3 h. ago Toronto Italian joint closes permanently for owners to start something else

An Italian restaurant in Toronto has closed down permanently as its whole team moves on to pursue a new project.The city has been wracked with restaurant closures lately, it seems. From 20-year-old Italian mainstay Vivoli to beloved Leslieville sandwich shop Leslieville Pumps, it feels like nothing is immune to the winds of change anymore.One of the latest Toronto restaurants to shutter is the Junction Triangle's Lucia, an Italian joint that kept the community fed with its fill of $25 weekday lunch prix fixe menus and indulgent standalone dishes like mozzarella-stuffed gnocchi and Nutella tiramisu for the better part of six years.Before Lucia, the team was behind the now also-closed Local Kitchen & Wine Bar, which, not unlike its sister restaurant, served a menu created with locally grown produce and ethically sourced ingredients served with a signature Italian flair.As of June 27, though, Lucia has officially gone the way of its forebear, as t...

Culture

20 h. ago Jesse Eisenberg leaves staff at a Toronto restaurant totally starstruck

The staff at one Toronto restaurant were shocked this week when they got a surprise visit from Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg.Though the actor is well-known for his Oscar-nominated performance in 2010's The Social Network, as well as more recent successes like A Real Pain (2024), for which he received an Oscar nomination for best screenplay, it appears as though Eisenberg isn't afraid to hit the streets of whatever city he's in and explore the local food scene.At least, that appears to be the case for him when he's in Toronto, as the actor recently made a surprise visit to West Queen West's Curryish Tavern, leaving the restaurant's owner and staff starstruck.Widely recognized as being among the best Indian restaurants in the city, it might come as no surprise that the stars would opt to spend their hard-earned days off there — but for owner Miheer Shete, it most certainly did.Miheer tells us that, prior to Eisenberg's appearance at the restau...

Transport

28 h. ago Toronto Italian restaurant shuts down after two decades in business

An Italian restaurant in Toronto that was a cornerstone of its neighbourhood has officially closed down after two decades in business.It should come as no surprise that, in Toronto's Little Italy neighbourhood, there's no shortage of Italian restaurants and businesses. That said, there are fewer today than there once were, when the neighbourhood was a magnet for waves of Italian newcomers eager to make their mark on Toronto.Just look at this year's Taste of Little Italy — if scores of attendees are to be believed, there was nary a cannoli or tortellini in sight.Even though the neighbourhood's concentration of Italian businesses has been on the downturn, a handful of long-standing businesses have managed to stick around while groovy fusion spots and farm-to-table concepts fill in the gaps between them. We're talking about places like Sotto Voce, San Francesco Foods, and Riviera Bakery, the kind of places you wouldn't be afraid to drag your Nonna to.Thoug...

Economics

5 d. ago Upcoming Toronto festival will have more than 250 varieties of taco

There's a massive taco festival coming to Toronto this summer, and 45 different restaurants in Toronto are getting in on the fun.Summertime in Toronto is to tacos as winter is to the Distillery District Winter Village, which is to say that it just wouldn't be the same without it, so it's only fitting that the summer should be flooded with a variety of taco-based events to celebrate.Perhaps the biggest of the entire season is Taco Fest, which is set to return to Toronto for its ninth year this August.Whether you're a birria, pollo or carnitas fanatic, this festival has most certainly got you covered, featuring 45 Toronto restaurants that, combined, will be offering over 250 different varieties of the Mexican street food staple.While the entire food lineup of the festival has yet to be revealed, the early teasers already suggest that it's going to be a muy caliente event, indeed, with local staples like Placos Tacos, Birria Catrin...

Culture

5 d. ago Toronto's restaurant in a gas station shuts down after 15 years

A longstanding barbecue restaurant in Toronto has closed after 15 years, and a new business is already set to move in.It's official: 2025 has seen Leslieville's food scene enter a state of complete flux. While beloved institutions like Ascari Enoteca, Greta Solomon's and Samaira's Kitchen — not to mention the century-old Reliable Fish & Chips in late 2024 — have gracefully bowed out of the neighbourhood, a flurry of new eateries have opened up shop.While Ascari and Samaira's usurpers have yet to make themselves known, the old Greta Solomon space is now home to Bar Mini, a chic snack and cocktail bar appealing to the neighbourhood's burgeoning young-and-hip population, and Reliable Fish & Chips has been replaced by a sister location of Dovercourt Village staple Masa Deli.All of this is to say that, as painful as the loss of longstanding local staples can be, with the businesses that have recently moved in, Leslieville just so happens to be ...

