OPEN/CLOSED: Toronto Restaurant News January 18-24, 2024

The OPEN/CLOSED is THE most comprehensive resource of restaurant openings – virtual, brick-and-mortar, pop-ups, allll the things - and food/drink news in the city. No one does it bigger or better. Watch for the drop every Thursday. #iykyk

🕘 11.5 min read

January should be a sluggish month for arrivals, but as I’ve diligently chronicled, the old rules no longer apply - thus, 16 new destinations to get you through the longest month of the year, and more restaurants we lost along the way.

p.s. Want the inside track on what’s happening? In addition to subscribing to the TR Newsletter, keep your eyes peeled on the website (the #TRrending section is a good place to start) and follow Toronto Restaurants on Instagram and Facebook for breaking news and updates. 

Here’s the very latest:

OPEN

The latest spot to get in on Chaozhou style beef noodles? North York’s Beef King Noodle (1 Byng Ave.).

Blue Banana Market has been a must-stop shop for quirky gifts and souvenirs in Kensington Market (250 Augusta Ave.) since 2007. It also happens to be a fab destination for home cooks and food lovers, with everything from kitchen accessories and home decor to pantry staples and fun items that make such stellar gifts, you get one for yourself. (See: Gurgle Pot.) Bonus: A second store just dropped at The Well (486 Front St. W.).

Korean fried chicken chain Chicken Plus has been springing up all over town this last while. New addition Chicken Plus The Bar in North York (7 Spring Garden Ave.), comes complete with bevvies, bar bites, and ample seating.

French coffee shop Columbus Café & Co. adds to its Toronto roster with a second outpost inside Indigo at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (220 Yonge St.).

Have you been keeping up with all the comings and goings at Yorkdale (3401 Dufferin St.) lately? This just in: Delysées Luxury Desserts has arrived (H1 Entrance) with an array of modern luxe confections.

While technically not an opening, the continuation of Fahmee Bakery’s comeback tour and the return of their renowned patties to Bathurst Station (819 Bathurst St.) is cause for celebration.

Gobbler’s (1144 College St.) moved into Laylow’s former stomping grounds. The “Mexican tiki style bar” serving up tacos, margaritas and Micheladas, started out as an outdoor venture in Kensington Market last year behind Latin American Food Court (214 Augusta Ave.). [Note: On January 31, Gobbler’s announced a name change. Introducing Gula - Mexican Bar.]

Keyfi Istanbul Turkish Cuisine (1200 Hwy 7, Unit 1, Thornhill) kicks off service tomorrow with a melange of halal selections. Think doners, kebabs, and wood-fired pides.

The specialty at Etobicoke’s The King’s Kurry (3038 Bloor St. W.)? Aromatic Indian and Hakka fare such as Mulligatwany Soup and momos and Malabari Fish and chef’s special Nalli Lamb Shanks with an onion-yogurt sauce, in the space where Sempre Pizza and Pasta stood until recently.

From the folks behind Muskoka’s Trading Post Cabin and former Queen West clothing destination Lavish & Squalor (254 Queen St. W.) comes Tuck Shop Provisions (29 McCaul St.) nestled beneath Beaver Hall Artists Co-Op. Pro tip: In between picking up coffee and baked goods, shop locally made pantry items.

Calgary’s Concorde Entertainment Group brings its acclaimed Pacific-inspired Lulu Bar to the 6ix via The Well (427 Wellington St. W.). Doors open tomorrow. And stay tuned: CEG hotspots Bridgette Bar and National are slated to join Lulu at the mixed-use complex this year.

Greektown adds more Nepalese, Indian and Hakka selections to its current lineup with the arrival of Menali Kitchen (471 Danforth Ave.) in MongKut Thai Gold’s recently vacated space.

When one PanPan Noodle Bar closes (see below), another softly opens. Head to Scarborough (390 Silver Star Blvd., Unit 167) for Wuhan Sui Ma, Drowning Bull Soup, Szechuan-style Saliva Chicken, and traditional Wuhan snack - Deep Fried Salty Donut. Bonus: Cash orders receive 10 per cent off.

