Kozhi opens in Chinatown as Somerset Street transforms into dining destination

Chinatown's Somerset Street is in the middle of its most significant culinary transformation in years, with nine new restaurants opening or about to open in 2026—a shift that's remaking what the neighborhood offers and drawing investment from chefs who see real potential here.

The latest arrival is Kozhi, an upscale globally inspired fried chicken eatery that opened July 15 at 820 Somerset St. W., just west of Booth Street. The chef behind it, Teegavarapu Sarath Mohan, has spent the past decade leading kitchens in a Kanata strip mall, an east-end business park, and on Little Italy's main drag. He'd written off Chinatown as less of a dining destination until recently. "I love it," he said of the neighborhood now.

What changed his mind: recent arrivals like Antheia, Le Poisson Bleu, and the cocktail bar Natural History have shifted the narrative. "I think they've changed the whole narrative of what Chinatown could be," Mohan said.

The arrivals span cuisines and concepts. Casa Verde Latin Kitchen opened mid-June at 765 Somerset St. W., taking over the space Lola's Kitchen vacated (Lola's itself relocated to a larger spot at 826 Somerset St. W., previously occupied by Babar). Instant du Palais, a West African eatery and offshoot of a Toronto restaurant, opened mid-June at 653 Somerset St. W. Coqueto, a Mexican-themed snack lounge, launched in early June at 12-A Lebreton St. Algrillades, an Algerian restaurant, opened in May at 717 Somerset St. W.

Yukang Li, executive director of the Somerset Street Chinatown Business Improvement Area, sees it as validation. "It is encouraging to see such a wide range of new restaurants and concepts choosing Chinatown," Li said. "I do see this level of investment as a vote of confidence in Somerset Street and in Chinatown's long-term potential." The mix now includes Latin American, African, and other cuisines alongside established Chinatown businesses.

Still to come: Tough Luck Wine Bar at 752 Somerset St. W., a new Yangtze Restaurant this fall (taking the space of the beloved four-decades-old original, which closed in 2024), and Sauterelle—a fine-dining project from Marc Lepine, two-time Canadian Culinary Championship winner and chef-owner of Atelier on Rochester St. Sauterelle will feature a year-round indoor garden at 636 Somerset St. W.; Lepine initially announced it in 2024 with hopes to open in 2025.

One veteran spot is exiting: Sushi 88, a 23-year fixture at 690 Somerset St. W., is closing.