Toronto’s food mashup era shows no signs of slowing down, and the latest crossover might be the most unexpected yet: burger omakase. At Friday Burger Company on the Danforth, chef Joe Friday has quietly launched a multi-course, chef-crafted tasting menu built entirely around burgers — borrowing the format of a traditional Japanese omakase (typically ten-plus […]
Sunny’s Chinese has built its reputation on punchy, regionally rooted Chinese cooking. This summer, the Kensington Market restaurant is putting that reputation to the test by handing the reins to a rotating cast of some of the city’s most respected chefs for a four-part barbecue lunch series, presented by Dillon’s Distillery. Each installment pairs Sunny’s […]
When Uncle Pete’s announced its closure back in April, it felt like the end of an era for a business that had barely had time to build one. The focaccia-based Italian sandwich shop opened in Kensington Market in August 2025 and became an instant sensation, only to hit a wall on leases and renewals less […]
Mapo Korean BBQ has quietly become something of a Blue Jays institution. The original Bloor Street West location’s cabinet of team memorabilia — autographed balls, polaroids, and signed items from players past and present — is proof of a genuine, years-long connection between the restaurant and the ballclub, with names like Kazuma Okamoto and Kevin […]
Queens Harbour’s grand opening party became the stuff of Toronto social media legend — mermaids, caviar bumps, and a chef carving sashimi straight from the belly of a whole bluefin tuna, all under the restaurant’s massive retractable roof. Now, the 23,000-square-foot waterfront restaurant is opening a version of that same experience to anyone willing to […]
Toronto has seen no shortage of unconventional restaurant collaborations lately, but a Nikkei omakase dinner paired with a bespoke suit fitting might be the most unexpected pairing yet. The private, seven-seat experience comes courtesy of Chotto Matte, the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant on Bay Street, and King & Bay, a family-run bespoke menswear studio operated by fifth-generation […]
For a certain generation of Torontonians, the Zellers in-store diner — known at various points as The Skillet or the Zellers Family Restaurant — occupies the same nostalgic real estate as the long-gone IKEA ball pit. With Zellers’ return to Ontario, that piece of retail history is officially back too, at least for a limited […]
Playa Bowls has nearly 400 locations across 30 U.S. states, and for its very first move outside the country, the New Jersey-born chain chose Toronto. The brand’s international debut opened at The Well, the mixed-use development at Spadina Avenue and Front Street, in a 1,700-square-foot flagship shop built around the chain’s signature superfruit bowls — […]
Not every great restaurant story starts in a kitchen. Hayden’s Cheesesteaks started at a funeral. Max Solomons, a full-time corporate lawyer with zero professional cooking experience, grew up travelling to Philadelphia with his father, Hayden, a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan. Every trip ended the same way: with a cheesesteak, usually from Angelo’s Pizzeria, the South […]
Some restaurants announce themselves. The Gemini, tucked above Caldense Bakery on Dundas West, does the opposite — accessed by an unmarked stairway, with just 35 seats inside. The restaurant comes from hospitality veterans Jenny Warne, Mike Couvillon, and Craig Spence, whose collective résumé includes stints at Bernhardt’s, Dreyfus, Jamil’s, and Midfield Wine Bar. Warne led […]