: Japanese-inspired mochi doughnuts with rotating flavours
- Little Harvest Market: grocery store that also stocks flowers, plants and home goods
- Nord Lyon: French bakery specializing in croissants and pastries
- Postman Waffles: Belgian waffles with assorted flavours
- Purpel: Brazilian A莽ai bowls and smoothies
- Sam鈥檚 Juices and Eats: Caribbean-inspired juice and smoothie bar
- Lost in the Sauce: hot sauce-ery featuring gourmet hot sauces
- Shake Therapy: over-the-top shakes, cakes and other desserts
- Snakes & Lattes: board game rental for pre- or post-meal
- Sweetie Pie: dessert outlet with a range of pies
- The Pier: cocktail bar at the centre of the food market
- Uncle Tetsu鈥檚 Japanese Cheesecake: bouncy, airy cheesecake
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation