Grange Park, Toronto Neighbourhood Guide: Gorgeous Homes and Galleries

Tucked in the heart of downtown Toronto, Grange Park is known for its diverse shopping and exquisite art scene. Close to Kensington Market and Chinatown, people living here have no problem finding groceries a short walk from where they live. The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is a tourist destination for international travellers and locals alike. This area has homes dating back to the late 1800s, and there are also apartments and condominiums for people looking to live in newer buildings.  

Toronto’s most elite families used to live in this neighbourhood, such as the family of G. D’Arcy Boulton, an auditor general of Upper Canada from 1806 to 1811. The Boultons were part of Canada’s Family Compact, a group controlling major aspects of the country’s judicial, political, and economic development between 1810 and 1840. As Toronto developed, the affluent families in Grange Park moved to more fashionable neighbourhoods like Rosedale and Parkdale. The people who replaced them were Jewish and Eastern European new Canadians. In the 1960s, the Asian population increased when Chinatown moved to Dundas Street and Spadina Avenue.

Victorian row houses built between the 1870s and 1890s are common in this area, featuring gabled roofs, decorative woodwork, and towers on some houses. There are also simpler, semi-detached townhouses, as well as apartment buildings and condominiums built in the 1980s. The building known as The Grange is now part of the AGO. The Grange estate’s old front lawn is today’s Grange Park, a sprawling green space with circular paths directly south of the gallery. Grange Park is bordered by several art schools such as Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD).

The AGO is Grange Park’s biggest attraction and one of North America’s largest art museums. Its collection of almost 95,000 works includes contemporary art, European masterpieces, pieces by Canada’s Group of Seven, and works from emerging Indigenous Canadian artists. The gallery is always showcasing new exhibitions and collaborating with museums around the world. Across from the AGO, there are a few smaller galleries such as Mayberry Fine Art, Bay of Spirits Gallery, and Bau-Xi Gallery.

The shopping scene in Grange Park is dominated by Asian supermarkets in nearby Chinatown around the Dundas-Spadina intersection. These supermarkets carry everyday groceries and a different selection of sauces, canned foods, and produce than you might find at regular grocery stores. There’s a new M&M Food Market on Spadina selling frozen foods. Grange Park is also close to Kensington Market where you can find small fruit and vegetable markets. Both Kensington Market and Chinatown are full of unique stores and shops with clothing, gifts, or household items. The closest non-Chinese supermarket to Grange Park is the Independent City Market near Queen and Adelaide Streets, south of the neighbourhood.

Grange Park offers a variety of cuisines in any direction. On the east side, you’ll find Valens Restaurant Inc., an Italian-inspired spot with a patio serving dishes like risotto, pasta, and steaks. There is also a selection of places to eat on Baldwin Street near McCaul Street, including Wah Sing Seafood Restaurant, Koh Lipe Thai Kitchen, and Pan Pan Noodle Bar. Further south you will find Manpuku Japanese eatery, and Karine’s, a quick-serve brunch counter with morning staples and Middle Eastern sides. Closer to Chinatown you’ll find Chinese restaurants like New Sky and Hong Kong Bistro Café. 

Grange Park, in the centre of the Grange Park neighbourhood, is the district’s largest natural area and sits in front of the original Grange estate. The park has a playground, a dog park, and a large, abstract, bronze sculpture designed by Henry Moore. It also has a labyrinth drawn into the paved walkway. St. Patrick’s Square is a small park just south of Grange Park. It’s a quaint wooded spot with benches for reading or taking a rest. There are a few other smaller parks in this neighbourhood such as the Huron Street Garden on Huron Street, and the Julius Deutsch Park, a narrow strip of green space where you can find public workout machines.

University Settlement is a large community centre with a pool and programming for younger children. This centre also has a fitness room, courts for badminton, and multi-purpose rooms for fitness classes like yoga. Harrison Pool is a smaller community centre just south of University Settlement with a 20-metre pool that is free to use. Grange Park has some fitness gyms, such as Grange Fitness and Solofit on 215 Spadina Avenue. There are a few yoga studios on Spadina including Yoga from the Heart Canada and  Richmond & Spadina Yoga Tree.

Grange Park is in downtown Toronto and a short walk to popular window-shopping destinations like Kensington Market and Queen Street West. It’s also within walking distance to Toronto’s Entertainment District. Commuters using public transit will likely use the Spadina streetcar to go north and south, or the Dundas streetcar to go east or west. Drivers leaving the city will drive south to the Gardiner Expressway and connect to the Don Valley Parkway to head north, or they will turn east on the Gardiner if they are heading west. Drivers heading east of the city will also take the Gardiner toward the Don Valley Parkway, eventually turning east on Highway 401.

This neighbourhood is close to world-class galleries, shopping from different cultures, and some of Toronto’s best schools, like the University of Toronto and the Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD). Chinatown is a bustling community with unique shops, and the eclectic and exciting neighbourhood of Kensington Market is a few steps away if you’re looking for unique clothes or gifts for friends and family. The area has a park that showcases its rich history, and there are also superb public amenities found in the University Settlement community centre. There’s a range of housing options in this area, from newer condominiums to Victorian homes