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

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

Rock Lobster Queen
Steamed shrimp at Rock Lobster on Queen West (Image: Renée Suen)

Openings

Cabana Pool Bar—An outrageous Miami-style aquatic playground for daytime boozing and schmoozing from nightlife impresario Charles Khabouth. Read our Introducing post »

Origin North—Claudio Aprile’s new 12,000-square-foot uptown outpost. Read our Introducing post »

ValdezTop Chef Canada alum Steve Gonzalez’s new Latin American tapas lounge on King West serves five different types of ceviche. Read our Introducing post »

Burger’s Priest—The cultish griddle-smashed burger joint opened a third location on Queen West. Read our story »

The Clubhouse Sandwich Shop—A cheery new spot for creative twists on the classic bread-and-cheese formula, like a beer-battered halibut club. Read our Introducing post »

Jelly Modern Doughnuts—The Calgary-based (and Oprah-approved) gourmet doughnut shop opened its first Toronto location on College Street. Read our Introducing post »

Rock Lobster Food Co.—The Canadiana-themed east-coast comfort spot opened a second location on Queen West. Read our Introducing post »

Cibo Wine Bar—The company behind supper clubs Rosewater and Spice Route launched an Italian resto-lounge on King West with an 88-dish menu. Read our Introducing post »

Cool City Oyster Yard—This breezy west-end seafood pop-up serves sake cocktails and shellfish by the bucket. Read our Introducing post »

Bistro 896—Only weeks after Le Canard Mort closed, owner Richard Henry opened a new bistro in the same space. [PostCity]

Common Goods—The new food court at Harbourfront consists of a trio of miniature restaurants housed in reclaimed shipping crates. Read our Introducing post »

The Belly Buster Submarines—The 40-year-old late-night sub shop opened a second location on clubby King West. Read our story »

Lucy Brock—A new cocktail bar on Dundas West from the owners of Motel in Parkdale. [BlogTO]

CAFE+BAR+PASTA—Another new addition to the Dundas West strip, this one serving Italian food and wine on tap. [BlogTO]

Douce France—A new upmarket Parisian café and bakery at Yonge and Eglinton. Read our story »

Castle Board Game Café—This latest incarnation of the board game fad opened at College and Spadina. Read our story »

Full Stop—A new, 60s-style indie coffeehouse in the Junction with a 30-seat back patio. Read our story »

Yummy Stuff­­—The popular Parkdale bakery is popping up on the Danforth, just for the summer. Read our story »

Mavi Grill—A kid-friendly restaurant in Richmond Hill serving Turkish döners and other Mediterranean staples. [Facebook]

The Marquis of Granby—A new British pub and sports bar on Church Street. [Facebook]

Via Cibo—The new Italian eatery at York Mills and Leslie serves pizzas, pastas and flatbreads called piadina. [PostCity]

Nawab Fusion Grill—This new uptown fusion restaurant serves culinary mash-ups like spicy Indo-Asian Hakka noodles. [Facebook]

Roux—The former Junction Eatery reopened under a new name with a revamped Southern-Cajun menu and a raw bar. [BlogTO]

Beryl’s Pepper Pot—The Jamaican eatery with outposts in Ajax and Oshawa opened a third location in Leslieville. [PostCity]

Sud FornoPizza-and-pasta giant Terroni opened a new companion bakery next door to its Queen West location. [TheGrid]

The Bickford FlexitarianThis health-conscious café in the Annex serves vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian dishes (for veggies who sometimes eat meat). [BlogTO]

Wallace & Co.—A new restaurant in the Junction serving juicy burgers, home fries and other old-school diner food. [BlogTO]

The Signature Kitchen—A new Japanese and Korean fusion restaurant on the Danforth. [PostCity]

Foodbenders—Nutritious on-the-go salads and sandwiches at the new Junction take-out spot. [PostCity]

Closings

Eddie’s Restaurant & BBQ Chicken—The 18-year-old Etobicoke diner closed when its lease expired. [Toronto Star]

Poor John’s Café—The popular brunch shop on Queen West was replaced by a new late-night snack bar called Food and Liquor. [TheGrid]

Hadley’s—The bustling College Street brunch spot closed after issues with the lease renewal. [Hadley’s]

Bull Dog Coffee—The specialty espresso shop closed its Yonge and Eglinton outpost; the downtown location will stay open. [PostCity]

Blue Plate—The Canadian comfort food restaurant in Roncesvalles called it quits after three years. [Twitter]

Hogtown Charcuterie—The owner of the Eastern European deli is looking for roomier digs; in the meantime, Italian-jerk spot Rasta Pasta has taken its spot. Read our story »

Amuse Bistro—The casual Queen East bistro closed; a new restaurant called Brussels is set to open in mid-July. [PostCity]

Diverso by Ferraro—The southern Italian restaurant closed its Dupont location; the original Eglinton location remains open. [PostCity]

Slider Revolution—The two-bite sandwich shop on the Danforth closed after less than a year. [BlogTO]

Lafayette Bisto— The cozy French restaurant at Queen and Shaw quietly closed early in the month. [BlogTO]