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National Geographic: St. Lawrence Market the world's best

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Jonny5

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http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/food-markets/#page=1

St. Lawrence, Toronto, Canada
This farmers market emporium has operated since 1803, when it cohabited with Toronto’s city hall. Redeveloped between the 1970s and 1990s after long neglect, the area’s mix of homes and businesses showcases urban regeneration. More than 120 retailers dispense everything from seafood to coffee.

Like all listicles, I take it's ranking with a grain of salt, but it is a fantastic market. Is it Fiddlehead season yet?
 
Jonny5 said:
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/food-markets/#page=1

St. Lawrence, Toronto, Canada
This farmers market emporium has operated since 1803, when it cohabited with Toronto’s city hall. Redeveloped between the 1970s and 1990s after long neglect, the area’s mix of homes and businesses showcases urban regeneration. More than 120 retailers dispense everything from seafood to coffee.

Like all listicles, I take it's ranking with a grain of salt, but it is a fantastic market. Is it Fiddlehead season yet?
Click to expand...

I feel a classic case of "they like us, they really like us" coming on.
 
The St. Lawrence Market is indeed terrific - love it, been going there for decades.
Beyond that the St. Lawrence neighbourhood is a fantastic example of how to plan and re-gentrify a mostly empty and derelict area and where resident groups, the BIA, the Neighbourhood Association and a very progressive, smart and engaged City Councillor have all played key roles in it's development with astounding success. IMO, one of the most diverse, interesting, vibrant and great neighbourhoods to live in Toronto.
 
Saw this the other day. It's a great market (particularly on summer Saturdays when the north end really comes into its own), but I'm surprised at the #1 rating.

Then again, bombed through on Saturday morning to pick up St. Urbain's bagels, Mike's smoked salmon, and Alex Farm cream cheese (I was actually there to pick up a container of duck fat from Whitehouse to cook Easter supper) and was home again in less than a 1/2 hour with the best breakfast maybe EVER... ;-)

So, it's got that going for it.
 
In the summer its soo crowed on the weekend ! I've been to the one in London and several other places and they're not nearly as crowed I find, that's not a plus in my books but a testis to the popularity of our market.
 
I love the St Lawrence Market, but the world's best is a stretch. I can think of a handful that are as good or better just off of the top of my head:

- Montreal's Jean-Talon Market.
- Boston's Faneuil Hall and the Haymarket.
- Seattle's Pike Place Market.
- Vancouver's Granville Island.
- Market's across Europe which are in a different class altogether, and to which it's not even fair to compare St. Lawrence.

My complaint with St. Lawrence is the duplication. Many of the butchers, cheese shops, and vegetable stands carry similar products and seem to even have the same distributors. This is (theoretically) good for competition, but doesn't add to the richness and variety.
 
I've been to many of those places and I find what makes the St. Lawrence market stand out is the shear variety. You really need to include the level in the basement, that's what makes it stand out. If it were just the top floor I'd say it'd be pretty similar to the rest.

The new north market should make it even better from architectural point of view.
 
I don't say this about Toronto very often, but St. Lawrence market might just be the "best market in the world" - at least it's the best market I've ever visited.

It's huge and the sheer diversity of stuff on sale is better than anything I've seen in one single market in North America or Europe. It also serves different "markets" (literally and metaphorically): there's the market for 100-mile locavores (North market), there's all the bulk food and specialties in the basement, there's the general market, and then there's the deli, gourmet vendors on the sides. I think that while there are probably much bigger and busier markets in the developing world, they don't cater to as wide a range of tastes and needs.
 
I'm not sure how anyone could objectively decide which market is the world's best, but I am pretty sure Torontonians are best in the world at proclaiming themselves best in the world. People, could we stop constantly asking ourselves if we have a bigger one than the guy in the next stall and just focus on trying to get basic stuff right?
 
Hipster Duck said:
I don't say this about Toronto very often, but St. Lawrence market might just be the "best market in the world" - at least it's the best market I've ever visited.

It's huge and the sheer diversity of stuff on sale is better than anything I've seen in one single market in North America or Europe. It also serves different "markets" (literally and metaphorically): there's the market for 100-mile locavores (North market), there's all the bulk food and specialties in the basement, there's the general market, and then there's the deli, gourmet vendors on the sides. I think that while there are probably much bigger and busier markets in the developing world, they don't cater to as wide a range of tastes and needs.
Click to expand...

Your first paragraph contradicts the second, as they seem to imply that "the world" equals North America and Europe. Please don't talk about the world if North America and Europe is all that you have visited. There are many people and countries outside them.
 
but I am pretty sure Torontonians are best in the world at proclaiming themselves best in the world.
Click to expand...

I'd say the opposite is true. Torontonians are a rather modest bunch compared to the rest of the world. It wasn't "Torontonians" who made up the list, and I don't see Torontonians beating their chests much when they find Toronto on "best of" lists. Remember, the "Centre of the Universe" is not a self-proclaimed title...it's an unwarranted derogatory slight against Toronto.
 
freshcutgrass said:
I'd say the opposite is true. Torontonians are a rather modest bunch compared to the rest of the world. It wasn't "Torontonians" who made up the list, and I don't see Torontonians beating their chests much when they find Toronto on "best of" lists. Remember, the "Centre of the Universe" is not a self-proclaimed title...it's an unwarranted derogatory slight against Toronto.
Click to expand...

+1

Modest doesn't begin to describe it. Talk to the average person on the street and I'm sure you'll get the 'grass is greener on the other side' argument, and it doesn't really matter what city you pick and in what Continent, they'll all be 'better than Toronto'.
 
neubilder said:
I love the St Lawrence Market, but the world's best is a stretch. I can think of a handful that are as good or better just off of the top of my head:

- Montreal's Jean-Talon Market.
- Boston's Faneuil Hall and the Haymarket.
- Seattle's Pike Place Market.
- Vancouver's Granville Island.
- Market's across Europe which are in a different class altogether, and to which it's not even fair to compare St. Lawrence.

My complaint with St. Lawrence is the duplication. Many of the butchers, cheese shops, and vegetable stands carry similar products and seem to even have the same distributors. This is (theoretically) good for competition, but doesn't add to the richness and variety.
Click to expand...

You know what? I read through your list, and they're all pretty damn good markets. But there's not one there that I'd swap for St. Lawrence... so maybe I really do think it's #1.
 
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