OPEN/CLOSED: Toronto Restaurant News June 23-29, 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

🕘 11 min read

This week’s staggering 30 arrivals offers a little bit of everything across the GTA, bringing this month’s arrivals to 100+. And there’s still a week to go. In other words: No one covers the city like this.

And stay tuned – more news ahead in The Tip Off, exclusively available in the TR Newsletter and be sure to follow Toronto Restaurants on Instagram and Facebook for breaking news and updates. Wait ‘til you see what’s next.

In the meantime, here’s the very latest:

OPEN

Quebec had dibs on Boustan until earlier this year. The Lebanese chain continues its expansion in the 6ix with an outpost at York Mills and Leslie (808 York Mills Rd., Unit 18B). Doors opened at the end of May.

Burger Legend softly opened June 1 in Etobicoke (1086 Islington Ave.) marking the second location in the GTA. with signature burgers, “legendary burgers”, chicken options (sandos, wings and tenders), loaded hotdogs, Montreal-style poutines and loaded Cajun fries.

The pandemic proved to be hectic for Café Plenty - A pop-up on the Danforth last year, followed by the closure of a longstanding location at King and Yonge, and debut of a new café/shop at Yonge and Davisville by year’s end. The latest landed on the Danforth again (389 Danforth Ave.) - this time where renowned Detroit Eatery stood before permanently closing in January 2019 due to fire.

“Indo-Western fusion” is the name of the game at Scarborough’s Cheatmeal (7 Progress Ave., Unit B3). What does that mean exactly? Desi pizza, hot chicken sammies, and Biscoff tres leches, for starters. Doors open Saturday.

Whether you’re a home cook or simply in need of accoutrement for takeout, kitchenware store The Cookery (1170 Queen St. E.) in Leslieville’s got you covered.

Danish Pastry House debuted the first of new concept Danish Coffee Roasters at Oakville Place (240 Leighland Ave.), stocked with fresh coffee, tea and authentic Danish pastries.

Heading back to the office? The sleek new FLOCK rotisserie + greens in the Financial District (Scotia Plaza - 40 King St. W.) will keep you well-fed with healthy options.

In addition to select slices and build-your-own pies, North York’s Frank Pizzeria (834 Sheppard Ave. W.) offers lasagna, wings, sandwiches, salads, garlic bread and fries.

Psst. Henry’s Restaurant + Wine Bar (922 Queen St. W.) opens tonight. The new hotspot at Queen and Shaw by Roxanne Hodson, Ben Hodson and Guillermo Leal was formerly home to Spanish stalwart Carmen and more recently, Argentinian-influenced Tanto.

Holy Shakes continues its rapid expansion across the 6ix with a new spot to grab ice cream jars, milkshakes and waffles in Mississauga (3035 Argentia Rd., Unit 6).

Cool down this szn with ice cream and Hawaiian shaved ice at Ice Queen (1180 Queen St. E.) a pop-up at Queen and Jones in an appliance store of all places. Pro tip for pup parents: Order The Bubs combo - shaved ice topped with a dog treat.

The third Its Tea bubble tea shop in the GTA just touched down in Mount Pleasant Village ((635 Mt Pleasant Rd.).

St. Clair West Village has a new European-inspired coffee house. Kafe Dáki (226 Oakwood Ave.) is offering 25 per cent off drinks and baked goods until Saturday.

It’s practically a full-time job uncovering incoming locations of Kibo Sushi House. The work continues with the latest iteration: Kibo Sushi House & KIbo Market boasting an array of sushi alongside with a Japanese-style mini market . Doors opened Monday at Square One (The Food District (100 City Centre Dr., Level 1) in Mississauga.

I’ve been covering Laseez Shawarma since 2015. To date, they have 50+ locations. Find the latest in Woodbridge (5100 Rutherford Rd.).

Le Sélect Bistro (432 Wellington St. W.) returns tomorrow, though in a different iteration this time ‘round.

Major's Cookies showcased their soft vegan cookies at The District Kitchen at Square One (100 City Centre Dr.) last fall. Cut to Summer ‘22: They just secured a storefront.

