Year in Review: all 112 noteworthy Toronto restaurants that opened in 2013

Year in Review: all 112 noteworthy Toronto restaurants that opened in 2013

The Year in Review: all 112 restaurants, lounges and cafés that we covered in 2013

Looking back on 365 days of Toronto dining, a few words stand out: tacos, burgers and real Southern barbeque. In 2013, Toronto restaurants kept things casual, with low-key smokehouses, malt shops and cantinas duking it out for trend supremacy. Meanwhile, pescaterian options proliferated; an influx of hotspots earned the downtown core new culinary cred; and dozens of restaurants spawned spin-offsnever before have so many stories on The Dish included the phrase “from the owners of.” Here, all 112 restaurants, lounges and cafés that we Introduced in 2013.

RELATED: How many of Toronto’s new restaurants have you been to? Let us know here!

Central

Barrio Coreano, a Korean-inspired addition to the Playa Cabana taco chain
Rakia Bar, a shiny new Queen East spot devoted to a traditional Balkan drink
Playa Cabana Hacienda, the third location of the trendy taqueria
Big Crow, Anthony Rose’s new backyard barbecue tucked behind Rose and Sons diner
Via Mercanti, Kensington’s new Neapolitan-style pizza parlour from a pair of Queen Margherita exiles
Reds Midtown Tavern, the downtown power-restaurant’s sleek second location
Momofuku Milk Bar Toronto, the first international outpost of the New York bake shop
Switch, the new downtown bar and rec room from Hanif Harji
Banh Mi Boys, Queen West’s shiny new Vietnamese sub counter
Jazz Bistro, a new spot for live music in the downtown core
Rock ‘n’ Horse Saloon, the other place in town where you can ride a mechanical bull
Touhenboku Ramen, a new Queen West ramen shop from a Tokyo-based noodle master
The Fifth Pub House and Café, a casual addition to the The Fifth’s downtown dining complex
The Cocktail Parlor, Charles Khabouth’s new lounge at STORYS on King West
Buonanotte, Charles Khabouth’s Toronto version of the Montreal night-life fixture
The Chase, a swishy new penthouse restaurant in the Financial District
The Chase Fish and Oyster, a new Hamptons-style seafood bar in the historic Dineen building
Kupfert and Kim, a new takeout spot in the Path that’s both vegan and gluten-free
Hunters Landing, a new post-game hangout in Concord CityPlace
Osteria dei Ganzi, a new casual Italian restaurant in a historic Jarvis Street mansion
THR & Co., the new restaurant on Harbord Street from the owners of The Harbord Room
The Clubhouse, a new sandwich shop at College and Spadina
Wind Up Bird, a new café, restaurant and community hub from the owner of Yakitori Bar in Baldwin Village
Jelly Modern Doughnuts, a new gourmet doughnut shop on College Street
Seven Lives, the new Kensington Market location of the pop-up taco shop
Fika, a charming new café in Kensington Market from Victor Barry and Nikki Leigh McKean
The Burgernator, a new shop for burger lovers in Kensington Market
Ryus Noodle Bar, a new ramen shop in Baldwin Village
Nespresso Boutique Bar, a 14,000-square-foot café and retail space in Yorkville from the Swiss coffee company
Dyne, the Iberian-Asian restaurant that took over from Maléna
Duke’s Refresher, a rowdy new brunch and dinner spot in the Aura condos at Yonge and Gerrard
Harvest Kitchen, a veggie-friendly comfort food spot in the old Tati Bistro space
• Drake One Fifty, the hipster hotel’s new standalone restaurant

East Side

Hogtown Smoke, the slow-smoking food truck’s new barbecue joint in The Beach
Xola, a new spot for tacos, taquitos and tamales in the Beach
Trinity Taverna, a new Greek restaurant in the Beach with a palatial terrace
Brussels Bistro, a new French-Belgian restaurant in the Beach
Das Gasthaus, a new German pub on the Danforth from a former Langdon Hall chef
El Catrin, the Distillery District’s new Mexican restaurant
The Beer Hall, Mill St. Brewery’s new pub serving bierschnaps
Extended F’Amelia, the Cabbagetown trattoria’s new next-door wine bar
Zakkushi, the first Toronto location of the Vancouver chain of yakitori bars
• Olé Olé, a new King East resto-lounge with an impressive social conscience
Brooklyn Tavern, a cozy American bistro in the middle of Leslieville
Bistro 896, Richard Henry’s latest French restaurant in Leslieville
Hitch, a cozy new Leslieville bar named for an irascible literary gadfly
Bero, pop-up chef Matt Kantor’s new Spanish restaurant in Leslieville
Boots ‘n Bourbon, a country-western saloon in Riverdale from the owners of Rock Lobster
Aft Kitchen and Bar, a new barbecue joint in Riverside
Appetite, Riverside’s new gourmet food shop
Craft Dogs, a new place for artisanal street meat on King East
Woods, a fancy new restaurant in St. Lawrence Market from the former Modus chef
The Beech Tree, a new gastropub in The Beach from a Toronto Underground Market alum
The Carbon Bar, a massive Southern bistro on Queen East from the owners of Nota Bene

