This week in food: Toronto restaurant openings, closings, and our top picks

Nov 14 2019, 8:52 pm

This round-up spotlights the newest Toronto restaurant openings, bar openings, upcoming closings, and some special spots that should be on your radar.

Here’s what’s up in the city’s food scene right now.

Just Opened

  • Long-awaited Italian marketplace Eataly has opened in the Manulife Centre, located near Bloor-Yonge, finally. For a peek inside, look here.
  • KitKat’s permanent Canadian flagship “Chocolatory,” has officially opened at Yorkdale mall, across from new-to-the-shopping-centre by CHLOE.
  • Restaurant? No. Food hub? Certainly. The Toronto Christmas Market returns to the historic Distillery District today, and it’ll be here ’til December 22.
  • You’ll now find three locations of Carlo’s Bake Shop vending machines in the PATH: at Richmond-Adelaide Centre, Royal Bank Plaza, and Waterpark Place.
  • Taking over where Schmaltz Appetizing used to be at 224 Ossington Avenue, Gordy Smiles is “like a Taco joint, but better,” and it’s also by chef Anthony Rose.
  • Hershey’s Kitchens interactive bakeshop has popped up in the Scotia Plaza PATH, and will be sticking around until December 24.

Opening Soon

  • On November 28, The Thirsty Elf pop-up bar will be taking over the former York Station space inside the Fairmont Royal York, running for an exclusive four weekends only in the lead-up to Christmas.
  • From 11 am on November 15, Butter Chicken Roti will be giving away a free roti of any flavour to the first 100 guests at their new 646 Yonge Street location.
  • Christmas-themed booze hub Miracle Bar will be returning to the city this fall, taking over 146 Ossington Avenue starting on November 25.
  • And sister to Miracle Bar, Sippin’ Santa will take over Project Gigglewater at 1369 Dundas Street West from November 25 to December 26.
  • Ruby Soho Bar, described as a “relaxed neighbourhood bar and eatery,” will soon take over the space at 587 King Street West, where Portland Variety used to live.

Our Top Picks

Eataly

Eataly Toronto / Instagram

Eataly has officially opened the doors of its first Canadian location. Sprawling out over two floors of shopping space, plus a lower-level brewery, and featuring the talents of more than 100 chefs, the long-awaited Italian marketplace has been teasing Torontonians for over a year. Each Eataly location contains a combination of restaurants, cafés, to-go eateries, fresh counters, a grocery market with more than 10,000 products, and a cooking school.

Address: Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West, Toronto

Instagram

KitKat Chocolatory

toronto restaurant openings

KitKat Chocolatory

Now open in the shopping centre, across from newly debuted by CHLOE. near Restoration Hardware, this sweet space is like something out of Willy Wonka’s world. Offering the opportunity to build-your-own-bar with over 20 different ingredients, this is the place to take a break like you’ve never taken one before. The shop also offers rare “first edition” KitKats, only available at the Toronto location.

Address: Yorkdale Shopping Centre, near Restoration Hardware

Instagram

Toronto Christmas Market

Wafel Bar / Instagram

The Toronto Christmas Market returns to the Distillery District today, whether you’re quite ready for festivities or not. The market takes over the iconic downtown neighbourhood from November 14 to December 22, and with it comes a fierce collection of festive foods. Kick-start the holiday jolliness with a cone of festive waffles, a turkey leg or some mulled wine.

Where: The Distillery District
When: Thursday, November 14 to Sunday, December 22, 2019 (closed on Mondays)
Tickets: Available online

Instagram

Last Call

It’s closing time for this establishment. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.

  • Known as a reliable spot for authentic Italian in the Yorkville neighbourhood, L’Unità is gearing up to close on New Year’s Eve after 12 years serving the city.
  • It’s a sad moment for fans of Yorkville’s gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, sesame-free, vegan café, and bake shop, Sorelle and Co., which has shuttered.

Kayla GladyszKayla Gladysz

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