The Esplanade has quietly built a reputation as one of downtown Toronto’s best-kept secrets — a strip with a genuine neighbourhood feel despite sitting minutes from the core. This July, that strip is about to get a lot louder. Dolly’s, a massive new country bar inspired by Dolly Parton and opening where Bier Markt stood […]
The bookstore-meets-bar concept has already taken off in several major North American cities, and Toronto’s version has officially arrived: Book Bar, the latest addition to the city’s newly developing Mirvish Village, is open. Located at 600 Markham St. — just a few doors down from the recently opened Badiali pizzeria location — Book Bar describes […]
Sweet Minis has been quietly building a following since 2024, but this summer the mobile dessert business is having a genuine moment — and the timing isn’t a coincidence. The brand set up shop at Harbourfront Centre from June 11 through July 11, a stretch that happens to overlap almost exactly with the FIFA World […]
Banana pudding fans, take note: the cross-border road trip you’ve been making for years might soon be unnecessary. Magnolia Bakery, the West Village institution that opened in 1996 and became a cultural touchstone after appearing on HBO’s Sex and the City in 2000, has announced plans to expand into Ontario with 10 new locations. The […]
Most people spend their retirement slowing down. Gianni Bardini spent his deciding to open a restaurant — despite having zero prior experience in the industry. Bardini spent decades as an Italian diplomat, posted in Tunisia, Australia, Brussels, Colombia, Mozambique, and eventually Canada. Born in Tuscany, he built a career introducing the world to Italian culture, […]
Some small businesses fade quietly into memory. Others get stopped on the street for years by customers still asking when they’re coming back. Bar32 is firmly the latter. Sisters Chloe and Sydney Carron built Bar32 from a converted horse trailer in Port Carling, Muskoka, back in the summers of 2021 and 2022 — hand-dipping chocolate-covered […]
If you live anywhere near Queen and Pape, you already know Leslieville doesn’t exactly need another burger joint. Between plant-based favourites, brewery kitchens slinging thick smash patties, and a rotating cast of pubs and quick-service spots, the neighbourhood’s patty game is about as competitive as it gets in Toronto. And yet, a new name is […]
Every September, Toronto changes. The Toronto International Film Festival — TIFF — brings the global film industry to the city for ten days, and the nightlife implications are enormous. A-list celebrities, international film distributors, studio executives, directors, and press descend on Yorkville and the Entertainment District, and the city’s hospitality industry responds accordingly. For those […]
College Street’s Chez Wa didn’t waste any time building a following. The wine-and-sake bar soft-opened just weeks ago and has already carved out a reputation as one of Little Italy’s most talked-about new additions — thanks in large part to a dish that has nothing to do with Italian food at all. Rooted in Asian-inspired […]
Toronto has never been shy about its love for a fancy-schmancy grocery store — from Summerhill Market to Eataly, the city has consistently supported the gourmet grocer format. McEwan, the chef-driven chain helmed by Mark McEwan, is now expanding that footprint with a new location at Bayview Village. Currently operating just two locations — Shops […]