Manulife Centre

The Manulife Centre boasts a variety of quaint boutique shops, restaurants, banks and grocery stores located at 50 Bloor Street West in Yorkville (downtown Toronto). Every spring they decorate the flower boxes located outside the Manulife (on Bloor Street), as well as tending to the Fleurs de Villes displays located throughout the Manulife Centre. The exhibits are made up of fragrant fresh flowers and attract a lot of locals and tourists alike to photograph the unique floral displays. The Manulife is connected to the Yonge and Bloor subway station in addition to the stores at Yonge/Bloor via underground shopping tunnels. There are a couple of food courts, drug stores and specialty shops for jewelry, electronics and the highly anticipated opening of LL Bean this coming fall 2025.

I have always appreciated the Manulife Centre and have walked through it for many years, often as part of my route from Bloor-Yonge Station to the University of Toronto. It has been part of my daily routine since my early days as a student. I have built friendly connections with many of the wonderful staff at Earls, Eataly, Indigo, Cineplex Varsity and VIP, and City Market. These are hardworking, kind people who help keep the space clean and welcoming. I truly love this building and what it has meant to me over the years. That is why I am writing this review with a heavy heart. On Saturday, May 31 at approximately 4:08 PM, I was walking back from my university’s alumni reunion event and passed through the Manulife Centre near the accessibility ramp and stairwell that connects to the Hudson’s Bay Centre. At that location, I had a disturbing and deeply uncomfortable experience. A woman, likely in her 50s or 60s, white/Caucasian, with gray hair and wearing a teal or greenish-blue coat, was standing in the area and without saying a word, raised her iPhone and pointed it directly at me as I walked by. It appeared as though she was taking a photo or recording me. I made eye contact with her, visibly confused, but she said nothing. I had never seen her before. I had not spoken to her. I did nothing to provoke this interaction. It felt completely unprovoked and invasive. This experience left me feeling scared and extremely unsettled. I could not sleep that night because I kept thinking about it. I do not know who this person was, whether she had any connection to the Manulife Centre, or why she thought it was acceptable to take a photo of me without my consent. Regardless, this is not okay in any public space, especially one that I have trusted for so long. I want to be clear. This review is not directed at any individual store or team member, many of whom I deeply respect and admire. This is directed at Manulife Centre’s management and security oversight. If there are safety protocols in place or individuals monitoring foot traffic, they should be clearly marked and handled professionally. There should never be a situation where someone feels watched, followed, or recorded by a stranger without explanation. I also want to emphasize that the security staff at Manulife Centre have always been kind, professional, and attentive. They have made me feel safe and respected every time I have passed through. I had planned to report this incident to them directly, but I was in a rush that day and could not stop. That is the only reason I am writing this review instead. I trust they would have taken it seriously if I had spoken to them in person. I am sharing this review not to target or blame, but for the sake of transparency. I believe others deserve to know what happened because experiences like this can be deeply unsettling. I want to make sure people feel safe, informed, and supported when moving through spaces like this. If management or security chooses to follow up or investigate, I will gladly update this review to reflect that. Until then, I hope it helps raise awareness and encourages respectful, transparent communication in shared public spaces.

Went to Eataly here, absolutely fabulous and authentic Italian - shopping plus restaurant plus cafe and many many more. Whether be it a coffee and snacks or Italian Pizza Pasta , recommend the place very much, just near Bloor-Yonge subway.

I go to the movies there and to indigo bookstore my dad used take me here too when I was younger every Saturday when we went downtown it's a nice clean place

An upscale shopping area that is super clean and well kept. Features lots of high end retail shops, food options including Eataly which is worth the trip in itself. Love the parking garage which is spotless and well lit with friendly attendants. Lots to see in this area.