OPEN/CLOSED: TORONTO/GTA Restaurant News November 14-20, 2024
The OPEN/CLOSED is THE most comprehensive resource of the latest restaurant openings – virtual, brick-and-mortar, pop-ups, allll the things - and food/drink news in the city. No one does it bigger or better. Watch for the drop every Thursday. #iykyk
🕘 12.5 min read
I warned you it was ramping up. The activity in and around the city is off the charts. This week it’s everything from casual mall eats to haute cuisine. And in keeping with last week’s edition (truly most these days), heaps more closures. The majority? Neighbourhood fixtures.
Psst. Want the inside track on what’s happening? In addition to subscribing to the TR Newsletter, keep your eyes peeled on the website (the #TRrending section is a good place to start) and follow Toronto Restaurants on Instagram and Facebook for breaking news and updates.
Here’s the very latest:
OPEN
TR Readers already know: aKin (51 Colborne St.) debuts Tuesday. The city’s newest fine dining restaurant by chefs Eric Chong and Alvin Leung, the duo behind O&B-backed R&D in Chinatown, offers a blind tasting menu of modern Asian fare. TR Memory Lane: Over the decades the addy’s been home to a number of concepts including Chadani Indian Cuisine, Real Mo-Mo’s and Thai restaurants An Nam, Ganlangal, and Thai Dish.
I told you it was on the way: Animl Steakhouse & Cocktail Den (420A Wellington St. W.) opens to public tomorrow with, you got it - dry-aged steaks and lavish libations. I got a sneak peek, so stay tuned for a closer look.
I’ve had my eye on 1334 Dundas St. W. since construction began. Psst. Say hello to your new aperitivo HQ, Bar Niro.
Bubble tea chain Charlie’s Tea has touched down in the T-dot, setting up shop near Yonge and Finch (5 Northtown Way, Unit 2).
Craig Pike is on a mission to bring his chewy, chunky confections near you. In the Bloor West Village ‘hood? Craig’s Cookies commences Saturday at Runnymede and Bloor (2237 Bloor St. W.).
Vietnamese and Southern barbecue under one roof? Get in on the action at Markham’s Electric Piggy Vỉa Hè (8384 Woodbine Ave.).
Hyderabadi cuisine is the focus of Scarborough’s latest kitchen, bar and cafe, Fursat (4365 Sheppard Ave. E.). Doors open tomorrow.
Grape Witches kicks off their second wine shop and bar specializing in organic, biodynamic and natural wines in Toronto tomorrow at Waterworks Food Hall (50 Brant St.). This marks the latest addition for the food emporium that debuted four months ago and continues to welcome new ventures.
Jimmy John’s expands north of the border with its first Canadian branch premiering Tuesday in Etobicoke (197 North Queen St., Unit 3). Known as the "The Sandwich of Sandwiches,” the American chain founded in 1983 is doling out 15 varieties including cold cut classics and hot selections such as top-seller The Turkey Tom and wildly popular Chicken Bacon Ranch. Bonus: Be one of the first 200 in-store guests and receive one complimentary six-inch classic sandwich and a 16oz drink during the grand opening event. Did you know? The company is the “largest owned delivery sandwich brand” in the U.S. with more than 2,600 restaurants in 44 states and is the part of the Inspire Brands portfolio which includes over 32K Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings , Dunkin’, and Sonic locations around the globe.
Doors open today for Joey’s new flagship at King and Yonge (20 King St.). Their largest in North America clocks in at 19,000 sq ft, and lands only a few blocks away from their other digs downtown (CF Eaton Centre 1 Dundas St. W.). The Canuck chain offering “international and regional dishes,” currently boasts 32 eateries in Canada and the U.S. - six in Toronto/GTA, with all but this one stationed at malls.
Introducing Spadina Village’s new patisserie and boulangerie, Le Petit Pain (431 Spadina Rd.). Find it where neighbourhood mainstay Sofra stood.
Lokma, the spot for Turkish pastry bites, ice cream, coffee and other sweet treats across Ontario and Quebec, arrived in Scarborough in 2022, and now considers Oakville (261 Oak Walk Dr.) home as well.
Mayil Coffee House (870 College St.) moves into the space where another South Indian filter coffee shop previously set up shop.
Mogouyan Hand-Pulled Noodles continues its adventures around town with a new site at Square One (The Food District 100 City Centre Dr.). Doors opened Tuesday.
Momochee’s Desserts in Mississauga (263 Lakeshore Rd. E.) is here to help get you through the day with coffee, cookies, Basque cheesecake, and nigiri. Grand opening celebrations are happening Saturday.
No Vacancy (74 Ossington Ave.), courtesy of the folks behind Mississauga’s The Wilcox Gastropub (30 Eglinton Ave. W., Unit 14), officially gets underway tomorrow with stellar cocktails (s/o AGM/Bar Manager Troy Gilchrist) and array of Asian-Fusion eats. p.s. Stay tuned for a sneak peek. p.p.s. Ghost Chicken, previously open at this location, is still open for online orders.
