Toronto just got a swath of cool new Mexican restaurants you need to try
Mexican food and Toronto summertime go together like cookies and milk, and, lucky for the city's residents, a number of hot — or, should I say caliente? — new Mexican spots have suddenly begun popping up.
Maybe it's the steady beat of the sun that has Toronto residents in a perpetual state of craving tacos and tequila these days, or maybe that's just how we all feel all the time, and the weather just brings the craving to the fore. Regardless, there's no arguing that warm weather stokes the fire of craving great Mexican food like nearly nothing else.
If you, like me, have been waking up and going to sleep in a perpetual state of yearning for juicy birria, charred asada and tart margaritas, I come bearing joyous news: Mexican restaurants have been popping up like mushrooms in Toronto lately, and you're going to want to check them out the next time you get hit with the sudden, unavoidable urge to eat a taco.
In Liberty Village, the team behind King West stalwart Wilbur Mexicana recently — albeit quietly — opened a sister location after a decade in business.
With a weathered, corrugated metal facade that would look right at home with a tumbleweed ambling past, Wilbur Taco Co. eschews the somewhat sterile interiors of the original for something with more character: think checkerboard floors, wood rafters on the ceiling and a yellow, illuminated menu.
Despite the evident differences between the two siblings, their shared DNA, a menu featuring classic tacos, quesadillas, nachos, burritos and beyond, remains intact.
On the other end of the city, another spot with a similarly antique aesthetic can be found in Santa Madre.
The latest venture from the team behind Beaches gem Holi Taco, this spot has already earned itself an evangelical fan base, despite the fact that it opened with no website or social media.
Head to its seafoam storefront at 1437 Gerrard St. E., and you'll be met with vibrant wall murals depicting the titular mother, alongside a menu of tacos, tortas, treats and even weekend brunch.
At Stackt Market, Masa has opened a standalone stall after a fruitful summer 2025 operating as a ghost kitchen and food truck. Here, you can sink your teeth into "100% Mexican recipes," made with "100% Canadian ingredients," while you soak up the sunlight among shipping containers.
With viral favourite Afro's Pizza also recently opening a location at the open-air shopping hub, they're sure to be in good company. Perhaps even a Mexican pizza crossover?
The trend of new Mexican spots opening across the city isn't slowing down anytime soon, either.
A new spot called Huichol, which promises that "authentic Mexican flavours are on the way," is slated to open on St. Clair West later this June, while former Kensington favourite La Barbacha has recently relocated its viral birria pizza to the corner of Queen West and Roncesvalles.
It's going to take some time to sample all the new Mexican cuisine that's popped up around Toronto lately, but if there's anyone up to the challenge, I'd wager that it's the city's residents in a heat wave.
