Imagine if Canada got the same sun as the Mediterranean all year round. At least we’re privy to Mediterranean food all year round in Toronto. And Aviv Restaurant is a great place to help with that. Located along the St. Clair West strip of the Wychwood area, Aviv Restaurant pulls from Spanish, Italian, Israeli and

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

The opportunity to own her own restaurant drove Nicki Laborie out of bed and back to the biz, with her newly open Bar Reyna. Though French by birth, Laborie didn’t want to compete with the swarm of high quality French restaurants in Yorkville, and sought to bring a new flavour to the neighbourhood.

These days King Street West is a bit of a scene. From the transit-only streets, to the exclusive rooftop pools and elitist bars and restaurants, it’s getting harder to find a place where you can just relax. Whereas this might be true of Belfast Love on Friday nights, when the bar is filled to capacity

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.

Casa La Palma is a 1,400 square foot lounge perched on top of its sister restaurant, Dundas West favourite La Palma. It’s a physical extension of the downstairs, but there’s a notable difference: its inspiration is not free-wheeling Venice Beach, but stylish Palm Springs. It’s co-owned by the same team as La Palma — culinary

AlterEgo, the restaurant group that brings together Craig Harding and Alexandra Hutchison, (Campagnolo) Jack and Domenic Scarangella, and Steven Christian (Mercatto) have opened their new Mediterranean restaurant, Constantine inside the new Anndore House hotel on Charles Street from the Silver Hotel Group (Novotel on the Esplanade, Radisson on the Lake, Pantages Hotel). The project has

Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen looks to create a dining experience with authentic flavours that rival any home-cooked meal created in a Middle Eastern kitchen. Darna, which means “our home” in Arabic, is owned by Marwan Carmi, who relocated to Toronto from Jerusalem. The menu features Middle Eastern favourites like baba ghanouj, kebab skewers, falafel and

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.

A queue that long every weekend can’t be wrong: Maha’s Egyptian Brunch is like nothing else around. It has all the components of a truly delicious brunch: grilled cheese adorned with dates; a creamy (vegan) lentil soup; tender sautéed tomatoes for a perfect shakshuka; and an irresistible tray of sakalance, all in a bright, sunny

At the southern end of the Ossington strip, Mamakas serves elevated, rustic Greek fare, or “modernized trad Greek,” as food critic Joanne Kates has described it. The menu, according to owner Thanos Vrettakos Tripi (above), is meant to honour the “extremely authentic Greek” recipes he grew up with “because we had my grandmother living with

Mayrik is Bayview’s new restaurant serving up Balkan and Caucasian cuisine with a focus on Armenian, Greek and Lebanese recipes. The restaurant is an homage to chef Seb Yacoubian’s mother, who passed away in a car accident.

It’s three days after the opening of Morgans, the new gastropub that’s taken over the old Taps and Tales spot at Danforth and Greenwood, and sleep-deprived chef Anne Sorrenti is glowing. She says she wants to watch us try the polenta appetizer ($9), which is crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and sitting

This TTC-style bar wants every wandering stranger to feel at home in the city. The tile walls finished with “Nōmads Station” decals and a TTC-painted doorway are so perfectly executed that your trip to the bathroom might be a bit discombobulating. Nōmads Restobar is a gathering place for people of all walks of life and

Northern Maverick, owned by Jason Kaptyn and with Mark Cutrara in the kitchen and Andrew Crowder leading the brewing team, opened its doors at Bathurst and Adelaide in late September.

In Yorkville’s swanky Hazelton Hotel sits celebrity chef Mark McEwan’s ONE Restaurant. Serving contemporary Canadian cuisine, executive chef Darby Piquette is making himself known amongst Torontonians after attending the George Brown chef school and spending years working under his mentor chef Mark McEwan. With his love of travel and affinity for cooking, Piquette is proving

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.

From Yorkville to downtown and now to Corktown, Reyna sure does get around. Bar Reyna’s newest expansion, Reyna on King, operates as a café and restaurant when the sun is out, but when it goes down, Reyna on King becomes a spot for cocktails and snacks. Designed as a grab-and-go daytime lunch spot, Reyna on

The restaurant is located on the ground floor at 134 Peter St. in the QRC West building.

For more than four deacades, the Rosedale diner has been a staple in the community. Family owned-and operated since 1981, when husband-and-wife team Dubi and Esti Filar took over the space and injecting it with their passion for food and their unwavering commitment for fostering a sense of togetherness. The eatery has consistently earned accolades