My iconic OPEN/CLOSED is THE most comprehensive resource of 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. #ifyouknowyouknow

🕘 12 min read

If your calendar’s not already maxed out with long weekend hangs with friends and fam and all the fab July fests and events happening around town, check out my 24 discoveries from A to Z. Bonus: This week’s edition is cake heavy. Sadly, the uptick in closures continue.

Stay tuned. More news ahead in The Tip Off, exclusively available in the TR Newsletter. 

In the meantime, here’s the very latest:

OPEN  

Travel plans on hold? A staycation at the new Ace Hotel (51 Camden St.) in the Garment District might suffice. Canada’s first for the brand boasts 123 rooms and clean lines by Toronto’s own  Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, In terms of dining, TR Newsletter subscribers got the scoop back in March that chef Patrick Kriss of award-winning Alo Restaurant, Aloette, Alobar Yorkville, and Salon will be running the day-to-day kitchen operations of Lobby and signature restaurant Alder, the latter set to open August 9. 

Gourmet soft baked cookies can be yours starting Saturday at noon at Andrea’s Cookies in High Park (1632 Bloor St. W.). 

Volcanos and cupcakes have arrived at Dufferin Mall’s food court (900 Dufferin St.) courtesy of April Sweets. What’s a volcano, you ask? Take AS’s Belgian Chocolate selection for example: A dome-shaped soft chocolate chiffon cake filled with Belgian chocolate cream with chocolate crumbs and covered with shredded chocolate. (Aren’t you glad you inquired?) p.s. Go soon: Grand opening BOGO sale is on now. Details in-store. 

It’s widely known some of the city’s best restaurants are in strip malls. Goubuli’s Bao Express (7080 Warden Ave., Unit 4B) in Markham may be the most striking in an understated modern way, thanks to Canada’s own StudioAC.

Hidden destinations are all the rage these days. Look for cocktail lounge Capone’s Cocktail Lounge. in the basement of Lithuanian House Banquet Halls (573 Bloor St. W.), featuring a lineup of diverse live music and entertainment in the city’s west end. Doors opened February 11.

Psst. Casa Manila Express (508 Danforth Ave.) softly opens in the heart of Greektown tomorrow. Marking the second location for  the renowned Filipino eatery that debuted on York Mills in December 2010, the Danforth location will have all the iconic favourites you know and love including kamayan and halo halo. 

After touching down in the lower east side last winter, Cha Miao² brings its array of signature bevvies (e Mango Pomelo Coconut Slush, Lychee Tea Enzyme, Red Bean Milk Tea) to Juzz Sushi’s former digs* (912 Queen St. E.)  in Leslieville. *For JS’s new location, see the July 14-20 OPEN/CLOSED.

Coco Café (936 Queen St. W.) opened when it was still cold out, so it’s flown under the radar. Until now. The converted shed at the corner of Queen and Shaw is home to all your daily essentials: Propeller coffee, pastries, and doubles.

If you’re in the ‘Bigger is better’ camp, Footlong Freakk Fries is for you. The elongated spuds come in a variety of savoury flavours (Butter Chicken, Chipotle Mayo, Garlic Parmesan, Ranch and Bacon, Sour Cream and Cheese) and chocolate. Find the potato phenomenon at Street Eats Market in Scarborough (500 Progress Ave.). 

“Japanese Korean fusion” can mean a myriad of things. For Cabbagetown South’s Ju Sushi And Bar (383 Dundas St. E.), it translates to Rice Cake Skewers, Pork Belly Salad, Bulgogi Wrap, Miso Carbonara Pasta, and Kimchi Tomato Mussel Stew. Bonus: The pink patio serves as a pretty backdrop in IRL and on IG.

ICYMI: Extreme snacks are taking over the 6ix. The latest arrival: B.C.’s Lucky's Exotic Bodega at Dundas and Ossington (213 Ossington Ave.), currently in soft launch, with grand opening tomorrow.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie welcomed Egyptian seafood restaurant Mermaid Fish and Grill House (4700 Ridgeway Dr., Unit 72) back to Mississauga on Tuesday, following a soft open on June 29. 

The grand opening for Minerva Tiffins’ new digs at Scarborough’s big box/movie plaza Eglinton Town Centre (16 Lebovic Ave.) took place July 17. Fun fact: The Indian breakfast destination didn’t have to go far. Previous address: 41 Lebovic Ave.

Mofu ain’t no ordinary bakery. Their cakes in cans are just the beginning. Check out the new location at Skycity Shopping Centre in Scarborough (3262 Midland Ave., Unit E112) and original in J-Town (3160 Steeles Ave. E., Unit 9) in Markham.

Crescent-shaped pastries and java are what’s up at Jane and St. Clair’s Monte Croissants (2566 St Clair Ave. W., Unit 2. Entrance on Batavia Ave.).

