What a great food festival this is. Definitely one of the busiest food festivals in Toronto. The food items here are outrageous. Lots of seafood offerings on a sick, lots of meats on a stick. The flavours are not only Chinese, but also Indian inspired. Think Hakka. Make sure to try some of the tasty and interesting drinks, from fresh fruit drinks (some served in a pineapple), to ice teas to bubble teas. The perfect accompaniment on a hot summer day. The festival is very busy, so be prepared for the crowds. Parking can be a hassle, but there is lots of street parking in the surrounding neighbourhoods. On a hot summer day, you can step into the adjacent Pacific Mall to cool down. So, why not a 5 star review you ask me? Simple reason: The place has a very unappetizing smell. I asked around, and was informed that it's the Sticky Tofu. I do believe that people eat it as a novelty, like durian fruit. So, I hope I'm not being culturally insensitive when I mention it. But honestly, I think this festival would be much better if the Sticky Tofu truck was stuck on the 401. Sorry. In case I'm misunderstanding the whole Sticky Tofu thing, please enlighten me! Other than that, I would definitely recommend this food festival. As an added bonus, there is a stage with dance and song performances. read more

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Taste of Asia just isn't what it used to be. Sure there's still lots of food stalls this year but it's a far cry from the past. It feels more like a community fair now with many non-food stalls like GO transit, embassy of India, MPs, plants and even Scientology (lol). Food options were good, but predominantly Chinese. There's a few Thai and other Asian cuisines but the variety was rather poor and selections were limited compared to a Night Market that I attended last year in New York. Food prices definitely went up by quite a bit this year ($20 for 4 scallops/oysters). read more

I think I'm the only one that didn't know that this festival has been in existence for years! Well, not the past few years due to Covid but apparently it has been around a long time. I can only imagine how hectic it would have been while P-Mall and Market Village were still in their prime. The parking lot had ample space. We went first thing in the morning for 11am on a sunny Saturday that it was open. This helped us manage the bigger crowds but also meant that not all the vendors were ready right away. You should definitely walk around a few times to see what the entire market has before committing to anything. There were a lot of "drink out of a fruit" type stalls and the prices varied wildly. One of the grandest options was to drink out of half a watermelon. Tropic Love was the stall with the best value - it was $13.56 after tax for half a watermelon and if you posted and tagged them on social media, you could get a free refill! There were other stalls charging $20 for the exact same thing without a refill. There were several stalls that seemed to be owned by the same group. They were all wearing the same Hawaiian shirts and were mainly offering grilled skewers. Another common sight were various boba places. The bigger chains were there including CoCo, Chatime, and Shuyi. There were some independent ones too that were offering bubble tea in plastic bags and baby bottles. Some non-food stalls were set up. Some community establishments like the fire department, local radio, FreshCo, and TD had informative booths here. There were also some giveaways from Galleria and Fantuan. Both had wheel of fortunes but the latter you needed to download their app in order to participate. Regarding the prices of everything, it was really hit or miss depending on the stalls. There were Hong Kong eggettes that were 2 for $10 when you can normally get them for 2 for $7 elsewhere. We did have giant scallops with crispy that were 2 for $10. These were piping hot off the grill and really good! We thought this was a good purchase. The same stall also had ones that were smaller in size but served with garlic and vermicelli that also looked and smelled phenomenal. I think technically not included but Pacific Mall is really just steps away so you can swing by while you're there. read more

