The 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. #iykyk

🕘 6 min read

Tracking the movement of establishments both in the city and across the GTA has never been more challenging. As rigorously chronicled here, the waves of comings and goings continue - with the addition of multiple concepts moving in and out of a single space in record time (as illustrated below), making it particular arduous to track establishments. See for yourself.

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Here’s the very latest:

OPEN                   

Psst. Bar Avelo (51 St Nicholas St.) just debuted above Avelo. Not only is the plant-based cocktail bar nestled atop a Victorian townhouse, it’s breathtaking.

Kingston 12 Patty Shop (1808 Eglinton Ave. W.) is your one-stop shop for patties and Caribbean fare at the corner of Dufferin and Eglinton.

The LC Cafe’s wide-ranging menu spans the globe: Dig into Eisbein (ham hock) with Sauerkraut, Lobster Salad featuring a whole lobster, and Pork Chop Rice with ‘Typhoon Shelter Style,’ for starters. Find it at Midland and Finch tucked inside Scarboro Village Mall (3290 Midland Ave., Unit 2-3R).

The Annex is teeming with restaurants, but none like Maji Curry (515 Bloor St. W.). Curry obsessed founder Ken Takagi launched his first curry spot in 2018 in Kanda Jimbocho, an area in Tokyo known as 'the holy land of curry’ for its concentration of curry shops. The restaurant went on to win the prestigious Kanda Curry Championship just seven months after opening, and again when the competition resumed during the pandemic in 2022. This marks the first location in Canada.

Mazadar Restaurant (1606 Queen St. E.) has arrived at Queen and Coxwell with authentic Afghan fare. Think: mantu, kebabs, lamb chops, and t-bone steak. Did you know? After being the last home for The Tulip until closure was announced January 2020, the location only recently came back to life: In April as Smacks with halal Smack and Slap burgers, then signage briefly changed to another biz, Uncle Rams, before Mazadar opened.

Dosa and roti have touched down in Leaside, courtesy of dual concept My Roti Place/My Dosa Place (1574 Bayview Ave.). p.s. This address has also seen a lot of movement lately: Taste of Persia shut down in Summer ‘22, and was immediately replaced by vegan Indian resto HindusThali hailing from Montreal.

Korean fried chicken chain NeNe Chicken debuted in North York less than a year ago. Newsflash: A branch is now open at Dundas and Chestnut (171 Dundas St. W., Lower Level, Entrance on Chestnut).

Hot tip: Soft opening for Toro Toro Sushi + Poke’s first downtown destination took place yesterday. The third outpost at the corner of Yonge and Charles (675 Yonge St.) is quite the transformation: For decades the space was home to big chains including Starbucks and McDonald’s.

Varda (350 King St. W., 3rd Fl.), TIFF’s new cafe and bar at TIFF Bell Lightbox named in honour of French filmmaker Agnès Varda, kicked off Friday with select eats and drinks.

CLOSED

Today, Junction bakery The Butternut Baking Co. (2743 Dundas St. W.) announced doors are permanently closing. The keto and paleo bakery free of dairy, grain and gluten, started on Kickstarter seven years ago. Good news: TBBC will likely will continue in another form, as owner Michelle Moraes message reads in part: “This isn’t goodbye, but rather a transition that may just lead to an even more incredible chapter,” and the final date has yet to be announced.

The windows are papered over at Keep W!ngin It at Woodbine and Danforth (2075 Danforth Ave.). Doors opened February 2022. An outpost recently launched in Markham.

Earlier this week, Ration | Beverley disclosed this is the last week of service. The Michelin-recommended finer dining spot at Sonder The Beverley (335 Queen St. W.) is shuttering two weeks following the announcement of this year’s Michelin roster, in which they made the Recommended list once again.

The 1211 (1211 Bloor St. W.) started off in Bloordale only seven months ago, however it’s been marked permanently closed on Google.

ICYMI

Calling all beer and pickle lovers: Picklefest, Toronto’s first festival of pickles and all things fermented is happening Oct 21. Want to score tix? Enter Toronto Restaurants and Henderson Brewing Co’s exciting giveaway on IG now. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit Picklefest 2023.

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