While Greater Toronto Area cities are vibrant and diverse and known for their own evolving and unique culinary scenes, it’s always a little bit special when a restaurant that has made a name for itself in Canada’s biggest city starts opening outposts west of Etobicoke and east of Scarborough.
Over the past several weeks, several big players in Toronto’s restaurant scene, many of whom are expanding at a time when eateries are struggling to keep the lights on, have set up shop in the 905. The restaurants, known for serving everything from elevated Thai fare to on-trend Italian cuisine, are happy to call Mississauga, Oakville and Oshawa home.
Here’s a look at some restaurants that have recently opened up east and west of the downtown core.
When Toronto-born restaurants start looking west, they sometimes zero in on locations that allow them to serve more people in one spot than ever before. This spring, Chiang Mai, a growing Thai restaurant chain that opened its first Toronto location in 2018, unveiled its biggest location yet in Mississauga’s growing City Centre neighbourhood. The popular Thai chain, which operates restaurants in Greektown, Etobicoke, Liberty Village, the Junction and York Mills, serves classic Thai dishes in its spacious, tropical-inspired space on Enfield Place, walking distance from Kariya Park, the Sussex Centre and Square One.
“Mississauga is going to be the biggest location so far, so it’s a reward for the successful growth that we’re having. We want to show the vision in a bigger atmosphere,” Vincent Selva, marketing director with Chiang Mai Thai Dining, told INsauga.com earlier this year.
“We built everything from scratch, the decorations, the details. Having this large location shows what we’re trying to do and how we present our approach to serving Thai food to customers.”
Of all the new openings of the past few years, one that has turned heads (and made headlines) is Pii Nong, the first three-in-one restaurant, spa and market experience of its kind. Recently, the team behind Pii Nong, the 10,000-square-foot, two-level Midtown destination that features a 120- to 130-seat restaurant, a Thai market, and a second-floor spa, announced the soft-opening of their brand new downtown Oakville location–their first in the GTA.
Earlier this year, Pii Nong representatives told INsauga.com that their Oakville location was slated for a spring opening, with co-owner Tom Ha saying it had long been on his “bucket list.” Located at 266 Lakeshore Rd. E. in the town’s picturesque downtown core, the newest outpost offers Thai, pad kee mao, pad see ew and khao soi, Thai pong karee crab, soft shell crab curry, basil chili paste clams and a crying tiger steak made with beef tenderloin soaked in a sweet oyster sauce marinade and served with sticky rice and cilantro.
The new restaurant also serves its signature Instagram-worthy teddy bear drinks (available in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties), made with either mango juice or milk tea and served with adorable frozen teddies.
After spending more than 25 years growing its footprint in Toronto, Mercatto–a well-known destination for Italian fare–recently decided to open its largest location yet in Mississauga.
Mercatto Hospitality–which owns Cantina Mercatto, Mercatto College and Elizabeth, Taverna Mercatto and Tratoria Mercatto–opened Mercatto Centrale in Mississauga’s Port Credit neighbourhood this spring, setting up shop in a highly anticipated new waterfront development.
The new restaurant, one of the first big-name hotspots to open in Mississauga’s Brightwater community, spans 8,500 square feet, with approximately 5,000 square feet dedicated to the bar and dining areas. It can accommodate up to 290 people, offering 200 indoor and 90 patio seats.
The sprawling waterfront location serves brunch and offers pizza, pasta, antipasti, chilled seafood, steak, arctic char and more.
Brightwater was also chosen as the site of another Toronto hotspot: Coffee at Carlton’s. The large space, which features floor-to-ceiling windows, comfy seating and a gas fireplace, has been drawing crowds at its Toronto Street location for several years. Its Mississauga location, which opened this spring, is inside the Brightwater Experience Centre, a hub for co-working, social gatherings and community events.
The cafe serves a range of international espresso drinks, including cortado (an espresso drink originating in Spain), Aussie-style cappuccino, macchiato, and Americano. Pastries are also on the menu.
Earlier this year, rumours began to swirl that a Michelin-recommended Toronto restaurant was eyeing Mississauga. PAI, a Thai restaurant frequented by celebrities, recently submitted a liquor sales licence for a location in Square One Shopping Centre.
The Mississauga location will be the first outside Toronto.
Known as one of Toronto’s best Thai restaurants, the kitchen is helmed by well-known Chef Nuit Regular and the menu features include an iconic papaya salad, beef salad, khao soi, pad see ew, pad gra prow and curries. The pad Thai is one of their must-try dishes.
PAI is named after the Thai village where Regular and her husband opened their first restaurant, according to the Michelin recommendation. While PAI declined to comment on their plans, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario liquor sales licence application for PAI Square One lists the address as 100 City Centre Dr., Unit FM07–the unit that once belonged to the now-closed Farzi Cafe.
Photo from Pai’s official Facebook page
Yet another restaurant that got its start in Canada’s biggest city is expanding into the GTA, opening in one of the province’s largest shopping centres. While the restaurant isn’t open yet, shoppers wandering the halls of Square One have noticed signage heralding the imminent arrival of The SaiGon Pho and Grill, a restaurant that opened a location near Finch Station in North York a year ago.
Frequently referred to as a hidden gem on social media, the restaurant is known for its wide array of Vietnamese classics, including deep-fried spring rolls, fresh shrimp rolls, grilled satay baby octopus, traditional pho (made with beef, beef brisket, beef balls, short rib or chicken), satay pho, noodle soups, vermicelli and grilled meats.
The restaurant also offers Vietnamese hot and iced coffee, Thai milk tea, milkshakes and beer.
While the menu is expansive, multiple social media posts laud the chef’s signature dish, the pork-and-seafood Noodle Soup (Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang).
According to the sign, The SaiGon Pho & Grill will open sometime this summer.
Thai Room Grand, which opened its first location in Toronto in 2010, recently opened two new suburban locations–one in Oshawa and another in Mississauga.
Thai Room, known for its elevated takes on Thai cuisine, launched its ninth Thai Room Grand location in Mississauga’s South Common Centre earlier this year, bringing its upscale take on Thai dishes to the city for the first time.
More recently, Thai Room Grand celebrated the grand opening of its Oshawa location on Ritson Road North, just north of Bond Street East. The restaurant shares the space with Gabby’s Kitchen & Bar and offers handcrafted cocktails, along with pad Thai, khao soi, pad see ew and massaman curry, while starters range from chicken and shrimp satay to calamari, crispy spring rolls and fresh salad rolls.
The menu also features wok dishes, fried rice, Thai soups and Oshawa-exclusive specialties including gao lao neua tune and pla meuk pad kai kem.
– With files from Karen Longwell, Amy Carlberg, Jake Pesaruk and Suzanna Dutt
Cover photo courtesy of Chiang Mai
PollView All
WIN A $100 GIFT CARD
Subscribe to INsauga’s daily email newsletter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.