OPEN/CLOSED: Toronto Restaurant News June 16-22, 2022

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

🕘 9 min read

My discoveries this week clock in at 22 - a consistent result lately when it hasn’t been a record-breaking 33 arrivals in a single week.

Wondering if that’s normal? It absolutely shouldn’t be, but has unquestionably become the status quo. I’ve uncovered nearly 80 new destinations in the last two weeks, not to mention all the fests and events happening this month alone. Head’s up: Already deep into next week’s roster, it appears to be just as frenetic. Pro tip: Take note and catch up, because a new wave of establishments are already en route.

And stay tuned – more news ahead in The Tip Off, exclusively available in the TR Newsletter.

Here’s the very latest: 

OPEN

Southwest cantina Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit! (461 King St. W.) debuted last summer. New addition Bar Coneja delivers backyard bbq and patio vibes.

Pakistani fusion fast food Chachu's is comin’ in hot with not one, but two new outposts: York (1708 Eglinton Ave. W.) and the city’s east end (179 Parliament St.).

Bubble tea empire Chatime launched a new branch just a few weeks ago. The extensive fam continues to grow: A store in Scarborough near Kennedy and Progress Ave. (18 William Kitchen Rd.) softly opened Sunday.

Chungchun Rice Hot Dog’s grand opening at Hillcrest Mall (9350 Yonge St., Unit H020B) on Friday includes Korean franks for just $2.99.*Conditions apply.

Head to Unionville’s new CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice (8601 Warden Ave.)  for a large Taro Milk Tea or Strawberry Black Tea on spesh for $4.50 until June 24. .*Conditions apply. 

Daiquiri Drive I1535A Queen St. W.) lands in Parkdale with “premium Bahamian Daiquiris, soft serve, and  watermelon/pineapple bowls and desserts.” In other words,: Everything you need to beat the heat this summer. Doors opened Sunday.

The Depanneur is back. For the summer, at least. The 2022 Communal Table series at The Bentway (250 Fort York Blvd.) boasts  20 events starting today, running through to August 23.

DZÔ Viet Eatery’s new District 3 Café (532 College St.) boasts next-level Vietnamese drinks: Egg Crème Coffee, Ube Latte, Cheese Foam Coffee Pandan, and Matcha Mung Bean, for starters. When hunger strikes, tuck into items including Crab Noodle Soup, Pho Brisket Banh Mi, and Salted Egg Cupcake. 

GoodGood was all set to launch the Queen West  location (709 Queen St. W.) on May 26, but was met with delays. Doors open for reals this time today.

The Junction’s Indianhead Pub & Eatery (395 Keele St.) offers a little bit of everything: Boneless Wings, Bye Bye Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich, tacos, burgers, Thai Green Curry, Fish & Chips, even a NY Striploin Steak Dinner (10 oz). 

Established in Queens, NY, Kung Fu Tea continues to make its mark across the GTA. Get your boba fix at the new shop in Oakville (2460 Neyagawa Blvd.) Bonus: Enjoy 20 per cent off all drinks and Large 38 Milk King for $4.88 at this location until July 2.

Letter-shaped doughnuts are just sheer F-U-N. Spell it out for yourself at Letterbox Doughnuts new shop in the heart of Chinatown (235 Spadina Ave.). 

Moon Restaurant & Bistro (4544 Dufferin St.) kicks things off Friday with live entertainment, Dj, drinks, shisha, and Turkish fare.

Today marks the first day for Nodo’s fourth casual Italian destination. The Liberty Village outpost (120 Lynn Williams St.) is currently open for takeout and delivery, with full dine-in service to follow soon.

Specialty coffee roaster and café Pilot Coffee premieres in Oakville (251 Lakeshore Road E.) today.

Psst. Markham just got a new destination for Yunnan’s authentic crossing-the-bridge noodles. Find Ricey Silo in Commerce Gate Plaza (505 Highway 7, Unit 50).

Hey Mississauga, shawarmas are on the approach. Doors open Saturday at 11am for Shawarma Royale (3960 Eglinton Ave. W.).

Any large soup or porridge is just $5 (+tax) at Souperlicious’ grand opening in Scarborough (2648 Eglinton Ave. E.) at Brimley and Eglinton. This marks the fifth location in the GTA for the all-day soup and porridge Caribbean restaurant.

Sue Fung’s Dim Sum Canteen (356 College St.) is all about “authentic and seasonally-inspired dim sum.” Ingredients include baked barbecue pork, crispy squid tentacles, abalone, fried prawn, fresh tofu, and salty egg yolk.

Etobicoke’s Tita's Mexican Food brings its authentic traditional homemade Mexican fare to a second location. Find them at St. Clair and Runnymede (2411 St Clair Ave. W.).

How about that? Greektown’s Hellenic Pharmacy  has been transformed into Trinacria Espresso Italiano (374 Danforth Ave.). by the folks of Trinacria Italian Bakery (1877 Lawrence Ave. E.) in Wexford Heights. Dig into coffee, cronetti, panini, pasta dolci and gelato just steps from Chester Station.

CLOSED

Bar Stray (532 College St.) a cocktail based snack bar with a love for all things motorcycles, softly opened in Little Italy on July 7, 2018. 

Siblings Lea and Ade Gashi’s tapas and cocktail bar Blua (395 Keele St.), was a tribute to their Albaian culture. Doors closed last summer.

A cannabis shop is taking over where Churrasqueira Do Sardhinha (1213 Dundas St. W.) stood. Visit their other location in Little Italy (707 College St.)

Safaska’s Shawarma (179 Parliament St.) is now home to Pakistani fusion fare. See above for details.

Waffle and brunch spot Starving Artist  closed the Greektown location (467 Danforth Ave.). Luckily, five locations remain across the city to satiate your cravings.

Wimpy’s Diner at Queen and Parliament (372 Queen St. E.)  was doing business around this time last year.

EVENTS

It feels like the szn is just getting started, but hot summer events are in full effect. Get the complete lineup of June Fests + Events - aka where to get your hands on burgers, tacos, ribs, pizza, mac + cheese, brews, bbq, oodles of noodles and much more. 

NEWS

Parkdale’s Koffee Kween/Nerdgasm (1652 Queen St. W.) was broken into this week. Neighbour Alison Barrie, owner of dive bar The Grand Trunk launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds. 

Controversy continues to follow former Toronto chain Hogtown Smoke.

Canadian fried chicken fast food chain Mary Brown’s acquires Ontario burrito chain Fat Bastard Burrito Co. “The transaction will combine Mary Brown’s Chicken and Fat Bastard Burrito Co., creating one of the largest privately held quick-service restaurant companies in Canada.”

Where’s the beef?

Pedal pubs sans booze are in the works.

There have been so many recalls lately, you may have missed last week’s late edition of yet another refrigerator. Now raspberries have been added to the list.

Please support local businesses whenever possible.

Life moves fast: I wrote about +100 new arrivals in May 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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