Year in Review: all 112 noteworthy Toronto restaurants that opened in 2013
Looking back on 365 days of Toronto dining, a few words stand out: tacos, burgers and real Southern barbeque. In 2013, Toronto restaurants kept things casual, with low-key smokehouses, malt shops and cantinas duking it out for trend supremacy. Meanwhile, pescaterian options proliferated; an influx of hotspots earned the downtown core new culinary cred; and dozens of restaurants spawned spin-offs—never before have so many stories on The Dish included the phrase “from the owners of.” Here, all 112 restaurants, lounges and cafés that we Introduced in 2013.
RELATED: How many of Toronto’s new restaurants have you been to? Let us know here!
Central
• Barrio Coreano, a Korean-inspired addition to the Playa Cabana taco chain
• Rakia Bar, a shiny new Queen East spot devoted to a traditional Balkan drink
• Playa Cabana Hacienda, the third location of the trendy taqueria
• Big Crow, Anthony Rose’s new backyard barbecue tucked behind Rose and Sons diner
• Via Mercanti, Kensington’s new Neapolitan-style pizza parlour from a pair of Queen Margherita exiles
• Reds Midtown Tavern, the downtown power-restaurant’s sleek second location
• Momofuku Milk Bar Toronto, the first international outpost of the New York bake shop
• Switch, the new downtown bar and rec room from Hanif Harji
• Banh Mi Boys, Queen West’s shiny new Vietnamese sub counter
• Jazz Bistro, a new spot for live music in the downtown core
• Rock ‘n’ Horse Saloon, the other place in town where you can ride a mechanical bull
• Touhenboku Ramen, a new Queen West ramen shop from a Tokyo-based noodle master
• The Fifth Pub House and Café, a casual addition to the The Fifth’s downtown dining complex
• The Cocktail Parlor, Charles Khabouth’s new lounge at STORYS on King West
• Buonanotte, Charles Khabouth’s Toronto version of the Montreal night-life fixture
• The Chase, a swishy new penthouse restaurant in the Financial District
• The Chase Fish and Oyster, a new Hamptons-style seafood bar in the historic Dineen building
• Kupfert and Kim, a new takeout spot in the Path that’s both vegan and gluten-free
• Hunters Landing, a new post-game hangout in Concord CityPlace
• Osteria dei Ganzi, a new casual Italian restaurant in a historic Jarvis Street mansion
• THR & Co., the new restaurant on Harbord Street from the owners of The Harbord Room
• The Clubhouse, a new sandwich shop at College and Spadina
• Wind Up Bird, a new café, restaurant and community hub from the owner of Yakitori Bar in Baldwin Village
• Jelly Modern Doughnuts, a new gourmet doughnut shop on College Street
• Seven Lives, the new Kensington Market location of the pop-up taco shop
• Fika, a charming new café in Kensington Market from Victor Barry and Nikki Leigh McKean
• The Burgernator, a new shop for burger lovers in Kensington Market
• Ryus Noodle Bar, a new ramen shop in Baldwin Village
• Nespresso Boutique Bar, a 14,000-square-foot café and retail space in Yorkville from the Swiss coffee company
• Dyne, the Iberian-Asian restaurant that took over from Maléna
• Duke’s Refresher, a rowdy new brunch and dinner spot in the Aura condos at Yonge and Gerrard
• Harvest Kitchen, a veggie-friendly comfort food spot in the old Tati Bistro space
• Drake One Fifty, the hipster hotel’s new standalone restaurant
East Side
• Hogtown Smoke, the slow-smoking food truck’s new barbecue joint in The Beach
• Xola, a new spot for tacos, taquitos and tamales in the Beach
• Trinity Taverna, a new Greek restaurant in the Beach with a palatial terrace
• Brussels Bistro, a new French-Belgian restaurant in the Beach
• Das Gasthaus, a new German pub on the Danforth from a former Langdon Hall chef
• El Catrin, the Distillery District’s new Mexican restaurant
• The Beer Hall, Mill St. Brewery’s new pub serving bierschnaps
• Extended F’Amelia, the Cabbagetown trattoria’s new next-door wine bar
• Zakkushi, the first Toronto location of the Vancouver chain of yakitori bars
• Olé Olé, a new King East resto-lounge with an impressive social conscience
• Brooklyn Tavern, a cozy American bistro in the middle of Leslieville
• Bistro 896, Richard Henry’s latest French restaurant in Leslieville
• Hitch, a cozy new Leslieville bar named for an irascible literary gadfly
• Bero, pop-up chef Matt Kantor’s new Spanish restaurant in Leslieville
• Boots ‘n Bourbon, a country-western saloon in Riverdale from the owners of Rock Lobster
• Aft Kitchen and Bar, a new barbecue joint in Riverside
• Appetite, Riverside’s new gourmet food shop
• Craft Dogs, a new place for artisanal street meat on King East
• Woods, a fancy new restaurant in St. Lawrence Market from the former Modus chef
