Toronto’s Largest Downtown Shopping Mall Offers Artsy Canada Vibes And Tasty Eats

When visiting Canada’s busiest metropolis, you’d want to hit all of the major sites and attractions. One of the most-visited tourist attractions in Toronto, Ontario, welcomed 48 million tourists in one year. It wasn’t the CN Tower or the historic Distillery District — it was a shopping mall. Yes, a mall. CF Toronto Eaton Centre, or, simply, the Eaton Centre, offers artsy Canadian vibes and tasty eats within Ontario’s bustling capital’s downtown. Not only are the food and art installations impressive, but the sheer size of the mall is astounding. Covering numerous city blocks and encircled by Bay, Dundas, Yonge, and Queen streets, the Eaton Centre is approximately 2.16 million square feet, making it the largest shopping center in Toronto.

The Eaton Centre opened its doors in downtown Toronto in 1977, and since then, the mall has evolved into a must-visit destination just steps away from the Bay Street Corridor – one of Toronto’s vibrant and walkable urban neighborhoods. The center was named after Timothy Eaton, who founded Eaton’s department store, which served as the flagship store at the mall. The brand became a cornerstone of Canadian retail over the decades before ultimately going bankrupt in August 1999. Despite the bankruptcy, the mall kept the well-known Eaton name.

With over 56,000 reviews on Google and a 4.5-star rating (as of this writing), Toronto’s Eaton Centre has been visited by a staggering number of folks looking to walk the corridors of North America’s busiest mall. It’s even busier than the Mall of America, which receives 32 million visitors annually. One visitor enthusiastically speaks about their visit to the Eaton Centre, writing, “Amazing mall right in the heart of downtown Toronto. Huge selection of stores, clean, modern, and very well organized. Everything you need is here including shopping, food, and easy access to transit.” 

Whether you’re looking for a quick bite at the food court or a relaxing sit-down meal after shopping, the Eaton Centre offers plenty of food options. Joey is praised for its warm, inviting ambiance, with one reviewer saying, “The steak was definitely the highlight of our meal. It was cooked perfectly, juicy, flavorful, and well seasoned.” For a taste of Italy, Eataly serves handmade pasta at La Pizza & La Pasta and hand-shaken cocktails at La Piazza. If you need a caffeine boost before another round of shopping, Vereda Central Coffee Roasters has been called a “hidden gem tucked inside Eaton Centre” by one customer, who added, “The coffee here is genuinely excellent, and what really impressed me was being able to choose my preferred roast level.”

Aside from shops and eateries, visitors can see Canadian-inspired art installations at the Eaton Centre, including Michael Snow’s permanent 1979 piece, the “Flight Stop,” featuring 60 fiberglass Canadian geese suspended beneath the Galleria Skylight. The mall also hosts rotating art exhibits, including works by OCAD University students. A standout installation is Carson Ting’s 27,000-square-foot mural celebrating Toronto culture. As Ting explained in a blog post, “I filled the piece with the landmarks and icons that defined my upbringing: the CN Tower, the Skydome, TTC subway cars, the skyline, and the pulse of the Six. You will find the Canada goose, the Blue Jays, the Raptors, and a nod to Drake.”

The Eaton Centre is extremely accessible by subway, the 501 streetcar, or walking to its location at 220 Yonge Street. Tourists can start their trip by flying into Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – North America’s most stressful airport – and then booking a room at the Gladstone House, Toronto’s oldest continuously operating hotel with vintage charm.