OPEN/CLOSED: Toronto Restaurant News May 12-18, 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

🕘 12.5 min read

Big announcements this week: the end of COVID-19 emergency order in Toronto and MICHELIN is in town. Making it even more eventful, a gobsmacking 24 arrivals, ten closures, and not-to-missed news and events. The landscape has already drastically changed from a few months ago and the sea change is far from over. Stay tuned. And I’ll have more news in The Tip Off, available exclusively in the TR Newsletter.

In the meantime, here’s the very latest:

OPEN

The grand opening for Parkdale’s Bobacha Bubble Tea & Snack Bar (1660 Queen St. W.) is happening Saturday, complete with 30 per cent off all drinks all day. Pro tip: Get there early: The first 75 guests get free treats from neighbour Craig’s Cookies.

It was just three months ago that chef David Adjey shuttered his last venture. His next incarnation just landed at Dundas and Ossington. Introducing French eatery Bouffe by Adjey (1173 Dundas St. W.).

Chatime is constantly expanding. Find them at “Canada’s first virtual food hall” Kitchen Hub’s new Dufferin and Eglinton outpost (1121 Castlefield Ave.) that debuted early March.

TR Newsletter subscribers got dibs on this one. For those just catching up: Creamery X has been a virtual venture since its inception last March. Starting Saturday, you can visit Bonnie & Melissa’s fabulous scoop shop at Queen and Jarvis (124 Jarvis St.) across from Moss Park for scoops of frozen custards and vegan ice creams, in addition to coffee, ice cream bars and sandwiches, ice cream cakes, take-home pints and merch. Bonus: To celebrate the launch, enjoy seven days of deals starting Saturday (Mon/Tues skipped) with surprise freebies and discounts every day. Did you know? They continue to offer community support with a portion of sales donated to local charities. This month's Charity Flavour supports Canadian Women's Foundation.

Danforth & Westlake (2408 Danforth Ave.) had been a fixture at Danforth and Main for years. At the beginning of the pandemic, in addition to takeout, inventory was up for sale “to pay our mounting bills and try to stay alive,” followed by a liquidation sale of contents in October 2020. After operating as Easton’s last summer then closing for some time, the “premium dive bar” softly re-opened last weekend with Quesadilla Cart out front and Maple Leaf games on the big screen. They're back at it this weekend.

Traditional homestyle Nigerian fare such as Eforiro served with Poundo Yam, Smokey Jollof Rice with Grilled Turkey Wings (spicy), Creamy Alfredo served with Butter Garlic Giant Tiger Shrimp, and Beans Pudding with Aganyin Sauce can be yours, thanks to Mississauga’s Fooddelicio Restaurant and Grill (6155 Tomken Rd., Unit 1 ).

Good Good Coffee Co. landed a sweet spot in the city’s west end last fall. Find them in their new digs at Society Club House (967 College St.) starting Wednesday.

This has been in the works for a long time. GLB Brewpub by one of the oldest independent craft breweries in Canada. Great Lakes Brewing Company based in Etobicoke opens by Sugar Beach (11 Lower Jarvis St., Unit 5-8) Tuesday.

In addition to coffee and tea, The Grind Café (570 St. Clair Ave. W.) at St. Clair and Vaughan offers soup of the day, sandos, panini, sides, smoothies and cold drinks.

Hijime Japanese (2209 Queen St. E.) kicked off service March 31 in The Beach. Choose from an array of aburi sushi, sashimi, okonomiyaki, noodles, sushi pizza, in addition to the special of the month, currently Pirate of the White Tuna.

The space formerly home to Let’s Be Frank at College & Spadina has been empty for years. Honeymoon Dessert (460 Spadina Ave.) just filled the vacancy. The third branch of the HK dessert chain currently in soft opening, is the first downtown.

The third outpost of The Islands Caribbean Cookshop softly opened in Liberty Village ((171 E Liberty St., Unit 131) last week with jerk chicken, oxtail, curry goat, king fish, ackee and saltfish and more.

From croissants to baguettes, L'Avenue Bakery (1850 Avenue Rd.) in Bedford Park has all your boulangerie needs covered.

The opening of Mademoiselle Raw Bar & Grill (563 King St. W.) was changed to today.

I’ve been waiting for Beauty Derosa’s next Naija Jollof for years. The day has finally come: the first Toronto outpost of the African/Nigerian restaurant kicks off Saturday at Keele & Finch (1300 Finch Ave. W.) next to Tim Hortons. Head to the opening for African and Caribbean breakfast available 6am-2am.

Nuna Kitchen & Bar (1265 Queen St. W.) debuted yesterday in the space previously home to three vegan concepts - Bar Vegandale, Mythology Diner, and Doomie’s Toronto. The “fusion dishes with Peruvian-influenced cuisine” featured on a focused menu include Ceviche, NY Strip Steak, Garlic Wine Shrimp Risotto, and Veggie Burger, with Flan and Tres Leches Cake for dessert.

