OPEN/CLOSED: TORONTO/GTA Restaurant News February 5-11, 2026
The OPEN/CLOSED is THE most comprehensive resource of the latest 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
🕘 10.5 min read
Think the hospitality sector is boring? Think again. The beginning of another traditionally sluggish month for industry, and yet I’ve uncovered a stupefying 16 arrivals and 6 closures - some of which consist of changeovers, conversions, and comebacks. The journeys, the tales, the history, the drama… I assure you it is never boring.
NO ONE COVERS THE CITY LIKE THIS.
Psst. Want the inside track on what’s happening? Keep your eyes peeled on the website (the #TRrending section is a good place to start), listen to THE TIP OFF, a supplement to my OPEN/CLOSED featuring breaking exclusives, sneak peeks, hot tips + the week’s top stories and events like you’ve never seen - or heard - before in 3 minutes or less on the new TORONTO RESTAURANTS | THE PODCAST, follow Toronto Restaurants on Instagram and Facebook for breaking news and updates, and subscribe to the TR Newsletter.
Here’s the very latest:
OPEN
Banh mi made with in-house baked artisanal baguettes, mochi doughnuts, and “cafe-inspired” sippers is the winning combo you need this month. Test out the theory yourself at Scarborough’s Banh Mi Nguyen (3376 Kennedy Rd., Unit 3), formerly Mochi Doh, celebrating grand opening today. Bonus: Enjoy 10 per cent off today until February 19.
Local chain Burger n’ Fries Forever - BFF for short, known for smash burgers and hand-cut fries, has been racking up joints lately. For those in and around St. Clair West. one just dropped at Rushton (743 St. Clair Ave. W.). where another burger-centric eatery, South St. Burger, stood for years.
Three years ago, coffee roaster Black Wolf Coffee set up shop downtown (717 Bay St.), so expansion certainly wasn’t rushed. Find the second haunt stocked with coffee, baked goods, matcha and more in Midtown between Yonge and Mount Pleasant (130 Eglinton Ave. E.). For what was there until recently, pop below for details.
Indie supermarkets and local green grocers have been all up in my findings lately, offering options and items outside the usual big box store offerings. Newsflash: Btrust Supermarket just celebrated grand opening in Richmond Hill (9019 Bayview Ave., Unit 28), marking the fourth location for the local biz established in 2008. What’s in store: Thousands of Asian and international products.
Last month, Nadège Patisserie across from Trinity Bellwoods Park (780 Queen St. W.) temporarily closed to get a refresh after 17 years. Bonus: It’s back as of Saturday at 8am aaand accompanied by Chez Nad by Nadège, chef Nadège Nourian’s modern French bistro “inspired by Lyon and reimagined for how Toronto dines today” in back. Resos are now available, with doors opening tomorrow night at 6pm. Stay tuned.
Columbus Café & Co launched a new location just weeks ago, but apparently CC&C is far from done: Introducing the new minimalist digs with cheery yellow highlights at Front and Portland (530 Front St. W.).
The city’s latest noodle bar Hako (870 Dundas St. W.) takes up residence next to newbie Carbonic Coffee across from Trinity Bellwoods Park with six varieties of abura soba - aka the “soupless ramen” that’s taken the city by storm lately. Don, sides and beverages are also available. TR Pro Tip: Don’t sleep on other spotlight worthy fare such as Lamb Skewers, Minced Pork Rice, and Chicken Cartilage.
There are those establishments that constantly turn over spaces and swap out concepts. Le Germain Hotel Toronto Mercer (30 Mercer St.) is not one of them. After years of a largely unchanged destination, swish British Indian Punch was added to the mix mere weeks ago. Lobby bar Mercer Lounge swiftly followed on Tuesday with “library-inspired décor,” martinis, cocktails, wine and focused menu featuring classic bistro-style fare such as cheese board, pâté, and truffle fries,
Neon Tiger took all sorts of wild twists and turns over the years: I tracked each and every one of them. Now, rhe most recent enterprise by restaurateur Naveen Chakravarti, Please & Thank You on Ossington (details below), has given way to his beloved perpetual project once again (108 Ossington Ave.). #NeonTigerLivesOn
Psst. Halal chicken - Nashville hot and other varieties by way of sandos, boxes, pieces, fingers, popcorn, “saucy bites,” and snacks - is happening near Glencairn at Nicky J’s (358 Marlee Ave.).