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I haven't been to this food festival before. In comparison to another food festival I had been to the previous week, this one was much better. Kennedy Rd north of Steeles Ave was blocked off for this event which meant that all the parking spots for Pacific Mall were available for those that were driving in. We knew going that it would be a super hot day, and in trying to avoid the crowd and the heat, we got there right as it opened at 11 am. Since many food and drink stalls were still setting up and getting ready for the day, we walked through a couple of times to check out what we wanted to get. We started with a very refreshing Taste of Manila lemonade from Lemon Bar. Next, we got a few chicken skewers. I half expected them to be dry and charred, but these skewers were so juicy and flavourful, really exceptional. The grilled scallops looked amazing, and we just had to get one each. The bigger scallops were 2 for $10 and the smaller ones with vermicelli were 3 for $10. These were delectable. Be careful when you first get them since they're very hot to the touch. Once we had finished our lemonade, we needed another drink. There were plenty of stalls selling drinks in fruit (watermelon and pineapple), so it took us some time to decide which stall to order from. The best deal turned out to be from Tropic Love at under $14, after tax, for half a watermelon. If you posted and tagged them on instagram, you could get a free refill! When we had finished the watermelon juice, we went back and asked for our refill to be pineapple and they were okay with that. In addition to food and beverage stalls, there were ones from TD, Galleria Supermarket, Fresh Co., Claw Me Baby, and some smaller carnival rides and games. Going into these food festivals, it should be a given that whatever you purchase will cost more than you're used to paying at a restaurant, so just remember that and enjoy yourself while you're there. read more

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Obviously the food prices are really quite high, but Street food in Canada will always be opposite in pricing than what you'd find in the countries that actually inspire the whole "Street food" life. There's not much we can do about that but grab only stuff that you normally wouldn't get to order or go to. It's a great way to find some new snacks you might never thought you would like (ie. Stinky tofu) I think they have done a much better job with the parking and road blockages and honestly, you can't expect much because it's always been a normally busy location on weekends/evenings anyway. What I do wish to see is more care for the garbage cans. I'm glad that after every festival, it does look like they do a really good job cleaning up, but during the festival, problem just throw their crap all over the floor. It's disgusting! They wouldn't do that at home, so what makes them think it's ok to do that outside? I can't honestly understand people. There should be so many more garbage cans and people to actually change them frequently. While there's been an improvement from prior years, it's still a long way to go. And almost all stalls after using not eco friendly options. There's so many cheap paper based alternatives, so it should be regulation to not have single use plastics And stop giving away balloons!!!!! You'll find those stupid things everywhere after the fact and is just so freaking horrible! read more

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it Keeps Getting Better Every Year!! I've been going to A Taste of Asia for many years. It seems to get better and better every year. Now that I'm a father, I've been bringing my kids there for the last for the past 5 years, and they absolutely love it!! The festival itself is put on by The City of Markham, The Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM), the Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada (APMC). This event is for everyone and its a celebration of the rich and amazing Asian culture that is now deep-rooted into our wonderful city. As a Foodie I always have a soft spot for great Asian food, and you find vendors here from restaurants, food trucks, and other travelling food vendors that you see at other festivals throughout the GTA and Ontario. here you will find food from all corners of Southeast Asia even some serving North American fare. Some of the foods and drinks you will find here are Barbecued Squid. Skewers of all types, Bao, Pho, Seafood, Sushi, Popcorn Chicken, Fried rice, Milk tea, bubble, Papaya drinks and the list goes on and on. There was even a vendor selling insects to eat, now how creative is that? My kids love the food, but they also now like the performances on stage, and the rides, last year they had a Ferris wheel. There is so much to do, and so much to eat, it just keeps getting better and better every year!! read more

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After over two years of COVID-19, we decided to go to the Taste of Asia this year (June 25th, 2022) on the north side (Markham) of Kennedy and Steeles. We parked at Pacific Mall early enough to acquire parking just after 10 AM. In general, prices for food and drinks were obviously higher and some of the products such as special baos had lesser fillings. Despite the intense sun and 30 Celsius temperature, was it worth it? Sure. Just to get out of the house and absorb all that stinky tofu stench onto your clothes. Bring cash if you want to attend! read more

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Taste of Asia is always a great place to have my takoyaki! Unfortunately I didn't get my large squid this time. We enjoyed different things like extra large lamb skewers. And some pancake chicken wrap. read more

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Love the summer with Asian street festivals! I think this is the first one this year. Coming to Taste of Asia is my first time tonight. It has similar food vendors like Night it up in Markham which I've been to many times. Smelly tofu, lamb skewers, grilled squid, takoyaki, and more! Tip: go to Pineapple Kingdom to get a $12 unlimited refill of pineapple juice. Parking will be a bit crazy. We a found a spot on Clayton Ave. You should be able to park at Pacific Mall but it might get full quickly. Hopefully it won't rain tonight! read more

