Toronto just got a new Indigenous food spot and it's the only one in the city

A new restaurant serving up delicious Indigenous cuisine is officially taking orders for fry bread, powwow tacos, and more.

Chef Ohitika and Chef Wilmer Noganosh III recently founded Big Boi Fry-Bread in Toronto, drawing on their backgrounds in cooking and Indigenous advocacy to shape their vision for the new venture.

Big Boi Fry-Bread is bringing a menu centred around handmade fry bread, powwow tacos, Three Sisters soup, chili, loaded fries, poutine, and sconedawgs. After the closure of Tea N Bannock, the restaurant is now the only Indigenous food spot in Toronto.

As the name suggests, fry bread is the star. The handmade, fried-to-perfection flatbread is the foundation for several dishes, while other menu items put Indigenous-inspired flavours on familiar comfort-food favourites.

Chili and bannock. 

The menu also includes Three Sisters soup, built around the traditional combination of corn, beans, and squash, alongside a lineup of hearty, casual dishes made for a modern Toronto crowd.

And anyone with a sweet tooth will want to save room for the cheesecake. The team describes it as a "rich and creamy" cream cheese filling tucked inside crispy fry bread, then topped with blueberry compote, whipped cream, and sugar icing. How's that for an Indigenous twist on a classic dessert?

Even better, it starts at just $9 per serving.

From what we can tell, Big Boi Fry-Bread, which caters for private events too, also wants to keep its food accessible. The restaurant's $8 Value Menu is a pretty tempting place to start for anyone looking to eat well on a dime.

The Classic Poutine.

Veggie Powwow Tacos, Chili Bowls, Classic Poutine, Sconedawgs, Chili Cheese Fries, and Bannocks all make up the lineup of affordable options.

For Chef Ohitika, also known as Monty Newell, the restaurant and the idea of affordable eating are deeply personal.

After experiencing homelessness and hunger as a teenager, he developed the Take a Meal Leave a Meal program, an initiative that lets customers purchase an additional meal for someone who doesn't have enough money to buy one.

Customers can participate by making a $5 donation to the program. That donation provides someone experiencing food insecurity with two scones (fry breads) and a bowl of chili — helping put a warm, filling meal on someone's table while staying true to the restaurant's mission that "food is meant to bring us together." 

Even the eatery's mascot, Zoongide, reflects that mission. Created by Noganosh, the character represents courage, kindness, Indigenous pride, and community.

So far, the Take a Meal Leave a Meal program has served 184 people in need, and the team is just getting started.

Big Boi Fry-Bread is located at 181 Parliament St.