Toronto burger restaurant with cult following is finally opening new location
A Toronto burger restaurant with a cult following is about to finally open a second location in a new neighbourhood.
There’s more food-based buzz coming out of Leslieville lately, as if the neighbourhood hasn’t had enough to get excited — and hungry — over in the past few months.
From buzzy spots like Tatsuro’s and Masa Deli opening their doors, to the news of newcomers like Ramona’s Kitchen and Fangio Trattoria coming soon, it’s an exciting time to be eating on Queen East.
In the same vein, though, the neighbourhood has also lost several local institutions in the shuffle. Masa Deli was once Reliable Fish and Chips. Ramona’s Kitchen is taking over the space formerly home to Leslieville Pumps, and Fangio Trattoria is moving into the old Ascari Enoteca space. At least, in the case of the former, it’ll be basically the exact same.
Another local stalwart that shuttered this year was Samaira’s Kitchen, which served up fast food favourites at the corner of Queen and Pape for nearly a decade before closing up shop in the late spring of 2025.
Not to fear, though: in keeping with the general trend of Leslieville’s evolution lately, what’s replacing it will be a worthy substitute.
The space is set to be taken over by Church Wellesley Village plant-based burger joint, Soy Boys.
Proprietors of some of the best veggie burgers in Toronto (though they’d tell you theirs is the best), at Soy Boys, you can sink your teeth into a comprehensive selection of vegan-ized fast food staples that, in their own words, “beats the meat.”
If you can picture it being served at insert-your-favourite-burger-joint-here, there’s a pretty solid chance you can also find it on the menu at Soy Boys, with their own riffs on chicken burgers and nuggets, waffle fries (which, mercifully, are inherently vegan), and even soft-serve ice cream also making appearances on the menu.
In short, the shoes left behind by Samaira’s Kitchen will be more than filled by Soy Boys, and made all the more exciting by the fact that this is the restaurant’s first expansion beyond the Village since they opened in 2022.
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Moreover, Soy Boys will be in good company on the plant-based front, given that Dundas West vegan ice cream staple, Honey’s, is also among the businesses to land in Leslieville this year and at the end of the day, nothing beats grabbing an ice cream cone after eating a great burger — even if they’re both vegan.
At the time of publication, Soy Boys hasn’t responded to Dished Toronto’s request for information on when the new restaurant will be opening, but judging by promotional materials on its newly minted Instagram account, it’s “coming soon.”
Soy Boys Leslieville
Address:Â 1056 Queen St. E.
Opening:Â TBD
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