A single TikTok or Instagram Reel can turn an unknown eatery into a line-around-the-block sensation. It’s no wonder that most restaurants aren't just competing for customers’ appetites but for their screen time.
Here’s the secret: going viral is rarely an accident. Trendy Toronto restaurants are designing for shareability, tapping into trends, and crafting content that demands attention. In this article, we feast on the secret recipes behind Toronto's most viral restaurant success stories and how you can apply the same strategies to your brand. Let’s dig in!
1. Gateau Ghost
Gateau Ghost goes hard on trendy reels, and their founder, Jayden Park, is front and center. One moment, he's talking about "boyfriend red flags,” the next, he’s recreating viral memes—all while their gorgeously mouthwatering, amazing food casually steals the show in the background. It’s one of the trendy Toronto restaurants that makes you come for the viral takes and then stay for the great food.
✨Takeaway: You don't need a sassy founder to become one of the best restaurants in Canada, but it helps. Founder-led marketing, like what they’re doing here, humanizes your brand and builds trust, allowing consumers to see the personality behind the food.
2. Pizzeria Badiali
Not all popular restaurants in Toronto use TikTok trends as a primary marketing strategy. Some, like Pizzeria Badiali, go the “aesthetics” route. Their content focuses on authentic, visual storytelling, featuring their excellent staff and diners alongside beautifully styled food shots. They’re all about highlighting their Instagrammable location and elegant ambiance, which undoubtedly adds to their charm online and offline.
✨Takeaway: When people look for the best trendy restaurants Toronto offers, they look at the food and the location. Made from local ingredients? Check. Designed for special occasions? Yes please.
If you want to become a must-visit melting pot in Toronto’s food scene, show your audience what makes your fantastic place unique, whether in Toronto’s financial district or a hidden gem somewhere.
3. Andrea’s Cookies
What started as a pandemic baking project has become one of the most popular Toronto trendy restaurants. Their secret? Authentic storytelling and spot-on community building.
Famous Toronto restaurants often focus their marketing efforts on polished, picture-perfect content, but Andrea’s Cookies showcases the entire process, imperfections and all. Audiences see their progress and become part of the brand story, making them invested and highly engaged.
✨Takeaway: They say it takes a village to raise a child—the same goes for brands. Build a loyal community that grows with you by prioritizing audience engagement and involvement.
4. Sleepy Pete’s
Tucked in the eclectic Kensington Market of downtown Toronto, Sleepy Pete’s proves you don’t need flashy content to go viral—just next-level comfort food with premium ingredients and good old influencer marketing. This restaurant serves classic breakfast sandwiches that delight everyone’s taste buds just as advertised. Working with food bloggers and influencers brings curious audiences through real recommendations.
✨Takeaway: The best new restaurants Toronto foodies obsess over have real brand ambassadors and advocates championing their brand, creating a staying power that outlasts any viral moment. Whether you’re offering vegetarian-friendly options, the city’s best shrimp toast, or bottle service by Lake Ontario, find your ambassadors to target your niche.
5. Sugo
Sugo took a radically simple approach to becoming one of the most famous restaurants Toronto foodies rave about: serve stupidly good Italian-American classic dishes and let the melted cheese speak for itself. Their social media is all about glossy, slow-motion pasta pulls, natural staff moments, and casual romantic evening vibes.
✨Takeaway: Sometimes, the best strategy is to be unapologetically good at what you do and serve. Whether that’s an exclusive chef’s table, exquisite wine pairings, or a new Japanese cuisine tasting menu, double down on what makes your brand special, and your audience will surely come for a memorable experience.
6. Rosie's Burgers
Sometimes, one outstanding meal is all you need to go viral. For Rosie’s Burgers, that’s their Banana Pudding. Now, while it’s undoubtedly good food, its virality didn’t happen just because of the taste. It’s a mix of:
- irresistible visuals,
- smart marketing,
- and strategic scarcity.
By offering limited-time specials (think seasonal menu or a full-meal holiday exclusive), Rosie’s and its hands-on chef keep customers on their toes, eager to grab the next must-try item before it’s gone. Pair that with strong social media storytelling, and you have the perfect recipe for viral content.
✨Takeaway: Trendy Toronto restaurants don’t just rely on social media strategies to go viral. Many use a blend of creative marketing, scarcity, and storytelling to build anticipation and engage their audience long-term. Think limited-time tea ceremony with raw fish sushi dinner or a special black truffle season menu with a curated wine list—go big or go home!
7. Martino Pizza & Asian Fusion Kitchen
This trendy Toronto restaurant’s Instagram has no posts, so how did it go viral? The secret is in the tagged section. 100% of their buzz came from user-generated content (UGC).
Customers love the General Tao Pizza so much that they’ve been doing the marketing for them. From foodie bloggers to everyday visitors, the UGC speaks for itself.
✨Takeaway: Let your customers become your biggest advocates. Encourage user-generated content, and your customers will eventually build organic hype, a Michelin guide fine dining restaurant or not!
8. Sumaq
Sumaq understands that sometimes you need a loudspeaker to spread good news, and they found theirs in a viral moment when food critic Keith Lee came to visit. The next thing you know, customers flock in to try the food firsthand and share their dining experience, taking the brand up on the “best trendy restaurants Toronto” list.
They don’t stop there, either. They continue to work with influencers and food bloggers to keep their brand in the spotlight. Even now, they’re getting features and tags left and right!
✨Takeaway: Going viral is one thing, sustaining it is another. When you find your brand in the spotlight, follow up with quality content to keep guests returning for a next visit. Think unique partnerships with craft beers or local artisans!
9. Little Pebbles Cafe
Let’s be real: when that Dubai chocolate trend flooded everyone's feed, most downtown Toronto cafes either ignored it completely or made sad knockoffs. Little Pebbles Cafe took the trend, made it theirs, and rode that hype train straight to new customers' doors. Along the way, they effectively promoted their own viral products, from unique drinks to drool-worthy cookie cups. Talk about a win-win!
✨Takeaway: Trends come and go, so many businesses may not see them as practical marketing tactics. But with the right strategies, you can use their momentum to spotlight your own products.
10. Vilda's
The best trendy restaurants Toronto foodies rave about aren’t just up-to-date on the latest food crazes; they’re making their own. For instance, Vilda’s Caesaroni, a delicious pepperoni pizza-Caesar salad hybrid sandwich, had the whole city talking for two reasons.
- It tasted better than it had any right to.
- It was the kind of bold, unconventional idea that makes people stop scrolling, start talking, and finally, go eating.
✨Takeaway: Often, the best way to go viral is to create something so unique that the internet can’t help but talk about it. What’s your version of the Caesaroni?
Go Viral with The Influence Agency
These trendy Toronto restaurants didn't luck their way into the spotlight—they worked it. Now, it’s your turn. At The Influence Agency, we’ve helped brands design viral moments and turn 15 seconds of fame into lasting growth.
We know what makes brands explode online—from scroll-stopping content to strategic partnerships—and now, we’re sharing our strategies with you. Check out our expert marketing playbooks today to start turning views into value!