gerrard square toronto

Toronto's once scary mall is suddenly a place people want to go again

A Toronto mall once known as "Scary Square" has been steadily improving its reputation, and now it's actually attracting new tenants: and people are actually visiting them. 

Gerrard Square has been known over the years for a lively food court that includes mainstays like Tropical Joe's, but that's mostly been it, and exciting new additions are rare.

However, that's changed with the late summer addition of a new gelato spot that's made a name for itself at another mall.

Gelato 41 already has a location at North York Sheridan Mall, but they've recently opened up at Gerrard Square and have racked up five-star reviews on Google.

"My daughter and I had the best experience today at Gerrard Square new Gelato 41 location. I had the pleasure of tasting A LOT of the flavours and honestly all of them were equally delicious," one person wrote. 

"I love the Tiramisu. My daughter enjoyed her variety of flavours as well.  Your expresso was also amazing. We look forward to being new regulars."

They're far from the only new feature at the mall, too: years back the words "immersive experience" and "Gerrard Square" would likely have never been in the same sentence, but now that's exactly where the new Robert Munsch immersive experience is popping up.

It began at the mall on Sept. 9, 2022, the experience depicting some of Munsch's most well-known stories.

Along with new gelato and an immersive experience, a new clinic also just opened up at Gerrard Square, further diversifying and heightening the offerings at the mall even more. It's called Circle Care Clinic, and they do chiro, physio and RMT in a very calming, upscale environment.

If you haven't stopped by lately and thought there was still nothing going on at Gerrard Square aside from Winners, a Walmart and Home Depot, you might want to revisit the community hub and take a closer look.

Lead photo by

Fareen Karim


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