While the Wellington Market at The Well complex has been open for less than a month, the city’s newest food hall has already become a popular destination with thousands of office workers, tourists and nearby residents descending during the lunch rush. It’s also become a go-to spot for a lot of my Star coworkers, since our newsroom is in the same complex. Perhaps you’ve seen a post about it on your social feeds but aren’t sure what it’s really like.
It’s a beautiful space but coworkers also told me the wait times can be long, and some of the prices take eating there into splurge territory. This market at Front Street and Spadina Avenue is a distillation of the city’s food scene under one roof: there are 39 food stalls, with plans for more, with outposts of existing local restaurants such as Ryu’s Noodle Bar, La Cubana, Isabella’s Mochi Doughnuts and the Samosarie along with less typical food court fare such as lobster rolls, shucked raw oysters, and bibimbap. Unlike a typical mall food court, this hall is meant to be a hangout space, with a dog-friendly policy, charging outlets at most tables, alcohol, and an outpost of board game cafe Snakes & Lattes.
And the aim is to have the food lean closer to a sit-down restaurant. “You want the food to be hot and things produced piece by piece, and not a mass-produced assembly line,” said The Well’s general manager, Anthony Casalanguida. “It’s gourmet, a lot of the stuff is something we’re proud of.
” He a.
