Toronto’s dining scene keeps growing, and this week there are eight new spots worth checking out across the city. From a Vietnamese dining room decked out in bamboo to a Nigerian street food burger joint in Kensington, Toronto offers plenty of excuses to eat your way across the city right now. Here are the best new restaurants to check out this week.
1. Tre Vietnamese Kitchen
Tre isn’t your average weeknight pho stop. The restaurant has only been open for a few weeks and is already the place to go for food inspired by authentic Vietnamese cuisine, served in a room lined with thousands of natural bamboo stalks. Start light with the grilled shrimp mango salad, where tart green mango cuts through smoky char, or go richer with the fish sauce-glazed chicken wings. Great beginning, but the house pho is the main event: the Special Tre’s Pho comes loaded with rare and well-done beef flank, beef balls and a deeply developed 24-hour broth, while the Pho Tre Special has some serious umami flavour. For dessert, the durian sponge cake is a standout, especially when paired with a bright honey kumquat tea. 31 Elm St, 2nd floor.
2. Mom’s Recipes Cafe
Mom’s opened earlier this month from the team behind @bread_therapyy, so it’s a deeply personal concept: recipes passed down from a mother with more than 35 years of cooking experience, spanning Ukraine, Europe and Canada. Head over and you’ll discover a chic, story-driven space with a nostalgic menu. For breakfast or brunch, the poached eggs or premium smoked salmon plates are delicious, while Grandma’s pirizhki buns come from a traditional recipe and are available with braised cabbage or sour cherry. For something more indulgent, the lobster brioche roll is served on house-baked buttery bread, while the Ukrainian borscht comes with garlic pampushky or sourdough, and the shakshuka delivers a comforting mix of eggs in spiced tomato sauce that’s just perfect for dipping! 136 Avenue Rd.
3. Chungneon Cupbap
Toronto’s new go-to K-Cupbap spot is now open on Spadina! Chungneon Cupbap lets you create your Korean BBQ bowl from the base up. The Porkbelly BBQ Cupbap layers kimchi fried rice with rich pork belly, gochujang and a spicy “Hell Fire” sauce, while the Mega Chicken Cupbap piles on crispy fried chicken over rice with sweet cream and soy. For something heavier, the Crunch Cupbap doubles up with fried chicken and pork cutlet, and the Soy Lover Cupbap mixes beef bulgogi with dumplings and garlic mayo. Add a side of tteokbokki, classic or rosé, to round out your bowl. 398 Spadina Ave., Unit 2.
4. Osha Mookata
One of Thailand’s most iconic dining formats has officially landed in Scarborough! Osha Mookata blends Korean BBQ-style grilling with hot pot: meats and seafood sear on a domed grill while broth simmers around the edges, catching all the delicious drippings. For your first visit, the Osha Premium Set ($139.95) is the way to go. It includes pork jowl, pork belly, beef short ribs, ribeye, shrimp, squid, scallops, as well as a full veggie spread and garlic fried rice (so, yup, come hungry). Beyond the grill, the Crab Rangoon offers a creamy, crispy bite, while the Som Tum Tod, or fried papaya salad fritters, adds crunch and tang. Finish with Thai tea ice cream, and cool things down with a tea-based or watermelon slushy. 390 Silver Star Blvd., Unit 119-122, Scarborough.
5. Greelz
Greelz’s newest Kensington outpost brings a bold, street-style take on Nigerian flavours, with a menu packed with suya-spiced meats and loaded wraps! Start with the beef or chicken suya bowl, served with jollof rice or fries and plenty of veggies. For something a bit more indulgent, the Agege steak burger stacks smoky, spice-rubbed beef on soft Nigerian bread, while the Naija suya shawarma adds sausage and heat for a unique local twist. If you’re going with friends, share the peppered wings or spicy goat meat, both of which deliver punchy flavour. Grab a Schweppes Chapman to drink; it’s a classic Nigerian soda that pairs perfectly with all that heat! 198 Augusta Ave.
6. Nanyang Kopitiam
This new Malaysian café on Yonge St channels the classic kopitiam experience, with comforting dishes served from morning through mid-afternoon. The must-order is Malaysia’s national dish: the Nasi Lemak with fried chicken, featuring coconut rice with peanuts, anchovies, cucumber and egg. For a lighter start, the kopitiam breakfast set pairs kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs and kopi or teh, while the kaya butter toast gives a quick hit of sweet-salty satisfying richness! Noodle lovers should try the mixed pork noodle with offal cuts and crispy garlic, or the black truffle wonton noodle. Round out your meal with iced kopi or a towering malted Milo Dinosaur. 5463 Yonge St, North York.
7. Benz Circle
This new Scarborough resto-bar is inspired by the nightlife energy of Vijayawada’s Benz Circle, blending Indian and Indo-Chinese flavours with a social, late-night vibe. Start with snacks like the majestic chilli paneer or karapodi baby corn bites. For mains, the Benz smoky butter chicken is a crowd-pleaser with its creamy, charred finish, while the Rayalaseema fusion chicken is much spicier with bold red chilli heat! Biryani is a major draw here: the chicken 65 biryani layers crispy fried chicken over spiced rice, while the mutton dum biryani gives a deep, slow-cooked flavour. Pair it all with some fresh naan or a cocktail and call it a night. 4286 Kingston Rd, unit 10, Scarborough.
8. Kebab Bazari
Kebab Bazari offers Persian classics with generous portions. Start with simpler plates like mirza ghasemi (a smoked eggplant dish with garlic and egg) or kashk bademjan before heading to something richer, like the koobideh dish, which comes with two skewers of grilled ground beef or chicken served with rice, tomato and sumac. The saffron chicken joojeh and torsh chicken bring more nuanced flavours, including saffron, pomegranate and walnut. And if you’re really hungry, the soltani kabab plate combines steak and koobideh, while stews like ghormeh sabzi or fesenjan offer slow-cooked depth. Finish with a fragrant rice dish like zereshk polo with chicken. 839 Queen St.
9. Boru
Boru is Toronto’s first restaurant dedicated to Japanese hamburger steak (hambāgu), which is a cult-favourite dish in Japan! And this isn’t your traditional dining service. You’ll be seated around a circular counter at an open chef’s table. In the middle, cooks grill fresh-ground beef patties over open flames, serving them one at a time so each bite arrives at peak temperature. The space just soft-opened, so expect limited hours for now (Tues – Sun, 5:00 – 9:00 pm), but it’s the perfect spot if you’re looking for a non-traditional dining experience! 495 Adelaide Street W.
10. El Cazo
This Queen East newcomer serves up delicious fast-casual Mexican food that’s all about toppings and textures. The standout is the chorizo Mexicano burrito, packed with guacamole, chipotle mayo, queso Cotija, salsa fresca and crispy chicharrón for a bit of crunch! Taco-wise, you can mix and match, but the pork belly al pastor (with grilled pineapple and crema) and baja shrimp taco (with roasted garlic mayo and pickled kohlrabi) are already customer faves (Bonus: until April 30, each guest receives a complimentary taco!). Head over with a large group and dive into the nachos loaded with queso, salsa ranchera and guac or the Mexican street corn dusted in chilli and queso añejo. For dessert, try the four-piece churros or cinnamon-covered Mexican donut with cajeta sauce.780 Queen St E.
