18 h. ago Restaurant known for Toronto's best jerk chicken opens second location

A hidden gem Toronto Caribbean restaurant that's gained a reputation for serving the best jerk chicken in the city has finally expanded with a new location.Leslieville's Gerrard Square Shopping Centre is one of those if-you-know-you-know places in Toronto that make the city so unique.For my part, the mall always carried a sort of looming, ominous air. Probably because my parents used to joke that they'd leave me there whenever I behaved badly growing up, but I digress. The mall's inescapable 'Gerrard Scare' and 'Scary Square' nicknames just go to show that I'm not the only one.More recently, though, the mall's been getting a renewed wave of respect — even popularity — as more and more people in the city flock to it for, more or less, one reason: the food.The mall food court has seen several buzzworthy tenants come and go over the past few years, but its main claim to fame, in my opinion at least, has a...

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26 h. ago 5 new places for brunch in Toronto you need to try at least once

New brunch restaurants in Toronto are putting unique spins on all the staples you reach for to start your day.From loaded breakfast sandwiches piled high with pillowy eggs, juicy proteins, and epic cheese pulls to exquisite pancake stacks drizzled with Nutella and an ample serving of whipped cream, these are serious contenders for your new go-to spots.Here are my picks for the new brunch spots in Toronto you need to try at least once.

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27 h. ago Toronto bars and restaurants getting major boost during Leafs playoff games

Toronto is abuzz with excitement after the Maple Leafs pulled off a Game 6 series-clinching win against the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the NHL playoffs, but bars and restaurants close to the action have extra reason to celebrate.According to data from Moneris, Canada's leading commerce provider, Toronto's restaurant industry, and those institutions in and around Scotiabank Arena in particular, saw a boost in customer spending during the first two games of the series.During game one, Moneris reports that food and beverage institutions near Scotiabank saw a five per cent increase in business, which, considering the game was played on a holiday Sunday, is no small feat.During game two, spending for the bars and restaurants in the area saw an even greater increase at six per cent.As for the bars and restaurants elsewhere in the city, Moneris' data also shows that, during the first two games of the series, bars and restaurants elsewhere in the c...

Politics

3 d. ago Man gunned down in Mandarin Restaurant parking lot in Burlington

Investigators believe this was a targeted incident

Events

4 d. ago Man arrested after customer finds hidden camera in Toronto restaurant bathroom

One person has been arrested and charged in connection with a Toronto Police voyeurism investigation after a camera was allegedly discovered in a local restaurant bathroom.A release issued by Toronto Police 42 Division on Monday outlined the disturbing allegations and resulting criminal charges.Police allege that in October 2024, the owner of a local restaurant, Yomie's Rice X Yogurt, "installed a hidden video camera" inside the restaurant's washroom. A month later, in November 2024, police allege a customer discovered the camera and notified them.News Release - Man Arrested in Voyeurism Investigation, Finch Avenue East and Midland Avenue area, Image Releasedhttps://t.co/gwltAiZ6rJ pic.twitter.com/ORANietBc4— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) April 28, 2025As a result, an investigation was initiated and police announced on Monday that a 25-year-old Toronto resident had been arrested and charged in connection with the allegations on...

Economics

5 d. ago Canada's first Hard Rock Hotel has officially opened early in Ontario

While people in Ontario have gotten to experience a small taste of the Hard Rock brand through its themed restaurants in Niagara Falls and Toronto, the international hospitality name has just brought a whole new experience to locals through its first-ever Hard Rock Hotel on Canadian soil.And, the attraction has actually opened earlier than expected.As edgy as corporate can get, Hard Rock Hotels are known for their unique riff on glamorous accommodation. Each location is chock-full of one-of-a-kind music memorabilia, is home to robust live concert programming, and has "signature music amenities" that include in-room record players and guitar rentals.To complement an existing portfolio that ranges from all-inclusive resorts in beachy locales to hotels and casinos in major cities across the globe, Hard Rock has multiple new complexes on the go — including two here in Ontario.These are the Hard Rock Hotel London and Hard ...

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5 d. ago Scarborough restaurant owner accused of installing hidden washroom camera

A Scarborough restaurant owner has been charged after a hidden video camera was allegedly installed inside a washroom. Toronto Police said the owner of Yomie’s Rice X Yogurt at 4188 Finch Ave. E., Unit 8, allegedly installed a camera in the restaurant in October. Cops said a patron discovered the hidden camera in November and […]

Transport

1 week ago Ontario pizzeria wins top prizes at two national competitions within a week

One Ontario pizza chef is taking the industry by storm after first-place wins at two major national competitions within the space of one week.It's been a veritable pizza party across North America in recent weeks, after the annual International Pizza Challenge brought together pizzaiolos from around the world to compete for glory, ending in some major wins for Toronto pizzerias.Just a week later, the competition continued on home turf, with the return of the Restaurants Canada (RC) Show and its eagerly anticipated pizza competition in Toronto, followed immediately by the Canadian Pizza Summit's Chef of the Year competition in Montreal.The mere existence of these competitions is enough to give the average pizza-lover goosebumps, but for one Ontario pizza chef, they've proven particularly exciting.Chef Bart Nadherny, the owner and head chef at Burlington's Son of a Peach Pizzeria and The Sunshine Doughnut Co., is enjoying some particularly well-deserved praise aft...