Mela Kitchen (1714 Lakeshore Rd. W.) in Mississauga specializes in authentic Indian Chinese Hakka cuisine. Think: Butter Paneer, Manchurian Fish, Bombay Chicken and Hakka Chow Mein. Bonus: Pay cash when you pick up your order and save ten per cent.

Nforno Pizza (59 Merchants' Wharf) is situated right next to waterfront park Sherbourne Common.

Craving dim sum in Midtown? Get your Pearl Harbourfront fix via Kitchen Hub Food Hall Castlefield (1121 Castlefield Ave.). Did you know? Pearl opened a striking destination at a mall in Oakville last October.

Wood-fired pizza from a food truck? Pizza Italia is making dreams come true. Find them in and around the GTA including Food Truck'n Events (1 Resurrection Rd.) on Fridays.

Another Canadian first in the 6ix: Korean pizza and chicken chain Pizza Maru (6048 Yonge St.) softly opens Tuesday, with grand opening festivities to follow Canada Day. On the menu: The world’s first patented green tea dough made with organic green tea, chlorella and 12 natural grains including rye, black rice, Italian millet and sorghum.

Poke Poke softly opened a second branch on Wednesday in Mississauga (720 Burnhamthorpe Rd.). The first debuted in Scarborough earlier this year.

Saigon Sandwiches touches down in Bloordale (675 Lansdowne Ave.) with classic banh mi and bowls alongside western fare including Doritos popcorn chicken, poutine, wings and overnight oats.

Don Mills & York Mills just got an array of smash burgers, Nashville hot chicken and milkshakes (Ferrero Rocher! Biscoff! Pina Colada!) thanks to the arrival of Simba’s Hot Chicken (16 Mallard Rd.). Grand opening was May 20.

Insider tip: Restaurant and supper club Soluna (314 Queen St. W.) softly opens tonight, with the rooftop terrace and patio opening in July. Did you know? The buzzy nightspot was home to The Gaarden, Cube, Ultra Supper Club and the historic BamBoo.

As the name suggests, Soy Boys Burgers (471 Church St.) in The Village serves soy-based patties (Impossible Meat, to be exact) for all burgers. “All” is actually just the one, available as single ($8.95) or double ($12.95). The rest of the menu is also pared down: two sides (fries, onion rings), two drinks (pop, water) and soft serve (vanilla). According to the website, one tree is planted with every burger purchase.

Indian fusion eatery T.O.’s Kathi Roll Eatery joins frequent companion Holy Shakes in Mississauga (3035 Argentia Rd., Unit 6).

The Wing Spot has been around since 2018, however this is the first for downtown T.O. Doors opened last Wednesday (841 Queen St. W.) with up to 100 savoury flavours of flats and drums to choose from.

Speaking of wings, the first Canadian branch of Texas-founded, U.S.-based Wingstop launches Wednesday at the corner of Runnymede and Bloor (2218 Bloor St. W.), with many more on the way. Stay tuned.

CLOSED

Saturday’s the last day for Bonne Nouvelle’s pretty-in-pink pastry shop in Little Italy (655 College St.). Online orders will continue until new digs are secured.

Greenwood Smokehouse (673 Danforth Ave.) is temporarily closed due to a fire above the restaurant. No injuries were reported.

A ‘Notice of Termination of Lease’ has been posted to the door of Koh Samui Thai Kitchen (588 Danforth Ave.). The Greektown location was the first of many to open.

The space formerly home to Lime Sushi (368 Queen St. E.) is chock-full of vintage items and antiques, though the absence of signage means you may be waiting on that painting for some time.

Osmow’s (497 Danforth Ave.) in Greektown may have closed, but the national Mediterranean fast food chain boasts 100+ locations to get your hands on their grub.

The space that was Tadka Express - Sizzling Indian Cuisine (675 Lansdowne Ave.) has already been filled. See above for details.

EVENTS

Check out the TR Fests + Events Calendar for all the days/nights dedicated to burgers, tacos, ribs, pizza, mac and cheese, brews, bbq + more.

NEWS

Buyer beware: Recalls are through the roof lately - including last week’s additions and this week’s dark all-natural chocolate bar, powdered baby formula, select smoothies and oats, shrimp dumpling with fish wrapper, and sesame Asian-style dressing.

ICYMI

Taste of the Danforth 2022 has been cancelled.

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

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