After having a poor experience at Pacific Mall (populated by mobile and electronic accessory stores, snack shops, and miscellaneous items) I decided to give First Markham Place a shot with my fiance, his brother and wife. We've eaten in this complex 2-3 times during our trip in Markham, but didn't walk into the mall until one afternoon. First Markham Place felt a lot better in terms of ventilation (it felt a lot cooler here), less crowded and a lot more variety of stores. The washroom was horrible! It felt like a classic stinky Chinatown (NYC) restaurant bathroom. We came here so I could find a gift for my baby niece and we came across a shop that had a lot of Hello Kitty items and gifts and I found the perfect Hello Kitty doll for baby niece. After we walked around we ended up stopping by the food court and got some fresh mango smoothies that were quite tasty. Overall, a pretty average shopping complex with endless food options as well. I liked coming here more than Pacific Mall as it was just too crowded and super hot and humid inside. I wouldn't mind coming back here again. read more

If Pacific Mall is a slutty teenage Attention Whore[1], then First Markham Place would be its sensible and more demure sister[2]; it's definitely less trashy, more classy. We stopped here while on the Epic Suburb Crawl because we had some time to kill before dinner at Rolling Pot. This mall is more spacious and less crowded. It does not induce headaches or eye strain. If I lived in the area, I could actually envision myself coming here to sample dried fishy treats at Ding Dong Snack Shop and get a quick bite in the food court. Maybe even pick up some bootleg DVDs[3] from one of the many video stores. It even has a movie complex with 10 theaters. Clearly, it's better than its skanky counterpart. =========================== [1] Yelper Andrew "look at me!" L. [2] Me [3] If I understood Cantonese or Mandarin read more

You might as well be in China. That is the setting for this mall. What I dislike is the lack of parking - imagine at one time there also was a cinema here - as like all malls they build and build and overbuild not caring where anyone would park, the depressing lighting, the dirty 'wash'rooms and fake Japanese items (of which no one in Japan has heard! "Burnt Japanese Coffee" anyone?). What I like are the variety and cheap prices for the pan-Asian junk food on sale here. There are a couple of good restaurants outside if fast food will not cut it and even more options behind the main area of the mall to the south. What I really like is that they do not have chain fast food and junk shops here. There is a bank, but otherwise you don't find McDonalds (for people to poison and kill off their kids), Starbucks and Tim Hortons here. Hooray for new and unique experiences! No thanks to fake sushi and ramen (stick with the Chinese food there). read more

This place is a copy cat of what they offer next door. From signage to specialty drinks to crepes. Now they even sell breakfast and meals. For a place that fit like two people you can think how fresh are their ingredients if they can make meals, crepes, bubble teas, juices, breakfasts, everything u can think of at a CHEAP price. You give that a thought. How good/fresh are these drinks/food for such a low price. The taste is not the same. If you support plagiarism and fake cheap drinks then go ahead. What you give is what you get. My experience was disgusting. read more

First Markham Place - Copied signs from next store. Also copied breakfast menu from magic fruit store at lower price. - Shopping Centers Near Me - Markham, Ontario

You can either love this place, or hate this place. I am part of the LOOOVEEE this place group. :) Sure it's a pain to find parking when it's during peak dining hours, but it isn't impossible to find one if you are patient enough. If you don't mind walking, park across the way in the Staples/Chapters/Longo's lot and run over, but beware of the drivers! They are out with a vengeance! I've been coming to this place for quite a few years now whenever I'm in town, and the food options alone make this place worth coming back to. Mei Nung makes my favorite Taiwanese/Northern Chinese style braised beef noodle soup (with FRESH CUT NOODLES!!), and inside the mall, Tianjin Fine Foods sells great fresh potstickers and dumplings. I have tried the shao mai (steamed pork dumplings in the yellow wrapper) in the neighboring food stall, but wasn't really all that impressed by it. However, if you're in the mood for Korean food, there are plenty of choices here that will satisfy your taste buds. What you won't find? Any Western food. First Markham Place has a ton of stores: ones that sell Chinese herbal/medicinal goods; hair salons, video game/manga/anime shops; optical/vision stores; vacation tour companies; banks; Asian novelty gift shops. Outside, there are furniture shops, more technology/electronic stores, a movie theater - something for everybody! This place is great for walking, especially after you have stuffed yourself silly with the food choices here. The washrooms definitely deteriorate in terms of cleanliness towards the latter part of the day, but as long as you quickly get in and get out, you'll be fine! As a note - If you're GPS'ing this place, the city limit is listed under Unionville, ON, not Markham, ON. read more

