OPEN/CLOSED: TORONTO/GTA Restaurant News October 16-22, 2025
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
🕘 11.5 min read
Casual fare dominates this week’s additions, however there’s nothing laid back about the closures which include fires, Michelin-awarded joints, and other not-to-be-missed tidbits…
NO ONE COVERS THE CITY LIKE THIS.
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Here’s the very latest:
OPEN
Following a debut in Scarborough earlier this year, South Indian resto Aaha Truly South touches down at Dundas and St. Patrick (250 Dundas St. W.) - but you knew that already. Update: Doors open today.
Aiyla Turkish Cuisine lands in Vaughan (10385 Weston Rd., Unit 7B) with halal Turkish and Mediterranean fare. Think mezes, salads, wood-fired pide, grilled meat and more. TR Trivia: It replaces another Turkish concept. Details below.
Ballers Restaurant & Bar (560 Queen St. W.), a recent arrival to Queen and Bathurst in what was a Wine Rack (making it a bottle shop of a different variety), promises to be “your ultimate destination for great food, sports, and good vibes!”
Bloomer’s, home of vegan treats and eats, left Unit 107A in Bayview Village (2901 Bayview Ave.) ever so briefly. Find them in their new setup nearby (Unit 113A).
The Coffee began its Toronto journey on King West earlier this year, then added Front St. in the spring. Discover the third at the edge of Yorkville (150 Bloor St. W.). And stay tuned. At least two more on the way: The Junction (2720 Dundas St. W., Unit 1) and Yonge & Eglinton (8 Eglinton Ave. E.) .
DiVino Restaurant & Bar (46 Blue Jays Way) has settled in the Entertainment District, offering an array of “handcrafted pizzas, housemade pastas and creative cocktails” in what was famously Wahlburgers’ former stomping grounds.
Fahmee Bakery has been through it over the years, but good news: FB’s legendary patties, coco bread, and other stellar grub are back in Scarborough (119 Montezuma Trail) as of Saturday at noon. See you there.
A few doors over from ATS, Matcha Matcha brings its signature sipper to Dundas and McCaul (294 Dundas St. W.). Doors open tomorrow.
I told you Harbord Village was a hotspot. Nice Slice (196 Borden St.) takes over the corner that held Think.It Pensa Italiano’s until recently, with hot ‘za - slices and whole pies - and cold drinks.
Pape and Danforth has had a time of it lately with all the comings, goings, and fire. Pizza Bono (675 Danforth Ave.) infuses the strip with “craft artisan pizzas with the freshest ingredients.”
Ratelier isn’t your average coffee shop. It brings together “perfume-making workshops, curated art, and specialty coffee experiences” under one roof nestled next to Trinity Bellwoods Park (9 Trinity Park Lane) .
SMEG’s flagship just dropped at Yonge and Bloor (2 Bloor St. W.). The first showroom for the brand in Canada is filled with its iconic appliances large and small from fridges to toasters, a full kitchen for classes and events, and the “world’s first” on-site SMEG Café serving “artisanal beverages.”
Bún, bahn mi, pho and other Vietnamese essentials are happening at Bay and Bloor. Enjoy 20 per cent off during grand opening of Viet Hut Express (25 Charles St. W.) in the space previously occupied by Rabba Fine Foods, now down the block (695 Bay St.)
555 Boat Noodles debuted downtown around this time last year. North York, it’s your turn to get in on their signature Thai noods, on Yonge below Finch (5308 Yonge St.).
CLOSED
The first Canadian franchise of popular fast casual American pizza chain Blaze Pizza backed by famous investors including LeBron James and Maria Shriver has concluded service almost exactly ten years after its debut. The Yonge and Dundas (10 Dundas St. E.) has closed, and there was another downtown on John for a spell. The one at Yonge Sheppard Centre (4841 Yonge St.) is still standing.
Blue Claw Lobster Shack’s Bay and Bloor digs (25 Charles St. W.) didn’t last long. To get your crustacean on, visit their location at The Well’s food court Wellington Market (486 Front St. W., Lower Level).
