Open/Closed: Toronto Restaurant News January 16-22, 2020

🕒 8.5 min read

I’ve been doing the Open/Closed for eeeons now and this month marks an unprecedented amount of openings for January: Including today’s mind-blowing 20, I’ve unearthed 53 new eateries, watering holes, and food shops so far, and we’re only halfway though.

The closures are rapid too.

You’ve got your work cut out for you this weekend.

Here’s the very latest:

OPEN

There’s been so much movement at King and Portland in the last year. The newest occupant, Mexican resto Añejo (600 King St. W.) right on the corner, opened earlier this week.

 On the menu at Gerrard St. Bakery’s new Black Dog Cafe (878 Kingston Rd.): plenty of sweet and savoury options including tarts, cookies, cakes, empanadas, pot pies, sandos, Cliffside Hearth bread, and Hatch Coffee. Doors opened Monday.

Dino’s Wood Burning Pizza (820 The Queensway) - home of thin-crust pizzas, Turkish pides, wings, and salads - launches a second location today (4923 Dundas St. W. *Note: just the pizza section is open for now). A third outpost is set to follow next month.

Japanese soufflé pancake shop Fuwa Fuwa’s third spot at Mississauga’s Square One (100 City Centre Dr.) debuted Sunday. A grand opening is set for Saturday with free signature pancakes for the first 200 people in line. Guests will also receive free bubble tea with the purchase of pancakes for the remainder of the grand opening.

Authentic Middle Eastern spot Ghazale has been a mainstay at Bloor and Bathurst for as long as you can remember. So how nice they’ve added a spot closer to Spadina (4 Walmer Rd.), giving you two options in the ‘hood just one subway stop apart.

Green Haven (3080 Dundas St. W.) offers Junction dwellers “Asian inspired vegan food and drinks in a casual atmosphere.”

Food, but make it fashion. Holt Renfrew Bloor Street (50 Bloor St. W.) gets a swish new Holts Cafe starting Wednesday.

La Cantina del Pueblo takes over from shuttered Captain’s Boil (671 College St.) in Little Italy. The new Mexican resto features an array of tacos with daily housemade corn tortillas, ($8-$10), soups and salads ($10-$14), and house specialties including Barbacoa Hidalgo ($23) - Steamed lamb, consommé and rice; Pescado Sarandeado ($22) – Grilled red snapper, achiote pepper adobo; and Molcajete del Pueblo for Two ($42) – Grilled arrachera steak, pork in adobo, grilled chicken, nopales and guacamole.

The Food Dudes just launched LafLaf, a new Middle Eastern ghost kitchen. The delivery-only biz features build your own and set bowls in almost exclusively compostable packaging.

Bright new Lighthouse 971 (971 Kingston Rd.) is open for breakfast (Lobster Florentine Benedict, French Toast), lunch (Vegan Chopped Cobb Salad, Avocado Toast Sandwich) and dinner (Chicken Xacuti, Wild Mushroom & Cheese Gnocchi, Beer Battered Fish & Chips, Top Sirloin with Blue Cheese or Feta) seven days a week.

My Dosa Place (383 Jane St.) - brought to you by My Roti Place - just moved into Baby Point. Doors opened yesterday,

Late night Extra Burgers and fine wine? Uh hello, THISISWHATDREAMSAREMADEOF. See you at Parkdale’s Nice Nice (269 Dunn Ave.) by Paris Paris (1161 Dundas St. W.).

Oystermine has taken over Grano’s old spot on Yonge between Eglinton and Davisville (2035 Yonge St.). Expect an array of seafood and meat apps and mains ($6-MP), and “significant desserts” ($10-$26.95) coming in at “six inches.”

Pitalite isn’t wasting any time launching new outposts. Check out their latest arrivals downtown (34 King St. E., Unit 102) and in Oakville (230 North Service Rd. W., with more in the works, including College Park.

Pōpa kicked off yesterday at Bayview Village (2901 Bayview Ave.). The Burmese spot is the newest venture by restaurateurs Hemant Bhagwani (Goa, Good Karma) and Trevor Lui (Yatai Street Food). 

The Annex Food Hall’s (384 Bloor St. W.) newest vendor Ramona’s Kitchen, softly opened this weekend. They’re celebrating with a grand opening this Sunday, complete with free pancakes for the first 100 customers starting at 10am.

Raza (403 Rocesvalles Ave.), “a unique brewery, restaurant, taproom and entertainment space” that “fuses Latin and Canadian culture,” launched on Boxing Day.

Doors open Tuesday for The Junction’s Tâm Vietnamese Street Food and Café (369 Keele St.).

The team behind The Carbon Bar, Union Chicken, and Amano Restaurants unveiled their new concept Uncle Ray’s Food & Liquor in Hamilton on December 11th. The Toronto location (9 Church St.) is set to launch tomorrow, though the website states it’s “Now Open” and the restaurant is already under fire for its “racist” marketing materials.

CLOSED

The Academy of Culinary Arts (1703 Bayview Ave.) – established 1971 - is closing after 49 years at the end of March.

Chabrol is on the move. Last service at their current teeny boite (90 Yorkville Ave.) is February 9th. Don’t worry - they’re moving close by (156 Cumberland Ave.) in March.

The Coffee Lab (141 Spadina Ave.) shuttered their brick-and-mortar shop on Saturday, but will maintain their online shop, with “other new things to come.”

The Library Bar at Fairmont Royal York (100 Front St. W.) is closing January 31st for a “refresh”, reopening Summer 2020.

Pizza Forno has pulled the plug on its 24/7 automated pizza oven at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.

After a short postponement, Schnitzel Queen (211 Queen St. E.)I, founded in 1983, is shutting down tomorrow. But not for long – they’re currently on the lookout for a bigger space.

Despite reports it already closed, Tequila Bookworm (512 Queen St. W.) is keeping the kitchen going until Tuesday. The popular haunt of +25 years cites a rent hike for the closure.

One of the city’s best restos, Woodlot (293 Palmerston Ave.), is temporarily closed - reopening at the end of the month with… Stay tuned.

EVENTS

The inaugural byMINISTRY secret supper club The Enlightened Dining Club takes place Tuesday.

NEWS

The St. Lawrence Market is FINALLY updating their hours to later during the week, and open on Sundays starting March 15th.

McDonald’s still isn’t accepting reusable cups.

ICYMI

A number of Toronto restaurants, bars, breweries, bakeries + cafes are helping to raise money for those affected by the devastating Australian wildfires.

FYI

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Hear of a place that’s about to open or just closed? Have an upcoming food or restaurant event? Want to get the word out about your business or service to an exclusively food-hungry audience? Shoot me an email -> writerscramp@stephaniedickison.com.

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