Oh, no thank you! I don't know what is wrong about this place but their drinks are way too different from other places. I mean it's not too bad, but they do not add that much fruit as other places and their sago seemed to be old. Can't put my finger on it, but something is wrong here. A note to myself - do not come here again. read more

FMP is the place to go if you can't think of what to eat. You can easily spend a whole day here - there's a movie theater, Golf Town, Bank of China, shopping mall, furniture stores, tech. stores.. not to mention an abundance of restaurants! Recently, the restaurant genre is half Korean and half Chinese. The food court inside FMP is also a good choice for something fast and under $10. It can get packed during lunch time, so brace yourselves for line ups and no seats to eat at. Parking Tip: It can be a pain to find parking on weekends. There's a parking area behind the movie theater that's usually empty. There's a back door that's usually unlocked which leads to the inside of FMP mall. read more

It's one of the bigger and better Chinese malls in the Markham/Richmond Hill area. You can tell that management does make an effort to keep things up to date, limit the number of for lease/empty stores, etc. There's a massive variety of stores here, although almost all of them are run by Chinese people. There are a ton of glasses shops, clothing stores, mobile carrier stores, spas/massage places, snack shops, travel agencies, etc. The food court has a good mix of different types of Asian food - lots of bubble tea and snacks there! And it's not your typical food court foods - keep in mind, there are no Tim's, McDonalds, Starbucks, etc. in this mall at all! Outside the mall, there are a ton of other food options too - still primarily Asian - e.g. Shanghai, Korean, Breakfast food, etc. One huge caveat is that the parking here can be a nightmare on Friday nights and weekends. Most people try to park close to mall entrances, but truth be told, if you're willing to walk a little bit more, you won't need to wait for a parking spot at all. read more

I used to make the trek to FMP a couple times a year because it had several stores that specialized in anime figures, but that's not the case any longer. Fantasybox closed in late 2012. Toys 2 is now 90% military and Hollywood movie figures. UNY Gifts has its usual dozen or so figures (including overt bootlegs) in a corner, but that's not worth the trip to Markham. (A store to the right of the food court has some Gundam models, but I've never had the knack for those.) But what if you don't care about anime merchandise? If it's out of your way, I'd still only recommend First Markham Place for novelty value, and Pacific Mall is still the better choice for showing an out-of-towner what the GTA's Asian malls looks like. Here's why: The bizarre triangular floor plan (use the food court as a landmark!) is so confusing that it makes Pacific Mall's grid pattern seem straightforward in comparison. The food court has more than a dozen Asian food (and ONLY Asian food - the closest "normal" option is Subway across the street) options to choose from, but it's very difficult to pick something good. Most of the stalls have dozens of meals to choose from, and while their names are listed in (tiny) English, very few have reference photos. You could try asking the cashiers about about a meal that sounds tasty, but many lack the English fluency to provide an understandable response. I resorted to asking some women where they got their tasty-looking soups, but learned the hard way that the meat in the broth was served disgustingly cold. The washrooms received a desperately needed renovation a couple years ago, but those awful toaster-style blow dryers are now your only option for drying your hands. And yes, the parking lot is so constantly crowded that it makes Yorkdale in December look empty. read more

I work in Markham, so I come here with my coworkers about once a week. The food court is pretty good, offering some great food at decent prices. My favourite things to get at the food court: Tasty House: Mango and coconut milk with tapioca. Heaven! Shanghai Legend: Spicy beef noodle soup. The noodles and broth are great, and you get a drink with it for about $6. They also have spicy peanut sauce soup (it's dam dam mein in Cantonese, I don't know what it's called in English), which is really hard to find in the city for some reason. Yan's Wok: DELICIOUS siu mai that I'm pretty sure is made of fish cake. 5 pieces for $2.50 that they give you in half a styrofoam clamshell with a couple of toothpicks. Make sure to put the spicy soy sauce on them. TianJin Fine Food: It's either this place or the place beside it (hey, give me a break, it's a food court, I'm doing the best I can without being able to read Chinese!) Very good seafood congee with fried donut. I thought the fried donut was a little pricey at $3, but I was really craving it. Unfortunately, it was a family size, maybe 4 sticks. And the grease was soaking through the paper bag they were in. So of course i ate them all. Then I was full of deliciousness and self loathing. I know this is a short list for someone who goes once a week, but most times I get the beef noodle soup. I am a creature of habit. The place is also pretty good for shopping if you like fobby fashions, but maybe only half of the stores are open Monday to Friday. It's definitely fun to browse on your lunch break! read more

