A gourmet food emporium with over 20 hand-picked vendors serving specialty fare, seasonal offerings and authentic cuisines from around the world is set to open next month in the heart of Toronto.
Officials say the Waterworks Food Hall will be a culinary destination unlike any other in the city located in an industrial heritage building at 499 Richmond St. W. in the Entertainment District.
The Behar Group Realty Inc., Brokerage, which has handled the programming, merchandising and leasing of the unique project, has confirmed the following businesses that will operate in the 55,000-square-foot food hall with others to be announced in the near future:
- Lee Restaurant
- Aburi Sushi
- Harry’s Charbroiled
- Musoshin Ramen
- Boxcar Social
- Grape Witches
- Civil Works
- SOBR Market
- Dave’s Genuine Deli
- Liu Loqum Atelier
- Karak Stuffed Naan & Chai
- The Arepa Republic
- Scooped By Demetres
The project was developed by Woodcliffe Landmark Properties and MOD Developments. The project is a full city block bounded by Adelaide St W, Maud St and Brant St. On the Adelaide frontage is the City of Toronto’s St. Andrew’s Playground Park that was recently overhauled and renovated. There’s also a condo component on the Richmond St side with 290 residential units and a state-of-the-art YMCA of approximately 60,000 square feet, taking the second floor.
Also, Southeast Asian restaurant Lee was relocated from King West to Waterworks – a 6,000-square-foot establishment that is open for business now.
“Our objective was to curate a unique collection of outstanding and independent food brands that could thrive in a high volume environment while retaining their distinct charm, while also showing off Toronto’s diverse culinary culture,” said Avi Behar, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Broker, of The Behar Group.
“For the most part these are independent local brands from the Greater Toronto Area, with a smattering of national and international concepts. But the focus was to attract best-in-class local brands rather than targeting larger franchise chains. We wanted to create a unique experience based on quality cuisine, efficient operations, and thoughtful design.”
Rami Kozman, Vice President of The Behar Group, said about 20 establishments are expected to open in June, followed by several more as part of an eventual second phase of the project.
“We really wanted it to be a destination. The area is incredibly dense, so you could just put a conventional food court there and I think the population there would still support it but we really wanted it to be something that people would seek out,” he said.
“So we’ve created that unique combination of food categories and independent vendors. It will be something that you really couldn’t experience anywhere else in the city. We really wanted it to be a pin on the map where people will go out of their way to seek it out.”
Behar said there’s also an open air courtyard attached to the food hall in the heart of the project which is not very visible from the street.
“It’s a European style piazza that rolls in and out of the food hall. We believe that the courtyard is going to be a positively influential part of the experience. Traffic will flow in and out of the food hall from all four directions. One can access the food hall from Richmond St to the north, Maud St to the west, Brant St to the east, and Adelaide St and St. Andrew’s Park via two doors to the south.” he said.
“I truly believe that residents of Toronto as well as tourists are going to adapt their walking patterns to be able to visit the food hall because of the atmosphere, the quality of vendors, and the overall variety and diversity that Waterworks is going to offer.”
Additional Concept Art from Waterworks Food Hall
