The Month That Was: the Toronto restaurants and bars that opened and closed in January

The Month That Was: the Toronto restaurants and bars that opened and closed in January

Introducing: Small Town Food Co.
The Scotch eggs at Small Town Food Co. in Parkdale (Image: Renée Suen)

Openings

Red Sauce—The owners of now-defunct Acadia have traded Lowcountry cooking for veal parmigiana sandwiches and other Italian-American snacks. At night, the restaurant morphs into a cocktail bar. Read our Introducing post »

Snakes and Lagers—The new board-gaming bar has hundreds of games, 19 beers on tap and a short list of casual snacks, like deviled eggs and sliders. Read our Introducing post »

Bar Buca—The all-day Italian snack bar is the kind of place you can grab a morning cappuccino, a casual lunch or a post-work aperitivo. Read our Introducing post »

Just Sushi—This Mimico eatery claims to be the world’s first 100 per cent sustainable sushi restaurant. Read our Introducing post »

Union Social Eatery—Burgers, fries and other comfort dishes dominate the menu at this big, casual restaurant at Yonge and St. Clair. Read our Introducing post »

Sip Wine Bar—The Neopolitan pizzeria craze hits Yonge and Eglinton. Read our Introducing post »

Ramen Isshin—The College Street noodle house serves “Japanese soul food,” like poutine topped with scallions and seaweed. Read our introducing post »

Small Town Food Co.—Parkdale’s newest pub combines small-town coziness with big-city polish. Read our Introducing post »

Gilead—Jamie Kennedy returns to full-fledged restaurateurship with his new Corktown wine bar.  Read our introducing post »

Greenwood Smokehouse BBQ—This Danforth restaurant specializes in traditional, Southern-style barbeque. [PostCity]

420 Smoke House—Pitmaster Ryan Gatner’s menu is less traditional: it includes smoked oysters, and sweet-and-sour Korean ribs. [PostCity]

The Lucky Penny—The café-slash-general store sells everything from coffee to dog toys. Come spring, they’ll open a 25 seat patio. Read our introducing post »

Nando’s—Piri-piri chicken is the star at this Bay Street outpost of the popular Portuguese chain. [PostCity]

Noodle Face Co.—NFC brings Chinese noodles and dumplings to the ramen-clogged Baldwin strip. [BlogTO]

Greenhouse Juice Co.—This quaint Rosedale juice boutique might be the most adorable way to detox in Toronto. Read our Dish post »

Cut the Cheese—The Junction snack bar specializes in gourmet macaroni and pressed cheese sandwiches. [PostCity]

The Greek—Poutine comes topped with pulled pork and feta at this new late-night snack counter on King West. [BlogTO]

Bindia—Kebabs and tandoori are go-to items at this new Indian bistro near St. Lawrence Market. [The Grid]

Albion’s Pizza and Shawarma—The Bloorcourt counter serves wings, burgers and shawarma-topped pizzas. [BlogTO]

The Spice Village Indian Grill—This colourful new Indian restaurant opened in Church-Wellesley village. [BlogTO]

The Pint House—Yelpers are loving this new sports bar’s affordable pints and big-screen TVs. [BlogTO]

Closings

Mad Italian—Financial issues caused the local pizza and gelato chain to close all three of its locations. Read our Dish Post »

Murray’s Sandwich Emporium—Papered windows signaled the closure of this popular Queen West sandwich shop. [PostCity]

Dyne Restaurant—The Iberian-Asian restaurant closed after just over a year in business. Read our Dish post »

KO Burgers—Formerly called Wing Shop 366, this burger joint closed its doors at the end of January. [PostCity]

Olde Towne Bistro & Oyster Bar—The brand-new seafood bistro—formerly Lucien—was sold to new owners, who plan to open a cocktail bar in its place. Read our Dish post »

Phil’s Original BBQ—An eviction notice citing $30,000 in unpaid rent spelled the end for this 23-year-old barbeque spot. [BlogTO]

Dukem—The Ethiopian restaurant on the Danforth closed a few weeks ago. According to the owner, a new location is in the works. [BlogTO]

Addis Ababa—After two decades on Queen West, this Ethiopian eatery also appears to be defunct. Read our Dish post »

The Artisan Baker—The French shop’s sudden closure came as a surprise to patrons. [BlogTO]

Origin LibertyMasterchef judge Claudio Aprile chose to shutter the chain’s Liberty Village outpost. The St. James and Origin North locations remain open. [TheGrid]

Pastis—The longstanding bistro was sold to new owners following owner George Gurnon’s retirement. Read our Dish post »

LeVack Block—The Ossington strip’s one-time premiere party destination was sold to new owners, who intend to repurpose the space. Read our Dish post »

Playful Grounds—The child-friendly College Street café closed at the end of January. [Playful Grounds]