This place is great for food. Everything else doesn't seem to get much action Venders: 3/5 A miss match of shops. Not much. Busyness: 4/5 Food court is busy. The rest is not. Environment: 4/5 Meh. Parking: 2/5 Hard to find parking at dinner time. Washroom: 2/5 Could be better. Big shout outs to the watch store. I always get a better price here than anywhere else. He doesn't stock many high end watches but he will order it in for you. read more

To me First Markham Place is a place for : cheap food and eye glasses. How come all these eyeglasses places survive? because there must be a lot of vision handicapped in the area. lol How come all these asian food places survive? Because there must be a lot hungry people in the area who eat asian food. :) Since there is so much competition for these two products, the market prices are fair here and the quality is good. Check it out if you're looking for cheap food or eyeglasses. :p read more

This is the place to go for food! The variety is endless! They have one of the best food courts in a Chinese mall. Parking is a awful. You're competing with the movie goers, restaurant goers and shoppers! If there's a wedding happening at the Diamond Banquet Hall - Good luck finding parking. The washroom in FMP always smells funky. Overall great mall for dried goods, eye glasses, food etc... read more

Not much to say about this mall.. Definitely can't beat Pacific mall lol. I would, however, choose this over the latter for one reason.. toyS2! The toy store here is just.. Fantastic. Has all the toys I need/want to buy here - from Hot Toys, Neca, Sideshow Collectibles, etc. The food court is also pretty good here. A lot of variety and relatively cheap eats. This place certainly doesn't deserve 4 stars, but I'm just biased because of ToyS2 LOL :D read more

Best "shopping" mall ever...in that a woman can't really shop here and all you can do is eat!!! LOVING IT! lol This is a giant Asian food court that has at least 2 of every type of oriental food (sushi, Korean, dumpling house, congee places, HK style cafe) and plus there is an actual food court inside the mall. My favourite places here are Ding Tai Fung, Szechuan Garden and Congee Wong. Oh yeah, besides food, there is a golf store and a movie theatre. Not sure why there is a golf store...but oh well. The only downside is that it can be hard to find parking here during the lunch and dinner hours, but otherwise, solid food mall (*cough* shopping mall). It's a good middle of the night place, where you can catch a movie and eat dinner. read more

This is a decent mall, it has a lot of small restaurants with good food although you've got to check for the green "PASS" given by the city. There was one time I went there and got food poisoning but other than that rather unfortunate experience, it's been more than satisfying. The other thing about this mall is there are stores from Home Depot and Business Depot to Urban Planet and even an LCBO nearby. The only thing I don't like about this mall is the limited parking and the fact that no one ever looks at the STOP sign. One of the stop signs is an "ALL WAY", one is NOT. This causes a huge problem and car accidents just near the Cineplex Odeon. 3/5. read more

A bit confusing with a lot of similar stores. A lot of travel stores, many spas and the like. Lots of restaurants too. Good Cineplex there. Parking is usually a nightmare. read more

I went to both Pacific Mall and this place and I preferred First Markham Place. It is set up like a traditional western mall, and there seems to be a little rhyme and reason to how things are laid out. They have a designated food court where the majority of the eateries are located and overall, I just found the mall to be cleaner. There are a smaller number of vendors here, but enough for this tourist to enjoy. On top of this, there are several interesting restaurants outside the mall that share the same parking lot. If I had to choose one over the other, this place wins. read more

I usually only come here for the food court (chinese bbq or bubble tea). My parents come here for the chinese dried good shops. I now have another reason to come here, that new japanese inspired dollar store that is in the same building. Some other stores you will find here are eyeglass wear, travel agencies, and cell phone gadgets. Parking here is really full over the weekends, but I am always able to find a spot tho it may be a little further away from the entrance doors. read more

I love this place. I always eat here growing up with my family. They have such large variety of asian foods. Their service is very quick and their food is delicious. Lots of seating area and good deals! read more

Since my last visit here, their milk tea bubble tea has definitely improved! $3.50 for a medium bubble tea is a steal compared to the big chains, for the same quality! Get the taiwan milk tea! It's sweet, not too strong, and creamy. It's delicious. They're also really nice here. The lady and her daughter (I think) are so sweet. I liked it so much that I returned in the same day, hahaha. I got 2 mediums for the price that 1 costs downtown; I couldn't resist. read more

