Keriwa Café, a new restaurant with an Aboriginal menu, to open on Queen West next month

Keriwa Café, a new restaurant with an Aboriginal menu, to open on Queen West next month

A new restaurant focused on Aboriginal cuisine is set to open on Queen Street West this coming May. Behind Keriwa is Aaron Joseph Bear Robe, previously of Splendido, Michael Stadtländer’s Eigensinn Farm and Haisai, and the River Café in Calgary. With a strong pedigree of farm-to-table haute cuisine, Keriwa Café will bring Aboriginal recipes together with more contemporary dishes, and will focus on local, seasonal and organic ingredients. He’s also promised us fried bread.

The space on the Parkdale strip (previously home to Simone Interiors, Chong Ching Garden and Snowball Gallery and Workshop) is just steps from a growing row of local food–focused restaurants, including Local Kitchen and Cowbell. The interior, currently being redesigned by Roy Banse Design (Böhmer, Thompson Hotel Toronto),will be a modern-rustic space complete with a wood-burning grill, salvaged accent pieces and photos on display by the Aboriginal artist Jason Jenkins.

Keriwa Café, 1690 Queen St. W., 416-533-2552, keriwacafe.ca