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Intro: What is Taste of Asia? It's an annual food festival held over a weekend in the summer which features various foods and drinks from both existing restaurants and pop up shops throughout the city. Are they cheap you ask? Prices are on par with festival/food truck food so expect food to range from $5 to $20 on average. Remember: they pay to serve food at these festivals so costs have to offset somehow; just like all festivals so accept the extra costs being transferred onto the food and just enjoy it for what it is. Is it worth going? I've been going every year and am always excited to do so but full disclaimer: I LOVE food so take that as you will. The "Meat" of it: This festival has the standard asian affair plus a few new items to note. I call standard asian affair to include barbecued meats like pork/beef/squid on a stick, takoyaki balls (my fave), BBQ corn, dumplings, bubble tea, spring rolls, sago, bao, grilled oysters and stinky tofu amongst other items. Now don't be mistaken; "standard" does not mean I didn't still drool over and yelp (get it? get it? ) at every delicious bite of one of these items making me go back for seconds! A couple items I wanted to highlight/note were the insects, the arancini takoyaki ball, the mango sticky rice from Namwan's. Fried Grasshopper from Black Cuisine: we tried a small cup for $8 and fear factor moment aside, can't say it TASTES like anything but the texture is more like deep fried fish or deep fried shrimp shells. There is no meat on the inside which can be noticed, and thankfully no gooey anything either. Not quite chicharon but anything deep fried without a filling would pretty much have the same texture. Crunchy and dry. Wouldn't seek it out again but worth a shot to try yourself just to say you've done it and good to know if the world goes to heck that I can swallow deep fried grasshoppers but I suppose I can swallow anything deep fried if needed be. Arancini Takoyaki from Cafe Bon Bon: (this came with a coupon for their store) I love takoyaki balls and though my fave type is IN Pacific mall more than the stalls out here, Arancini Takoyaki was different for me. It truly tastes like what an arancini ball and a takoyaki ball's baby would taste like - a rice ball with a nice bread crumb/panko? shell with ginger, octopus, and sauce with bonito flakes, aonori, and takoyaki sauce on top. I could've gone back for a second of these, they were so good! 6 for $10 - I would recommend you check it out! PS - their 48 hour short rib bao was the best my hubby had so also a good choice if you want to spend $8 on one. Lastly, Namwan's mango & sticky rice dessert. Well, it's regular thai mango and sticky rice with blue coconut milk and crunchy mung bean on top in a Mason jar for $10. Is it anything groundbreaking? No but was it out most favorite thing there that we were craving more on the way home - hell yeah!! It's a typical thai dessert, done REALLY REALLY well. Good job, Namwan! Will be looking for you again! read more

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First time to the taste of Asia I really enjoyed it lots of unique foods and drinks to try! Great to hangout with family and friends. all of the vendors only accept cash just a heads up for when you go Namwan was honestly one of my favourite booth this year. They have so many unique drink and they all tasted wonderful/refreshing. Definitely will come back next year and see what other unique ideas they will bring read more

Taste of Asia - Thai iced tea, first kiss, purple butterfly, & mango tango - Festivals Near Me - Markham, Ontario

I usually go to ToA every year. This year I went on the Sunday (11am-5pm). Came around 4pm. The lines weren't long at all, so I'm glad I came at this time. I got a large lamb skewer ($6), large signature noodles ($7, SO GOOD), leek pancake ($6), beef buns ($8 for 3), smelly tofu, and bubble tea ($10 for 3). The signature noodles from Chu Resto were really good, definitely going to their restaurant to eat some more. I really wanted the bagged colourful drinks from Nam Wam, but the line was way too long and the pick-up "line" wasn't even a line. It was way too crowded. I'll possibly try their drinks at Taste of Lawrence. read more