I prefer coming here than Pacific mall. The foodcourt offers a large variety of food at a very reasonable price. You can come here for lunch/dinner with a drink for way less than $10. And I always grab a $2.5 bubble tea to go after. There are shops selling cell phone cases and souvenirs. We bought our awesome rice cooker (made in Japan) and kitchen range hood here, comparative pricing. The biggest hassles of coming here on weekends is the parking and the traffic/construction on highway 7 read more

Decided to do a review on this place now, better late than never right? If Pacific Mall had a baby, it would be this. First Markham Place or better known to locals as FMP is the junior version of the Pacific Mall & Markham Village combo. The mall itself is so small that you could finish walking the whole thing in less than 20 minutes (okay let's be fair, and say 30 minutes lols). The highlight of FMP comes in the food market; it is literally surrounded by amazing food (e.g., AYCE Sushi, Vietnamese food, Taiwanese food, Desserts, Korean Food, etc.). It is a small Asian pocket of Markham that boasts a lot of traffic. This leads me to the next discussion, parking. It is a total nightmare, even after the theatre closed down, there STILL isn't enough parking. This mall knows no limits. read more

FMP is one of the best places to go for food, shopping, and accessories. This plaza has a Golf Town, a Cineplex, a Home Depot, a PetsMart, and a Winners. If you want food, there's an indoor food court where $6 nets you a full meal with soup and a soy milk! If you're still hungry, you can get a bubble tea for $2.50 or a Ice Cream Crepe at Tasty House for less than $3. On the outside, you have classics like Owl of Minerva and Nak One (for the Korean Pork Bone Soup lovers), there's Congee Wong, a several bakeries, DTF, Pho, and a variety of other restaurants. If cell phones, glassess, or trinkets is your thing...you have about 8 stores of each to choose from. All in all a good place to visit, over and over again without getting bored or trying the same thing twice. read more

You'd be surprised how much I came here as a kid! My grandparents used to watch me and my brother during summer breaks, and they were part of the exercise groups in the morning, so we ended up here in the mornings, before any of the shops even opened! Oh, memories... Overall a good place to get food! If you look at the plaza as a whole, there is a large variety of Asian cuisine to choose from. The foodcourt in the mall itself is quite good as well! They have one of the best BBQ Pork places inside, and is pretty much my go-to for foodcourt food! The stores in the mall are less than stellar. Optical, Chinese herbal, and jewelry stores populate majority of the mall, so makes it quite stale to walk through unless you have a specific reason to go. The plaza doesn't have a movie theatre anymore, so that's one less reason to go! Parking is a nightmare at all times of the day, every day of the week as well. If you're looking for an Asian mall with tons of people and horrendous parking, I would say tough it out, and head to Pacific Mall! read more

I have ordered various beverages from Fruitti Mix before. I recently ordered a lunch item which triggered this review. Fruitti Mix offers a few lunch items, and they are around $5 - $6. They all come with a regular hot beverage (add $1 to change to a cold beverage, or $1.5 to a bubble tea). Today I ordered the Pickled Vegetable with Minced Pork on Rice. The pickled vegetable and minced pork was premade, and it tasted okay. The rice was a little bit dry, so I asked for additional soy sauce. The portion was decent, yet it could be small for a man of big appetite. I requested a hot lemon tea for beverage, and it was of better quality than the soy drink/soup offered by other vendors at this food court. For me, I find the food acceptable and a $5 combo a good deal. I will return to try the other lunch items. The Green Curry Chicken on Rice looks good. read more

My favorite bubble tea place inside First Markham Place Foodcourt, their juice is freshly made....one of my favorite is Watermelon Juice, you guys should give it a try. read more

First Markham Place - Watermelon Juice - Shopping Centers Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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It's a great place I can grab cheap Asian food here. Usually I spend around $8-$10 for my lunch at its food court. What I dislike is the parking area. It always takes me a long time to find a parking during the lunch hour. read more

Such good food. So much variety. I would highly recommend the "Sushi" place, and the Thai. Amazing. My go too family meal place

It is a good place for dining, so much choices, and price is cheap too. Less than $10, you can grab a very nice meal with main course, side dishes, soup and pop. I often go there when I have no idea what to eat. Large food court, plenty of seating, better than some packed restaurants. Only problem to me is there are some smell of chinese herbs in the air, maybe because the chinese herb shops opened in the mall. read more

A little more quite than pacific mall. Have egglets, food court, few jewelry stores, clothing stores and the chinese herb grocery stores. Outside has many restaurants. It is comfortable for weekdays and weekends to walk around due to less ppl. read more

