Toronto Restaurant Openings: Baro, Awai, Homestand, Piedmont Coffee Bar

Toronto Restaurant Openings highlights the latest restaurant openings and closings in Toronto and also gives a preview of what's coming soon. Find us here every Thursday morning.

Open now

• Baro (not to be confused with The Baro), a four-storey Latin American restaurant/nightspot at 485 King St. W., had its official grand opening yesterday. It's helmed by executive chef is Steve Gonzalez (Valdez), and there's also a secret bar on the premises.
• Awai, a vegan restaurant with locally sourced, plant-based cuisine from chef Nathan Isberg (of the shuttered Atlantic) located at 2277 Bloor St. W., is now open.
• Appalachia Smokehouse and BBQ now has a second location in Etobicoke, this time in Mimico at 2416 Lakeshore Blvd W.
• Homestand has replaced Wolf Like Me at 834 Bloor St. W. by Christie Pits. The sports-oriented bar's menu includes hearty eats like tacos, nachos, BBQ ribs and sliders and fried mac & cheese.
• The Bus Terminal Diner, the east end institution at 1606 Danforth Ave. that quietly closed earlier this year, has miraculously been given a second life, reopening under new ownership.
• Hopper Coffee at 324 College St. is now open and serving Sam James's Cut Coffee.
• Little Pebbles, a French-inspired Japanese dessert shop at 160 Baldwin St. in Kensington Market, is now serving up various house-made cakes and macarons along with artisan coffee from de mello Palheta.

Recently reviewed

• Tacos El Asador
• Oakwood Hardware
• Kaboom Chicken
• White Lily Diner
• Brewhaha
• Soohyang Korean Tea
• Toshi Ryoriten
• Lee Chen Asian Bistro (King)
• Manaish Global Flatbread Cafe
• 3 Brewers (Liberty Village)
• Buna Coffee
• Chantecler
• Jack and Lil's

Opening soon

• Piedmont Coffee Bar at 66 Isabella St., Unit 4, will be soft opening on Sunday, Dec. 18.
• Black Briik Restobar, a "'90s retro nostalgia" spot at 1077 Bloor St. W. in Bloorcourt, should be opening very soon.
• El Local Loco, a new Mexican restaurant at 9 Church St. from the same restaurateur behind Loaded Pierogi next door, is set to open later this month.

Closed

• The Almighty Bao, which occupied the kitchen inside of Churchill on Dundas West, is no more.
• Coco Lezzone, the Italian resto-bar that was first established in 1994, has closed after 22 years in business.

Have you seen restaurants opening or closing in your neighbourhood? Email tips to editors@blogto.com

by Christina Cheung via blogTO