Quantum Coffee’s two locations - Toronto (460 King St. W.) and Vancouver (455 Granville St.) - shuttered temporarily for renovations mid-March 2020. Good news: Their single-origin coffee from producers across the globe is back in the Big Smoke. See for yourself at their new digs at The Well (482 Front St. W., Upper Ground Level). p.s. Also set to debut at The Well by the end of the year: Bagels on Fire, Bao Bao Dim Sum, BHC Chicken, Blue Claw Lobster Shack, Bohca, Bridgette Bar, Chatime, Chun Yang Tea, Dil Se, Doraji, The Dorset, East Tea Can, Faray Cacao, Fix Coffee + Bikes, Gus Tacos, Hooky’s Fish and Chips, Isabella’s Mochi Donut Boutique, The Islands Caribbean Cookshop, Japadog, La Cubana, La Plume, L’Avenue, Little Harvest, Mado Cafe, Mandy’s Gourmet Salads, National, Nord Lyon, Pier Bar, Pokeworks, PURPEL, RaviSoups, Ren Sushi, Rosie’s Burgers, The Samosarie, Sam’s Juices and Eats, Scossa, Shake Therapy, Sweetie Pie, and Tong Mein.

Spicy hotpot is just one of the specialties at Chinatown’s new Taste of Alley (428 Dundas St. W.).

Wilson’s Haus of Lechon (365 Wilson Ave.) has been a staple for authentic Cebuano cuisine in North York since 2017. For those in the east end, your trek for Filipino fare just got a lot shorter, thanks to their second branch in Scarborough (Dynasty Centre Plaza, 8 Glen Watford Dr.). Psst. All-Day Silog specials are exclusively available at the new location.

CLOSED

Artisan Noodle (5421 Yonge St.) expanded with Artisan Plus by Artisan Noodle at Bay and Dundas (122 Dundas St. W.) in 2019. Known for their Chinese hand-pulled noodles, both locations are now closed.

Cellar and Smoke (2315 Bloor St. W.) arrived in Bloor West Village last year.

Cocky Spicy Fried Chicken (191 Dundas St. W.) was a brief venture. On the approach: Board game cafe Juju Cafe Bar. Take a sneak peek inside. Did you know? The space was once Uncle Tetsu Japanese Angel Cafe, home of the famed Japanese cheesecake chain and maid stage shows.

Daily Sushi Japanese Restaurant (20 Carlton St.) has been nestled next to Carlton Cinema for what feels like forever. The front is papered over and the phone number no longer assigned.

I gave you the skinny on Kibo Sushi House’s first “upscale” sushi resto on the move months back. The last day for Kibo Secret Garden in Yorkville (154 Cumberland St., Upper Level) is January 27, slated to reopen mid-2024 on UofT’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus (108 College St.).

Baldwin Village’s latest departure, PanPan Noodle Bar (23 Baldwin St., 2nd Fl), has set up shop elsewhere. Details above.

Earlier this week, Wahlburgers Canada announced immediate closure of their first Canadian outpost and franchise after a nine-year run. (The writing was on the wahl when Wahlburgers recently removed Mark’s top pick, the Thanksgiving Burger, off the menu north of the border.) You can still get in on the famous fam’s fast food at Pearson Airport (6301 Silver Dart Dr., Terminal 1 - YYZ US departures). Fun fact: I was on the red carpet for the Toronto grand opening in November 2014, on one of the coldest nights, and briefly spoke with Donnie Wahlberg and wife Jenny McCarthy.

Donnie Wahlberg and wife Jenny McCarthy at the grand opening of Wahlburgers first Canadian location in Toronto. November 15, 2014. Photo by Stephanie Dickison | Toronto Restaurants.

NEWS

The CEBA repayment deadline is today. Dan Kelly, President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) offers business owners some guidance on how to navigate the application process.

Applications and renewals for the 2024 “improved CaféTO curb lane program” are now being accepted. Apply here.

Food recall: Frozen Eagle Corn recalled due to Salmonella. Catch up on last week’s influx.

Please support local businesses whenever possible. 

Life moves fast. Catch up on previous editions of the OPEN/CLOSED.   

Things change quickly. Follow Toronto Restaurants on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the TR Newsletter for breaking news, updates, interviews + more.

Hear of a place that’s about to open or just closed? Have an upcoming food or restaurant event? Get in touch. 

Need help promoting your business? Get started now. 

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