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 […]

There’s a certain irony baked into opening a bar called Don’t Tell on one of Toronto’s busiest, most talked-about nightlife strips. The team behind it seems entirely aware of that tension — and unbothered by it. Taking over the unmarked Ossington Avenue space that formerly housed Pastiche, Don’t Tell quietly opened for business on June […]

Christie Pits Park draws crowds all summer long for its rolling hills, free baseball games, and public pool — but for years, one thing has been conspicuously missing from the area: a proper neighbourhood ice cream shop within easy walking distance. As of Friday, July 3, that gap has officially closed. Brokn Milk, a new […]

The Comstock Building has seen more bars come and go than almost any address in downtown Toronto. Built in 1898, the space has cycled through a long list of breweries and gathering spots since the late 1980s — Denison’s, the Strand, Duggan’s, Beer Academy, Batch — a run of turnover that would make most restaurateurs […]

Toronto has no shortage of hidden bars these days, but Bar Bokeh takes the concept about as literally as possible: to find it, you have to walk through a working cafe first. Tucked behind the storefront, the speakeasy leans into a moody, intimate aesthetic that draws a clear line between the casual daytime cafe up […]

Some restaurant transitions come and go quietly. This one came with a punchline built right into the branding. The Yonge and Roehampton space that housed the beloved, dusty Duke of Kent pub for nearly 50 years has a new tenant: the Post-Nup Pub, from Atef Girgis, the restaurateur behind the now-defunct Prenup Pub and the […]

Toronto’s appetite for burgers has never really had a ceiling — the city supports everything from scrappy local smash-patty shops to full-scale international chains without much sign of saturation. Still, even by Toronto standards, having two heavyweight burger giants set up shop within metres of each other is a fairly rare event. McDonald’s has operated […]

Plenty of food influencers are happy collecting free meals and staying comfortably behind the camera. Marcello, the creator behind @marcelloeats, is choosing the much harder path: actually opening a restaurant. With nearly 140,000 followers on Instagram and over 115,000 on TikTok, Marcello has spent years building an audience by reviewing viral food spots across southern […]

Say the word “steakhouse” and most people picture the same thing: marble floors, low chandeliers, white tablecloths, and a wine list that requires its own table of contents. Shinji, which opened in the Financial District on July 8, is deliberately built to subvert that image. The restaurant comes from Harlo Entertainment, the team behind MIMI […]

Toronto is about to get its first taste of Mailo’s, a Greek pasta chain that has built a devoted following overseas and is now crossing the Atlantic for its North American debut. The Toronto location marks a notable expansion moment for a brand that has succeeded by blending Mediterranean tradition with a contemporary casual dining […]