Pacific Mall, Toronto

I bought a cell phone case from unit c66 "HI Mobile" in pacific mall and it broke with 4 hours of use. When I went back they told me there was no warrantee on the product. I always assume there was a warrantee of merchantability on all retail products sold. When I ask who the manufacture was, they were silent. When I asked to speak to the manager, they said the place is run without a manager. Buyer beware.

What to buy: You mean what NOT to buy... whatever products you're interested in, assume low build quality.

What to pay: They would have to pay me to use their defective merchandise.

With over 400 mini-shops selling anything Chinese, visiting this mall will feel like going to China or Taiwan. Though the bankrupt developer did not renovate the building & left the insulation & pipes exposed, this mall has been able to become a giant magnet for Chinese customers. Teens, housewifes & seniors all love to come here to kill time, buy stuff & get drinks or have a snack or grab a lunch.

My favourite drinks here include the fresh juices, lemon - mango honey drink, bubble tea, green-apple drink....There are a lot of these beverage stands, so once you are thirsty, you can pop in & buy a drink.

There is an arcade @ the second floor that has lots of fun arcade games, though it is more of a hangout spot. Also at the second floor is a huge Chinese restaurant called "Golden Regency" that serves top -notch dim sum. Also on this floor is fast food & some other restaurants. If you love singing, you could invite a couple of friends & go to MHQ karoke.

Opening Hours:
Sunday - Thursday: 12pm - 8pm
Friday - Saturday: 12pm - 9pm

What to buy: Along with Chinese fashions, herbs, flowers, accessories, CDs, DVDs, audio hi-fi, cell phones, houseware & other interesting items, there are many shops that sell Japanese toys & stationary. Usually teens prefer cute stuff, & Japanese characters are perfect!

Remember to go to the sweets shop & load up on candy.

The only bank servicing Pacific Mall is Bank of East Asia, & should have currency exchange.

Unlike most North American Shopping Centres, Pacific Mall usually does not offer exchange or refund, so look carefully before you buy! : )

What to pay: more than $ 20 CAD...

Forget the chain stores. Go directly to Pacific Mall in Markham: http://www.pacificmalltoronto.com/

Try a place called Canada Computers. www.canadacomputers.com. Cheap electronics and computer gear. But, don't expect service or a warranty. Probably the rudest, least attentive staff you'll ever meet. But hey, no pain, no gain.

Or: SIG Electronics - www.sigelectronics.com

2 more images

I bought a pair of sandles at a store called 3 Degree at Pacific. I test drove them in the store, which isn't saying much really since the store barely has any walking space. They cost $44 and broke 2 days later. Go figure. It took 2 hrs to get to the mall to buy the shoes and 2 hrs to get back. 2 hrs to go beg for my money back considering they busted after two wears and 2 hrs only to go home empty handed.

The only way I'd go back there to buy anything is if I suddenly developed psychic powers to "choose my items carefully". Just remember that with stores that have a "No money back-No exchange" policy, there's something really shady going on. I gave it a try and got burned. I'm adding a photo of the sandles I bought in case anyone is considering this style, steer clear, because they are guaranteed to fall apart on you. I travelled all the way back to Markham (18 miles from home by bus) hoping they'd at least hear my story out and just exchange the items for something that will survive at least one summer, but they turned their backs on me and now I am stuck with defective sandles. I am still debating whether they are repairable or not. Anyway, check out the photos and decide for yourself.

What to buy: The food and bubble tea are always worth buying.
At least food will not break your bank unless you can eat more than $20 worth of food.

I went to the big Korean restaurant at Pacific Mall and the service was amazing.
The kind old lady helped bring my food out of the restaurant to the seperate eating area.

What to pay: Food and bubble tea is always affordable.
The korean dinner was around $8.

9 more images

The Greater Toronto Area has about half a million Chinese. The city has the well-known HUGE Chinatown, adjacent to downtown. In the suburbs, there are many other smaller Chinese areas. (In fact, I am constantly discovering new such areas!)

One of the many Chinese areas comprises of two ENORMOUS adjacent shopping malls.

Their names are MARKET VILLAGE and PACIFIC MALL. Walking through these malls, you are forgiven for forgeting which city you are in! Walking through the malls, one is surrounded by hundreds and thousands of Chinese people, Chinese shops and Chinese signs.

What really intrigued me, is that the two malls are both Chinese and adjacent, yet their interior and exterior are completely different! This difference is explained in the first of my 5 albums below. In that album I also give directions to reach the malls as well as their websites.

I was so intrigued by the 2 malls, that I did not just want them as an entry in my shopping pages. I Made travelogue albums on the malls!

Please click below to reach those albums:

ADJACENT MALLS 1 Front Exterior

ADJACENT MALLS 2 Supermarket

ADJACENT MALLS 3 Food Court

ADJACENT MALLS 4 Market Village Interior

ADJACENT MALLS 5 Market Village Side Exterior

ADJACENT MALL 6 Pacific Mall Interior 1

ADJACENT MALL 7 Pacific Mall Interior 2

Some preview pictures are provided here. They are, however, duplicated with lots extra in my suggested albums.

Hey, this is a crowded place where lots of Chinese hang out....... and the Market Village is located just beside Pacific Mall...
(Both places are usually crowded with people during the weekend)

What to buy: Clothes, Computer stuff, cell phones, food... Restaurants with Dim-sum.. yummy

This is easily the biggest Chinese mall in Toronto, and possibly in all of Canada. Essentially, they took a warehouse, spruced it up and turned it into a mall. It's uniqueness comes from the fact that it is almost entirely filled with Chinese stores. If you're Chinese, you'll feel right at home as most speak either Cantonese or Mandarin. If you're not Chinese and can handle seeing that many Chinese people in one place, its great for prices. Its also nice to see from a cultural standpoint outside of Chinatown, albeit in a somewhat materialistic way.

What to buy: The place has so much variety, since it's mostly a normal mall, though almost entirely Chinese. You can find clothes, haircuts, art, books, computer electronics, video games, karaoke, restaurants upstairs, and countless other stores. There's easily more than a hundred stores in that place.

What to pay: Prices are very good.