Little India (Gerrard Street East) Guide

Gerrard India Bazaar is the name for a stretch of Gerrard Street East between Greenwood Avenue and Coxwell Avenue, and it is the best place in Toronto to see how South Asian communities have shaped a commercial street. The first Indian-owned shops opened here in the 1970s, and today the shops sell saris, jewellery, spices, sweets and household goods alongside restaurants serving Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan Tamil cooking. It is not a theme street. It is a place where people from across the region come to buy what they need, which is why prices and manners feel local rather than touristic. Many shops are small and family-run, and a polite question about an unfamiliar sweet or vegetable usually gets a friendly answer and sometimes a taste.

What to do here

Build the visit around food and walk the street without a destination. A usual first stop is a sweet shop, with trays of barfi, jalebi and laddu in glass cases. Many travellers buy a small mixed box to share. A savoury snack such as samosa or chaat suits the walk; thali and dosa restaurants make a full meal. Pakistani grill houses and Bengali fish restaurants give the street range, and anyone who has eaten the same curry house menu everywhere will notice how regional the dishes here are.

Between meals, look at the clothing and fabric shops. Window displays of embroidered saris and bridal wear are a main feature of the street, and the jewellery shops show gold work for weddings. The grocers sell fresh curry leaves, spice blends, lentils in large bags and unfamiliar vegetables, which makes them easy places to browse even if you are not cooking. The street becomes more crowded and more colourful around Diwali in autumn and other festivals; check local listings for dates, which change each year.

Getting there and planning

The 506 Carlton streetcar runs along Gerrard Street East, and the nearest subway stations are on Line 2 to the north, so allow a short bus or streetcar ride. This is far from the downtown tourist core; plan about half a day if you include a meal and a walk, and do not combine it with a downtown attraction on the same afternoon. It sits beside Leslieville, which lies to the south on Queen Street East, and a walk or a short streetcar hop connects the two. Together they make a better east-side day than either one alone. Our getting around guide explains the streetcar and how to pay.

The Danforth, with its Greek restaurants, is another east-side option, and a longer day could link the two by subway. The Beaches lie a bit further south and east, a pleasant finish on a summer evening.

Who it suits, and what to skip

Little India suits travellers who care about food and want a neighbourhood in which they are one of a few visitors. It suits those who want to see Toronto beyond its tower skyline. It is less suitable if you are short of time or do not enjoy crowded pavements. Skip the idea of finding a single landmark; there is none. Do not plan around a particular closing time, since businesses keep their own hours and some shops close early on certain days. Check ahead for any restaurant you would like to try.

Respect works as a rule: ask before photographing shopkeepers or people in the street, and know that some businesses are family-run and small. Eating here, ideally with one or two companions so that you can share several dishes, is a better introduction to the area than a quick walk through, and the food guide shows where the street fits among the city's other cuisines.