Other

5 d. ago Upcoming Toronto festival will have more than 250 varieties of tacos

There's a massive taco festival coming to Toronto this summer, and 45 different restaurants in Toronto are getting in on the fun.Summertime in Toronto is to tacos as winter is to the Distillery District Winter Village, which is to say that it just wouldn't be the same without it, so it's only fitting that the summer should be flooded with a variety of taco-based events to celebrate.Perhaps the biggest of the entire season is Taco Fest, which is set to return to Toronto for its ninth year this August.Whether you're a birria, pollo or carnitas fanatic, this festival has most certainly got you covered, featuring 45 Toronto restaurants that, combined, will be offering over 250 different varieties of the Mexican street food staple.While the entire food lineup of the festival has yet to be revealed, the early teasers already suggest that it's going to be a muy caliente event, indeed, with local staples like Placos Tacos, Birria Catrin...

Culture

5 d. ago Toronto's restaurant that started in a gas station shuts down after 15 years

A longstanding barbecue restaurant in Toronto has closed after 15 years, and a new business is already set to move in.It's official: 2025 has seen Leslieville's food scene enter a state of complete flux. While beloved institutions like Ascari Enoteca, Greta Solomon's and Samaira's Kitchen — not to mention the century-old Reliable Fish & Chips in late 2024 — have gracefully bowed out of the neighbourhood, a flurry of new eateries have opened up shop.While Ascari and Samaira's usurpers have yet to make themselves known, the old Greta Solomon space is now home to Bar Mini, a chic snack and cocktail bar appealing to the neighbourhood's burgeoning young-and-hip population, and Reliable Fish & Chips has been replaced by a sister location of Dovercourt Village staple Masa Deli.All of this is to say that, as painful as the loss of longstanding local staples can be, with the businesses that have recently moved in, Leslieville just so happens to be ...

Culture

5 d. ago Toronto staple known for its steak frites is closing for good

A Toronto restaurant that has become a local hot spot just announced that it’ll be shutting down its original location later this month.When it comes to steak in Toronto, and steak frites more specifically, there's a nearly infinite number of options in the city where folks can get their fix, from Ossington's Cote de Boeuf to Jules Bistro in Leslieville.One restaurant, though, is devoted solely and entirely to the dish, and there's always something to be said for doing one thing really, really well.Ever since 2022, West Queen West's J's Steak Frites has cemented a spot on the city's culinary scene by serving nothing other than a set menu of salad, steak and unlimited fries, and, since day one, the city has been hooked.The concept proved so popular, in fact, that J's Steak Frites expanded to a second Little Italy location in July of 2024, which immediately drew just as large of a crowd as the original — if not...

Other

6 d. ago Shuttered Toronto Mexican spot reopens in new location with beer garden

A Toronto restaurant from one of the city’s most well-regarded chefs has just been replaced with a new Mexican restaurant and beer garden.It was the closure heard around the city when renowned Toronto chef, Anthony Rose, decided to close the doors on Fet Zun, the quasi-sister location to Toronto's much-loved Fat Pasha.Okay, maybe it wasn't quite that big of a deal, but it still came as a shock to the scores of Annex locals who frequented the restaurant.Boasting a massive indoor footprint, as well as ample backyard space (which housed Madame Boeuf and Flea, its burger pop-up) and a spacious front patio, the restaurant, despite being open year-round, was particularly a summertime staple.Lingering dormant since Fet Zun's closure in December of 2024, the question loomed large as to what would replace it for months. What could possibly be worthy of the prized piece of Dupont real estate?Now, we finally have an answer.As of June 27, Fet Zun's old locat...

Other

8 d. ago Viral Toronto pizza spot honoured as one of the best in the world

A Toronto pizza restaurant was just ranked as one of the best in the world, making it one of just two Canadian restaurants to earn the distinction.Sure, Naples and Rome might get all the glory when it comes to pizza — heck, even New York City, Chicago and Detroit get plenty of recognition — but, for its part, Toronto all too often tends to fly under the radar. It shouldn't be that way, but that's the way it is.As the third annual Best Pizza Awards took over Milan on June 25, though, pizzerias, from around the world got the chance to put their pies centre stage and earn some well-deserved credit for their renditions of the Italian staple.It should come as no surprise to those in the know about the city's sublime pizza scene that one Toronto pizzeria actually did end up ranking among the world's top 100 pizza restaurants at the 2025 awards.Coming as even less of a surprise, the sole Toronto pizzeria to make it on the ranking was none oth...

