Amsterdam BrewHouse, the restaurant outpost for Amsterdam Brewery, is about to be your new favourite. Where to begin: it has four patio spaces, landscape views of Toronto Island and the skyline, space for 1,000 guests in the dining room and an on-site brewery. Oh, and the food is pretty darn delicious. With plenty of vegetarian,

Azhar has been turning heads on the Ossington strip. The brainchild of partner and executive chef Stuart Cameron, this new marketplace marries Middle Eastern influences with local ingredients, all prepared in a state of the art wood-fired oven. Cameron, who is no stranger to Middle Eastern cooking, is focusing on sustainability and authenticity with this

Some restaurateurs get into business for the money, for others it’s a passionate affair and a way of life. Michelle and Herbert Barnsteiner fall safely into the latter category and have recently opened the next chapter of that love story at Yonge and Balmoral Avenue.

The King West Bier Markt has got the patio of every bar’s dreams: seated and absolutely huge. It gets further check marks for a strong, Europe-leaning beer list (including a few cellared bottles) and food — think wursts, schnitzel, mussels and flammekueches — that deftly match the suds. The food is made from scratch and

Bistro on Avenue has been a local favourite for some 40 years. Louis Nemes, the owner is Toronto’s Lord of the Wings, having founded The Chick’N Deli as well as the first St. Louis Bar and Grill. So it comes as no surprise that the wings and ribs are the star here. The wingers here

Brickworks Ciderhouse is located in Riverdale, within close proximity of the trendy Broadview Hotel.

For sandwich enthusiasts, Brock Sandwich is a must. Bloordale’s new hit shop, which seats but a handful of people, hasn’t been open long, but it has already made quite a name for itself. The signature offering is the buttermilk chicken sammy — a veritable beast — but otherwise, the rotating menu keeps patrons coming back for more.

Buddy’s New York Bagels is a Brooklyn-style bakery and café. The award-winning bakery offers over 30 varieties of bagels that are freshly baked and kettle-boiled to tasty perfection. They might be known for the bagels in their name, but also available on the breakfast and lunch menu are bialys, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and pasta. Buddy’s

Meet Mark McEwan’s fine dining restaurant, Bymark, in the heart of the financial district in the atrium of the TD Towers. The space’s main dining room boasts a floor-to-ceiling wine cellar but there are also private dining rooms, a spacious patio and a modern bar. The kitchen is headed up by executive chef Brooke McDougall

Chances are, those who have been to Israel (birthright, anyone?) are familiar with Cafe Landwer. The popular Israeli café, which got its start back in 1919, finally opened its very first Canadian outpost in Vaughan earlier this year.

For over 30 years, Café Polonez has been a family-run restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s Polish community. The name comes from the French word “polonaise,” which is a ceremonial Polish dance similar to a waltz. Café Polonez is known for their homemade lightly-breaded schnitzel, alongside plenty of other authentic Polish cuisine such as herring

Crown & Dragon is a casual Yorkville sports bar known for making some of the best wings in the city. Wings come in over 20 bold flavours, ranging from a Japanese-influenced teriyaki sauce to the signature hot, peppery Dragon’s Breath marinade. Get them half price with the purchase of a beverage on Tuesdays and Thursdays

Popular Middle Eastern restaurant Dr. Laffa — recently the subject of a glowing Globe and Mail review — has announced plans to expand. A second incarnation of Dr. Laffa is set to open near Bathurst and Lawrence by early 2013, and we’re also told that plans are in the works to franchise the business.

Barber shops that offer an array of accoutrements while you’re getting coiffed is all the rage these days, but Hastings Snack Bar isn’t quite that. Nearby Hastings Barber Shop owner Ania Garbos snatched up this spot and enlisted her mom as chef after its previous owner of 50+ years decided to retire. So a change

In my opinion, Bosnian cuisine is a rarity in the GTA, and you’d be hard pressed to find a restaurant that serves authentic fare if you don’t know someone who's from the Balkans. Luckily, there’s Mak European Delicatessens, where tasty cevapi are not too far away.

Until a few months back, Me Va Me was a bit of a Thornhill secret. The mini-chain recently set up camp in the heart of Hogtown and has been wooing downtowners with its Israeli eats ever since.

Parallel is a Middle Eastern eatery located on the industrial Geary Avenue, which has emerged as somewhat of a destination restaurant row in what is otherwise an industrial strip. The restaurant comes from the same family behind Ozery Bakery, famed for their Morning Rounds and Lavash products that can be found at your local grocers.

103466This cheerful Thornhill restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but it’s best known for its hearty breakfast and brunch. An open kitchen and warm wood walls give the restaurant a relaxed, welcoming ambiance. The dishes at Ramona’s Kitchen are as homey as the vibes, with the brunch menu featuring a line-up of comforting classics like

Inspired by traditional cooking done in the English countryside, the Beech Tree gives a sleek and modern edge to traditional European peasant and lowbrow foods. All they need is a good, inspiring ingredient and then dishes take on French, Spanish and North African traits. What’s important is that everything is delicious, unpretentious and for the

The Black Tulip is a Hungarian schnitzel house on St. Clair Avenue West serving up traditional dishes with a North American spin. This family-run spot is dishing out mass amounts of goulash, schnitzel and other Hungarian favourites. The restaurant opened in February 2020 and is helmed by owners Greta and Kornel who have transformed the