It's marketed as an "European Food Hall" like in Spain and Italy. That concept doesn't exist in the GTA before
We've had this concept in the GTA before. There's Village by the Grange, there's Downsview Park Merchant's Market and Farmer's Market, (both the St Lawrence Market and the Market Area at Union Station can be seen as variations on this too) and for sure there are others besides, they are either just older or don't have as much money behind them or both. (Union Station is probably closest to this, but also has a national chain-filled foodcourt right beside it.)
Not that every counter/booth at the Wellington Market has a lot of money behind them; several are bare minimum set-up-wise, which is good as it allows less experienced (but promising) operators to get in there without huge up-front decor costs. Frankly, I think there are too many dessert-based counters/booths within the Market and there's no way they'll all be around longterm (at least, not through my patronage, I don't eat enough sweet stuff), so for sure it's good that there are relatively cheaper spots to open in within the Market... just to see if there's a large enough market for your offerings here...
...and all of that is not completely different from the other market-style food hall places I've mentioned above. So, some of the Wellington Market is high quality foodcourt finishings, and some of it is quick-open no-decorations — and maybe that combo is the one thing we haven't had, or not had much of, before in one venue.
Anyway, let's look at some of the less expensively set-up places:
I missed the sign on this one, this is called Sweetie Pie, and it's got a full counter, but it seemed more sparely fitted out.
The Snakes and Lattes is a "rotating pop-up". I'm hoping they do well here, I think it could be fun here on a permanent basis. (Anyone who doesn't know how to play Azul in the top right corner of that shelf? Great game!!)
Some of the cheaper buildouts still have serious signage, like Mado above (good, not too sweet nor sticky baklava), and Tong Mein below...
...and then there's Isabella's Mochi Donuts. I don't know if they are the world's best, but (along with a piece of baklava) they were the one sweet thing I tried (mango glazed) and I can tell you why they were all but gone when I got to this counter: wow, so, so good. If that's Isabella serving me there, I do not know how she maintains that trim size, unless it's that it all sells out before she gets any. I would never end up patronizing any other dessert joint in the Wellington Market, because I'd be trying another flavour here on every visit, and then I'd just cycle back again to the top of Isabella's menu.
In regards to the operating hours of the Wellington Market, this is straight from the development team:
The doors to the market are open from 7AM – 11PM, seven days a week. Every Wellington Market tenant is open between the hours of 11AM-7PM at a minimum. Depending on the day of the week and their product offering, some tenants will open before 11AM and close later than 7PM. If you are hoping to visit a specific tenant, it is best to check the Well website to confirm their specific hours. The bar stays open later into the evening and on Fridays from 6-10 there is DJ spinning on-site.
I don't have any shots of the bar mentioned above ('The Pier'), not sure why I missed them, other than maybe because it was thronged. I did really enjoy a draft beer they are offering...
42
www.thestar.com