Society

1 week ago New Japanese and Italian restaurant replacing popular Toronto Michelin spot

It's out with the old and in with the new in Little Italy, as one well-loved Toronto Michelin spot is getting replaced with a brand-new concept from a powerhouse husband-and-wife duo.It's no secret that Little Italy is far from wanting for great restaurants. As it happens, the neighbourhood is literally teeming with them, but that did little to lessen the blow when Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient La Bartola closed its doors just last month.A local staple for five years, the Mexican restaurant specialized in plant-based cuisine, working alongside pioneers like Planta and contemporaries such as the also-now-shuttered Rosalinda to prove once and for all that vegan food doesn't have to be boring.Just a hair over a month after La Bartola's last service, though, a brand-new concept is already on the precipice of opening the doors of 588 College once again, and this time it's taking the shape of a Japanese and Italian farm-to-table concept called Radici Project.Whi...

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1 week ago Former Raptors superstar allegedly Involved in fight at sushi restaurant

DeMar DeRozan appeared to be involved in an alleged altercation with a fan at a sushi restaurant in California.

Other

2 w. ago Popular Jamaican restaurant hit with 11 infractions from Toronto health inspectors

Scotthill Caribbean Cuisine remains open to the public

Science

2 w. ago Ontario’s free trade legislation is a game changer for Canada’s internal trade framework, but more provinces need to get on board

Toronto, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Restaurants Canada congratulates the Ontario government for tabling legislation to remove its Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) exceptions, adopt mutual recognition with reciprocating provinces, liberalize labour mobility and allow direct-to-consumer sales of alcohol. “Every premier in Canada should be looking to Ontario and doing what it did yesterday […]

Economics

2 w. ago 5 new Chinese restaurants in Toronto you need to try at least once

New Chinese restaurants in Toronto are serving up a multitude of diverse regional dishes, flavours and creative spins on cuisine from across China.If I were any good at poetry, I'd write an ode to Toronto's legion of exceptional Chinese restaurants, but I'm not, so you'll have to settle for this: Toronto does a really great job at Chinese food, and I'll never get tired of eating it. It's great news, then, that new Chinese restaurants in Toronto seem to open their doors every time the wind blows, and some particularly great spots have recently arrived on the scene.Here are my picks for the new Chinese restaurants in Toronto that you need to check out.

Other

3 w. ago Thai restaurant offers ‘skinny discount’ if patrons can fit through metal bars

A restaurant in Thailand has sparked outrage for offering customers a chance at a “skinny discount” — if they can squeeze themselves through metal bars of varying sizes. U.K tourists Amina and Alex (who use the handles @amonthego and @alexwandersyt on Instagram, respectively) shared video of people trying to get a discount off their food […]

Other

3 w. ago Sorry not sorry: Restaurants revamp decor, menus to showcase Canadian ties

When Grizzly Bar opens next week in Toronto, diners will have no doubt about where its owners’ allegiances lie in the trade war between Canada and the U.S. Maple leaves and animatronic bears will set the mood. Customers will be able to order Montreal smoked meat, calamari from the Maritimes or Caesars topped with ketchup […]

Other

4 w. ago Toronto Mexican restaurant chain quietly shuts down original location

A Toronto-based Mexican restaurant chain has quietly shuttered one of its busy downtown locations without notice.It's been well over a decade since La Carnita first began whipping Toronto Mexican food fanatics into a tizzy with their elevated(-ish) takes on street food staples like elotes, tacos and churros — and, boy, did the fervor ever stick around.Undoubtedly aided in the mid-2010s by co-founder Andrew Richmond's then-viral (or whatever the 2015 version of viral was) ice cream chain, Sweet Jesus, whose locations all either shared a space with or neighbored La Carnita locations, the Mexican joint was unstoppable for years.Sweet Jesus has since closed down all of its downtown Toronto locations (though a few are still open in the GTA and elsewhere in Ontario), but La Carnita, for its part, has held strong.Unfortunately for lovers of tacos, tequila, and all those other treats you've come to expect from the chain, their ranks have fallen by one, as La Carnita's original locatio...

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