A new multi-kitchen dining destination spanning more than 9,000 square feet is scheduled to open at Toronto’s Mirvish Village in early 2027, bringing 12 local restaurant brands together under one roof in a venue designed to accommodate more than 460 guests.
Called The Kitchen, the two-level development on Markham Street will offer a centralized ordering system that allows customers to select food from multiple kitchens in a single transaction. The concept will also include space for community events, live music and sports viewing, adding an entertainment component to its food and beverage operations.
The development will join the independent retailers, restaurants, residences and community spaces at Mirvish Village, the mixed-use community at Bloor Street West and Bathurst Street developed by Peterson.
Multi-kitchen dining concept
The Kitchen will occupy more than 9,000 square feet across two levels, with seating for more than 460 people and almost 100 additional outdoor seats available seasonally. The space will also include a mezzanine level.
Customers will be able to order from any of the participating kitchens through a single kiosk, combining selections from multiple food brands into one order. Once prepared, the food will be delivered by conveyor belt to a designated pick-up cubby, with the system designed to have all items arrive at approximately the same time.
Grant Nelson, director of food and beverage operations, said the concept is intended to address the challenge of groups choosing a single restaurant while allowing diners to sample food from different operators.
“The Kitchen was designed around a moment every group knows well: no one can agree on where to eat,” said Nelson. “Here, everyone orders from a different kitchen and sits down at the same table. We want The Kitchen to feel like the neighbourhood’s kitchen table, a place where you can drop in for a bite, share different items and try new things, and end up staying a lot longer than you planned.”
The participating food brands have not yet been announced. The full lineup of 12 local favourites and emerging food businesses is expected to be revealed in early 2027, ahead of the venue’s grand opening.
Events and community programming
Beyond its food and beverage offering, The Kitchen is being designed to accommodate a range of events and activities. Plans include a pull-down projection screen and premium sound system for viewing parties and sporting events, as well as facilities for live music, brand activations and community gatherings.
Bleacher-style seating will lead to the mezzanine, while a garage door will provide access to the outdoors during warmer weather. The venue is located across from Honest Ed’s Park, providing an additional connection to the surrounding public space.
The event facilities are intended to make the venue a gathering place for residents, visitors and the broader Toronto community, alongside its regular dining operations.
Kitchen Hub to operate the venue
The Kitchen will be operated by Kitchen Hub, a Toronto-founded company that runs multi-restaurant food halls across the Greater Toronto Area. Its operations include dine-in, takeout and delivery services through a selection of restaurant brands.
Adam Armeland, CEO and co-founder of Kitchen Hub, said the Mirvish Village location represents another step in the company’s efforts to bring restaurant operators into new neighbourhoods.
“Kitchen Hub was built to help great restaurants reach new neighbourhoods, and The Kitchen is an exciting new chapter for us” said Armeland. “Bloor and Bathurst has always been a place where Toronto comes together, from Honest Ed’s to the theatre crowd, students and the neighbours who’ve been here for decades. The Kitchen is built with them in mind, and we’re excited to bring some of the city’s most exciting chefs and dishes to a neighbourhood that already knows how to gather.”
The opening will add another food and beverage destination to Mirvish Village, which combines residential development with independent retail, restaurants, public spaces and restored heritage buildings.
The Kitchen’s restaurant lineup is expected to be announced in early 2027, with the opening scheduled for the same year. Updates are available through @thekitchen.mirvishvillage on Instagram and at thekitchenatmirvish.com.
In an interview with Retail Insider, Nelson spoke about the project.
What was the business strategy behind developing The Kitchen at Mirvish Village, and what market opportunity do you see for a multi-kitchen dining concept in Toronto?
The Kitchen is a big part of what we’re building at Mirvish Village. It’s a place that draws people in from across the city, gives residents somewhere to gather every day, and anchors the food and beverage mix on Markham Street and across the Mirvish Village community.
The opportunity comes from a moment every group knows well, where no one can agree on where to eat. Toronto residents love discovering food together, and we’ve seen this already with food offerings like Pizzeria Badiali and Book Bar on Markham Street. What we saw was room for a model built specifically for groups, where everyone orders from a different kitchen and sits down at the same table. Bloor and Bathurst is the right place for it, with students, theatre-goers, families and long-time neighbours all within a few minutes’ walk.
How were the 12 restaurant brands selected, what types of cuisines and food concepts will be represented, and will they be established local operators, emerging businesses or a combination of both?
It’s a combination, and that was intentional. Roughly half the lineup will be familiar to Torontonians, and the other half are newer brands we believe are on the verge of breaking through. Among them are a chef whose reputation reaches well beyond Toronto, a coffee and bar team with a loyal local following, and several kitchens expanding beyond their home neighbourhood for the first time.
We curated for range so there’s something for everyone’s taste. Guests can expect Latin American, Korean, Japanese and Middle Eastern flavours alongside burgers, fried chicken and poke. The full lineup will be revealed in early 2027, ahead of our grand opening.
How does the centralized ordering and conveyor-belt delivery system work operationally, and what advantages does the model offer restaurant partners in terms of staffing, kitchen operations, costs and reaching new customers?
Guests place one order at a kiosk or on their phone, choosing from as many kitchens as they want. Powered by Kitchen Hub, a conveyor belt connects every kitchen and brings the full order to a single pick-up cubby, so the whole table’s food arrives together.
For restaurant partners, the model lets them focus on what they do best, which is cooking. Ordering, payment and getting food to the guest are handled centrally, so kitchens can run leaner than they would in a standalone location. It also lowers the barrier to opening in a new neighbourhood. Partners step into a space with built-in foot traffic, a large and diverse audience, and dine-in, takeout and delivery from day one.
With more than 460 indoor seats and almost 100 seasonal outdoor seats, what are your expectations for customer traffic and the venue’s revenue potential, and how will dine-in, takeout and delivery contribute to the business model?
We’re not able to share projections ahead of opening, but the space has been designed for volume and for repeat visits. With more than 460 seats inside and almost 100 more on the patio in warmer months, The Kitchen can take a weekday lunch crowd, a pre-theatre dinner rush and a full house for game day.
Dine-in is the heart of it. The Kitchen is built to stay a while, with bleacher-style seating up to the mezzanine and a garage door that opens onto Honest Ed’s Park. Takeout and delivery extend that reach to people who want The Kitchen at home, at the office or at their next gathering, and give our partners more ways to reach new customers beyond the four walls.
Beyond dining, The Kitchen is being positioned as a community and entertainment destination. What types of events and programming are planned, and how do you see the venue contributing to Mirvish Village’s retail, food and beverage mix and the surrounding neighbourhood?
With a big screen and a premium sound system, The Kitchen is set up for viewing parties, game days, live music, activations and community events. In warmer months, a garage door opens directly onto Honest Ed’s Park, which makes it a space for every season and every kind of programming. Those are also just the starting point, and once we open, we look forward to working with the community to shape what comes next.
The Kitchen is also part of a bigger Mirvish Village experience. Honest Ed’s Alley runs through the site, lined on both sides with independent shops and makers, so a meal can easily become a full afternoon out. We want The Kitchen to be the neighbourhood’s kitchen table, a reason for people across the city to come to Mirvish Village, and a place residents and neighbours return to week after week.
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