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(Technically 3.5 stars) We went pretty early, getting to the 2017 Taste of Asia festival around 11:15-ish. Even though the even starts at 11:00 AM, many vendors were still setting up. However, that wasn't much of a deterrence though. Going early means dealing with less crowds and cooler weather. A bonus was that the stinky tofu vendors near the entrance hadn't started cooking yet! While the food choices were all pretty much standard fare for your typical Asian festival, I do give it a bonus 0.5 stars because of its location. Since it's next to the Pacific Mall, it's easy to take a break from the midday sun and relax. Some of the vendors we visited: BBQ Squid & Lamb: Got the whole squid. Overall, just meh. The sauce was super super spicy but really good. (2.5/5 stars; $10 per whole squid) Xin Jang Yang Rou Chaun: You probably won't be able to miss this stall. The worker who takes orders has her own microphone and so does the cook, who is constantly hyping up the food. The long line made this vendor seem super popular and the skewers looked like they had a ton of meat on it. However, it was all hype and no substance. The meat was tough and chewy, a bit overcooked. Definitely not worth the 30+ minute line up. (2/5 stars; $5 per skewer) Pineapple Prince: While there are a ton of bubble tea places, we opted for some fresh fruit juice. The watermelon juice wasn't as good as other places though. There were a ton of seeds and it doesn't appear they use a sieve to catch any of the remnants. Still, it was a pretty refreshing drink! (3/5 stars; $4) Monga: SO good! Like Hot Star Large Fried Chicken, you essentially get a giant piece of fried chicken in 3 different flavours. We got the seaweed (that they also brushed with some sort of red sauce) and it was delicious. It was way too much for one person so we ended up sharing it. Perfectly breaded, seasoned, and cooked. (5/5 stars; $10 per chicken) Pub Grill Street: Another must try! We stopped by this stall near the end and there was no line up whatsoever. Sometimes at festivals no line means the food isn't that great but the beef skewers were one of our favourites. (5/5 stars; $5 for 2 skewers) read more

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Went there on June 25 around 10pm. Super busy with people shoulder to shoulder. Food price is obviously high. $50 on food probably wouldn't still fill you up. Cash only. If going for the first is probably worth the experience. read more

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Once a year event! 2016 Why not? So we dropped by, some new vendors.. like TFC Pro Chi Ck-in Big Face Taiwanese Fried Chicken..tried it..didn't like it much...wasn't crispy enough..but it was moist and seasoned well. Tried both Wei & Mama Bear's Stinky Tofu. I think Mama Bear wins, their cubes are thicker and fuller and we get to put as much sauce as we want. Mongolian Lamb Skewers are always good! $10 whole squid wasn't worth it, it was quite small. Got a Free Watermelon Drink from Friends Hot Pot, if you scan their QR Code. Wanted to try Teppan Ice Cream...but the line up was really long and I saw by the time the ppl got their ice cream it pretty much melted on this hot summer day! So opt out, will try it at the actual ice cream parlor downtown. Tried 2 Egg Waffle Ice Cream Stalls. One was better than the other. Wow!ffles (Knock off of Wooffles, found out after I bought it)$8 Their egg waffles weren't so good. Was not crispy and kind of dense. Ordered the Mango Wow, which came with Vanilla Ice Cream with very little Mango pieces. HK Bubble Waffles $8 Their egg waffles were crisp and spongy. You can even get 2 flavours of ice cream, and 1 Free Topping!!! Got Green Tea and Red Bean IC, with More Syrup Red Bean on top! Yum! Twist Potato Honey Bear had some crispy and tasty Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken. I would definitely recommend trying it out! read more

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Pretty interesting, a lot of things that I haven't seen before. If you have not been to asia, I would recommend coming here to take a look. read more

Taste of Asia - A lot of street food from asia, a lot of asian! Worth coming to take a look! - Festivals Near Me - Markham, Ontario

