New Argentinian restaurants in Toronto: 2 have been licensed in the past year, tracked daily from the City of Toronto business-licence registry (chains excluded). The most recent is LAS MUNS, first seen 12 months ago.

Steak and chimichurri lead, but a strong empanada subculture has grown across the west end and Bloor West. Toronto's Argentinian rooms tend to be small and family-run rather than the big asado halls you'd find in Buenos Aires.

What should I order at an Argentinian restaurant in Toronto?

Start with empanadas — hand-crimped pastries filled with spiced beef, chicken, or corn, baked until the crust is golden and flaky. Las Muns on Bathurst St and Malvon Empanadas in Scarborough both specialize in exactly these, so you can go deep on the format rather than treating it as an appetizer. If the menu runs further, look for milanesa (breaded beef cutlet, Argentina's answer to schnitzel) and anything with chimichurri — the herb-garlic sauce that shows up on nearly everything.

How is Argentinian food different from other South American cuisines?

Argentinian cooking leans heavily European — Italian immigration shaped the country's food so much that pasta and breaded cutlets are everyday staples, not fusion novelties. Compare that to Peruvian food, which draws on Japanese, Chinese, and Indigenous Andean traditions to produce dishes like ceviche and lomo saltado. The crossover is real: Che Peru on Eglinton Ave W runs a Peruvian-Argentinian kitchen that puts both traditions on the same menu, and the contrast is instructive — brighter, acid-forward Peruvian plates alongside the meatier, herb-driven Argentinian ones.

Where are Argentinian restaurants in Toronto?

Toronto's Argentinian spots are scattered rather than clustered. Las Muns operates out of a compact counter at 28 Bathurst St in Downtown, Malvon Empanadas runs a counter-service kitchen at 300 Borough Dr in Scarborough, and Che Peru — a Peruvian-Argentinian family kitchen — is on Eglinton Ave W in West Toronto. All three lean counter-service or small sit-down rather than the large asado halls you'd find in Buenos Aires.

Is Argentinian food vegetarian-friendly?

Argentinian cuisine is one of the more meat-forward in the world — beef is central, and even empanada fillings default to minced or shredded beef. That said, empanada shops like Las Muns and Malvon Empanadas typically offer cheese, corn, or spinach-and-ricotta fillings as alternatives, so vegetarians can eat well if they're happy centering the meal on pastries. If you need a fully vegetarian or vegan spread, Peruvian or Colombian restaurants nearby will give you more options.

What exactly is an empanada, and what makes the Argentinian version distinct?

An empanada is a stuffed pastry — dough folded around a filling and either baked or fried. The Argentinian version is almost always baked, with a thicker, flakey wheat-dough shell and a filling of seasoned ground beef, hard-boiled egg, olives, and green onion — the repulgue (the crimped rope edge) is actually regional shorthand for what's inside. Toronto's dedicated empanada counters like Malvon Empanadas and Las Muns are built around this format, which means the pastry itself gets more attention than it does at restaurants where empanadas are just a starter.