Watch: mixed picture🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada
Toronto for Black travellers
Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in North America, with a large Caribbean and African diaspora and a strong Black cultural presence, especially around Little Jamaica. Black history here is visible but, as elsewhere in Canada, so are documented policing disparities.
Where to stay & explore
- Little Jamaica (Eglinton West) — Caribbean cultural hub since the 1970s, with Jamaican-owned restaurants, salons and studios, and the Reggae Lane mural.
- Cedarvale and Oakwood — Residential streets near Eglinton West where early Black resident Nathan Redmon built a house and haulage business by 1937.
- Black Creek — Site of The Village at Black Creek living-history museum.
Stay safe in Toronto
- Ontario Human Rights Commission inquiry: Black people were 8.8% of Toronto's population but 61.5% of fatal police use-of-force incidents in 2013-2017.
- The same inquiry records Black residents describing repeated stops, public searches and being profiled by race and neighbourhood.
- Amnesty Canada reports street checks ('carding') disproportionately affect Black people in several Canadian cities; know your rights and keep ID to hand.
Black heritage & culture
- Reggae Lane mural — Mural in Little Jamaica celebrating Toronto's reggae artists.
- St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church — Founded in the 1830s as a haven for formerly enslaved people arriving via the Underground Railroad.
- Heritage Toronto Black history plaques — Mark figures including Albert Jackson, Mary Ann Shadd Cary and Thornton and Lucie Blackburn.
- The Village at Black Creek — Living-history site whose Laskay Emporium documents Benjamin Rolling, an early Black postmaster.
Getting around
The Eglinton West subway station opened in 1978 and helped Little Jamaica develop; it remains the simplest way to reach the strip.
Festivals & events
- Toronto Caribbean Carnival — Late July to early August
Black-owned in Toronto
- Albert's Real Jamaican Foods · Toronto (St. Clair West)
Long-running Jamaican counter-service restaurant on St Clair Avenue West, open since 1984, serving curry goat, jerk chicken, roti and house-made ginger beer.
Black-owned · Albert Wiggan · Source · Website - Allwood Mrkt · Toronto (Leslieville)
Queen Street East concept store from designer Kevin Allwood, combining a fashion and lifestyle boutique, art gallery and plant-focused Cafe Allwood.
Black-owned · Kevin Allwood · Source · Website - Ali's Roti · Toronto (Queen West)
Toronto roti counter serving Trinidadian-style roti since 1976 — curry chicken and goat roti and doubles, a long-standing Queen West favourite.
Black-owned · Ali Algour · Source · Website - Heartbreak Chef · Toronto (Kensington Market)
Casual restaurant on Baldwin Street in Kensington Market serving sandwiches and fried chicken and waffles in a graffiti-decorated space.
Black-owned · Chef Jerome Robinson · Source · Website - Ballet Creole · Toronto
Toronto dance company preserving Caribbean and African dance traditions, offering adult classes and staging festivals, including a June 2026 event.
Black-owned · Patrick Parson · Source · Website - Aunty Lucy's Burgers · Toronto (Annex)
Burger counter in the Annex, Toronto, with Ghana-inspired menu names and plantain fries. Open for dine-in, takeaway and delivery, with a long-running following on Instagram.
Black-owned · Chief Bosompra and Adrian Forte · Source · Website
Sources: destinationtoronto.com · heritagetoronto.org · ohrc.on.ca · amnesty.ca. Editorial city guide compiled October 2026 — not official travel advice. Opening times and conditions change; check official advice (GOV.UK, travel.state.gov) before you go.