The top 5 new restaurants in North York

New restaurants in North York have not only injected more international flavours into the already delicious culinary scene but also welcomed the first outposts of well-known food specialists. There’s everything from roast goose to Gozen-style meals, even pizza gets a reboot.

Here are some new restaurants in North York that you’d want to check out.

Shamshiri Restaurant

Serving specialties like kabob koobideh (ground meat), kebab torsh (meat marinated in pomegranate and herbs) and lamb shashlik, you’ll find this Persian restaurant on Sheppard Ave E between Yonge and Bayview.

From meals built for one and served with saffron basmati rice or family-friendly combos that have a lot of everything, orders can include marinated veal tenderloin and saffron marinated chicken, or hearty vegetarian options such as the ghormeh sabzi stew with mushrooms, red kidney beans and Persian dried lime.

J San Sushi & Market

For beautiful customized sashimi boxes and donburis, head to Steeles Ave. to check out J San Sushi and Market‘s sister location.

Spotlighting their fresh, high-quality ingredients, this space has a market component with fresh seafood for amateur chefs looking to reproduce the experience at home.

Won Kee BBQ & Bar

This Guangzhou-based Cantonese barbecue restaurant has been in operation since 1981 in China but opened its first overseas branch (and second store) this year on Northtown Way.

Best known for the roasted meats and poultry it prepares in traditional charcoal stoves, the signature roast goose is a rich and fragrant must-try, although they do have some innovative new-to-location items like a barbecue pork burger or premium soy sauce chicken burrito.

Jumi Gozen Bar

This sleek Japanese restaurant is Toronto’s first restaurant serving Gozen meal sets which top lacquered trays with elegant side dishes, chef’s choice of sashimi, soup and hand-shaped nigiri.

The space accommodates 10 diners around a marble-topped bar where they can watch Jumi’s head chef (formerly of JaBistro) and his team at work christening the intricate and seasonally inspired small plates with delicate garnishes. For those feeling extra fancy, there are optional add-ons including wagyu beef or o-toro and Hokkaido uni.

Pizza Maru

This known Korean pizza chain’s first location in Canada serves pies that have unique crusts and unconventional toppings.

Pick from various bases like the green tea well-being dough that’s made from a blend of green tea and 10 natural grains, or the golden edge which is stuffed with sweet potato and string cheese. Top the base with options like pepperoni, potato, beef bulgogi, shrimp, crab meat and Sriracha mayo.

Sides include tteokbokki, oven-baked spaghetti and chicken, plus house-made pickles that refresh the palate between bites.