As a child, I really liked coming to this festival when it happens. I remember it used to be very lit and so packed to the point that you cannot move properly because of the shear number of people in the area. 2016 was a bit less packed than I remember, and the food was a bit more expensive than what it was in previous years. However, they do give you a bit more food for the price. Pretty sure the booths are just trying to sell more items in one batch, in hopes of profiting more. 1. Wait The lines were not as long as the previous years, as said above. The longest lines are usually for smelly tofu, since it's something people do not get a chance to eat in other times of the year. I would like to say that at the peak, it was about a 30 minute wait, which is not that bad at all. In terms of average lines, they were probably around 8 minutes. 2. Food Nothing too special other than the smelly tofu, which were great like every year. The thing is that a lot of the food can be purchased at restaurants nearby (Fishballs, takoyaki, yakitori, etc), so it is not anything special. 3. Parking Parking isn't as bad as the past few years. If you cannot find parking spots at Pacific mall, check out Splendid Chinatower across the street on the other side of Steeles. There's also a GO train station there, so a bunch of spots if you're willing to walk for like 5 minutes. Overall: Great festival to check out if you have not been. There's not many vendors and you can probably walk the entire thing in about 30 minutes if you do not wait in line for anything. Awesome food, great place to be. I recommend coming and experiencing this yourself. read more

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Came here today and ate only one thing, takoyaki balls. I forgot which booth it was but they were absolutely delicious even though it was a whopping $7 for 6 balls. I feel like they have somewhat up-ed their food booths game this year. For example they have this liquid nitrogen ice cream or candy? I JUST SAW PEOPLE EATING SOMETHING WITH SMOKE COMING OUT AND THAT IS WHAT I ASSUMED IT WOULD BE. I think they also had Teppan-Ice Cream too?! But yeah...other then a few new places, not much is different. Just your typical; skewers and bbt. ;D There is something to keep in mind, you WILL walk into the event smelling like a bunch of daisies and come out smelling like smelly tofu. Your nose holes will be BURDENED by the pungent smell that radiates off of these seemingly harmless Chinese delicacies. THERE IS NO ESCAPE MY FRIENDS (that is unless you enter from the back of the event and NEVER go near the front of the event. YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELF FROM THE SMELLY TOFUVIRIS) read more

Taste of Asia - meet my takoyaki babies (minus one) - Festivals Near Me - Markham, Ontario

What I got: Burrito Ice Cream ($10), Tea 168 Bubble tea ($10 for 2 with free egg roll), Lamb Skewers ($10 for 5), Twist Potato ($7) Pros: - Came here on a Saturday around 1-2pm. Although Pacific Mall tends to be short on parking, at this time it wasn't too bad and we found spots at the back. - Some stalls were offering items that were cheaper than regular prices in stores, maybe because you were paying in cash. For example, Chaplus was having a buy 1 get 1 free deal on large size bubble teas. Tea 168 also had $10 for 2 large teas with a free box of egg rolls. - Although there were no seating areas, the mall was close enough to access seating and washrooms. - Lines were not bad, the longest I waited was for the Burrito ice cream, which took 10 minutes. - I've been around to food festivals quite a lot and they had all the standard food fest items: skewers, takoyaki, liquid nitrogen ice cream, bubble tea, and stinky tofu. Cons: - I've been to Night It Up for 5 years and since it's the original night market, I'd still say it was the biggest and probably the best organized when it comes to access to washroom and eating areas. Performances are also more engaging at NIU and catered to millennial audiences, probably because the whole night market is organized by youth. - The size of this event was probably half that of NIU but I wouldn't say that's a bad thing as long as it has all the classic night market items. - I was a little disappointed by the Chatime booth, the bubble teas were $6 and they only had 4 flavours, none of them being the classic roasted milk tea. But the good thing about these events is that you can shop around. - Burrito ice cream was quite expensive and inconvenient to eat, the cotton candy melts and becomes sticky when held and it was hard to eat the ice cream and cotton candy together- I ended up eating them separately. Though it looked cool to make in concept, it was probably something I'd try only once. read more