Speaking of dessert, Pass the Syrup (60 Fort York Blvd.), in collaboration with Goppion Caffe, does ice cream cones and waffle-on-a-stick AKA waffle pops.

Full-service roastery, wholesaler, and café operator Pilot Coffee Roasters has been a fixture in Toronto since 2009. Having established numerous locations across the 6ix over the years, it appears they’re just getting started. Get ready for three cafes in 30 days, the first which just debuted at Bay Adelaide Centre (333 Bay St.), with grand opening celebrations to follow Monday, with folks handing out coffee vouchers in the area.

Crispy, crunchy poultry is the name of the game at Safa Fried Chicken & Cafe (2929 Danforth Ave.) in Danforth Village.

Part community event space, part café and bottle shop, Society Clubhouse (967 College St.) is the brainchild of Erica Campbell and Jaimie Dobbs, co-owners of Society of Beer Drinking Ladies. Doors open Wednesday.

I let you in on the Superfresh deets back in March. The new food hall near Bloor & Spadina (384 Bloor St. W.) features Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese chefs, restaurants and shops. Currently on the roster: Auntie’s Supply, Bao Bird, Bar Superfresh, Big Beef Bowl, The Good Goods, Jajan, Katsupan, and Ssam Cha. Doors open to the public Saturday.

All your party essentials (curated party boxes balloons, etc.) can be found at Unbox Your Party’s new home in Mount Pleasant Village (651 Mount Pleasant Rd.), officially opening Saturday.

Wilma’s Snack Bar (214 Ossington Ave.) has moved into Crosley’s old spot on the strip with a lineup of snacks (Grilled Mortadella, Ducki Liver Crostini, Bombette ‘Pugliese’, Mezze Rigatoni), raw seafood, sliced meat and bevvies for days.

Cairo sandos are the specialty of Zein Egyptian Shawarma (1725 Matheson Blvd., Unit 3). At the ghost kitchen in Mississauga find Egyptian shawarma dressed with tahini sauce stuffed into fresh buns.

CLOSED

Long before Tim Hortons came to town, the ruling coffee shop back in the day was Country Style. The Danforth Village mainstay (2929 Danforth Ave.) is now home to a popular fast food. See above for details.

TR Newsletter subscribers got the breaking news first. Award-winning fine dining destination Ēst (729 Queen St. E.) debuted in Riverside pre-pandemic (September '19) showcasing striking elaborate fare byc o-owner/chef Sean MacDonald and team. Psst. The restaurant has not been in operation for months now. Chefs MacDonald, Reece MacIsaac and Jose Balasico moved on to new projects a while ago, as did FOH staff. The ‘For Sale' signs in the window mark the end of this chapter for the east end eatery.

The Beach location of Hogtown Smoke (1959 Queen St. E.) the last in Toronto, is for lease. Current operations are out-of-town in Stoney Creek.

Japango in The Beach (2209 Queen St. E.) has been replaced by another Japanese eatery. Details above. Visit Japango’s other location near Dundas and University (122 Elizabeth St.).

Sunshine Restaurant & Bar’s (2879 Danforth Ave.) time at Dawes Rd. has come to an end.

Tilt Arcade Bar (824 Dundas St. W.) is closed due to fire. See news section below.

Toronto Popcorn Company (1948 Queen St. E.) is now an entirely online enterprise. The second location that opened Summer ‘19 has shuttered. The outfit will continue filling orders out of their our commissary facility in Scarborough. Note: The facility is not open to public.

Williams Landing (120 Lynn Williams St.) in Liberty Village was a popular spot with a great vantage point for years. Psst. It’s about to become NODO any day now.

Yummy Stuff Bakery, established in 2008, closed up shop in Parkdale (1660 Queen St. W.). For what’s in its stead, see above.

Zyng (730 Yonge St.) was a fixture at Yonge & Charles forever. It’s now a spot for KFC (Korean Fried Chicken).

CHANGES

Japanese Korean eatery (and one-person operation!) Moong Sushi (570 St. Clair Ave. W. ) has moved. Find the new the digs one block west (627 St Clair Ave. W.) - access via the rear laneway.

EVENTS

It’s your last chance to get in on La Pizza Week.

Mississauga Ribfest is happening at Erin Mills Town Centre this weekend.

ByBlacks Restaurant Week returns to the 6ix starting Monday.

Night Market’s Halal Tour kicks off tomorrow.

NEWS

Toronto’s largest retro arcade bar Tilt Arcade Bar (824 Dundas St. W.) has sustained smoke and water damage due to a fire on Saturday. A fundraiser has been launched to help rebuild and reopen.

The MICHELIN Guide for Toronto was announced on Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Please support local businesses whenever possible.

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