Everything to eat at Waterworks Food Hall, the new 55,000-square-foot European-style destination for gourmet bites

Toronto has been on an upscale food-hall tear this summer, and the 55,000-square-foot Waterworks Food Hall is the showiest one yet. Part of a mixed-use development, this handsome retrofit of a circa 1930s machine shop now has new life coursing through its sturdy structural bones. “It’s not just a fancier version of a food court,” insists Eve Lewis, the President and CEO of Woodcliffe Landmark Properties. “It’s a community hub.” The building includes a YMCA and condo units and also has 12,000 square feet of private event spaces and two stand-alone spots: Susur Lee moved his celebrated Lee Restaurant from its longtime home on King West here last July, and Sobr Market, the city’s first ever non-alcoholic bottle shop, opened its doors this April.

Lewis and her team spent eight years visiting food halls all over the world—including ones in London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Madrid and New York—for inspiration. The hall is a collaboration between Mod Developments, Steven Fong Architects, Diamond Schmitt and ERA Architects. Pavilion-style walkways and soaring ceilings are lined with oversized skylights. Interior design firms Cecconi Simone, Design Agency and Future Studio make the space feel simultaneously modern and classic, and Studio Ninth’s curation of the art installations—especially massive spherical sculptures that hang from the ceilings—bring the festive vibes.

Here’s a look at our favourite food and drink options at the new Waterworks Food Hall.

Karak

Fusion food often gets a bad rep for misrepresenting cultures, but for Karak owner Zeeshan Vahidy, it epitomizes the amalgamation of Toronto’s culinary inventiveness. The Pakistani stuffed naan sandwiches here—reminiscent of a calzone but with a thinner and flakier shell—are a prime example. There’s a Texas Smoked Brisket Naan laced with a secret dry rub and then cooked in a smoker with cherry and hickory woods for 18 hours. The meat is piled on naan dough, topped with bold Texas barbecue sauce and a garlic-mayo drizzle, baked in a pizza oven, then brushed with butter and finished with sesame seeds. The decadent Butter Chicken Naan has breast meat coated with their spice blend, then marinated in yogurt, ginger and garlic paste. It’s baked, then tossed, with their house butter chicken sauce that uses seven spices (including fenugreek and garam masala), along with copious amounts of cream and butter. The whole shebang is then sliced up into perfectly portable, not-too-messy sandwiches.

Grape Witches

Co-founder Nicole Campbell’s natural wine bar and bottle shop is a beloved spot on the fringes of Ossington and Dundas West. Campbell has become the go-to authority for her ability to demystify all the elements surrounding natural wines (e.g. funk factor, zero sulphur and everything in between) one drink at a time. At Waterworks, she’s set a cozy rail bar with over 200 varieties available to try. “Our menu will change weekly, which keeps things so fresh and fun,” she says. “We’ll also always offer two rotating tasting flights of things we’re most excited about that will range from geeky, interesting things like an exploration of soil type, grape and place, to themed flights that mark pop-culture milestones.” Her must-taste picks? Benjamin Bridge, Geisenheim from Gaspereau, Nova Scotia (an orange wine with notes of marmalade, apricot and pine); and Martha Stoumen Nero D’Avola Rosato from Mendocino County, California (a rosé kissed with watermelon and strawberry rhubarb pie). Opening in September.

Dave’s Genuine Deli

Owner and chef Dave Isen has channelled his nearly 40 years of culinary experience into this Southern barbecue/Jewish deli hybrid. The pulled pork sandwich is a juicy beast, with a dry rub that includes brown sugar, paprika, pepper, garlic, onion and cumin. After 15 hours in the smoker, the fall-apart meat is tossed with Carolina Gold barbecue sauce. There’s also the French Onion Brisket Poutine, a delightful mess of fresh-cut fries, chunky nuggets of St-Albert cheese curds, caramelized onions and soft meaty hunks of Texas-style brisket, all drenched in beef gravy.

Otto’s Berlin Döner

Similar to the offerings at her popular Kensington Market spot, Otto’s owner Bobina Attlee is serving up traditional German street food with vibrant twists here. The Bratwurst is a juicy-salty indulgence that features a sliced grilled sausage drizzled with tangy curry ketchup on a bed of thin golden spuds. The Halloumi Döner uses the restaurant’s signature German-style bread (think of it like the love child of focaccia and pita) filled with deep fried, squeaky halloumi cheese, fresh cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cucumber topped with garlic, yogurt and hot sauces.