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This is basically the same thing as Night it Up. During three days in June, a bunch of vendors make stands on the street outside Pacific Mall in an attempt to sell you food, drinks or to draw you into a few games. Some of the vendors do have some decent food. The meat skewers are pretty good and my girlfriend found a noodle place that was - while spicy - delicious. The prices honestly aren't awful either - they're meant to be a little cheaper for smaller portions. The hard part is getting it. The lines are way too long and there needs to be a more efficient way of doing this. Lines end up going up the middle of the street and people try to shove through you. They have a few drink vendors, however, because of space limitations, they lack a wide variety of what you can order. One huge problem is parking. Since it's beside Pacific Mall, which historically has dreadful parking as it is, you're going to be hard pressed to finding a spot. There also needs to be more space for people to move around, sit and eat. There are also a bunch of vendors that don't even advertise in English (written or shouting), which is not good from a marketing standpoint. Finally is that there is garbage absolutely everywhere. There's no attempt at all to keep the area clean. I was stepping on garbage every other step. Garbage cans overflow, get everywhere and it's a mess. I actually walked up to a 3-4 foot tall garbage pile that formed beside a vendor's stall - how on earth did that even happen? The premise of Taste of Asia is really good but the execution and the attempt to keep the area clean completely fails. Parking is an issue and when you buy food, there's no where to really enjoy it. Prices aren't completely outrageous, but honestly, the trouble here isn't worth it. read more

Went to this festival last night in hopes of enjoying a new experience. Even getting to the main area, you could smell the stinky tofu, which was blowing downstream towards Kennedy and Steeles (this is not meant to be negative - it is understood that stinky tofu is popular). Finally getting to the main area, most vendors had long lineups. Going around these lineups was difficult - felt like a packed sardine. What was really disappointing was that some vendors had NO ENGLISH at their stalls, so there was no way of knowing what was being advertised, whether it was food, a sponsoring business, or something else. It seems that they only wanted to cater to those who knew the language, which was mainly Mandarin. For an event that is open to everyone and in Canada, you would hope that they would follow the language laws. Feeling disappointed, walked into Pacific Mall nearby. read more

It is expensive if you compare the food price at the different stalls to the actual price going into the individuals' places. Then again, can you get to different places on foot? No. Besides, the entrance is free at least. Yes, the first thing that grabs you by the nostril is the stinky tofu. I wish that I like them then I would not be affronted by the smell (this must be how other people feel about me eating durian... drools). I didn't get much food or drinks because of the price... haha. It is called fluting, so it was good that I only got things that I don't usually get like the oyster pancake, and Thai iced tea. OMG, oyster pancake was sooooo good from "Fried Oyster Pancake Oh Ah Jen", and the people were so nice. I got at least 5 pieces of oyster in my box. My husband got the lamb skewer, not at the famous one that is pricier and with longer lines. Guess what though? His lamb skewers were so tasty and not over cooked, and no lines! 6/$10 but others were 1 for $4-5. They say that theirs were big but it ain't that much bigger and for the price and how much you got... hmm. After our walk around the stalls, we walked in P Mall, just to get my steps in. Don't go crazy with the juice, and lucky for us because it was warm today. Light sprinkles of rain. So, once a year, cool. I go to this one because I have never been to either this or Night It Up (NIU). I ah e only been to the one in Irvine, Cali. I can't go to NIU again this year so here I am. I read that state of Asia is smaller in production than NIU so I can't wait for next year. Overall, I got to eat and try food that I would never get otherwise. Price is expensive so I stuck to getting 2.5 items...half is for the nibble of someone else's purchase that I shared. Basically, the food were a range from $8-13 per order of fish/squid balls/ 2-6 meat skewers/ buns, octopus/oyster pancake/potato curries. Today, I asked the person taking orders about how much was the BBQ eel, which I really wanted! When he said $13 for 3inches by 4 inches and .5 inch in thickness, I said, "oh, no, sorry, that's expensive. Thank you." He was not mad, but there were so many people lining up here. Each their own, right? Next time BBQ eel. Besides, if you really don't like anything here, you can always head to P Mall restaurants. read more

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Unfortunately, my husband & I stopped by on a rainy Sat when all the vendors were covered in plastic drape. It didn't stop us from sampling the diverse food of Asia. Each dish ranges from $6+. We tried the Malaysian rotti which is similiar to the Indian crepes filled with potatoes, choice of meat (lamb, beef or chicken), carrots and vegetables. The portions were huge. We passed by the stinky tofu booth swarmed with long lines. The odors was just disgusting. The stench of the tofu is a complete turn-off! We tried the Hawaiian shaved ice topped with condensed milk and syrups. It was pretty good. We also had the Gyozas (dumplings) and ramen. There was a scheduled Noodle Competition, Live music performance, Car Expo, Pet show, Basketball tournament, and service booths ranging from insurance to electronic gadgets. Overall, it's pretty cool for a street fair. According to the locals, it's held every year in Markham where families can bring their kids out to eat and enjoy the festivities. read more

