True to its name, Ave Maria Latin Cafe features food and grocery products with origins spanning from Argentina, Ecuador and Peru to Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico. Run by husband-and-wife duo Maria-Jose Suarez and Aland Portillo, both of whom are native Colombians, the food menu features traditional Latin American dishes like arepas, empanadas and tamales. Customers

Reflecting on the Bar Hop ethos — and the beer selection in particular — Pingitore describes the concept as “a craft ale house with mostly local microbrews on tap, and then a wide selection of bottles that range from consignment, imported bottles and hard-to-get stuff, stuff you don’t get at the LCBO.”

For their second home on Peter Street, Bar Hop Brewco. put Mark Cutrara (Cowbell) in charge of the kitchen. The first floor is open for business, and the vibe is warm and welcoming. There are 36 beers on tap, with draught selections updated weekly, and 1,200 litres of Amsterdam’s saison available for vertical tastings.

Almost six months to the day since Valdez closed its doors, chef Steve Gonzalez and the team are back. They've moved just a hop, skip and jump from the former digs on King West and opened Baro (or Valdez 2.0) in a 15,000 square-foot space spread over four floors.

The newest sibling in the growing Oliver & Bonacini family opened yesterday. Beaumont Kitchen matches restaurant with retail at its location inside the brand new Saks Fifth Avenue in Sherway Gardens.

Boxcar Social is Summerhill’s hip cafe and wine bar. The rustic interior is met with a millennial aesthetic. Wooden benches and dessert flower bouquets decorate the two-storey Victorian cafe. The old building hasn’t been renovated since the Boxcar moved in in 2014. The minimal space downstairs has a few communal tables, while their upstairs hideaway

This family-owned eatery offers a classic menu of Latin American eats with an emphasis on Mexican fare, such as carnitas and tamales. Lunch combos come with rice and refried beans, and they also do breakfast options like sincronizada, which is a grilled tortilla filled with refried beans, ham and cheese. The shop also contains an

Right off of Queen Street East lies Completo, a cosy South American sandwich and snack shop. Completo is complete with a lot of outdoor seating in the front, tables and picnic benches both included. The menu is simple and to the point: some sandwiches, some meal boxes, some fries with add-ons available. One menu favourite

Take a trip throughout Latin America without leaving Queen West at El Almacen. This cafe specializes in mate, a earthy tasting drink made from the yerba mate, a species of holly. The drink, which at El Almacen is served in a gourd and drank through a filter-tipped metal straw called a bombilla, is ubiquitous in

Sitting pretty amidst the hustle and bustle of Chinatown East, Gerrard St. Bakery is a welcome reprieve from the street-side chaos. Owner Andrea Mut offers up a selection of fresh baked treats, sandwiches and coffee for the person dashing around town.

The only scales Honest Weight cares about are the ones on its fish. The New England–style restaurant and fishmonger have made a name for themselves in the Junction as being a top-notch seafood restaurant and retailer as well as a wholesale destination for other Toronto restaurants and caterers. Depending on what Honest Weight has in

Latin American cuisine meets Instagram-worthy decor in Toronto’s east end. The heated back patio is decorated with string lights and gorgeous rustic exposed brick and fencing. Added bonus? It’s dog-friendly. In terms of cuisine, the restaurant boasts that the secret ingredient in every dish is love. Look for bandeja paisa, lomo saltado, tres leches, partnered

Since October of 1991, Jumbo Empanadas has been bringing the taste of Santiago to Kensington Market. Sometimes a name says it all, so no points for guessing what the speciality might be at Jumbo Empanadas. Here, the South American street food comes in the veggie, beef and chicken variety. Though empanadas may be the star

On the 44th floor of the Bisha Hotel, you’ll find panoramic views of Toronto, along with some of the best Californian/Mexican cuisine outside of Baja state. As the northernmost state in Mexico and the southernmost point in California, Baja cuisine is the perfect blend of culture and flavour. At Kost, the Bisha Hotel’s newest restaurant,

Cuban cuisine steps out of the holiday resort shadow, offering diners a new view.

Family-run La Mexicana is the place to go for authentic Mexican cuisine north of Eglinton. After moving here from Mexico city, the family started cooking up some super traditional offerings at La Mexicana, and they don’t plan on stopping. Open since 1988, the menu is a collection of real Mexican classics. The mini-empanadas are cute

Kensington Market always comes to mind when thinking of where to find a cluster of Latin-American eats. Latin Taste is a quaint bakery that peddles predominantly handhelds of the empanada, sandwich and tamal variety. On weekends only you’ll find a small menu of Peruvian dishes such as arroz con pollo and ceviche. On the sweet

Leña is the newest addition to the Oliver & Bonacini empire. For Anthony Walsh, the company’s corporate executive chef, this project is especially close to his heart. Leña is named after his Argentinian mother-in-law and pays homage to her country’s cuisine.

Marked is a flashy new restaurant from Fourthspace Hospitality, the group behind Coffee Oysters Champagne and its now well-known secret bar à toi. Like COC and à toi, Marked is a stylish space with killer cocktails, a well-curated food menu, and a design that encourages diners to move through different parts of the space throughout

Peruvian spot Mira opened in the King West area back in February, the latest ICONINK property.