Grand opening for premium downtown Oshawa food hall set for this month

A premium international food hall in downtown Oshawa is getting its day in the spotlight next week for the grand opening of the Market at 70 King.

The food hall features seven diverse kitchens led by noted chefs, a chic speakeasy-style cocktail bar and a versatile venue space or community events and pop-up vendors. The interior has an elegant feel with large arched windows, a skylight and banquette seating, all underscored by nods to the space’s history.

The grand opening of the Market of 70 King will be a day full of celebration with food from the vendors, live music and entertainment and prize raffles.

Drawing in food enthusiasts from across the region with globally-inspired artisanal dishes, the 85-year-old building’s main floor has transformed itself into an ideal destination for dinner dates, family brunches, group outings or a solo tasting adventure.

70 King. Photo Glenn Hendry

Built in 1929, 70 King was originally home to the Genosha Hotel, a landmark destination in the city and Oshawa’s first luxury hotel. The hotel was the talk of the town for a few years but ballooning costs to build the hotel ($500,000 in 1929) and the stock market crash less than two months after opening resulted in financial troubles through the depression years.

Through all those difficulties the Genosha remained the social hub of downtown Oshawa for decades, with guests including Ian Fleming and Roald Dahl, and a concert venue for artists like Rush, Burton Cummings and Paul Schaffer before it morphed into a strip club – the Million Dollar Saloon – by the 1990s.

From 1950 to 1992, 70 King saw a variety of owners and underwent several rebrands. In 2003, due to city rezoning, the hotel sealed the doors and the structure was closed to the public for more than two decades.

In 2017 Richard Summers of Summers & Co partnered with Michael Poon of CPPI Group to buy and then renovate  the building, transforming the empty units of the former hotel into 86 luxury suites. A few years later, construction on the first floor began to bring together the final piece of returning 70 King to its former glory days as a community culture hub.

A 21-storey, 198-unit tower is also rising up behind 70 King, with access to the parking lot across Mary Street via a planned pedestrian walkway.

The chefs of the market at 70 King

Today the Market at 70 King boasts the Lobby Bar for cocktails and six eclectic restaurants:

Bao Mamma (Filipino and Asian-inspired dishes); Sushi Again (ala carte sushi); Gabe & Pancha’s (for the sweet tooth); Philipp’n Italian (Italian elegance with Filipino flavours); Tastonia Kitchen (plant-based bowls, salads and smoothies); Zaps Polish Street Food (Polish pizza, sausages, schnitzel and more) and Church’s Texas Chicken (fried chicken and honey butter biscuits, Texas-style).

According to the 70 Market website, the food hall is a place where locals “can come together to enjoy great food and great company.”

MENU SPOTLIGHT – Phillipp’n Italian (Caldereta Gnocchi)

As the first original creation of Chef Faye and Chef Peter, Caldereta Gnocchi features handmade, pillowy potato gnocchi tossed in mouthwatering Filipino-style slow-cooked beef brisket stew.

“The Caldereta Gnocchi is the perfect dish simply because it’s the perfect expression of our two cultures and our friendship,” said Chef Faye. “It’s the kind of dish you would share around a table of friends and family.”