5 restaurants opening in Toronto this summer you should be excited about

There's no end to the new restaurants opening in Toronto year-round, and they're all exciting in their own way, but there are always a handful that promise to be particularly buzzworthy.

This spring and summer in particular, there seems to be even more than a handful — from new ventures from Michelin-approved chefs to world-famous international brands opening brick-and-mortars in the city, the sunny season promises to be filled to the brim with good eats.

Here are some of the most exciting restaurant openings happening in Toronto this spring and summer.

Lunch Lady

This world-famous, Saigon-born Vietnamese restaurant, immortalized by a glowing review from Anthony Bourdain on an episode of No Reservations, is gearing up to open its first-ever Toronto location on June 3, taking over the Ossington space left behind by Boehmer.

From noodle soups that pay homage to founder and titular Lunch Lady Nguyen Thi Thanh's original food stall to more elevated takes on street food staples, the new location is built on an already sturdy foundation of three consecutive Michelin guide Bib Gourmand designations for its Vancouver location. 

In other words, this is going to be good.

Tutto Panino

What do Grammy-nominated musicians and sandwiches have in common? In the case of hometown hero Charlotte Day Wilson, it's the new, permanent location for the sandwich business she shares with collaborators Paul Liliani, Andi Larocca and Kaitlyn Lasagna.

While neither the exact opening date nor the address for the sandwich shop has been announced quite yet, we do know that, as of the time of publication, the Roncesvalles sandwich shop is opening "in a couple of weeks."

Harlem

This beloved Queen West gem has been closed for almost as long as it was open, shutting its doors in 2017 after over a decade as a favourite for soul food, day parties and unabashed celebration of Black culture. No matter how long it was off the scene, though, no one really ever stopped missing it.

Now, after a series of fortunate events, owner Carl Cassell is bringing it back to life, putting it in the former Harlem Underground space and launching a pared-down menu featuring all the favourites from the restaurant's past life when it re-opens on May 21.

N.L. Ginzburg

Carmelina Imola and Zachary Kolomeir are something of a power couple on the Toronto restaurant scene, being the forces behind French favourites Dreyfus and Taverne Bernhardt's, as well as their sandwich staple, Vilda's.

Now, they're seemingly branching out to Italian cuisine (though that's just speculation at this point) with their latest venture, which is set to take over 548 College St. sometime this summer. The opening date is still up in the air, but they're currently hiring, so it shouldn't be much longer.

Zia's Place

While co-founder Jess Maiorano may be best known for her pasta, thanks to the business she's made a killing off of doing exactly that, this new Italian restaurant that's opening very soon on Dundas West (taking over the space that was formerly Stop) will do a whole lot more than just that.

Jess is teaming up with Madeleine Hayles and Edward Anderson of Happy Coffee and Wine fame for the restaurant, forming the perfect power pyramid of food, ambiance and beverages, all wrapped up into a retro and comfortable space at 1543 Dundas West.

While they haven't announced the exact opening date for the restaurant yet, all signs point to it opening up within the coming weeks.

The opening of The Lunch Lady was delayed following the publication of this article due to the tragic death of founder Nguyễn Thị Thanh. The updated opening date has yet to be announced.