Southern Ontario has no shortage of restaurants, but there’s always room for one (or two, or three, or four) more.
From sandwiches and ramen to Afro-fusion food and a beloved Italian chain from south of the border, Mississauga, Brampton, Oshawa and Ajax welcomed new culinary hotspots in October 2026.
Here are five new restaurants local diners can visit:
Vero Italian Sandwich Co. shop opens in Mississauga
A Toronto sandwich shop that has attracted attention for its oversized Italian creations and freshly baked bread has opened a new location in Mississauga, bringing its popular menu to one of the city’s busiest shopping centres.
Vero Italian Sandwich Co. has officially opened at Square One Shopping Centre, offering sandwiches built with imported Italian ingredients, specialty cheeses, cured meats and bread made through a lengthy fermentation process.
The shop is located inside the mall’s food court.
Greelz On Main opens in Brampton
A Toronto restaurant known for putting a modern twist on Nigerian street food has opened a new location in downtown Brampton, bringing suya-grilled meats, loaded rice bowls and Afro-fusion burgers to the city’s growing food scene.
Greelz On Main opened recently at 27 Main Street North, expanding the brand beyond its existing locations in Bloor West Village and Kensington Market.
The restaurant specializes in elevated Nigerian street food, combining traditional West African flavours with familiar dishes such as burgers, wraps and shawarma.
Butter Bar opens in Mississauga
Canada’s first butter boutique has opened in Mississauga.
In the works for months, the Butter Bar opened at 1006 Lagoon St. in Port Credit. The unique business celebrated a grand opening on Oct. 7.
“The ribbon has been cut, the doors are OPEN, and we’re officially welcoming you to Butter Bar! Canada’s first butter boutique,” the boutique said on Instagram. “Today marks the beginning of something we’ve dreamed about, worked toward, and poured our hearts into. From day one to this very moment, thank you to every single person who believed in us, supported us, worked alongside us, and helped bring Butter Bar to life.”
As the name suggests, Butter Bar features gourmet flavoured butters.
Authentic Japanese ramen is now in north Oshawa with the opening of KINTON Ramen on Simcoe Street in the heart of the city’s University District.
A dozen years after the company opened its first restaurant in Toronto and brought its ‘Bowl of Happiness’ to the GTA, KINTON Ramen is continuing its eastward expansion with the official grand opening of its first Oshawa location, which opened on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Located at 1800 Simcoe St. N. – chosen for its proximity to Durham College and Ontario Tech University – KINTON Ramen first welcomed diners on Sept. 8, coinciding with the start of the academic year, and has spent the past month in a soft-opening period, introducing its Japanese ramen experience to students, faculty and the surrounding community.
Olive Garden continues Canadian return, opens in Ajax
After a quarter-century away, the endless breadsticks and ‘never-ending pasta bowl’ that made Olive Garden so popular for families have returned to Durham Region.
The Italian-style restaurant franchise opened a location in Ajax at the Durham Centre on Monday, the third new restaurant in Ontario after the relaunch.
Olive Garden, which closed all its Ontario locations in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is making a comeback in the province after Recipe Restaurant Group International, Canada’s largest full-service restaurant company, acquired all eight existing Canadian restaurants in Western Canada and struck a deal with U.S.-based Darden Restaurants in 2025.
INSAUGA Canada’s Editorial Standards and Policies
Last 30 Days: 47,018 Votes
All Time: 1,601,492 Votes
465 VOTES
Do you think the Bank of Canada made the right decision to raise interest rates?
Stay in the know.
Subscribe now to receive our daily email of today’s top stories in your city!