Distillery District

Around the Neighbourhood

Cultural landmarks: the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, home to the Soulpepper Theatre Company, the district’s galleries and artist studios, and the Distillery Winter Village (the Toronto Christmas Market) that takes over the cobblestones each December.

Hot local spots: El Catrin for mezcal and one of the biggest patios in the city, Cluny Bistro for French brasserie, Mill Street Brew Pub in the original brewery building, and Pure Spirits Oyster Pub for seafood.

Parks & green space: Corktown Common, the large naturalized park in the West Don Lands just east, is the local green, with the waterfront trails a short walk south.

Your Typical Neighbour

The Distillery skews young professional and downsizer, people who want low-maintenance, character-filled condo living and are happy to trade a backyard for cobblestones and culture. There are plenty of couples and singles, a large share of investors and renters (60%), and very few children. Households are mostly one or two people, incomes run around the city average, and almost no one here is mowing a lawn on the weekend.

Source: City of Toronto Neighbourhood Profile, St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands, 2021 Census

What We Love

There is nowhere else in the city quite like it. Car-free brick lanes, public art, some of the best patios in Toronto and a genuine cultural anchor in Soulpepper and the Young Centre. The Distillery Winter Village turns December into an event, the galleries and studios keep it from feeling like a theme park, and the architecture alone is worth the price of admission.

What We Don’t Love

You share your neighbourhood with everyone who visits it. Summer patios and the December market mean crowds, buskers and the occasional film crew right outside your door. The district is thin on everyday essentials like a proper grocery store, and the holiday market now charges weekend admission, which tells you how much of the place is built for visitors rather than residents.

Real Estate

This is a condo and loft market wrapped around a heritage site. The residential towers, Gooderham, Clear Spirit, Pure Spirit and their neighbours, pair modern units with the protected Victorian streetscape, and you pay a premium for the location and the character. Units range from compact one-bedrooms to the larger Gooderham suites, and the buyer pool leans heavily toward professionals, downsizers and investors. New to the market? Start with our First-Time Buyer guide.

(Current prices and days on market appear in the live statistics block below, updated quarterly.)

Schools

There aren’t a whole lot of options in the immediate neighbourhood, though a relatively short walk away both public and separate options do exist.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Nelson Mandela Park Public School
Market Lane Junior and Senior Public School
Downtown Alternative School
Sprucecourt Junior Public School

SENIOR SCHOOLS

Inglenook Community School

PRIVATE & CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Liberty Prep School
St. Paul Catholic School
Voice Integrative School

For school rankings and Fraser Institute scores, see our interactive Toronto school map.

Transit

The 504 King and 514 Cherry streetcars do the day-to-day work into the core, and drivers reach the DVP and Gardiner in minutes. The big change on the horizon is the Ontario Line, under construction now, which will add a Corktown station a short walk away and make the trip downtown and across the city noticeably faster.