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
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