Little India, also known as the Gerrard India Bazaar, might only stretch for a half dozen blocks on Gerrard Street East, but this small neighbourhood manages to pack in Toronto's highest concentration of Indian restaurants, clothing, electronic stores and grocers. In this neighbourhood you can find colourful sarees, exotic fruits and spices and a wide range of affordable Indian restaurants serve up lunch and dinner buffets, vegetarian specialties and cheap masala dosas.
The History of Little India
Toronto's Little India - also called the Gerrard India Bazaar - started in 1972 when businessman Gian Naaz rented (and later purchased) the Eastwood Theatre on Gerrard Street, which he named the Naaz Theatre, and began to screen Bollywood and Pakistani films. The Eastwood Theatre was reputedly the first cinema in North America to exclusively screen South Asian films. This attracted large numbers of Indo-Canadian visitors from across the Greater Toronto Area, leading to a number of new businesses opening to cater the South Asian community. The area expanded rapidly to nearly 100 stores and restaurants spreading over a large stretch of the street between Greenwood Avenue to Coxwell Avenue. Despite there being few South Asians residents in that part of the city, Naaz opened his theatre in the economically depressed, largely Anglo-Saxon area because it was the cheapest venue he could find.
The success of the theatre resulted in South Asian restaurants and retailers opening in previously empty storefronts as the area became a gathering point for South Asians in the 1970s and the Gerrard Indian Bazaar developed and thrived with daily visitors. By the 1980s, “Little India” was firmly established. The area contained approximately 100 South Asian shops and restaurants and received an estimated 100,000 tourists in 1984, including visitors from as far as Detroit.
The growth of Little India was met with resistance from some in the largely Anglo-Saxon adjacent neighbourhood with incidents of vandalism and racist violence in the 1970s. With incidents escalating and shop owners feeling the police ignoring the crimes, in 1977 the South Asian community started an anti-racist taskforce to report racist attacks. The Gerrard India Bazaar BIA was formed in 1982 to promote the area's businesses and coordinate events.
The Naaz Theatre eventually closed in 1985 when introduction of VHS tape and Bollywood videos became more widespread. The theatre was revival in the 1990s but eventually closed and the lower levels were converted into a small mall: The India Centre. In 2015 it was converted into a mix use building known as the Multani Village, with rental apartments and street level stores.
Little India Today
While South Asian businesses continue to thrive along Gerrard Street, it lost its central position of South Asian commerce since the late 2000s as an increasing number of South Asian businesses opened in other parts of Greater Toronto to support the growing South Asian immigrant population in the region. Within Toronto, multiple neighbourhoods in Scarborough and Etobicoke contain high concentrations of South Asian businesses. Other developed or emerging South Asian neighbourhoods are also located in the surrounding cities of Mississauga, Brampton, Milton, Markham, Pickering, and Ajax.
It’s always a good idea to bring your appetite to Little India. Here you’ll be treated to a mix of restaurants featuring food from North and South India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. and in recent years, more contemporary bars, restaurants, and cafés have been opening in the neighbourhood creating an even more eclectic blend of food options.
A wander through the Gerrard India Bazaar today is the ultimate main street village experience, with art and culture walks (there are some incredible murals!) and purveyors of a wide variety of South Asian food and products. There are also a number of apparel shops too that provide Indo Canadians with what they need to preserve their religious and cultural traditions.
Little India Real Estate
Because Little India is such a small neighbourhood, it’s within walking distance to the Danforth, the Beach and Leslieville making it a great choice for buyers who want the best of the east end without paying the premium to live half a dozen blocks in another direction.
Little India is bordered by the CN Rail Line in the north, Dundas Avenue in the south, Greenwood Avenue to the west and Coxwell Avenue to the east. Most locals are over 30 and they typically live with a partner, some couples have children, some don’t. Census records show there aren’t many Indian people living in Little India; the neighbourhood carries that name because the business district is prominently South Asian. Two out of every three people who live in the neighbourhood were born in Canada, and immigrants who live in Little India are far more likely to be from China than anywhere else.
The still-affordable prices, which are still lower than other areas in Leslieville and Riverdale. Little India offers plenty of single-family homes and semi-detached options at reasonable prices, and some condominium options as well.
Looking for the best of Little India?
Parks
Schools
Please click here for a comprehensive list of schools in Little India..
Restaurants:
MotiMahal: Long-standing spot doling out Indian fare in simple digs, including saag panir & chicken tikka.
Bombay Chowpatty: Utilitarian standby for traditional Indian fare, with vegetarian-only options in a spare setting.
Lahore Tikka House: Colourful, basic eatery with a large covered patio serving halal Pakistani and North Indian cuisine.
Cafés
.Le Conciliabule: Petite café offering French pastries and natural wines plus weekend brunch with vegetarian options.
Dineen Outpost: Espresso drinks, baked goods and light fare offered in a chill, bright space with whitewashed brick.
Lazy Daisy’s Café: Warm store and café with locally-sourced food, known for buttermilk biscuits and breakfast sandwiches.