The Arepa Republic

The intoxicating flavours of Venezuela permeate every dish that chef-owner Luis Cordoba crafts. In addition to owning a food truck for 10 years and running a standalone location in North York since 2018, here he offers his heavy-hitter favourites to the downtown crowd on repeat. The Pabellón Criollo is Cordoba’s rendition of Venezuela’s national dish, teeming with cheese, fried plantains, black beans and shredded flank steak overflowing out of a corn arepa. The Reina Pepiada is stuffed with shreds of chicken breast that are blended with garlic, onion, mayonnaise and mixed with avocado for an extra oomph of creaminess.

Boxcar Social and the Waterworks Bar

This two-in-one spot has all the drink cravings covered, from crafty coffee at the crack of dawn to happy-hour libations until well into the wee hours. Start your day with cold-brew Coffee at Boxcar Social made with Subtext Coffee Roasters beans. To finish, the baristas pull out their secret weapon, Brood, a high-tech nitrogen infusion that takes iced-coffee to the next level, jacking up the aroma and infusing the drink with an extra creamy texture.

Over at the attached Waterworks Bar, they’re busy spotlighting Ontario craft breweries and wineries, mostly from Prince Edward County and Niagara-on-the-Lake. They also have ready-made cocktails on tap from Civil Pours, like eye-opening margaritas and espresso martinis, as well as four non-alcoholic options from Sobr Market. But the must-try is the Helles Lager made in collaboration with Burdock Brewery: it tastes like a warm hug wrapped in cookies and butter caramel.

Scooped by Demetres

This ice cream brand has been serving up sweet finales since they opened their OG location on the Danforth in 1989, expanding to 12 other locations across the GTA since. The enduring appeal is thanks to the signature recipe made with a whopping 19-per-cent butterfat content, resulting in an ultra-rich, dense and taffy-like texture. You can opt for an ice-cream flight (patrons can choose five scoops from the rotating menu of 20 flavours, including adventurous options like Whispers of Saffron), or, for something more Instagram worthy, a double scoop on the malted waffle cones is the way to go. While the Double Baked Apple Pie—hopped up on brown butter, cinnamon, and apples—is a no-brainer delight, there’s always the more unique Cajeta Swirled Goat Cheese. Cajeta is a Mexican dulce de leche made with goat’s milk, which they swirl into an ice cream also made from goat cheese.

Harry’s Charbroiled

Owner and Chef Grant van Gameren has been serving up Harry’s reliable favourites at his Toronto and Picton locations since 2019, and now he’s brought his beloved smash burgers to Waterworks, too. The Classic Jane is made from a juicy brisket-chuck blend and then smothered with caramelized onions, fried jalapeños, smokey BBQ mayonnaise and crispy onions for a righteous crunch. If you’re a glutton for punishment, opt for the Big Jane that comes with two patties topped with hot peppers, garlic mayonnaise, spicy ketchup and two types of bacon (classic strip and marinated spicy adobo peameal bacon). Naturally, it’s not a complete meal without the steak-cut cavendish fries and a classic vanilla-bean milkshake to guzzle it all down.

Musoshin Ramen

Michelin-acclaimed co-owners Aoi Yoshida and Shin Inaba opened their first ramen venture outside of Asia on Roncesvalles and are now following it up with this one at Waterworks. Best bets include their Special Musoshin for the unabashed carnivore: bouncy strands of homemade wheat noodles made with premium-aged flour bob in a slurp-worthy chicken-pork-vegetable broth, topped with pork belly, beef tenderloin, karaage, seasoned soft-boiled egg and garnished with green onions and seaweed. For dessert there’s next-level strawberry mochi featuring a whole fresh strawberry covered with red bean paste and wrapped in a chewy glutinous rice cake.

Aburi Sushi

Even if you’re already a fan of Aburi Sushi’s four other Toronto outposts (Aburi Tora, Aburi Hana, Miku and Minami), you’ll want to make a special trip to Waterworks for creations you won’t find anywhere else. Much like an intimate omakase experience—minus the high price tag—here you grab a seat at the counter and watch the cooks prepare each dish. Waterworks-specific items (all created by Aburi Hana’s Michelin-starred chef Ryusuke Nakagawa) include the Aburi Spicy BC Sockeye Salmon Oshi Temaki, featuring two layers of salmon, mayonnaise, black pepper, serrano pepper, shiso leaf, and pickled ginger. There’s also the Aburi Hamachi Oshi Temaki (yellowtail paired with cilantro, lime juice, avocado, togarashi pepper, sushi rice and Ariake seaweed). While it’s all delicious, the must-tries are the poached Canadian Lobster Temaki with wasabi miso sauce and the decadently marbled A5 Wagyu Temaki.