📍Antylia – 1059 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6H 1M5
🌍Country: Latin America   
🔥Must-try dish:Tasting Menu
🪑Seating: Indoor only.
👍The High: The menu changes with the seasons, so every visit feels like a brand-new adventure.
👎The Low: It is not the spot for a big group dinner, but it is perfect for a date night.

From pop-up to full-fledged restaurant, Antilya finally has a home on Bloor Street West. Aldo, the owner from Mexico City, has put together a menu that’s a love letter to Latin America, blending Mexican, Peruvian, and Ecuadorian influences while highlighting ingredients that each have their own story. Every dish comes with a little explanation, so you’re not just eating, you’re taking a bite out of history.

The menu is small and focused, so the tasting menu is really the way to go if you want to try it all. Corn pops up in a lot of dishes, and the staff are happy to explain why it’s such a big deal across Latin America, which adds a fun, educational twist to every bite.

From the moment you walk in, you can tell everything’s been carefully thought out. The cocktails put a Latin spin on the classics, the wine list is small but spot-on, and the dishes take local ingredients and turn them into Latin American masterpieces. At one point, a Panamanian shot makes its way around the room so everyone can toast to being there and celebrate whatever milestones people are marking that night.

One of the best parts of dining here is hearing the stories behind each dish, it really makes you feel like you’re part of the inner circle. Pairing the tasting menu with wine isn’t required, but it does make the flavors pop even more.

Here’s a peek at the tasting menu from Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025:

1. Peach mole foie gras torchon gordita: A rich, velvety start that immediately sets the tone for the meal. A true one bite wonder. 
2. Merkén cheese and olives: Peruvian olives, quail egg, and panela cheese with a touch of chili crisp, perfect as a palate cleanser before things get heavier.
3. Swordfish and peach tiradito: Glossy white fish with fresh peaches and a playful popcorn-like texture. Beautifully presented and a crowd favorite.
4. Succotash salad: Tomatoes, corn, Colombian gooseberries, feta-like cheese, and fresh oregano come together for a bright, refreshing bite.
5. Roasted cauliflower with prairie mole: Warm spices and caraway notes make this dish comforting and memorable, easing the transition into heartier flavors.
6. Quelite quesadilla con queso: Warm, cheesy, and a little bit magical, the purple tortilla even turns pink when you squeeze lime on it.
7. Pipian verde pork belly: From Aldo’s aunt’s recipe learned from a community of women in Mexico, this features crispy, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly atop lightly dressed greens with a slightly spicy sauce. This one was my personal favorite.
8. Hudson Valley duck breast with mole rojo: Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with a lingering smokiness, this is a winner as far as a duck dish goes.
9. Ice cream: Fruity and nostalgic, inspired by Aldo’s childhood trips to the market with his mom.
10. Dessert tacos: Playful and fun, the perfect way to wrap up the tasting menu.

Altogether, Antilya delivers an experience that feels thoughtful and special from start to finish. Between the staff, the stories, the presentation, and of course the food, every detail is designed to make you feel like you’re part of something memorable.

I can’t wait to go back, this place is shaping up to be one of Toronto’s culinary highlights of 2025.

Eat with you soon!