U.K. trend of loaded baked potatoes has crossed the pond to Toronto

A new restaurant in Toronto puts spuds on centre stage, serving up loaded baked potatoes with a range of international inspirations.

If you're as chronically online as we are, there's no way you've missed them: steaming baked potatoes served out of a truck piled high with baked beans, cheese, and whatever other stereotypically British fixings one could dream up.

English Jacket Potatoes have been making their rounds on social media for ages now, and loaded baked potatoes can be found on various pub and steakhouse menus across the city. But Toronto has, by and large, been devoid of restaurants that put potatoes in the spotlight.

Until now, thanks to the good people behind Yonge Street’s new "creative potato" restaurant, Spotato.

Located north of Yonge and Eglinton in a space that formerly housed Japanese pancake joint Fluffy Fluffy, Spotato stretches the concept of loaded baked potatoes far beyond its U.K. roots.

Here, you'll be able to find potatoes inspired by cuisines from all across the globe.

While baked beans, bangers, and bacon do, appropriately, make appearances on the menu at Spotato, it also has a full suite of offerings with flavours from Greece to Mexico.

The Tex Mex bowl ($16.50), for example, comes piled high with pulled beef, English beans, salsa, corn, barbecue sauce and cilantro, while Shuk Style ($14.50) centres pulled chicken, babaganoush, pickled cabbage, feta, and tahini.

There are plenty of options paying homage to the classics, too. The English Breakfast ($15.50) features English bangers, beans, tomato, maple bacon, and fruit mustard.

If you want to put your own spin on the spuds, you can also opt to build your own. A base potato with butter and mozzarella ($4.75) can be dressed with your choice of proteins ($6.45) like pulled pork and chicken meatballs, sides ($2.45) including tzatziki and roasted vegetables, plus assorted toppings and sauces for your very own masterpiece.

It's also a far cry from the weather-worn food trucks that crank these delicacies out over the pond. Instead, Spotato serves their spuds out of a cutesy, colourful Yonge and Eglinton space.

Toronto has a fixation with food trends, that much we all know: just look at matcha slushies and the recent hot dog boom, so there's always room for the next viral-worthy business.

Still, suggesting that Spotato is merely an attempt at cashing in on a TikTok trend is a major undersell — rather, it feels like an elevation of the loaded potato trend, transforming the concept into something singular.

That's something that lasts long after the For You Page refreshes.

Spotato is located at 2471 Yonge St.