Old York's sensational St Lawrence Market has been a neighborhood meeting place for over two centuries. The restored, high-trussed 1845 South Market houses more than 120 specialty food stalls and shops: cheese vendors, fishmongers, butchers, bakers and pasta makers. The Carousel Bakery is famed for its peameal-bacon sandwiches and St Urbain for its authentic Montréal-style bagels.

　　Inside the old council chambers upstairs, the Market Gallery has rotating displays of paintings, photographs, documents and historical relics. Next door, cooking workshops and special events are held at the Market Kitchen.

　　On the opposite side of Front St, the North Market building, a concrete bunker built in the late 1960s, was demolished after years of delays due to budget restraints and archaeological finds. Completion of the new North Market building is estimated for spring 2022. In the meantime, the temporary site for the Saturday farmers market (5am to 5pm) and the fantastic Sunday antique market is one block south at 125 The Esplanade.

　　Just a few steps north of the construction site, check out the glorious St Lawrence Hall (1850), topped by a mansard roof and a copper-clad clock tower that can be seen for blocks; once a public gathering place, it now houses shops and city offices.