There’s a complicated kind of tension that comes with reopening a beloved Toronto venue — the weight of history pressing against the excitement of something new. Hyve, the brand-new nightclub that has transformed the former Velvet Underground space on Queen West, leans into that tension rather than running from it, and the result is one […]
Taste of Little Italy is back on College Street, and this year it comes with a twist: the festival’s food lineup is more diverse than ever, reflecting the neighbourhood’s evolving identity rather than strictly its Italian heritage. If you’re heading out, here’s what to expect. Yes, the Italian classics are still well represented. Patios at […]
Toronto’s booming food scene rarely gets caught up in Quebec politics — but one trendy new bagel shop in the city has somehow found itself at the centre of Montreal’s latest language controversy. The drama is as delicious as it is absurd, and Torontonians are eating it up. The shop, Arthurs Snackette, which has quickly […]
Toronto’s dining scene has no shortage of ambition, but genuine hospitality — the kind that makes you feel like a guest rather than a transaction — can be harder to find. Seahorse, the intimate new seafood restaurant at 1226 Yonge Street in Summerhill, has managed to deliver both, and that’s exactly why Toronto Life named […]
Italian food in Toronto has always been a safe bet — but safe is no longer the goal for the city’s newest generation of Italian restaurants. A fresh wave of openings is pushing the cuisine in directions that feel genuinely exciting, from pasta-by-the-bowl fast casual concepts on Queen West to sophisticated Little Italy dining rooms […]
Some restaurant concepts are built to fill a market gap. Others are built because their creators simply had something specific to say. Eloise and Bar Cart — the dual-concept opening from brothers Graham and Dan Hnatiw at 42 The Esplanade — falls firmly in the second category, and the result is one of the most […]
Not every night out needs to be loud, flashy or relentless. Vinny — the new vinyl-themed cocktail lounge and restaurant from INK Entertainment, now open at 480 King Street West — is betting that there’s a significant appetite in Toronto for something different: a space built around records, cocktails and a steady, bass-driven vibe that […]
Toronto’s restaurant community has a long tradition of using its platforms for good, and Casa Portuguesa in the Castlefield Design District is embodying that spirit in a particularly moving way. The restaurant — best known for its Portuguese hot table featuring piri piri chicken and roasted fish — is hosting a series of Fado nights […]
Toronto’s wellness culture and its dining scene have been circling each other for years, and Kyma — the city’s new “functional dining” restaurant at 2865 Dundas St. — is the boldest attempt yet to merge the two into something genuinely compelling. The concept is straightforward but ambitious: food that’s as good for your body as […]
Pompette has been through more transformations than most Toronto restaurants experience in a lifetime, and every iteration has made it more interesting. What started as a simple cocktail and wine bar with snacks in April 2020 evolved through pandemic pressures into a French restaurant, then became Vinoteca Pompette with a distinctive green exterior — and […]