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Liza Agrba

Liza Agrba has worked as a freelance journalist in Toronto for over a decade and has earned multiple awards. She covers food, business and culture and writes memoir-style pieces. Her work frequently appears in the Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, Toronto Life and many other publications

Latest from Liza Agrba

Sort-of Secret: Sandwichito, a one-man Chilean sandwich operation on St. Clair West

Sort-of Secret: Sandwichito, a one-man Chilean sandwich operation on St. Clair West

Part of our series shining a light on the city’s hidden edible gems

Sort-of Secret: Brandt Meats, a Mississauga food market and factory outlet with a hot-lunch counter

Sort-of Secret: Brandt Meats, a Mississauga food market and factory outlet with a hot-lunch counter

Part of our series shining a light on the city's hidden edible gems

Toronto restaurants serving up romantic multi-course meals for Valentine's Day

Toronto restaurants serving up romantic multi-course meals for Valentine’s Day

See also Galentine's Day or Palentine's Day

Inside Freebird, a swanky new market in Etobicoke for house-made pizza, pasta, pastries and groceries

Inside Freebird, a swanky new market in Etobicoke for house-made pizza, pasta, pastries and groceries

It's a one-stop shop for necessities and indulgences

Sort-of Secret: Cucina Mauro, a cozy Italian lunch counter tucked away in a North York industrial plaza

Sort-of Secret: Cucina Mauro, a cozy Italian lunch counter tucked away in a North York industrial plaza

Part of our series that shines a spotlight on the city’s hidden edible gems

Sort-of Secret: South-Western Bathhouse and Tea Room, an authentic Russian sauna and restaurant in Mississauga

Sort-of Secret: South-Western Bathhouse and Tea Room, an authentic Russian sauna and restaurant in Mississauga

Russian owners and a Ukrainian chef work together to provide the perfect cold-weather comforts

What's on the menu at the Golden Peacock, a new cocktail and snack bar from the team behind Donna's

What’s on the menu at the Golden Peacock, a new cocktail and snack bar from the team behind Donna’s

Including that Whopper-inspired burger

What's on the menu at Evangeline, the Ace Hotel's new all-season rooftop cocktail bar

What’s on the menu at Evangeline, the Ace Hotel’s new all-season rooftop cocktail bar

Including oysters, cheesy toast and ’nduja-stuffed olives

What's on the menu at Kiin, chef Nuit Regular's Royal Thai restaurant, including a cocktail inspired by mango sticky rice

What’s on the menu at Kiin, chef Nuit Regular’s Royal Thai restaurant, including a cocktail inspired by mango sticky rice

After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, Kiin has reopened with a new multi-dish tasting menu

What's on the menu at Judaline, a new neighbourhood gem on the Danforth

What’s on the menu at Judaline, a new neighbourhood gem on the Danforth

From the owner of Her Father's Cider Bar and Kitchen

What's on the menu at Black Pearl, a new bar in the Entertainment District with pool tables, bottled cocktails and pizza by the slice

What’s on the menu at Black Pearl, a new bar in the Entertainment District with pool tables, bottled cocktails and pizza by the slice

All of Pret a Manger's sandwiches and wraps, ranked

All of Pret a Manger’s sandwiches and wraps, ranked

We tried everything on the menu at the UK chain's new Financial District outpost

What’s on the menu at Parc Ave, Yorkville’s swanky new bar that turns out a $135 caviar-topped cocktail

What’s on the menu at Parc Ave, Yorkville’s swanky new bar that turns out a $135 caviar-topped cocktail

And a bunch of other fancy—and less outrageously priced—drinks

What's on the menu at Simpl Things, Parkdale's new snack bar that's Italian by day, Taiwanese by night

What’s on the menu at Simpl Things, Parkdale’s new snack bar that’s Italian by day, Taiwanese by night

Featuring two chefs-in-residence with distinctive menus

What's on the menu at Miss Likklemore's, a fancy new Caribbean kitchen on King West with a rum list 100 bottles long

What’s on the menu at Miss Likklemore’s, a fancy new Caribbean kitchen on King West with a rum list 100 bottles long

Also: super-thick slices of mac pie

Restaurants are desperately struggling with supply shortages

Restaurants are desperately struggling with supply shortages

Inflation, climate change, war—they all contribute to a world where once-regular menu items will no longer be available

Restaurants are toxic workplaces

Restaurants are toxic workplaces

Shaming, elitism and militaristic hierarchies have long been the norm

Restaurant staff are overworked and underpaid

Restaurant staff are overworked and underpaid

Stress, infighting and employee retention are huge problems

Restaurants aren’t thriving—they’re barely surviving

Restaurants aren’t thriving—they’re barely surviving

Rents are astronomical, food costs are higher than ever and profit margins are razor thin

Red tape is killing restaurants

Red tape is killing restaurants

The system seems designed to keep out first-time restaurateurs

There’s no such thing as work-life balance in the restaurant industry

There’s no such thing as work-life balance in the restaurant industry

Hours are brutal, burnout is rampant, something’s got to give

What's on the menu at Girl From Ipanema, a new Brazilian café and diner at Dufferin and Eglinton

