The 11 most anticipated Toronto restaurant openings this summer

Summer in Toronto is about to get a whole lot more delicious. These incoming restaurants promise fried chicken, tacos, BBQ, burgers, pizza, deli and over the top ice cream delights. Some of these summer openings are just days away, while others will trickle in until just after Labour Day.

Here are my picks for the most anticipated restaurants openings this summer in Toronto.

J&J Bar-B-Que
This incoming Kensington Market joint at 193 Baldwin St., in the former Thomas Lavers Cannery and Deli space, could be your new source for central Texas-style BBQ.

When The Pig Came Home
Ryan Gatner has been a fixture at farmers' markets for years and now he's opening his own nose-to-tail deli in the Junction at 3035 Dundas St. W. Expect a butcher counter, a charcuterie fridge and a takeout menu featuring peameal sandwiches, porchetta and more. It's slated to open in early July.

PG Clucks
This tiny takeout counter from Pawel Grezlikowski of Hogtown Charcuterie previewed its new menu of fried chicken sandwiches and slushies at the Taste of Little Italy last week. The official opening is still a few weeks out.

Lasa
The owners of Lamesa have taken over their parent's Filipino grocery store, Kaibigan, at 634 St. Clair Ave. W. and are opening up a casual new restaurant. The incoming restaurant will feature Filipino comfort food.

The Rudy
Childhood friends Luke McCann (ex-Le Petit Castor) and Chris Simpson are opening a Little Italy-area eatery that'll focus on cheese burgers and fried chicken sandwiches. The new spot could be open as early as this weekend.

Barrio
The recently shuttered Joy Bistro at 884 Queen St. E. in Leslieville will soon become a taqueria. Ted Koutsogiannopoulos, owner of McGugan's, Aprile Bambina Cucina and Loaded Pierogi, is getting ready to open this Mexican joint in July.

Al Pastor
Former Modus chef Enrique Gonzalez is opening this casual new takeout taqueria in the Junction at 2932 Dundas St. W.

Love Chix
The soon-to-open eatery at 1588 Dupont St. will replace the Farmer's Daughter in the Junction Triangle area. The menu will feature hearty homestyle meals like roasted chicken dinners and sandwiches with salads and hot sides.

Hollywood Cone
As if Toronto doesn't already have enough obscene ice cream to go around, this food truck turned epic ice cream and milkshake parlour is slated to open in West Queen West this September. It's in across the street from The Drake Hotel at 1167 Queen St. W.

Superpoint
This new pizza joint from Jonathan Poon of Bar Fancy is in the works at 184 Ossington Ave.

Khao San Road
The popular Thai eatery has been closed since Feburary, but it's due to reopen in a new and bigger space at 11 Charlotte St. late this summer.

Photo of Khao San Road by Hector Vasquez.

by Liora Ipsum via blogTO