The big restaurant closures on King West are far from over, including more at King & Portland. Following my reports in recent months on varying degrees of shutdowns in the vicinity - Buca, Dasha, Kissa, Vela - I’ve got not just one or two, but THREE establishments to add to the list, two of which received recent nods from Michelin:
1. Lapinou (642 King St. W., Suite 102), the “neo-bistro inspired by regional French flavours and local terroir met with modern culinary expertise” by Scale Hospitality has come to an abrupt end. On the Michelin Recommended lineup from 2022-2024, it’s been marked ‘Permanently Closed’ on Google.
2. A few doors east, Nihari Inn’s downtown location (628 King St. W.) has been cleared out. An outpost of the halal Pakistani resto remains in Mississauga (3525 Platinum Dr., Unit 104).
3. Around the corner on Portland, Chica Snack Bar (75 Portland St.), which over the years has also gone by Bar Chica and Chica, and has been a Michelin Recommended destination since the inaugural 2022 guide all the way up to and including the 2025 edition released just a few weeks ago, is currently closed and undergoing a revamp. Expect a new concept in its place soon.
p.s. Of course if you followed Toronto Restaurants on Instagram, you would've been the first in on the breaking news. Psst. That’s not all: It appears Scale Hospitality, the Toronto-based company behind both Chica and Lapinou, is also changing things up. It currently lists 14 restaurants as “Past Projects” on its website while many remain open: Boardwalk Café, Byblos, Chica, Figo, GG’s, Le Sélect Bistro - not part of their portfolio anymore as I first reported on my podcast back in March, Maxime’s, Miller Tavern, Patria - now closed, relaunched as Beso by Patria last spring, Pink Sky - closed earlier this year and relaunched as vinyl-centric eatery Vinny this past summer, event venue Storys, Toronto Beach Club - now seasonal/turned into an event space until the warmer weather arrives, Toronto’s oldest bar The Wheatsheaf Tavern, in addition to Frenchy Bar & Brasserie. Lapinou is missing from the bunch. (Note: Select restaurants were also part of the Ink Entertainment portfolio. Current ones include Beso, Byblos, Figo and Storys.) The company founded by Hanif Harji and Terry Tsianos over a decade ago was named Regional Company of the Year by Food Service & Hospitality Magazine last year, which at that time included renowned chef Antonio Park’s eponymous restaurant, AP, now closed (I broke the news in March) - replaced by Scale’s Middle Eastern concept Mar'aa Yorkville this past summer, The Fortunate Fox, Miss Likklemore’s, and Black Pearl, later swapped out for The Pearl, amongst its destinations. In May, Harji, along with hotelier Jason Pomeranc, opened Casamara and Reynold’s inside the new Sixty DC Hotel in Washington, D.C. with Toronto’s own Zachary Albertsen holding down the position of Executive Chef, “marking Scale Hospitality’s highly anticipated entrance into the DC dining scene,” as per The Washington Lobbyist. Back on Canadian turf, The Trillum, an online publication specializing in ”in-depth coverage of politics and policy-making in Ontario,” published an article last month regarding government funding the company reportedly received.
Following a fire at Pape and Danforth and Pape last week, fire broke out at another east side eatery: Leslieville’s popular brunch destination since 2020, Pasaj. Doors are temporarily closed. In the meantime, you can visit their other venture, bakery and cafe Simit & Chai: steps from the restaurant on Queen, on King West, and in the Entertainment District that shared an addy with their restaurant Barba that came on the scene last year and has since closed.
After a recent fire, Rally Sports Bar (1660 O'Connor Dr.) has been marked ‘Permanently Closed’ on Google.
NEWS
Fay Olson, a part of the Toronto jazz community for decades, died.
Latest food recalls: Certain Raw Pistachios recalled due to Salmonella, Maison Gabriel Coulet Roquefort - La Cave recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes, Pistachio bar recalled due to Salmonella, Various sauces and lasagnas recalled due to undeclared mustard.
ICYMI
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