Best New Restaurants in King West | 2020 Edition

On King West, you can find almost any kind of restaurant, pub, or bar out there for you. French cuisine, Spanish, vegetarian, fresh, fried, or however you like it, the neighborhood’s grown to become a mosaic of independent cuisines.

Seemingly every month there’s at least one new King West restaurant opening its doors. Considering the busy winter we’ve had so far in Toronto, we thought we’d sum up a few openings you may have missed. Here are the best new restaurants in King West 2020.

LOVToronto

LOVToronto is a King West vegan restaurant. No meat. No animal products. Originally from Montreal, this the brand’s first Toronto location and serves vegan brunch, lunch, dinner, and cocktails. The ‘LOV’ is for local, organic, and vegan. These three principles the restaurant lives by. For local King West vegetarians and vegans, support a local business and check this place out!

Laissez Faire

Laissez Faire is a French restaurant with Instagram-ready dishes to dive into. Located above Locals Only, Laissez Faire in King West has the prettiest plates of French eats. The menu’s always changing, with eight to 10 course meals ranging from $80 and $100. Needless to say, this restaurant’s not cheap. It’s a way to make an impression though on a date or entertaining a prospective business partner. The regular menu also has a number of light, flavorful vegetarian meals just in case you don’t go the route of multi-course meals.

Xango

Xango is a King West trendy restaurant serving up ceviche and robata grilled bites. It’s the ultimate Japanese and Peruvian Nikkei kitchen and restaurant in Toronto. Xango is a combination of the mind of Claudio Aprile known for Copetin and Origin, and Ivan Bailey of Pick 6ix Sports. Where Brassaii used to be, Xango has renovated the space with blown glass chandeliers, orange fireplace, and multiple rooms – a dining room for 70, a lounge for 40, and a private dining area for 18.

Ascari

Ascari is a King West Italian pasta restaurant. Originally from Leslieville, this Italian restaurant moved into King West in late summer. For lunch, brunch, or dinner, if you like Italian eating, enjoy. The high ceilings, enclaves for private parties, and massive 16-foot windows are distinctly King West. Though the menu between this location and Leslieville is shared, the vibe is way different and in a good way. Trendy cocktails to try include Ascari favourites like Elena’s Eyes and the Quattro e Venti.

Anejo

Anejo is a Mexican restaurant that just opened in King West in late January. Specializing in tequila, Anejo takes over the Bier Markt and transforms this heritage building into a sultry, romantic restaurant. Originally from Calgary, this is Anejo’s first Toronto location. In Calgary, Anejo’s known to have Canada’s largest tequila selection ever at over 250 kinds. Though Toronto’s tequila selection tops out at 70, this is the biggest tequila selection in all of Toronto. For this alone, Anejo’s worth a visit.

Lapinou

Lapinou is a French wine bar with a menu bearing quality meats like ham and duck, and a delectable brunch service. If nothing else, the wine list at Lapinou is worth a visit. Enjoy champagne by the glass. Surrounded by flickering flames and one-of-a-kind chandeliers, Lapinou’s a great first date, anniversary dinner, or quiet space to mingle.

Meat & Pie Co.

Meat & Pie Co. opened up in February and has become the go-to King West restaurant for comfort food. They serve fall-off-the-bone ribs, gooey mac and cheese, and of course pies as promised by the name. As Meat & Pie Co. is still in the early phases of opening, it’s still setting itself up for the upcoming year. One of the rumoured additions is Toronto’s first non-alcoholic bar. We don’t know more details yet, other than it’s planned.