In spite of everything that’s happened this year to the hospitality industry (one of the longest in-door dining bans in North America, lockdown restrictions, food inflation costs, supply chain shortages—we could go on and on), plenty of new restaurants still managed to successfully open their doors in 2021.
From fine dining to casual snack spots, the sheer culinary talent of some of the city’s best chefs are on full display at these new eateries.
Without further ado, here are our top ten new restaurants to pay a visit to in the new year.
Cà Phê Rang
Located in Chinatown at the corner of Spadina Avenue and Richmond Street West, Cà Phê Rang is Toronto’s newest bánh mì restaurant. The humble Vietnamese eatery is a new collaboration between renowned chefs Matty Matheson, the familiar face behind smash burger spot Matty’s Patty’s Burger Club and Maker Pizza, and Rang Nguyen, former head chef at Le Sèlect Bistro. With winter weather in full swing, Cà Phê Rang is the go-to spot for warm pho soups and bánh mì sandwiches.
Start by sipping a savoury bowl of beef and brisket pho garnished with crisp bean sprouts, diced green onions and red chilies. Next, bite into a slow-cooked beef brisket topped with fresh slices of cucumber and sprigs of parsley, and don’t forget to dunk it in one of the eatery’s many homemade sauces. Like any good snack bar, Cà Phê Rang also serves a small selection of sides, like bite-sized khai vi (spring rolls) that can be ordered in prawn or shiitake mushroom varieties, among others.
— 147 Spadina Ave., currently available for dine-in or takeout only.
Crosley’s
Run by internationally renowned chef and sommelier J. P. Adamo (co-owner of Bar Piquette), Crosley’s restaurant officially opened in January 2021. The changing menu of small share plates is simple and distinctly Canadian with a European-inspired twist. Chef Joachim (Joe) Hayward previously worked as the head chef at the now-closed Brothers Food & Wine in Yorkville, where he met fellow Crosley’s chef Myles Harrison. Their partnering with J.P. and Laura Adamo has the end result of a personalized approach to fine dining.
The seasonal menu is rife with distinctly Canadian, nationally sourced items with an international twist, courtesy of tasting trips to London, Italy and Paris. Recent dishes have included Albacore tuna filet topped with caper berries, bone marrow croutons guindilla peppers, tomato and fresh rosemary, as well as the treviso radicchio salad mixed with grilled grapes, chestnuts and ricotta salata with a red wine vinegar dressing. In true Canadian fashion, less commonly seen meats have also made their way onto the menu, with dishes like the rabbit terrine and sweetbreads done with sun choke and onion soubise, pickled maitake mushrooms and roasted pearl onions glazed in chicken stock recently on offer.
— 214 Ossington Ave., currently available for dine-in or curbside pickup.
Fonda Balam
Home to the city’s best birria-style tacos, Fonda Balam is a reincarnation of the former Birria Balam and was recently opened by former Quetzal chefs Julio Guajardo and Kate Chomyshyn, alongside celebrity chef Matty Matheson. The trendy Mexican eatery specializes in serving up a daily dose of birria-style tacos, which originate from the Mexican state of Jalisco. Fonda Balam’s affordable menu pays tribute to homey comfort foods and street food classics and was inspired by Guajardo’s native homeland of León, Guanajuato, and the couple’s many trips back to Mexico over the years.
Alongside a series of mouth-watering tacos that can be ordered crispy or soft, expect to find a selection of quesadillas, made with fresh house-made corn tortillas and filled with fresh ingredients like pico de gallo, cilantro, onion, guacamole, and a selection of house-made red or green salsas. Fonda Balam’s cocktail menu fuses classics, like the Cuba libre (rum, tamarind, Mexican Coca-Cola, and lime) with in-house creations like Fonda Margarita (tequila, cointreau, lime and agave syrup).
— 802 Dundas St. W., currently available for dine-in only.
MIMI Chinese
MIMI Chinese is the newest and hottest restaurant to open in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. The sophisticated eatery is the brick-and-mortar sister restaurant to wildly popular pop-up Sunny’s Chinese, opened by David Schwartz and his talented team. The dimly lit and moody interior is flanked by plush, red velvet booths where waiters dressed in starched, white dress shirts expertly finish dishes tableside.
The menu features a carefully curated selection of small and large sharing plates that are a nod to the southern regions of China. Chef specials include the Hunan Chili Sea Bass done with house fermented chilies, Fujian wine and flowering chive, as well as the succulent signature Black Pepper Beef, which uses an 18 oz. boneless rib eye, black pepper sauce and onion. Chinese ingredients are also at the heart of the cocktail menu, where many libations riff on classic drink recipes, like the Mimi Manhattan, which mimics the traditional whisky cocktail by adding Cantonese rice wine to the usual rye and Italian vermouth combo.
— 265 Davenport Rd., currently available for dine-in only.
Osteria Giulia
Osteria Giulia, owned by former Top Chef Canada contestant and chef Rob Rossi, brings coastal northern Italian fare (and flair) to Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Designed by Guido Costantino, Osteria’s interior is hyper minimalist, featuring natural wood and wicker dining chairs, pale hardwood floors and a modern wood-panelled bar that’s stocked with spirits from around the world.