Vast spaces where restaurant and nightlife can harmoniously coexist are hard to come by in certain areas of the city. The arrival of 7,000-sq. ft., 160-seater NOYAA at the The Well (437 Wellington St. W.)? Means dinner (Mediterranean-Asian fusion), dancing (international DJs) and live entertainment under one roof is mighty convenient for the downtown crowd. Grand unveiling is Wednesday for the first Canadian venue by Tribes Hospitality Investment Group out of Dubai.
We’re so fortunate to live in a city filled with so many patty shops, and ones on the subway line to help make the commute more manageable, to boot. Introducing the latest: Grand opening of Roywood’s Roywoods Patty at TMU Station (3 Dundas St. E.), - previously known as Dundas Station - takes place today. See you on Line 1.
If you’re of the belief that it’s never too cold for ice cream, this one’s for you. Scooped by Demetres adds its crafted creamy confections such as Double Baked Apple Pie and Cajeta Swirled Goat Cheese to the lineup at Scarborough Town Centre (300 Borough Dr., Lower Level, Entrance 7).
Last month I gave you the head’s up on Shamshiri coming to Yonge and Wellesley (646 Yonge St.). Now that their fourth Persian eatery in the GTA is open, head on over for specialties including Special Lamb Neck, Fesenjan Stew, and Chelo Gosht.
Dani Gaede and Rowan Jette Knox’s new community-centered, trans-owned cafe Understory (505 Church St.) takes you from coffee and pastries to curated wine in the heart of Church-Wellesley Village.
CLOSED
On Friday Scarborough’s Mamajoun Pizzeria (209 Ellesmere Rd., Unit 6) shared news of their sudden closure after over 11 years doling out tried and true Armenian ‘za and and rustic flatbreads. Luckily, this isn’t the end: “We look forward to welcoming you again soon at a new location with a new concept, and we can’t wait to share what’s next with you.” Watch this space.
Meetpoint Restaurant Cafe and Bar Inc settled into the colossal structure in Roncesvalles Village (89 Roncesvalles Ave,) with Turkish fare in 2024.
Not Just Noodles (570 Yonge St.) was a mainstay at the corner of Yonge and Wellesley for what feels like eons. Yet another casualty of the buildout of Metrolinx.
About this time last year, I braved freezing temps to attend the grand opening of Please & Thank You (108 Ossington Ave.). Chef/owner Nav has decided to switch things up, again, under a name he’s used across various locations for years. Details above.
Prenup Pub (191 College St.) has been holding it down across from UofT’s downtown campus since 2014. Doors close for good on Sunday. Visit their sister spot Blessing In Disguise Bistro + Bar that I gave you the inside track on my podcast last spring. TR Trivia: They’re also behind a whack of the city’s watering holes including Make Ends Meet, Sin & Redemption Schnitzel House, Town Crier Pub, and Village Idiot Pub.
It appears The Social Blend Korean style macarons don’t have a brick-and-mortar showcase anymore noe that the fixture on Eglinton (130 Eglinton Ave. E.) has suddenly shuttered. It launched in 2019. It had a kiosk for a limited time at Scarborough Town Centre (300 Borough Dr.).
NEWS
A fire at Burrito Boyz in Etobicoke is being treated as “suspicious.”
Latest food recalls: Harvest meat products recalled due to undeclared wheat, Mushmoshi Enoki Mushroom recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes.
Life moves fast. Catch up on previous editions of the OPEN/CLOSED.
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