What’s on the menu at Girl From Ipanema, a new Brazilian café and diner at Dufferin and Eglinton

Including sandwiches, street food snacks and decadent drinks

Five of this summer's new over-the-top frozen treats, ranked

Five of this summer’s new over-the-top frozen treats, ranked

Including one with googly eyes and one inside a watermelon

What's on the menu at Alder, Patrick Kriss's new Mediterranean-inspired restaurant inside the Ace Hotel

What’s on the menu at Alder, Patrick Kriss’s new Mediterranean-inspired restaurant inside the Ace Hotel

As with any Kriss project, sourcing and seasonality reign supreme

Summer Camp Guide

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Discover our top-rated summer camps for kids of all ages

Wines of the World

Wines of the World: Rediscover your favourites from Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants

Wines of the World: Rediscover your favourites from Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants

From cabernet and merlot to icewine and chardonnay, these wines are primed to pair and delight

Big Stories

Charm Offensive: The cottage country mortgage broker who lost $101 million of his clients’ money

Charm Offensive: The cottage country mortgage broker who lost $101 million of his clients’ money

Sandy Sussman spent decades wooing the upper echelons of Toronto society, becoming their go-to investment guy. He took their money and made a huge bet on cottage country. When the market tanked, he lost it all. Then he did everything in his power to cover it up

The Monster Cottages vs. the Resistance: Inside the ruthless battle for the future of Muskoka

The Monster Cottages vs. the Resistance: Inside the ruthless battle for the future of Muskoka

From Gravenhurst to Port Cockburn, the uber rich and powerful are buying up shoreline for private island compounds and sprawling mega-resorts, radically changing the face of Muskoka and infuriating environmentalists, locals and long-time cottagers

Dead Reckoning: The executor of their estate was supposed to divide it among their friends and family. Instead, he bankrupted it

Dead Reckoning: The executor of their estate was supposed to divide it among their friends and family. Instead, he bankrupted it

When Sami and June Suomalainen died, it fell to the executor of their wills, a lawyer they hardly knew, to sell their million-dollar midtown home and split the proceeds among their inheritors. Seven years and six lawsuits later, the beneficiaries haven’t seen a cent

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

This year’s list includes a 150-square-foot omakase counter, a Parisian brasserie in the Annex, Korean comfort food, Filipino karaoke and a Summerhill seafood spot that’s reinventing the raw bar

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

After years of false starts, months of nail-biting negotiations between the league and the players’ union, and an 11th-hour scramble to build a roster, Toronto finally has its own major-league women’s basketball team. Now it just has to live up to the hype

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Slowikowska is the first Canadian to join the cast of Saturday Night Live in more than 25 years. She’s also this season’s breakout star. Now all she has to do is keep crushing it

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

The man who represented the infamous drug lord is unapologetically flashy—he has a Lamborghini and two Maseratis and wears $1,200 Louboutins. But did he become an accomplice to his client’s crimes? Deepak Paradkar says he was just doing his job. The FBI says he crossed a line

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

We’re not over it, but they are. Six months after that devastating defeat, the Jays take the field once more, bent more than ever on winning the World Series. Dispatches from the dugout

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My dad was the infamous Rolex Killer. The news of his crimes nearly broke me. And ever since, my family has been hounded by reporters, podcasters and true crime fanatics—a whole new circle of hell

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Larry David is the indisputable king of brutal honesty. But if anyone comes close, it’s Robby Hoffman, the suddenly everywhere comic from whom no group is safe

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Pamela Sugiman, a former arts dean at Toronto Metropolitan University, was a key player in the school’s push for diversity, equity and inclusion. When the backlash against DEI arrived, she was demoted. The school says it was a coincidence. She disagrees

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

Scenes from the rent-for-life revolution

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

It’s hard out here for a 20-something

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

Desperate wannabe parents are betting their life savings on unproven treatments and false promises

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Last spring, a chatbot convinced Allan Brooks that he had discovered a revolutionary mathematical theory. He says it nearly destroyed him

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Homegrown innovations that will transform lives for the better

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

When Valentino was abducted, I knew three things: he’d been taken by his father, he was somewhere in India and I would not rest until I found him

Just Listed

For Sale: 99 Lake Promenade

For Sale: 99 Lake Promenade

This classic Hamptons-style home by Chatsworth Fine Homes offers an exciting opportunity to customize a new dream home and build instant value - without the long wait of new construction

For Sale: 92 Arjay Crescent

For Sale: 92 Arjay Crescent

As luxury buyers become increasingly focused on wellness, privacy, and long-term livability, a new generation of custom homes is emerging – one defined less by excess and more by thoughtful design

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

This rare property features 2 houses on 1 lot

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

A testament to time presiding over one of Uxbridge's most storied streetscapes, this magnificently preserved circa 1880 residence commands its prominent corner lot with the quiet confidence of a true architectural landmark

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

A commanding architectural statement in prestigious Stonegate–Queensway, this newly completed custom residence by Bali Homes Group presents a refined interpretation of contemporary luxury living