Toronto restaurants that opened this week

The Black Pony Café and Bar is now serving up a little bit of everything at 1481 Gerrard East: croissants, cocktails, schnitzel, smash burgers, and sundaes. A relaxed vibe and broad, casual menu make this spot the perfect crowd-pleaser.  

Mother Cocktail Bar and Patron tequila are running a bespoke cocktail pop-up, Dahlia, inspired by the Mexican national flower (874 Queen West). The miniature drink menu features fresh summer ingredients like pine mist, citrus, bee pollen, and eucalyptus. You can also order octopus or pulled pork portobello mushroom and black bean tacos alongside your cocktail. 

Domaine Mamo, a French-Italian fusion restaurant, is now open at 581 Mount Pleasant. This collaboration between Toronto restauranteur Robert Prete and chef Didier Leroy specializes in Mediterranean coastline cuisine. Amidst a generous selection of soups, salads, pastas and pizzas, the highlights are the montage, which include dishes from the Maritime Alps. Think tartare de boeuf (beef tenderloin, cornichons, capers, grainy mustard) or porc xxl (breaded pork chop, olive tapenade, tarragon vinegar). 

Myth has re-emerged at 522 King West after the closure of its original Danforth location. UNIQ Hospitality has paired with chefs Sergio Abrunho and Tulio Lessa to create a menu centered around meses, or Mediterranean appetizers. The spacious, Grecian inspired interior is also sure to attract crowds when indoor dining resumes. 

The team behind Queen West’s Shameful Tiki Room has launched Port Light on Bloor, a nautical tropical cocktail bar (946 Bloor West). Renowned mixologist Alana Nogueda has created a boatload of signature cocktails, including the port of Busan (hennessy, aged Martinique rum, fassionola syrup, Korea gochujang, sweet red fruits) and Gillman’s Gulp (cachaca, white rum, matcha sake, pistachio orgeat, lemon juice), as well as reinterpretations of classic cocktails like the shark’s tooth and the captain’s grog. 

Robin Goodfellow and Amanda Bradley have teamed up to create Vela, a sustainable but classic hotel-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar on King and Portland (90 Portland Street). Think wedge salads, shrimp cocktails, branzino, and strip loin steak.