Other

9 d. ago Glen Gulutzan's looming departure to Dallas leaves hole on Oilers' bench

With Glen Gulutzan offered the head coaching job in Dallas and working on the parameters of perhaps a three or a four-year contract to replace Pete DeBoer, he leaves a huge hole on the Edmonton Oilers staff because he’s run the NHL’s most lethal power play. Replacing Gulutzan, who had the total buy-in from Connor […]

Culture

9 d. ago You can get $15 lunches from some of Toronto's hottest restaurants all summer

One of Toronto's most popular tourist destinations is launching a new weekly deal that will allow visitors to eat lunch for $15 or less.It's no secret that, across Canada, most of us are trying our best to pinch some pennies amid soaring food prices and general global uncertainty. It’s the responsible — if not necessary—thing to do, but let's face it, when you’re trying to save some coin, it’s often great food that gets the axe first.The people behind Stackt Market, North America's largest shipping container shopping centre and one of the city's hottest summertime destinations, are all too aware of the financial strain many Toronto residents and visitors are facing today, so they’re launching a new initiative that allows you to grab lunch from some of the city’s tastiest eateries for $15 or less.Taking place every Wednesday from July 2 through Sept. 17, Lunch & Local is a new event series that, on top of offering majo...

Economics

1 week ago Toronto's hot dog scene is booming with multiple new frankfurter

Hot dog restaurants are popping up all over Toronto, and the people behind them believe it's time the treats got some time in the limelight.What could be a more quintessential summertime snack than a hot dog? From Loonie Tuesdays at Blue Jays Games to old reliable street meat vendors ready to refill your tank after a night out, there's no denying that a perfectly charred tube of mystery meat just hits the spot.Lately, though, the Toronto hot dog scene has been undergoing a glow-up of sorts, pushing the staples out from the city's most casual corners and into the spotlight, as hot dog-forward restaurants and concepts have begun to pop up like mushrooms.Within the past two months, no fewer than three hot dog-centric concepts have planted their roots in Toronto, and, as most good things tend to do, they're likely to continue multiplying as the hype builds.For Rafael Bastidas and Valerie Gil, the husband-and-wife team behind Tino’s in The Junction, w...

Other

1 week ago Exclusive new Toronto pizza window only sells 100 slices a day

A groovy Toronto Italian restaurant is celebrating summer by selling slices out of a window all summer long.Raffaella, formerly Raff's Pizza, has sure come a long way since owner and Head Chef Simon Vickerson's early days of selling late-night slices to weary club-goers on Toronto sidewalks.The Toronto chef's journey began when he started popping up at venues across the city with his mobile pizza oven, whipping up pies for passersby and updating social media with his whereabouts. Using his grandmother's (the titular Raffaella) recipes and techniques, Raff's Pizza Stand became one of Toronto's ultimate secrets for a quick slice.Nowadays, he's heading up the kitchen at Raffaella's brick-and-mortar restaurant inside the Annex Hotel, which opened to a fair amount of buzz in early 2025, thanks to its palate-pleasing menu of American-Italian classics, like spaghetti Bolognaise, arancini, chicken parm, and, of course, pizza.An accessible blend of trendy and ...

Economics

2 w. ago World's biggest TikToker surprises Toronto restaurant staff weeks after ICE arrest

Khaby Lame, the most-followed TikToker in the world, just stopped by a Toronto burger joint unannounced, and it made the staff's day.It's not every day that you clock in to your Monday evening restaurant shift and have a huge star stumble in; let alone the most-followed TikToker in the entire world. For staff at Little Italy's Authentic Shawarma and Burger, though, that's exactly what happened.On the evening of Monday, June 23, Halil Ibrahim Uzunparmak, the founder of Authentic Shawarma and Burger, which only just opened in early May of this year, was shocked to see a familiar — albeit wholly unexpected — face walk through the doors of his doors: none other than the most popular TikToker in the world, Khaby Lame."It wasn't planned at all," the Authentic Shawarma Burger team tells us," He just walked into our store casually!"The Sengalese-Italian superstar has gained a massive audience on the short-form video sharing app since 2020 ...