According to Rossi, the inspiration for the seasonal menu was to breathe new life into some classic Italian dishes but still keep them very simple and honest. The anchovy and whipped butter toast, for example, is a nod to traditional bruschetta and is topped with roasted garlic and crispy capers instead of diced tomatoes. Over at the bar, Iain Codona has created a cocktail program that aims to highlight the same fresh approach Rossi has taken with the food menu. The Messicano, for example, Osteria Giulia’s top seller, is a tequila-based cocktail that blends green Chartreuse, mint and basil cordial, a hint of lime juice and a refreshing piece of sliced cucumber.
— 134 Avenue Rd., currently available for dine-in or takeout only.
Pai Uptown
With more than five successful restaurants under her belt, Pai Uptown is the latest culinary venture from Thai chef Nuit Regular and her husband and business partner, Jeff Regular. The original Pai restaurant, located at 18 Duncan St., is named after a small town in northern Thailand where Nuit and Jeff met. Pai Uptown is bold and bright and represents the culinary couple’s biggest restaurant to date, with a 12,000-square-foot space that is spread across two storeys.
Despite the new neighbourhood, the menu at the midtown spot still features the unadulterated version of Thai cooking that Regular is known for. Expect to find a selection of delicious curries, like the gaeng kiaw wan (green curry), served with bamboo shoots, makrut lime leaves, basil leaves and coconut milk, and other Thai staples like chef Nuit’s famous pad Thai, cooked in her house-made tamarind–palm sugar sauce, and the khao soi (fresh egg noodles stirred into a thick, golden coconut curry).
— 2335 Yonge St., currently available for dine-in, takeout or delivery via Uber Eats and SkipTheDishes.
Pink Sky
Pink Sky is a buzzy new sea-to-fork restaurant whose thoughtful, pared-down approach to seafood shines the spotlight on the natural flavours of its high-quality ingredients. Large windows running along the front of the restaurant offer views of the King West strip, and the rear of the space features a sparkling open kitchen framed by a display of fresh seafood.
With stunning raw bar platters and handsome decor balanced by an old-school rock soundtrack and comfort foods like beer-battered fish and chips, Pink Sky exudes easygoing elegance. The raw bar menu, which changes daily based on what’s freshest, features beautiful platters and towers piled with oysters, shrimp, mussels, lobster and other off-the-boat fare, served either raw or grilled with a simple finish of lemon, olive oil and sea salt. The menu is rounded out by delicately flavoured desserts, and there is also a comprehensive drink program that features cocktails, wines and beers.
— 480 King St. W., currently available for dine-in only.
Selva
Selva is an immersive, multi-sensory, and colourful new restaurant run by Thai chef Nuit Regular, who’s known for a handful of other restaurants across the city including the new Pai Uptown, Kiin, and Khao San Road. Selva, which translates to jungle from Spanish, features massive murals of contemporary art, black lights, lots of tropical plants, and plenty of visually stimulating experiences.
Most of the dishes on the menu are small plates that are meant to be shared with the whole table. Expect to find a variety of meat and seafood dishes, including four kinds of ceviche (fish, scallop, lobster, and vegan coconut), grilled whole fish, Waygu beef skewers, and plenty of apps. The menu also features a variety of vegetarian, vegan and keto-friendly items.
— 221 Richmond St. W., currently open for dine-in only.
Toronto Beach Club
Set on Woodbine Beach with views of Lake Ontario, Toronto Beach Club aims to evoke the vibe of a European coastal getaway with its airy decor and Mediterranean-influenced menu. With warm breezes drifting through the indoor-outdoor space, evocative oud music playing over the speakers and the glistening lake visible on the horizon, Toronto Beach Club truly does feel a world away from the city.
The menu is fresh and citrus-forward, with many dishes cooked over a charcoal grill. There’s an extensive selection of mezze and seafood, along with salads, a raw bar and grilled meats. The tangy, barrel-aged Greek feta, for example, is complemented by an herby mix of caper leaf and mountain oregano, plus zesty lemon. An understated finish of lemon and olive oil allows the natural flavour of the juicy, yogurt-marinated Ontario lamb chops to shine. A wide range of champagne available by the glass and bottle is among the highlights of Toronto Beach Club’s drinks menu. The wider wine menu offers a mix of old and new world bottles, while the cocktail menu features refreshing spritzes, riffs on the classic martini and many vermouth-based drinks.
— 1681 Lakeshore Blvd. E., currently open for dine-in or curbside pickup only.
20 Victoria
Restaurant 20 Victoria marks the much-anticipated return of Chris White and Jonathan Nicolaou, who closed their critically acclaimed restaurant Brothers Food & Wine just over a year ago during the pandemic. Like their erstwhile Yorkville bistro set above Bay Street station, Restaurant 20 Victoria is intimate and deceptively humble, with just 20 seats. Expect the six-course set tasting menu to build upon the style of cooking that Brothers was known for, which means a focus on seasonal ingredients and simple yet nuanced flavours.
Although the menu adjusts seasonally, and often on a whim, recent highlights have included locally sourced striped bass fished from the Eel Ground First Nation, braised oxtail and cod cheeks. Top-notch wine pairings can also be added to the meal, alongside a well-rounded bottle list. Restaurant 20 Victoria has also started offering private parties in the bar room, where an à la carte menu and wine list are on offer.
— 20 Victoria St., currently available for dine-in only.