You may have noticed pylons lining the streets around many Toronto restaurants. The city is preparing CafeTO street patios so they can be ready at a moment’s notice once lockdown restrictions are lifted.
With beautiful, warm weather this past weekend but no patios to sip and eat on, Torontonians took to the parks en masse (some leaving a bit of a mess in their wake). In this week’s roundup of new openings, there are a lot of picnic or backyard-friendly offerings. Restaurants are getting creative, meeting people where they are – Pastiche’s new roving mini-van popped up at Trinity Bellwoods, serving sandwiches, cocktails and freezies.
Here are the restaurants, bars and bakeries that opened and closed between May 11-18.
Toronto restaurants that closed
Batch House
This brewpub and bottle shop by Creemore Springs is closing after five years in the heart of downtown on Victoria. They thanked all their patrons over the years in an Instagram message, saying: “We’ve truly loved serving our community and bringing a little taste of Creemore to the big city. We cannot thank you all enough for the support that you have shown us over the last few years and we hope to see you up in Creemore sometime soon!”
Open House
After three years, this Bloorcourt bar known for Ontario craft beers, Five Points Nashville hot chicken and a bustling atmosphere is closing on May 31. The restaurant announced the upcoming permanent closure on Instagram. For the next couple of weeks, Open House will have “egregious deals on our booze, housewares and other fun goodies” so swing by if you can and say farewell.
New Toronto restaurants
Abyssinia YYZ
This Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant opened a second location in midtown earlier this month. It’s a great addition to the neighbourhood, where injera, tibs and kitfo and are hard to find.
Don Chingón at the Depanneur
A new residency just launched at local food hub and chef incubator the Depanneur on College. Chefs Aaron Okada and Oskar Diaz teamed up to create a weekly Mexican brunch to go, including tacos, tortas, tamales and so much more.
Emmer
After several years in the making, Emmer had a soft opening at the new location in Harbord Village over the weekend. There were lineups down the block to get their fresh baked breads, croissants, cannelés and breakfast sandwiches.
Island Oysters
A new takeout window at Island Oysters makes getting oysters to go even easier. Grab some fresh shucked oysters (Tuesday through Sunday) and head over to Dufferin Grove Park for a little al fresco nosh.
Mademoiselle Raw Bar
The team behind MARBL announced a plan to launch Mademoiselle in the space that previously housed the strip club For Your Eyes Only on King West. It will be a fine dining restaurant with influences from Miami to the south of France and the Mediterranean with a focus on seafood. It’s slated to open later this summer.
On Third Thought
With flavours like mango, pina colada and Aperol spritz, On Third Thought will help you get through the summer heat. Launched in 2019 as a vegan and allergen-friendly gelato vendor for private events and weddings, it just moved into its first brick-and-mortar location near Queen and Bathurst. The menu includes their signature gelato but the spot is also a wine bar and staff will do pairings to help you match bottles to pints.
Waska Peruvian
This new Peruvian restaurant announced it will open May 28 inside Dovercourt House. Waska will serve a range of Peruvian dishes, including pollo à la brasa, ceviche, empanadas and purple corn chicha.
WOOFDAWG
ICYMI, it got a lot easier to get WOOFDAWG hot dogs last month. Known for locally made pork, beef and chicken dogs, WOOFDAWG is available at butcher shops across the city. But, their colossally stacked loaded dawgs like the “Chili Cheese Crunch-Ahh” can’t be replicated at home. After a stint setting up their stand at Henderson Brewing, they opened up their first free-standing location in the old Extra Burger space on Dundas West.
Buzzy news
Pastiche is taking their cocktails on the road with Nomad. Their van is heading around the city, serving boozy freezies, ready-made cocktails and muffuletta sandwiches. Check their Instagram to know where they’ll be popping up next.
After closing their Cherry Street location in January 2020 due to the Port Lands development, popular East Asian supermarket T&T announced they’ll be opening up near College and Spadina.
