Cactus Club Cafe Toronto opened its doors just over a week ago at First Canadian Place on Adelaide. Helmed by Vancouver Chef Rob Feenie of Iron Chef fame, this is the 28th location for the upscale chain, but the first east of Saskatoon.

Chances are, those who have been to Israel (birthright, anyone?) are familiar with Cafe Landwer. The popular Israeli café, which got its start back in 1919, finally opened its very first Canadian outpost in Vaughan earlier this year.

Cantina Mercatto is the newest addition to the Mercatto family of restaurants (Taverna, Locale, Trattoria and College) that started some 20 years ago on Toronto Street. Close to both the St. Lawrence Market and the Financial District, the new space is meant to be a one-stop shop for lunch meetings, special occasions as well as

Oy vey, we thought we were sitting shiva for delis. The chicken soup they sling in those thinly disguised fast-food joints is like our bubby said: they maybe waved the chicken over the pot. The corned beef, it makes me so sad, it’s industrial. But then! Along comes Zane Caplansky, a nice Jewish boy. Instead

The purple velvet banquettes and colourful pop art line the walls of this industrial building. Once an old TV studio and underground club space, the interior of Carbon Bar is still reminiscent of a ’70s discotheque but has definitely been revamped and influenced by the movers and shakers of today. When you walk in, someone

If you judge a book by its cover, then this place is dead. It looks like a cheesy, overdecorated ethnic caricature, with more Spanish tchotchkes than any sane person should have to look at. The menu too is off-putting, in its excessive length, which suggests that you can have anything you want — from the

For the people at Chadwick’s, a “craft” kitchen means that everything is made in-house. This includes the sausages and the burger buns, the dressings and condiments, and the succulent smoked brisket. The concept for their menu is based on a variety of street food and diner fare from around the world. Executive chef Pablo V

Welcome to the smoking renaissance. No seriously, at Chainsmoker Urban Smoked Meats, they’re making smoking cool again. Cooking up an assortment of meats, Chainsmoker’s dishes are slow cooked on site in a South Carolina BBQ style. At Chainsmoker, they decided that while vegetarian and vegan restaurants continue to pop-up all over the city, someone’s got

Charidise is a gourmet Taiwanese-inspired lunch spot feeding students and professionals alike in the Baldwin village. “Cha” means “tea” in Mandarin, and in tandem with the notion of “paradise,” you get the picture of what this restaurant strives to be. With many options of loose leaf tea, bubble tea and everything in between, Charidise lives

Craving barbecue that you think you can only find south of the border? Think again. Cherry Street Bar-B-Que is serving up some drool-worthy smoked favourites right here in Toronto. Using a traditional smoking technique and only the best white oak, Cherry Street Bar-B-Que is not messing around when it comes to meat. Serving up all

Janet Zuccarini, Gusto 54 Group’s boss lady and recipient of the 2017 Pinnacle Awards Independent Restaurateur of the Year, is expanding her portfolio of ethnic eats. The restaurateur is partners with Pai and Kiin, but Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen marks her first independent, non-Italian joint, just a stones throw from King West staple, Gusto 101. Chubby’s

In honour of the Fairmont Royal York’s 90th anniversary, the Toronto landmark rolled out two new venues to mark the occasion. With Reign, the hotel brings a new French brasserie concept lead by executive chef jW Foster to life, and with Clockwork, a new champagne and cocktail bar in the lobby. Rockwell Group’s design is

Between writing two cookbooks, starting a seafood company and running the now-closed restaurant chain Rock Lobster, well-known celebrity chef Matt Dean Pettit has his hands full. Next on the resume is a delivery-only turf-and-surf restaurant located across Toronto. Favourites at Coast by MDP include the PEI Lobster Roll, made with fresh sustainable PEI lobster, special

College Falafel has been keeping west enders happy for some time now with its irresistible sandwiches and wraps, all complete with that trademark saccharine sauce. Hailing from Halifax the East Coast original donair wrap is something to marvel at here. The donair ($6.99) begins with a pile of well-spiced, shaved beef that’s cooked on a

Opened on Ossington earlier this week is the long-awaited Côte de Boeuf, a project from Chasen Gillies and Teo Paul of the nearby Union restaurant. The store, previously a flower shop, bills itself simply: “select grocer, butcher, meals.”

Taps are pouring at the first Ontario location of CRAFT Beer Market. Originally from Calgary, the two-storey restaurant has set up shop at Yonge and Adelaide.

To avoid the humidity of a July afternoon, summer weekends are best spent heading into cottage country and feasting with views you can’t find in the urban jungle. And 102205 Mix all this with an ever-changing curated cocktail menu, and a spacious, open patio — Crossroads was meant for summer adventures. And if you’re looking for

Crown & Dragon is a casual Yorkville sports bar known for making some of the best wings in the city. Wings come in over 20 bold flavours, ranging from a Japanese-influenced teriyaki sauce to the signature hot, peppery Dragon’s Breath marinade. Get them half price with the purchase of a beverage on Tuesdays and Thursdays

Cumbrae’s is Toronto’s top artisanal butcher. The beautifully designed interior sports marble countertops and hanging chalkboards that feature the day’s specials and cuts, in beautiful script, along with imported goods, so pretty you might not want to eat them. Cumbrae’s oozes luxury. The cuts of meat sit serenely behind the glass cases along with multiple

Yorkville’s own D|Bar was revamped in 2018 making it one of the hot spots for Toronto’s elite. Located in the swanky Four Seasons Hotel, chef Daniel Boulud reimagined the menu and transformed the space to become an intimate but elegant lounge. Here celebrities and mere mortals can exchange niceties over cutely named cocktails like the