munay toronto

Toronto restaurant known for its Latin American food is permanently closing

A Toronto restaurant loved by residents for its homestyle and tasty Bolivian treats has announced its closure.

Munay Toronto (aka Munay Salteñas y Empanadas), a bright green spot on St. Clair West opened in 2020 but a mere three years later its owners say the operation will be no more.

"We opened Munay to the public during the pandemic and it was the best decision we made. We enjoyed every minute of it, we are always going to be thankful to all the community of hillcrest all the Latino community for your support, we not only gain new customers we also made new friends. Thanks to you we grew and we are here," read the first half of the restaurant's Instagram announcement. 

Run by mother and daughter duo Tania Di Blasi and Fiona Rieger, Munay is known for their traditional salteñas, baked Bolivian empanadas that take a gruelling three days to craft and serve.

Literally translating to the action phrase "to love" in English from the Indigenous Quechua language spoken in Bolivia and Peru, Munay certainly had Toronto loving their delicious baked goods.

"We have decided with my daughter to take a little break because we have new ideas that we want to work on so we can make our products more accessible to you. We will keep you posted," finished the post.

The owners tell blogTO that their storefront will be closing but that GTA-wide delivery will soon be available for freshly-made and then frozen salteñas. 

"People will be able to order on our website but we don't have any date yet." 

Their beef salteñas combine a mixture of sliced steak, potatoes, green peas, kalamata olives, sliced boiled egg and Peruvian spices. They also have chicken and mushroom options as well, the latter coming in a pink or purple coloured pastry thanks to beet juice. 

But it wasn't just the salteñas that quickly made Munay a staple in the Latino food scene in Toronto, they also crafted cuñapé (cheese bread), sonso, (yucca bread), ham and cheese empanadas and alfajores.

Unfortunately, you will only have one week to grab some salteñas at Munay, which will be closing its doors on Jan. 30.

Visit Munay one last time in its current form at 881 St. Clair Avenue, just a block away from Oakwood Avenue.

Lead photo by

Munay Toronto


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