Newsflash: Atlanta-based Experiential Brands just dropped the first The Original Hot Chicken in Toronto at Yonge and College (20 Carlton St.), right next to movie theatre, Carlton Cinema.
Woah, that was fast. I was the first to tell you about Shenanigan’s wrapping things up at Yonge and St. Clair last month, and woosh, St. Louis Bar & Grill (11 St Clair Ave. W.) has already settled in - this time with Detroit-style pizza in tow. Fun facts: 1. a) The co. has had a location close by at Yonge and Davisville since 1992. 2. It’s also their first. 3. Their Wing City concept is about to drop at King and Bathurst.
Little Italy’s new UK India Bistro specializes in fare from the Uttarakhand region (695 College St.).
The Yonge and College nabe continues to transition with the arrival of Thai resto 555 Boat Noodles (2 Grosvenor St.).
CLOSED
No more Bagel Time? The family-owned local chain serving up fresh wood-fired Montreal-style bagels that debuted on the Danforth (582 Danforth Ave.) in April 2017 grew to three locations over the years: Bloor West Village (2457 Bloor St. W.) launched a month before the pandemic and The Annex (551 Bloor St. W.) kicked off the following year - two days before Christmas. The OG BT moved one door east (584 Danforth Ave.) in 2022, BWV was papered up as of last year, and not long ago the Annex outpost was replaced by a shawarma joint. The Greektown one went dark recently. Finger’s crossed it’s only temporary. [UPDATE 12.08.24: The phone number is currently not in service.] TR History: There was a cafe called Bagel Time at Yonge and Gerrard (415 Yonge St., Unit 102) from at least 2007 until 2016/17.
Ernie’s Ice Box is closing up shop - the brick-and-mortar version at 403 Jane St. - at the end of the month, but thankfully it’s not goodbye forever.
Folly Brew Pub (928 College St.), a fixture at College and Dovercourt for years, has been “temporarily closed for renovations” as per the website some time now - A trend I’ve been tracking closely. Psst: While no formal announcement has been made, the space is about to welcome another alehouse, Taberna Nacional.
End of an era. The Grapefruit Moon (968 Bathurst St.) on the edge of The Annex and Seaton Village was a Toronto institution known for its homemade fare, brunch, local brews, and popular host for pop-ups including The Abibiman Project as recently as last year. Quick Backstory: It launched at the end of the 90s, sharing a space with separate biz/owner, The Coffee Annex. The television series Restaurant Makeover featured the local eatery on an episode that aired April 19, 2005 and in 2013, the restaurant underwent changes in personnel. TR Intel: The space is about to become Daisy Mays.
SIR Corp.’s Jack Astor's Bar & Grill at Yonge and Sheppard (5051 Yonge St., Unit 2) permanently closed on September 4.
On Monday Stephen Schweighardt announced his Larry’s Folly (1462 Queen St. W.) is moving down the street (1390 Queen St. W.).
The Monk Cafe (1390 Queen St. W.) was in the works for years before finally welcoming guests in 2023. Here’s hoping it finds another home.
On Tuesday Nile River Restaurant announced its time in Little Italy (598 College St.) has come to an end. The ‘Egyptian fusion’ restaurant and cafe launched on the strip during the pandemic.
Sara Schwartz Geller’s long-running soup and popsicle venture Soul Provisions / Toronto Soup Co. in York (571 Vaughan Rd.) is upping sticks. Last day at the current location is Sunday.
Squirly's (807 Queen St. W.) wraps things up for a final time on Saturday.
There’s something else where Little Italy’s Sushi Bon (695 College St.) stood.
NEWS
Yesterday, Mississauga City Council passed a motion to declare food insecurity an emergency in the City of Mississauga. Food Banks Mississauga now serves 1 in 13 Mississauga residents, up from 1 in 37 in 2019.
A Canada Post strike could be underway as soon as tomorrow.
A local union representing 8,000 hospitality workers in the GTA is asking for higher wages from downtown Toronto’s Fairmont Royal Hotel, just at Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour takes over the city.
Ontario craft brewers pay higher taxes than any craft brewery in Canada. Ontario Craft Brewers created a campaign to help “save local craft beer.”
The latest food recalls: Various brands of frozen breaded chicken products recalled due to pieces of metal, M&M Food Market Buffalo Chicken Dip recalled due to pieces of metal. [UPDATE: 17.11.24 - Nut Works Raw Whole Pistachios recalled due to Salmonella. 18.11.24 Various brands of organic carrots recalled due to E. coli O121. Great Value Pacific White Shrimp Cooked Peeled Deveined Tail On 16/20 recalled due to 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone. 19.11.24 Omni Potstickers recalled due to undeclared shrimp, Snow Cap Enterprises SNC96 - Batter Golden Mix recalled due to pieces of metal.]
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