Be prepared for massive lineups for anything popular and slow moving crowds. The lineups are understandable, especially for popular items like meat skewers, stinky tofu (not my cup of tea personally), and twisted potatoes. The problem is that compact layout stalls means that you have to constantly cut through lines to get anywhere. Plus some stalls like to use two lines for whatever reason - one for paying and another for ordering (why??). I really enjoyed the variety of food, but the spacing issue was a real drag. Also, some stands need to either limit how many skewers can be ordered at once, or let people know they can only cook a few skewers at a time read more

Taste of Asia - Cold noodles with spicy oil - Festivals Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Came here around 7:30 pm and boy was it packed!!! It was so packed, that we were literally brushing shoulders with other people. With so many vendors, cramped altogether in one tight space, it was hard to move around as the lines were extremely long. People's skewer sticks were poking around, and people shouting and screaming everywhere. Oh and a TON of strollers. It was pretty chaotic this year, compared to the past. We got the Stinky Tofu ($10 for 7 pcs), which were pretty good, but certainly not worth the price, nor the long lineup! There was also a food truck, that sold Bloomin Onions ($8), which was super greasy and still raw in the center. Maybe my experience wasn't the greatest, as I went at the wrong time, but it was cool to see different vendors this year including teppan ice cream. read more

Taste of Asia - Stinky Tofu ($10 for 7pcs) - Festivals Near Me - Markham, Ontario

I live very close to Pacific Mall, so I decided to drop by the 2012 Taste of Asia festival Saturday night. It was really cool, kind of reminded me of a mini CNE with all asian people. They had a few game booths with prizes to be won, a few rides for young children , numerous food stalls and free live music performances. The lineups for food were reasonable with the exception of the food stalls selling stinky tofu. The prices were reasonable and in line with what the local businesses charge on a regular basis. It was also crowded in some places and sometimes shoulder to shoulder but not unexpected for any asian festival. A fair comparison would be that there are not as many food vendors as the bigger Night It Up, Night Market festival but it's nowhere near as crowded and as a result you don't have to deal with the aggravation of people rudely pushing and bumping into each other without apologizing. The 2012 festival hours were: Saturday 12pm - 12am Sunday 12pm - 6pm read more

Wow it was hot. My friend and I planned on spending all afternoon here, but we ended up escaping into Pacific Mall about an hour in. We got an oyster pancake ($8) that had a fairly good number of oysters in it, although the oysters could have been better quality (unfortunate seafood tang). The sauce (fish sauce based) could have been a tad less strong. We also got a $1 all you can drink fruit water that actually just tasted like water. We sampled a piece of fried chicken that was quite tasty. We considered buying it after wandering around, but didn't get to it because of the heat. Lots of Asian fusion. Also an increasing number of Northern style dishes, if I identified them correctly. Interesting stuff, but I'd like to see more authentic street food, and less fusion. I'd also like better prices (why can't Toronto have delicious street food at cheaper prices?) Shout out to the Yelp booth with free swag and photo fun! read more

There's not as much variety as night it up, and everything is overpriced as usual. Also, this year some man kept advertising his booth over microphone in Chinese in an already very loud market, which was rather annoying. read more

Taste of Asia - Okonomiyaki - Festivals Near Me - Markham, Ontario

This place was crazy busy and packed. Some of the food didn't smell so appetizing but some were. It wasn't enough to wait in a really long line though. It's nice to come out and check out the vendors. They also have a stage set up with live music. It's nice how they've expanded a bit so they have activities to do there as well. I wouldn't come down during the afternoon with the sun and heat on top of the crowds. They stay open quite late which is good for people who can only attend during the evening. I prefer the night market over this but it's nice to come out if you don't have anywhere else to go on a weekend night. read more

Taste of Asia - You can get very interesting food here. - Festivals Near Me - Markham, Ontario