Tinga tostada at Agave y Aguacate(Image: Renée Suen)
Mexican-born chef Francisco Alejandri opened a Kensington Market taco stand in 2011, ahead of the current craze. With only a couple of burners and a bar fridge, he made some of the freshest, tastiest and cheapest Mexican street food we ever had. When he closed shop last year, due to the chaos of cooking in the cramped food court, the city issued a collective groan of disappointment. Luckily, Alejandri is back. This summer, he’s opening up Agave y Aguacate 2.0, a permanent restaurant—this time with a fully equipped kitchen, a proper dining room and a patio—in the space formerly occupied by the short-lived bistro Elle M’a Dit. Alejandri trained at several big-name restaurants, including Sassafraz, Scaramouche and Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar, and his signature ceviches, tostadas and other meticulously prepared Mexican dishes reflect his pedigree. The restaurant will be the latest of at least six new taquerias in the Baldwin-Kensington area but, if Anthony Bourdain’s rave review of Alejandri’s food is any indication, it’s sure to draw the longest lineups.
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Dave Sidhu, owner of the Annex’s Playa Cabana, will be opening Playa Cantina at 2883 Dundas West in the coming weeks, bringing authentic Mexican food to the Junction. Sidhu doesn’t plan to deviate too far from what made Cabana successful: he’s sticking to staples like tacos, burritos and a ceviche of the day. But the sister restaurant won’t be a complete clone. There’s a seven-seat raw bar, and a new focus on cocktails (a cantina is a bar, after all). With Cantina joining 
