Healthy eating concept from Danny's Pizza Tavern partners expands with second location
A Toronto salad and bowl chain that’s been making a splash in the Financial District is finally expanding with a new location.
Mark Kupfert and Daniel Suss have been forces on the Toronto food scene for years now, being the dynamic duo behind Kupfert & Kim and partners in the burgeoning Danny’s Pizza Tavern and Danny’s Next Door empire.
Somewhat lesser known is Lili Foods, the salads and bowls venture they share with partner Mohsen Abbasabadi, but they’re on a mission to change that.
Kupfert likens Lili (named after Daniel’s daughter) to a hybrid of U.S.-based mega chains Cava and Sweetgreen: a quick-service salad and bowl concept that doesn’t compromise on quality ingredients or depth of flavour.
The concept was first born in The PATH, geared towards servicing the hustlers and bustlers of First Canadian Place. One problem: they opened shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced that exact demographic to work from home.
It was years before people began trickling back, but it gave Lili Foods time to perfect their craft. Slowly but surely, as workers increasingly return to the office, Lili has become a bona fide hit.
It’s not hard to understand why.
Sure, you can throw a stone and hit no fewer than five quick-service salad-and-bowl concepts anywhere in the city, but Lili Foods does things differently.
Responsibly sourced proteins, high-quality produce, and an evident attention to detail in the actual cooking and assembly of those ingredients culminate in restaurant-quality salads that fall within the $15 to $20 range.
A full suite of chef-crafted salads and bowls, likeĀ Lemon-Dill Salmon salad and a Curry Bowl with curried tofu, chickpeas and rice, steers the menu, but diners also have the option to build their own bowl from scratch.
Proteins likeĀ 24-hour slow-cooked brisket, piri-piri chickenĀ andĀ lemon-dill salmon join a comprehensive suite of greens, vegetables, toppings, dressings and even side dips, allowing you to build the bowl of your dreams.
Now, as word has begun to get out about Lili Foods, Kupfert, Suss and Abbasabadi have officially expanded, landing a coveted spot at The Well’s Wellington Market food hall.
To Kupfert, the move to open in The Well poses an opportunity to introduce Lili Foods to a far broader demographic than they currently see at First Canadian Place.
“This one now is a little more, you know, it’s a bigger community,” Kupfert tells Dished Toronto. “People work there, people also live there, people come through for a baseball game, you know? It’s just a much bigger swath of humans.”
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To celebrate the opening of Lili Foods’ second location, Kupfert tells Dished Toronto that they’ll be hosting a special grand opening celebration on Friday, Oct. 10.
That day, at Lili Foods’ Wellington Market location, you’ll be able to pick up a bowl for 50 per cent off, from opening until the restaurant sells out.
Lili Foods
Address:Ā Wellington Market, 486 Front St. W.
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