West Side

Through Being Cool, a quaint new vegan bakery in Bloordale
Black Rabbit, a new family-friendly café in Bloor West Village
Queen Margherita Pizza’s new Baby Point location
The Huntsman, a cozy Canadian tavern on College Street
The Bickford Flexitarian, a new Harbord Street café that caters to raw foodists, vegans and vegetarians
Darwin, Little Italy’s new modern French bistro
Bar Isabel, Grant van Gameren’s highly anticipated new restaurant in Little Italy
• Ryoji, Toronto’s newest ramen shop and izakaya, is set to open this month
The Guild, a new contemporary Canadian restaurant on Dundas West
Hudson Kitchen, the Dundas West eatery that hosted Brad and Jen (separately) during TIFF 2013
Me and Mine, an eclectic new brunch spot at College and Dufferin
Bolt Fresh Bar, a new clean-eating outpost on Queen West
The Dock Ellis, an unusually hip sports bar on Dundas West from the owner of The Emmet Ray
The Libertine, a Dundas West speakeasy with bar snacks, bacon cocktails and an in-house psychic
Cafe Bar Pasta, a new coffee shop, trattoria and snack bar on Dundas West
Takht-e Tavoos, a new Persian restaurant from the owners of Pomegranate
The Hogtown Cure, Dundas West’s new sandwich shop and deli
Wiggle Room, a new East Coast street food stall at Scadding Court’s Market 707
Bricco Kitchen and Wine Bar, a stylish new enoteca on the Junction strip
Bestia, a new mobile pizzeria from the owners of Sagra and The Slow Room
Sagra, a new trattoria in the Junction
Marky and Sparky’s Smokehouse, a new spot for southern barbecue in the Junction
Luce, a new neighbourhood trattoria on King West
Home of the Brave, an all-American diner from the owners of La Carnita
EFS, a new rooftop bar and hookah lounge on King West
Cibo Wine Bar, a plush new Italian resto-lounge on King West
Valdez, the new Latin American restaurant from Top Chef Canada alum Steve Gonzalez
PS by Prettysweet, a new custom cake shop and bakery on King West
Soos, a new Malaysian restaurant on the Ossington strip
Ardor Bistro, a new Peruvian restaurant on Ossington from the owners of Celestin
Côte de Boeuf, a new butcher and food shop from the owners of Union
Bazara, Ossington’s new spot for sushi
Kitten and the Bear, a charming new tea room and confiturier in Parkdale
Geraldine, a new spot for absinthe, oysters and Edwardian hospitality in Parkdale
Food and Liquor, a new late-night snack bar in Parkdale
Electric Mud BBQ, the raucous new barbecue joint from the owners of Grand Electric
Porzia, a new Italian restaurant in Parkdale
Room 203, Guy Rawlings’ new food event space
The P&L Burger, a modern malt shop on Queen West from the owners of Parts & Labour
Toma Burger Addiction, the latest contender in the Queen West burger wars
Fonda Lola, a new Queen West cantina that serves kombucha on tap
Lot St., an eclectic new restaurant at Queen and Bathurst
Destingo, a new trattoria on Queen West with a sprawling front patio
The Beverley, a new restaurant, boutique hotel and rooftop bar on Queen West
Rock Lobster Food Co. on Queen West, a second outpost of the trendy seafood restaurant
Enzo Pizza Bar, the new make-your-own pizza joint on Queen Street West
Grasslands, the trendy revamp of vegan stalwart Fressen
The Samuel J. Moore, the new nearly-24-hour restaurant in The Great Hall
Cool City Oyster Yard, a new surf shack at 99 Sudbury that’s open from June to October
La Cubana, a stylishly retro diner on Roncesvalles from the owner of Delux
Dundas Park Kitchen, a new takeout sandwich shop in Roncesvalles
The Rude Boy, Roncesvalles’s new gourmet burger joint

Midtown

Pukka, a modern Indian restaurant on St. Clair West with an impressive wine list
Smoked and Cracked, a new lobster shack on Mount Pleasant
Vita Sociale, the new rustic Italian rebrand of uptown institution Centro
Boar, the new sandwich shop from the owner of the Black Camel
Bushi Udon Kappo, a new Japanese noodle house in midtown
The Cupcake Girls open their first Toronto shop
Northwood, a new Christie Pits café and cocktail bar

Uptown

Estrella Taqueria, North York’s answer to the downtown taco trend
Origin North, the new uptown tapas restaurant from Claudio Aprile

Suburbs

Scaddabush, a new Italian restaurant at Square One in Mississauga
Boccone Trattoria Veloce, Massimo Capra’s new Italian restaurant at Pearson Airport


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