Park under Gardiner Expressway home to one of Toronto’s best farmers’ markets

The Underpass Park Farmer’s Market is a yearly farmer’s market that operates out of Underpass Park in Corktown.

Established in 2017, this farmers’ market runs every Thursday from May to October regardless of the weather.

Socrates Apallas, founder of Living Toronto Real Estate, is the market’s main organizer and biggest fan.

Noticing that the area around his King Street office was sorely lacking in both food and entertainment, Socrates made it his mission to bring both of these things to the community.

After obtaining permits from the city, a team of volunteers set to work transforming Underpass Park into their event space.

The park, which is hidden beneath the Adelaide Street, Richmond Street and Eastern Avenue overpasses, is a unique space that features a basketball court, a skateboard area and a jungle gym.

Its “walls” and “ceiling” (actually the supports for the overpass) are decorated with street art. The most notable piece is Paul Raff’s Mirage, an installation composed of 57 reflective stainless steel octagons.

The market is a non-profit event sponsored by local businesses. Socrates’ real estate company is the primary sponsor, but other contributors include Broccolini, Canary Landing and Alterra Developments.

Like most farmers’ markets, Underpass Park Farmers’ Market consists mainly of food vendors, particularly fruit and vegetable sellers.

Live music is a fixture of the event. Tap dancers, guitarists and trumpet players provided the soundtrack to our visit, but Socrates tells us that other performers join in from time to time.Additionally, the venue has picnic seating and a shelf full of free-to-use toys and games. Pets are also welcome.Fathima’s Kitchen is one of the market’s longest running vendors. Fittingly enough, the stall often attracts the longest lines in the park.Its main draw is a selection of South Asian finger foods, which the owner, Fathima, prepares with her family. Ti Kay La Foods offers visitors a taste of St. Lucia, with smoky jerk chicken and huge plates of peas and rice. Chef Victoria tells us that the one thing that she enjoys more than watching people try her cooking is comparing the ratio of new and returning customers on her Square reader — that way, she knows how many people came by for seconds!Thorpe’s Toys and From Lex’s Pantry are two adjacent stalls, owned by a married couple. Gerry Thorpe sells wooden cars and trains, which his family has been crafting since 1975, while his wife Alexa Clark sells artisanal spice blends. Though 2024 was the Corktown Cook’s first year at the market, the team already feels at home amidst the hustle and bustle. Their tent serves a variety of flavourful tacos, including beef barbacoa, chipotle chicken and baha shrimp. Tito Toronto is another newcomer, whose owners have managed to carve out a niche for themselves with their array of organic pastries.Their bite-sized brown butter tea cakes have proven especially popular. County Left Farm is a family business that focuses primarily on fresh fruits and vegetables. Though owners Kyle and Angelina are new parents, their newfound responsibilities haven’t slowed down in the slightest.

If anything, they’re eager to include their family’s newest member in their market activities.BLB & Co. has been selling Asian-inspired baked goods at Underpass Park for the past three years.

The business gets its name from bo lo bau, a type of Hong Kong dessert known as pineapple buns in the West.

These sweet buns are the booth’s most popular item, but other variations, topped with chocolate, cheese or black pepper, have been attracting a lot of attention.Strong Earth and Strong Food are both owned by Maureen Strong, a gardener and caterer with a passion for plants and pizza.In addition to her selection of succulents, Mauren also makes fresh pizzas with homegrown ingredients.

The triple mushroom pizza, which is topped with cremini, porcini and hen of the woods mushrooms, is one of my favourites.TonTon Art pays homage to the Toronto food scene with an assortment of adorable posters, which depict dishes from local restaurants.Tanya, the artist who runs the booth, is a self-described foodie who immortalizes her meals in watercolour. Many of the items she illustrates will be instantly recognizable to local gourmands.

This is only scratching the surface of the Underpass Farmers’ Market. With more than thirty different vendors, there’s always something new to discover.

Find the Underpass Park Farmers’ Market at 29 Lower River Street.