This fine-dining chef has opened a Mexican restaurant on Harbord

Chef Adam Ryan has already earned a following at Azura, his Mediterranean tasting menu restaurant on Danforth. Now, the chef has turned his attention southward with a new concept on Harbord Street that blends Mexican flavours with Canadian ingredients.

Ryan says the idea for his new restaurant, Alebrije, had been percolating for years. He grew up eating Tex-Mex food and says those punchy flavours—high acid, lots of spice, plenty of freshness—stuck with him. “Mexican food is one of my favourite things to eat,” he says. “I love the cuisine and the culture and the flavours.”

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With this project, however, he wanted to create something beyond a run-of-the-mill Tex-Mex joint. Instead, Alebrijes is rooted in Mexico’s culinary traditions but filtered through Ryan’s Canadian pantry. Canadian proteins and produce, including Arctic char and summer squash, are sourced from local farmers, while key Mexican ingredients, like dried chilies and corn for masa dough, are imported.

That approach translates into dishes like cochinita made with Ontario spaghetti squash. The vegetable is rubbed with achiote paste, chilies and citrus, then roasted in banana leaves. Instead of the expected pickled onions, Ryan tops it with pickled hops from Caledon plus pico de gallo brightened with pomegranate and sea buckthorn. The menu also includes birria beef short rib with a brussels sprout slaw and refried cranberry beans with smoked tomato salsa.

“It’s staying true to our concept by utilizing Mexican flavours but also putting a bit of a Canadian twist on them,” says Ryan.

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The bar program leans into both tradition and experimentation. Naturally, there’s a selection of margaritas that includes flavoured riffs, like peach and chipotle, served by the glass or as a tasting flight. Ontario wines, particularly cool-climate bottles that pair well with heat and acidity, round out the drink selection.

The space itself is decorated with a moody palette of dark walls and heavy curtains, with bursts of colour from papier-mâché alebrijes—the mythical animals that inspired the restaurant’s name. A giant winged shark hangs above the bar, joined by other creatures like a bear with antlers.

Another fun encapsulation of Alebrije’s blend of Canadian and Mexican influences is the restaurant’s logo: a raccoon with dragon wings.