The Forks Market

Forks Market Disaster! Fantasy Island Tourist Trap Experience! We drove in from Ontario with family and friends and visited the Forks Market and we were shocked! What has happened to the once wonderful and beautiful Forks Market building, my goodness. We discovered to our surprise that all the great restaurants like Sydney’s Restaurant, Beachcombers Restaurant, Passeros and all the great and unique retail shops that were once there in the Forks Market building are now all gone, Wow! We walked around and took in the atmosphere and sadly, absolutely very little was seen to be left of value, quality, or interest at the Forks Market building and Forks patio outside was pretty much a deserted area. The shopping experience was poor and products not of local or Manitoba made. Over the top amounts of liquor and drinking all through out the building was available (everywhere) and occurring here and there and in corners of the Forks Market, in essence we felt this presentation was debasing the whole experience with alcohol, which was the obvious game in town here, expensive fantasy island swill and booze. The management of the Forks Market building has clearly run this building into the ground and destroyed a once beautiful and fun family experience and quality tourist destination in Winnipeg. We tried a few drinks at the Commons, and well it was way overpriced with little or no service of quality, the seating areas were uncomfortable, hard wood benches, iron chairs and industrial iron drilled into the cement floors, people milling around in a smelly odour packed smoky and greasy atmosphere in the commons centre food court full of leftover plates of food, empty booze glasses and garbage stacked up on bins and tables, Yuck! A Fantasy Island Disaster. Not Recommended!

Very diverse and cultural.
The market place used to be an outdoor public stable where people kept their wagons and horses. That’s why the corridors and kiosks are arched. Much of the original building is still present.
There are lot’s of fast food, restaurants and food stores on the main floor. There are gift shops and the Royal Dance Conservatory on the 2^nd floor. You can take the stairs or elevator to the tower and enjoy the view of the city. I believe it’s about 4 or 5 stories high.
Something for everyone.
This is a popular place for buskers and entertainers.
This isn’t the only market place at The Forks. Across the way is another market with restaurants a large antique store in the basement and little clothing and toy shops on the 1^st and 2^nd floor.
This has been the most popular meeting grounds for, at least, a millennia. It’s considered a sacred place and rumored to be the location of an ancient Indian burial ground. Relics have been found during construction all over the area.
This is an all-​season place.
In the summer, this a popular site for Canada Day. There is a skate park area, where some well-​known skaters and DMX bikers may be seen. It’s good for all ages.
There is many places to walk about. There are playgrounds for little kids.
The river walkway is nice when it’s open. If the river is too high it’s closed, so when it’s open people take advantage of it.
The Historical River Tour is nice and educational. Sometimes it’s just nice to get into a boat, but you can learn more about the city and what those striped markers on the bridge are for and get a chance to see the deer and other wild life that inhabit the city.
People like to fish and feed the geese and ducks. There is the odd pop-​up outdoor entertainment. Sometimes there are organized shows.
The Children’s museum is close by. I haven’t been in there in a long time, though.
There is the Manitoba Children’s Theater with some interesting plays.
There is a foot bridge that takes you across the river in an undeveloped area, then you can go across another bridge to the St. Boniface area.
Or you can walk along the other bridge and have a bite at the new restaurant on the bridge and walk along the other part of St. Boniface and visit the Louis Riel Museum.
There is also the new Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
Winnipeg transit goes right into the parking lot at The Forks, close to the markets. Very accessible place. Plenty of parking.

Great place to browse and grab a bite to eat. Nice to see they are renovating the food court eating area. Recommend the Phở and Tom Yam soup at the Chinese food kiosk.

The Forks are a must-​stop in Winnipeg. Sure, the market here is on the touristy side, but there’s some great gems to be found.
I could have happily stayed and tried every offering from the bakery, with their own grain silo inside the market. The tea shop employees were so friendly in the face of masses of Americans in town for the World Cup and were offering suggestions and help in addition to morning caffeine. I haven’t yet tried my ice wine or maple tea bags, but I loved that I could buy a small pack of 3 bags of each for under $ 2 CAN each.
In addition to food and the typical tourist stores, there were some great local artisan-​type stores. Gorgeous art, jewelry and leather craft could be found in many locations.
There’s so much history on the grounds and when you step away from the bustle of the Market towards the riverfront, it’s easy to forget you’re just blocks from downtown. There’s tons of outdoor seating, so grab your food to go.
We spent a full morning around the Forks and were happy to have down so.

This is always a stop for me whenever I come home. It’s a great tourist attraction in this city.
Located right on the Red River, close to downtown and St. Boniface area, this place offers something for everyone.
I personally enjoy the «taste of the world» restaurants in the main terminal. There’s Chilian, Chinese, Ukrainian, Sri Lankan, American and Jamaican, just to name a few. I like that I can sample a bit from each restaurant to make a great meal.
The shops have been the same for a few years. There’s a lot of good souvenir stores that have all things Winnipeg and Canada. You can buy cheap to expensive souvenirs to your taste.
Another great shopping area is the antique mall in the Johnson terminal. You can get lost in this lower level mall looking at antique everything!
Parking can be annoying. I recommend parking in the parkade because it’s free for the first 3 hours. Other outdoor spots charge $ 2 an hour, up to 3 hours.

