Pair of Michelin-recognized restaurants opening outposts in a Toronto mall

One of Toronto's trendiest food halls is about to get even tastier as it announces a new crop of vendors, including two concepts from Michelin-approved restaurants.

If you thought that the recent good news surrounding The Well's Wellington Market food hall starts and ends with the recent announcement that Little Italy staple Bear Steak Sandwiches is joining the lineup, think again. As it happens, the sandwich shop is just the tip of the striploin.

Just over a year after officially opening, Wellington Market is undeniably the Toronto mall food court to end them all, packed wall-to-wall with some kiosks from some of the most popular restaurants in the city, like Gus Tacos, Rosie's Burgers, The Islands, Isabella's, and Bagels on Fire.

Now, they're welcoming even more restaurants into the mix as the food hall unveils a whopping 20,000 sq. ft. expansion, and the new class of inductees includes appearances from two Michelin-approved eateries, just for good measure.

While the name Kao Kang might not ring any bells yet (that's normal when a restaurant hasn't actually opened yet), its sister, Koh Lipe in Baldwin Village, almost certainly will.

The restaurant, from prolific restaurateur Patrick Sukasen (Le Lert, Same Same, Eat BKK), has been a Thai staple ever since opening in 2019 and has earned a spot on Toronto's Michelin guide for three consecutive years, just to hammer that point home.

Now, Sukasen and the Koh Lipe team have developed a spin-off, Kao Kang, that'll be opening its doors in Wellington Market this July. Expect Thai comfort food classics (fingers crossed that famous pad Thai makes it on the menu) served with the impactful flavours and fragrances that have become standard at all of Patrick's properties.

Kao Kang will be in good company this summer, as the Yacoubian brothers, the owners and head chefs at Yonge and St. Clair’s Taline, which also proudly occupies a spot on Toronto’s Michelin Guide, will be launching a brand-new concept at the food hall.

While the details of the concept have yet to be announced, if it bears any resemblance to Taline's lineup of contemporary dishes inspired by traditional flavours, it’ll make a very welcome addition, indeed.

In other words, it'll make a very welcome addition, indeed.

Joining Kao Kang this July are, of course, Bear Steak Sandwiches, as well as Chen Chen's Nashville Hot Chicken, Panda Pancakes, which serves up adorable bite-sized pancakes with a selection of different toppings; The Carvery, a New Zealand-based concept specializing in U.K.-style roasts and sandwiches; and, because this is Toronto, after all, a Canna Cabana, this July.

Come August, just as the Taline concept opens its doors, so too will Cheezed, a chef-inspired grab-and-go grilled cheese sandwich concept, as well as Lili Foods, a chef-driven kitchen that specializes in sustainably sourced proteins and sides.

As if we needed any more reason to spend the entire summer at The Well, now that there's about to be a slew of new foods to try, we might just never leave.

Wellington Market Food Hall is located in The Well at 486 Front St. W.