The main thing I usually go here for is the food court, as I assume 80% of people do. Huge food court, with tons of options! Ranging from Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese the list could go on! I'm particularly a huge fan of the Japanese food stall. It's owned by this cutely meek Japanese couple, and the food from there is always amazing! They've got your run of the mills store, from a cutesy stuffed animal trinket shop, to fresh dumplings that you can watch them make, to bubble tea and optometrists! If you're not feeling the food court, there's also tons and tons of food options in the same plaza outside of First Markham Place. read more

Buddy's Kitchen ... In the food court of first Markham place. This place recently changed their name... I can't remember the previous name but it is located at the corner of the food court directly across from the Fido booth. Can't go wrong with this place... for $6.80 (tax incl.) You get rice/noodles... and a choice of 3 sides with a drink or soup. Food quality is not bad at all. I would have to say the sweet and sour soup could be better. They are very generous with their portions... chances are, you'll not be able to finish. I am a pretty big eater and I am usually full after eating here. I have been supporting this food court for the last 6+ years... and I would have to say this food court is one of the better ones in all of GTA. They have great food selection and the prices are very reasonable (compared to Chinese food in western malls). I would definitely continue to support Buddy's Kitchen and this food court in general. read more

I'm giving it four stars because the variety of the food court is awesome. They have Hong Kong restaurants, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese etc. price range is very reasonable as well. Bubble tea places are as little as $2 + tax. My favorite vendor however is the Thai vendor towards the lady booth on the eastern end of the food court. The name escapes me!!!!! They have the best Pad Thai that I've ever had anywhere and it's become the standard that I compare all other pad thais to. You HAVE TO try their Cha Yen. It's a Thai iced tea in condensed milk and it is. To. Die. For. The Korean booth right next to it is my second favorite, their bulgogi combo is bomb. Parking is sort of difficult. I just park a bit farther because I know it would be quicker than waiting for an empty spot closer to the entrance. Must try place if you live in Markham. read more

I can say from the excellent commercial markets in Toronto of quality , service and luxury , I congratulate the administrators and wish them lasting success . read more

First Markham Place is a lesser-known mall (when compared to THE Pacific Mall -- the shopping mecca I could literally spend days in if time had permitted.) That's not to say FMP doesn't have its own perks. Fewer shoppers meant less time spent waiting in line and a less claustrophobic feel; you get the gist. Most of the stores and types of store found inside PM can also be found in FMP -- give and take some price and layout modifications here and there. Kiosk owners are extremely friendly and willing to negotiate prices. As a non-business student, if I can get away with some pretty nice deals, you can too. FMP also offers a myriad of dining options (again, paling in comparison to what PM has to offer), but I can guarantee that you'll find at least one place you'll like and pledge loyalty to. What FMP offers that PM doesn't, however, is the homey feel especially during the major holidays. Crowds were gathering by the food court area to see a group of kids perform Teresa Teng's 'Moon Represent My Heart' when I was there. How's that for a change from the hustle and bustle of PM? read more

I use to come to this mall to eat in their food court almost everyday when I use to work in that area. Fast, tasty, cheap and great portion. Most of the portion comes with a drink and a soup. But then, one day, I saw a cockroach in one of the kitchen and that was the end of it. I still go there sometime, to have a tea from the Korean shop, but to eat, I'll rather go to the restaurants outside of the mall. read more

First Markham place can be described as a mini (plaza) version of Pacific Mall. You get the vibe that you are in a HK or Mainland China mall when you stroll through here. Lots of interesting little shops selling gifts, dried lotus, bubble tea, water softeners (you name it) you can probably find it here! Back in the heyday you could get some good DVD's but hence the crackdown has shut down these operations! The food court here is really wonderful and lots of selections to choose from! read more

I love this plaza for its variety. Congee Wong AND a PetSmart? Are you kidding me? Throw in the Chapters, Micheal's Crafts, and arcade and you've pretty much covered all my needs in life. I had a blind date at the movie theater here that did not end too well.. I mean, the guy pretended he was Spider Man and shot imaginary webs from his wrists and ran around the cinema.. but it makes for a good story, yeah? read more

4 stars based ONLY on the crepes. I ordered a strawberry, banana and Nutella crepe with vanilla ice cream and paid roughly $5. For the price, I will definitely be back for the crepes, but certainly will never order bubble tea again, my black milk tea was NOT good. read more