Technology

2 w. ago Director of Pixar hits dishes up her top Toronto restaurants

Toronto director Domee Shi is a well-documented lover of the city, and she stopped by to share her favourite restaurants in town.While her latest film, Disney Pixar's Elio, doesn't take place in Toronto, Shi's filmography proves adequate evidence of her love for the city she grew up in, particularly seen in her last major feature, Turning Red, which was set in Toronto.Despite the broadening of Shi's cinematic horizons, Toronto maintains a tender spot in the director's heart, and on a recent visit to the city to promote Elio, she sat down to share some of her favourite places to eat when she's back home.The fact that dim sum is the first cuisine Shi seeks out in the city comes as little surprise, given the director's proclivity for depicting Chinese cuisine and culture in her films (hello, have you seen Bao?). She explains that Chinatown's Rol San is her ultimate go-to.    View this post on Instagram     &nb...

Other

2 w. ago Toronto restaurant with Michelin nod opens offshoot for its famous burgers

The team behind a Michelin-recommended Toronto restaurant just made an unexpected move: opening a new burger joint in the city.Names like Rasa and Sara — at least in the context of food — usually conjure up images of chic interiors, artfully plated dishes and pristine cocktails served in paper-thin crystal glasses. It's that exact commitment to refinement and luxury that has earned them both spots on Toronto's Michelin Guide, after all; Sara with a recommendation and Rasa with a Bib Gourmand.The latest venture from The Food Dudes Group, the team behind both celebrated spots, is treading into more casual territory, though. How juicy.For their next trick, The Food Dudes have launched Rasa Burger, an offshoot of Rasa based entirely around a dish (and I bet you can guess which one it is) that's been one of the restaurant's best-sellers since its inception."Rasa has been around for over a decade, and two dishes have really st...

Events

2 w. ago 25 Toronto restaurants you have to check out for Summerlicious 2025

Summerlicious 2025 is right around the corner for Toronto, bringing with it a crop of droolworthy deals to devour.Summer really creeps up on you, doesn't it? One moment, you're loaded down like a pack mule with knee-high boots and ankle-length jackets, and the next, you're working out ways to leave the house in as little clothing as possible to beat the heat without breaking any laws.It's also the time of year when Toronto's annual city-wide food festival, Summerlicious, kicks off. This event sees hundreds of local restaurants offering exclusive prix fixe menus for three weeks straight. We couldn't be more excited to get into the 2025 offerings.From new-kids-on-the-block to tried-and-true staples, there are too many participating restaurants worth trying to even name, but we've compiled a list of 25 picks sure to satisfy every craving.Reservations for Summerlicious 2025 have officially opened as of June 19, so you'll want to act fast to get your name ...

Other

2 w. ago First Toronto location of Calgary restaurant chain finally opening next month

The highly anticipated Toronto location of a popular Canadian bar and restaurant chain is finally opening next month.It's been nearly a year since the stylish Calgary restaurant chain Central Taps announced that it'd be taking over the Ossington space that once housed the iconic Venezia Bakery, before going virtually silent.The city wondered when, if ever, they'd get to experience it for themselves.As time went on, the initially projected "early 2025" opening date became increasingly harder to believe in, until, finally, over halfway through 2025, the chain broke its silence on the Toronto location's developments, sharing an official opening date for Central Toronto Ossington.Hey, nothing worth having ever arrives on time, does it? Just look at the Eglinton LRT. At least Central didn't make Toronto wait for quite so long.At long last, Central Toronto Ossington is opening its doors to the public on Thursday, July 3, jus...

Sport

3 w. ago Toronto restaurant known for giving away free meals closing after 9 years

A Toronto restaurant that gained a reputation for offering free meals to the less fortunate will soon be closing after nearly a decade.Leslieville's Samaira's Kitchen has been a fixture on Queen East ever since opening its doors in 2016, whereupon it quickly became a staple for locals thanks to its fast-food favourites.While on the food front, the restaurant became known for its juicy, hearty burgers and gourmet pizzas, it was the owner's inventive solution for combating a growing food security crisis in the community back in 2023 that made Samaira's Kitchen particularly notable.In November of that year, Chef Rajish, the restaurant's owner, began printing meal tickets and posting them in the front window with a sign that promised anyone in need of a meal could take the receipt from the window, bring it to the front counter, and receive their meal for free.Patrons who could afford it were also encouraged to donate meals through the program, which allowed a custome...

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