Anticipation is often the best part of life’s experiences – think Christmas, sex, and the opening of a new restaurant on Ossington. There are a number of places in the neighbourhood that we’ve been watching for a while which haven’t opened yet, but we’re looking forward to them. Sometimes it takes a long time to open a restaurant and many impediments can slow down the process, from city permits to obtaining financing.
Working backward from the most recent additions to this list of upcoming restaurants are:
1) Hawker Bar. The sign announcing this upcoming opening came on Jan 27th and we posted about it then. According to their blog and the sign in the window, they will be a location with drinks as well as food inspired by Singapore street food – a combination of Malaysian, Chinese and Indian. Since that time the exterior has undergone a nice transformation and they look like they are making speedy progress toward their opening. 
2) The Grove is around the corner on Dundas and looks like they are moving quickly toward opening. The construction was underway late last year and even today there are people in the location working away building a nice bar and kitchen. This restaurant aims to bring English cuisine to the neighbourhood. According to a Jan 9th article in the Grid some of the menu items will include Black Pudding and pigs cheeks.
3) Going further back in time we continue to monitor the slow progress of Amaya, which we originally wrote about last March. Amaya is going to be an addition to a chain of Indian restaurants with other locations in the First Canadian Place and on Bayview in Leaside. We have often wondered what the hold-up is on this location, as this chain should be able to put a restaurant together quickly.
4) Topping our list for the most delayed, and/or most anticipated Ossington restaurant has to be The Saint. A full three years ago we assume their PR folks talked Toronto Life into a nice puff piece describing the food and interior of an incomplete restaurant which included “reclaimed wood, marble bar tops and sumptuous oxblood banquettes …[and] promises that there will still be a down-to-earth feel.” In August of that year, David Hayes of the Globe and Mail went along with that myth and named Michael King the new “Wizard of Ossington,” despite the existence of an open business on the street. However, we are hoping it is close to opening at Ossington just south of Dundas. There has been progress on the location. A few months ago we were excited to see a new facade on the location as well as signage go up. So we believe the end of the beginning is coming soon. The street has been vastly changed since the articles were written and places like Salt Wine Bar, Yours Truly, Fishbar, Union and Bohmer have all managed to launch to continued success in the meantime.
Maybe we should have a pool to see whether we can guess the order of these restaurants to open up. Anyone care to try?
Any idea what’s going on at the auto repair place across from the Amaya location? It’s been papered up and looks like it’ll be turning into something else!
Not sure, but I’ll ask around. Let us know if you hear anything.
Piper, take a look at this article. That might be your answer: http://homesandcondosblog.com/home/in-development-109-ossington-ave-6367.html
Maybe it’s the originally promised, but never delivered Bohmer Deli.
Too bad the underground Portuguese fight club upstairs is now history.