Luxury grocery store known for its hot lunch opening location in Toronto mall

A fine food grocery store with just two locations in Toronto is opening a spacious new location in a mall. 

From Summerhill Market to Eataly, Toronto loves a fancy-schmancy grocery store. McEwan, the gourmet grocery store helmed by celebrated chef Mark McEwan, however small its footprint, is no exception.

Currently operating locations at Shops at Don Mills and the TD Centre, McEwan has established itself as a leader of the fine grocery space in Toronto, offering a chef-curated selection of staples, from hot honey to hot lunches. 

The hot lunches in question, actually, have come to be one of the grocery store's most notable offerings. At the store's Financial District location, hungry workers have come to depend upon the bountiful hot table stocked with a vast array of chef-prepared dishes as soon as the clock strikes noon each workday.

Of course, the store's impressive selection of local products, many of which are rarely found at big box grocery stores, doesn't hurt either.

Whichever of McEwan's offerings tickles you most, I have good news: come 2027, its fleet is finally expected to expand by one.

Next up, McEwan is slated to open a nearly 10,000 sq. ft. space at the Bayview Village Shopping Centre, adding yet another draw to the 60-year-old North York mall currently undergoing a major revamp.

"Opening at Bayview Village represents an exciting opportunity to connect with a community that values quality, craftsmanship and exceptional experiences," says Mark McEwan in a news release announcing the expansion.

"Whether customers are stopping in for everyday essentials, a chef-prepared meal or ingredients for a special occasion, we look forward to becoming a trusted destination for gourmet food and bringing the McEwan experience to even more Toronto shoppers."

At the new location, shoppers can expect the same carefully curated selection that McEwan has come to be known for, including prepared meals, produce, deli, seafood, bakery and flowers, all nestled among Bayview Village's more than 100 retail stores.

While some of McEwan's contemporaries haven't had the smoothest path forward in recent years (read: Pusateri's), others are enjoying similarly major expansion opportunities.

Stock TC, the collaboration restaurant-grocer from Terroni and Cumbrae's, is gearing up to open a new location in, as it happens, a former Pusateri's location next year, and Cumbrae's also just opened a massive new space in Dundas, Ontario.

My current budget leaves me little choice but to be a No Frills gal myself, but, hey, it's exciting nonetheless.