This new food hall is a creative playground for local restaurants in Toronto

While new food halls have been popping up more in Toronto in recent years, the concept of a grouping of small local businesses is nothing new in the city. For decades, Torontonians have flocked to places like St. Lawrence Market to get access to a whole bunch of great local vendors all in one place.

In 2026, these kinds of concepts are needed more than ever, and more of them are needed more than ever. Thankfully, in Toronto there’s the Waterworks Food Hall, which has been providing bountiful opportunities for local small businesses. Some have been able to get on their feet using Waterworks as an incubator, while other already established Toronto businesses have been able to expand or test new concepts using the food hall space.

“Some restaurateurs use Waterworks to test an entirely new concept, while others adapt an existing restaurant into a faster, more streamlined QSR model built for higher volume. It gives them a real audience and real operating data,” Tyler Rutherford, Director of Operations, Waterworks Food Hall, tells yourcitywithIN.

“We currently have several brands in active growth mode. Some are expanding within our four walls into larger spaces, while others have proven their concepts here and are now looking toward additional locations in other Toronto neighbourhoods. The goal is to help strong concepts get sharper, build an audience and become ready for whatever their next version looks like.”

Union Chicken owner Dan Kennedy can’t help but agree, operating an outpost of his successful fried chicken restaurant at Waterworks Food Hall. A seasoned vet, Kennedy has years of experience operating various locations of Union Chicken in very different spots around Toronto, from the suburbs to Union Station.

“Unlike the predictability of a traditional food court, they offer more unique concepts and are built around the overall experience rather than that quick bite energy,” Kennedy tells yourcitywithIN.

“There are many reasons to visit at any given time, whether you are meeting colleagues, catching up with friends or watching a game. That flexibility is a major part of the appeal. Toronto is often at the forefront of hospitality trends in Canada, and I expect food halls to follow that path. The city is full of talented chefs and entrepreneurs with great ideas. Places like Waterworks give them a platform to reach an audience without taking on all the risks of building, operating and maintaining a standalone restaurant.”

Waterworks gives celebrated local spots such as cocktail bar Civil Liberties, wine bar Grape Witches, and restaurants Rasta Pasta, Island Oysters, and even Michelin-level small restos Musoshin and Indian Street Food Co. a chance to open second satellite locations.

At Waterworks, these second-ever locations can rub elbows with businesses that have already opened spots around the city, such as cafe Boxcar Social and burger joint Harry’s Charbroiled, as well as more established brands Scooped by Demetres and bubble tea chain The Alley.

Tantxo, which serves up Argentinean-style steak, started out as just a food stall at Waterworks, and has now grown to team up with Grape Witches to design food items for its bar at the food hall, and even open a second location at Union Station.

“There is also a ‘discovery effect’ that is hard to manufacture on your own. Someone may arrive at Waterworks for a restaurant they already know and leave having found something completely new,” says Rutherford. “Our role is to create those moments of unexpected hospitality and give good operators the visibility, programming and honest support they need to turn a first visit into a loyal guest.”

Kennedy backs this up, citing his own anecdotal experience with the location of Union Chicken at Waterworks Food Hall.

“One of the biggest challenges with a traditional restaurant is that you are responsible for everything: the space, staffing, marketing and all the costs that come with them,” says Kennedy.

“A food hall provides shared infrastructure and built-in efficiencies that take some of that pressure off our team. We also benefit from Waterworks being a destination. Guests may not arrive with Union Chicken in mind, but every person who enters the building is introduced to our brand. Larger groups are drawn to the variety, which allows each operator to focus on what they do best.”