Mississauga’s Heartland Town Centre  (6045 Mavis Rd.) is now home to Mr. Puffs. The Quebec bakery chain’s speciality? Hot, puffy bites similar to loukoumades, with the option of glaze-filled syringes and variety of ice cream treats including rolled and dipped cones, milkshakes and chocolate bar-studded Twisters. 

After closing up shop downtown earlier this year, Pablo Cheese Tart launches its Markham outpost  (5990-16th Ave., Unit 216)  tomorrow at noon. Pro tip: Get there early. The first 50 customers receive special offers with purchase.

You’ll need multiple trips to Phở Nón Lá (1881 Steeles Ave. W., Unit 5) at Dufferin and Steeles to get through the extensive menu of +140 items.

Since its inception in 2008, local Neapolitan pizza chain Pizzeria Libretto has been solely a downtown affair. The latest foray above Sheppard (5000 Yonge St.) gives North Yorkers a taste without the commute.

A “live music experience of epic proportion” is opening in the Entertainment District  just in time for the long weekend. Radio debuts tomorrow above The Ballroom (145 John St.). $10 cover + HST. Doors open at 10pm, the Kirt Godwin Trio hits the stage at 11pm.

The “home base for elite gourmet burgers,” aka Toronto chain Top Gun Burgers, just landed in The Annex (490 Bloor St. W.). Doors open tomorrow.

Summer patio pop-up The Spritz Garden at Vela (90 Portland St.) boasts seafood tapas (Nordic Shrimp Roll $15, Chilled 1/2 Lobster Tail $22, Seafood Platter $85) dessert (Halo Halo $9, Banana Pudding $9), and sippers by way of spritzes, slushies, and other libations.

Yokai Izakaya (3175 Rutherford Rd., Unit 28) opens to the public on Wednesday. What to expect at the high energy contemporary Japanese resto and bar in Vaughan? “Spirit-forward drinks and delectable bites.”

Gourmet halal burgers are the focus at Etobicoke’s Zula (225 The East Mall). The Truffle Crunch, for example, boasts double decker 10 oz beef patties stacked with cheddar, roasted mushrooms, lettuce, fried onion crumbles and truffle mayo on a sesame seed bun. Up next: Wood fired pizzas. 

CLOSED  

Chieff Bosompra’s wildly successful Aunty Lucy’s may be checking out of The Annex Hotel (296 Brunswick Ave.) at the end of next month, but will luckily live on in pop-up form. 

BLCK. (383 Dundas St. E.) launched right before the pandemic.

Burger Tribe (490 Bloor St. W.) moved into The Annex earlier this year. The new occupant will also be doling out burgers. See above for details.

York’s Casa Portuguesa (682 Caledonia Rd.) has come to an end.  

Crepe T.O. (52 Church St.) opened at King and Church November 2016. The sign is down and doors have closed for good.

After a decade in Parkdale, the OG Glory Hole Doughnuts (1596 Queen St W.) is on the move. You’ve got until August 5 to get your hands on these sweet treats on the west side. To tide you over until the new location (stay tuned for deets), head to the east side HQ in Gerrard India Bazaar (1505 Gerrard St. E.).

King Grocery (7 King St. E.) outside King Station was mighty convenient.

Adiós Mambo Lounge. The Cuban destination debuted at Broadview and Danforth (120 Danforth Ave.) in 2006. Closed for much of the pandemic, it’s about to become a medical/dental office.

Head’s up, Mercado Negro (1370 St Clair Ave .W.) will close its doors in Corso Italia after service August 19. p.s. Don’t panic, a new iteration is on the way.

Mermaid Fish and Grill House’s Yonge & St. Clair outpost (44 St. Clair Ave. E.) closed and the end of May. For the new location, see above. 

Ossington Canteen (217 Ossington Ave.) debuted this spring with three ventures by local chefs: Gertie’s, Pies by Squires, and Republic of Tacos. Doors closed earlier this week.

CHANGES

Yummy Korean Restaurant (620 Bloor St. W.) in Koreatown found a new home three blocks west at 710 Bloor St. W.

EVENTS

July is drawing to a close, but there’s still time to get in on the plethora of fab food and drinks events happening across the 6ix. Get the complete, newly updated lineup of street parties, parades, fairs and markets in the TR July Fests + Events Calendar. And make sure you’re following for the August edition, dropping soon.

NEWS

Barrel House Korchma has been raising money for Ukraine for months. According to news reports, someone allegedly stole the donation box this week.

Food recalls continue to pile up. This week’s additions include meat lasagna and select chocolate products

Resos for Summerlicious happening August 12-28, have begun.

Please support local businesses whenever possible.

Life moves fast: I wrote about +100 new arrivals in June alone. Catch up on previous editions of the OPEN/CLOSED.   

Things change quickly. Follow Toronto Restaurants on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the TR Newsletter for breaking news, updates, interviews + more. 

Hear of a place that’s about to open or just closed? Have an upcoming food or restaurant event? Get in touch.

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