Montreal’s best-known food brands are heading west, drawn by Toronto’s bigger market but learning quickly that the city has its own dining rhythm.
Take Arthur’s Nosh Bar, the Saint-Henri institution opened in 2016 by Raegan Steinberg and Alexandre Cohen. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the brand expanded into Toronto as Arthur’s Snackette, partnering with former Brodflour co-founder Dara Gallinger and Ari Zuckerbrot on a concept anchored by sourdough bagels.
“I have always loved Toronto,” says Steinberg. “Moving to Toronto felt like the natural next step for our brand’s expansion. While I love Montreal, Toronto is the right transition into a larger market.”
The Toronto location also gave the team a chance to do something different, with a sourdough bagel developed specifically for the local market.
“The sourdough bagel is a completely new offering for the Toronto market, and we’ve been so proud of the overwhelmingly positive response to it. We’re also excited to see people in Toronto discovering our sprinkle cookie, which is a big favourite in Montreal.”
When Montreal salad brand Mandy’s expanded into Ontario, co-founder Mandy Wolfe quickly realized how much work happens behind the scenes.
“There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes when you take a brand that started in Montreal and build it across provinces — from operations and supply chain to training and making sure we can deliver the same experience consistently in every location.”
Wolfe says Toronto has since become more than just another market for the brand.
“Montreal will always be home and an important part of our DNA … but Toronto has become a meaningful part of our story too. We don’t really think of Toronto as a place we expanded into anymore.”
At Estiatorio Milos, founded in Montreal in 1979 by Costas Spiliadis, the biggest adjustment wasn’t culinary but cultural.
“The biggest difference is rhythm,” says Joey Simons, who oversees Estiatorio Milos. “Montreal dining can be more spontaneous and social. Toronto is very occasion-driven — business lunches, client dinners, celebrations, entertaining.”
That difference has made lunch an especially important part of Milos’s Toronto business.
For Homers Boîte à Beignes, the Montreal doughnut brand, the Toronto move has been surprisingly seamless. The company says customers here have been similar to those in Quebec, and it hasn’t needed to make significant changes to its menu, flavours or overall concept. The experience has also given the brand confidence that it can take the same formula beyond Quebec without losing what made it work at home.
But not every Montreal brand wants to adapt. When longtime Montreal staple Spano’s opened its Toronto location in March, owner Chris Dessilas was determined to keep the experience as close to the original as possible, shipping core ingredients directly from Quebec.
“I want it to be exactly the same,” says Dessilas, who still imports the restaurant’s cheese, pepperoni, meat and pastrami directly from Montreal. “The food has to be Montreal.”
The approach is already resonating with former Montrealers looking for a taste of home. Dessilas says he’s met many customers who grew up in Montreal, including one woman who was moved to tears and hugged him, telling him the food had brought her back to her childhood.
“I want you to have the same feeling whether you’re in Montreal or Toronto,” he says. “That food makes you feel good, makes you happy.”
More Montreal names are still on the way. The Donato Group — behind Ristorante Donato, Sabrosa and Le 404 — is preparing to open Casa Donato at 660 Spadina Ave. in the Annex. Planned as an all-day Italian café serving espresso, fresh pasta and gelato, it will be the group’s first Toronto out.