Great place to visit for locals and tourists alike! My husband and I traveled to Winnipeg last month and had a wonderful day here. We enjoyed exploring all of the shops and tasting all of the different foods. We were to late in the season to enjoy the ice skating, but had a lovely stroll along the river instead. We will certainly return with the rest of our family one day!
We stayed at the Fort Garry Hotel and walked to and from the Forks with ease.

Great Tourist Spot and local too.
Its a must see if you’re in the city, I love coming here great little market, food court and shops.
In the winter you can ice skate, summer you can walk along the river or just grab some mini donuts and coffee and people watch. Lots of options and fun family activities.

The Forks Market is a very cool indoor market in downtown winnipeg. Lots of fun shops and tons of options for food.
Don’t miss out on a trip up the viewing tower for a great view of downtown winnipeg.
The river level was high during our visit so the river walk was flooded but I expect when the waters are are normal level is is a fun walk!

The Forks is one of Winnipeg’s definite «Must visit» places in any season!
The story goes that Native people have been meeting at the fork of the Assiniboine and Red River for hundreds if not a thousands of years!
I believe the market was modelled after Granville Island in Vancouver but keep in mind it’s a much smaller version! Quite awesome none the less!
What awaits you is an eclectic mix of different ethnic shops, food court style restaurants and a few other great full service restaurants (Muddy Waters, Sushi Train, Sydney’s or Beachcomber). Enjoy sitting in the main area under the flags listening to a busker play guitar, sax or some other instrument on the weekend.
Go for a skate on the river or in the main circle in the winter!
Climb the stairs or take the elevator to the observation deck for a great view of the forks from up high or a great panorama of downtown Winnipeg!
If you are a serious Cognac or Armagnac you must visit the upstairs at Fenton’s. Serious selection of fine sipping liquor or some cigars!
Hope over to the other building Johnson terminal for some more shops!
I love coming here and will continue to do so on my future visits!

2 stars? Seriously? Tough customers…
This place is a must-​see Winnipeg landmark. No matter what the season, there will be something going on; ice skating, sun bathing, fruit and veg shopping, good eats.
There are more shops here now that they have opened up more of the other side upstairs. Some shops come and go, but there are some ol’ faithfuls. This time I bought some postcards, a t-​shirt, native jewellery, and maple walnut fudge. Had a good browse and chat with a few stall keepers.
I only had a few hours, otherwise I would have chewed down on some authentic ethnic eats and mini doughnuts!

I have vague memories of being loaded up along with 30 other Primary school-​aged children onto a school bus to travel here as a field trip.
Great idea. «Let’s put a bunch of children into a market with almost everything colourful and unique you could imagine (plus a harbour front where the Red and Assiniboine River meet) and expect them to behave!»
May have been one of the best days of a second grader’s life when we all got a bag of mini cinnamon/​sugar donuts (aka children’s crack). Yeah yeah… Cultural Significance… OOH! DONUTS!
Came back about ten years after leaving Winnipeg and was happy I got to appreciate it for the historic beauty it was as a mature adult… Oh god who am I kidding… I went there for the donuts.

The Forks Market is like a mix of a Farmer’s Market, flea market stalls and a Harbourfront area.
It’s at the junction where the Assiniboine River flows into the Red — hence the name and it is a lovely spot to check out in the summertime. In the open atrium there are usually music performers, and in the main building there is an international food court and farmer’s market-​ish gourmet shops selling meat, wine, cheese, etc., and upstairs are individual little shops selling everything from clothing, jewelry to local souvenirs. All of it is a bit kitschy and isn’t really indicative of Winnipeg or Manitoba (e.g. Chinese «kimonos»?).
In the adjacent building there is a Christmas store, an Olde Spaghetti Factory restaurant and a toy store (on the 2^nd floor).
The area is being renovated at them moment because they are building a new museum.

I had a few hours to kill before my Hudson Bay Train left for Churchill on this one glorious Indian summer day a few years ago. I spent most of that time outside walking around the historic Forks itself and across the Esplanade Riel into and into St. Boniface (French Quarter) and back.
The Forks is a pretty place to experience history and is located at the intersection of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. For thousands of years, the Forks has been the meeting place for early First Nations peoples. Since colonization this has also been a meeting place for European fur traders, Métis buffalo hunters, Scottish settlers, riverboat workers, railway pioneers and thousands of immigrants.
The nearby Forks Market has a nice observation tower that helps you put the area into a higher perspective. The Market itself is fun to walk around to browse, to nosh, and to just watch interesting people and hang out. I ended up with a nice bottle of wine for my train ride and a few souvenir gifts for friends and family at home.