Tap Phong Trading Co. : Holy Housewares
Any cook tooling around Toronto, from the amateur to professional grade, should make Tap Phong Trading Co. at Spadina and Baldwin an early stop--especially if you need pots, pans, or any other kind of housewares or appliances to equip your kitchen or restaurant (as the case may be). The range of products offered by this Chinatown institution is overwhelming, from grocery carts and a plastic plethora of laundry baskets, bags and kitchenwares that spill out onto the sidewalk in front of the store, to the industrial-size deli meat slicers and coffee makers on one side, and stacks of various dishes and glasswares on the other. Gorgeous traditional Chinese and Japanese items take up the middle shelves, with bento boxes and sushi, sake or tea sets offered for less than $15.00. High-quality pots, woks, and baking pans can be find in every size, shape and variety. Good steel knives from the parer to meat cleaver persuasion are ridiculously cheap, even if they’ll need a sharpening once you get home. Everything available, including appliances, is priced well below similar offerings from big-box stores. Chefs and bakers frolic in the enormous diversity of excellent quality trade tools, but even the most indifferent housekeeper will be impressed by the selection and price.
Location: 360 Spadina Ave.
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 10:30am- 8:00pm