• The Beech Tree, a new gastropub in The Beach from a Toronto Underground Market alum
• The Carbon Bar, a massive Southern bistro on Queen East from the owners of Nota Bene
West Side
• Through Being Cool, a quaint new vegan bakery in Bloordale
• Black Rabbit, a new family-friendly café in Bloor West Village
• Queen Margherita Pizza’s new Baby Point location
• The Huntsman, a cozy Canadian tavern on College Street
• The Bickford Flexitarian, a new Harbord Street café that caters to raw foodists, vegans and vegetarians
• Darwin, Little Italy’s new modern French bistro
• Bar Isabel, Grant van Gameren’s highly anticipated new restaurant in Little Italy
• Ryoji, Toronto’s newest ramen shop and izakaya, is set to open this month
• The Guild, a new contemporary Canadian restaurant on Dundas West
• Hudson Kitchen, the Dundas West eatery that hosted Brad and Jen (separately) during TIFF 2013
• Me and Mine, an eclectic new brunch spot at College and Dufferin
• Bolt Fresh Bar, a new clean-eating outpost on Queen West
• The Dock Ellis, an unusually hip sports bar on Dundas West from the owner of The Emmet Ray
• The Libertine, a Dundas West speakeasy with bar snacks, bacon cocktails and an in-house psychic
• Cafe Bar Pasta, a new coffee shop, trattoria and snack bar on Dundas West
• Takht-e Tavoos, a new Persian restaurant from the owners of Pomegranate
• The Hogtown Cure, Dundas West’s new sandwich shop and deli
• Wiggle Room, a new East Coast street food stall at Scadding Court’s Market 707
• Bricco Kitchen and Wine Bar, a stylish new enoteca on the Junction strip
• Bestia, a new mobile pizzeria from the owners of Sagra and The Slow Room
• Sagra, a new trattoria in the Junction
• Marky and Sparky’s Smokehouse, a new spot for southern barbecue in the Junction
• Luce, a new neighbourhood trattoria on King West
• Home of the Brave, an all-American diner from the owners of La Carnita
• EFS, a new rooftop bar and hookah lounge on King West
• Cibo Wine Bar, a plush new Italian resto-lounge on King West
• Valdez, the new Latin American restaurant from Top Chef Canada alum Steve Gonzalez
• PS by Prettysweet, a new custom cake shop and bakery on King West
• Soos, a new Malaysian restaurant on the Ossington strip
• Ardor Bistro, a new Peruvian restaurant on Ossington from the owners of Celestin
• Côte de Boeuf, a new butcher and food shop from the owners of Union
• Bazara, Ossington’s new spot for sushi
• Kitten and the Bear, a charming new tea room and confiturier in Parkdale
• Geraldine, a new spot for absinthe, oysters and Edwardian hospitality in Parkdale
• Food and Liquor, a new late-night snack bar in Parkdale
• Electric Mud BBQ, the raucous new barbecue joint from the owners of Grand Electric
• Porzia, a new Italian restaurant in Parkdale
• Room 203, Guy Rawlings’ new food event space
• The P&L Burger, a modern malt shop on Queen West from the owners of Parts & Labour
• Toma Burger Addiction, the latest contender in the Queen West burger wars
• Fonda Lola, a new Queen West cantina that serves kombucha on tap
• Lot St., an eclectic new restaurant at Queen and Bathurst
• Destingo, a new trattoria on Queen West with a sprawling front patio
• The Beverley, a new restaurant, boutique hotel and rooftop bar on Queen West
• Rock Lobster Food Co. on Queen West, a second outpost of the trendy seafood restaurant
• Enzo Pizza Bar, the new make-your-own pizza joint on Queen Street West
• Grasslands, the trendy revamp of vegan stalwart Fressen
• The Samuel J. Moore, the new nearly-24-hour restaurant in The Great Hall
• Cool City Oyster Yard, a new surf shack at 99 Sudbury that’s open from June to October
• La Cubana, a stylishly retro diner on Roncesvalles from the owner of Delux
• Dundas Park Kitchen, a new takeout sandwich shop in Roncesvalles
• The Rude Boy, Roncesvalles’s new gourmet burger joint
Midtown
• Pukka, a modern Indian restaurant on St. Clair West with an impressive wine list
• Smoked and Cracked, a new lobster shack on Mount Pleasant
• Vita Sociale, the new rustic Italian rebrand of uptown institution Centro
• Boar, the new sandwich shop from the owner of the Black Camel
• Bushi Udon Kappo, a new Japanese noodle house in midtown
• The Cupcake Girls open their first Toronto shop
• Northwood, a new Christie Pits café and cocktail bar
Uptown
• Estrella Taqueria, North York’s answer to the downtown taco trend
• Origin North, the new uptown tapas restaurant from Claudio Aprile
Suburbs
• Scaddabush, a new Italian restaurant at Square One in Mississauga
• Boccone Trattoria Veloce, Massimo Capra’s new Italian restaurant at Pearson Airport

Das Gasthaus’ Langdon Hall related chef departed long ago. I’d be surprised if he was still there by the time September came around.