Mapo Korean BBQ Opens Second Location at Church and Wellesley
The Koreatown favorite beloved by Blue Jays players launches a sister restaurant as a love letter to both South Korea and Toronto baseball.
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Mapo Korean BBQ, the Koreatown institution that has become a de facto clubhouse for Toronto Blue Jays players, opened its second location on June 4 at Church and Wellesley, expanding its reach beyond the original spot that's accumulated years of framed photos of ballplayers and wall-to-wall Jays memorabilia.
The new location mirrors the original's deep connection to the team while transporting diners to a South Korean street scene. A replica GS25 convenience-store storefront dominates the back wall, its interior papered with headshots of players who've visited the original location. The rest of the restaurant is designed to evoke a major Korean city centre, with signage, tile, and brick throughout to heighten the visual experience alongside the restaurant's full suite of Korean BBQ offerings.
The original Mapo has been a neighbourhood go-to for years, managing to stand out amid the seemingly infinite array of Korean spots in Koreatown. The Blue Jays connection—which dates back years, though its exact origin is unclear—has become central to the restaurant's identity. There's a 100-per-cent chance any given day will feature at least a framed photo of a player who's dined there, and a genuine chance of encountering an actual ballplayer at the table next to yours.
The timing of the Church and Wellesley opening is strategic: it arrives at the height of baseball season and at the opening of Pride Month, positioning Mapo to capture the energy of both moments. With the lingering momentum from the Blue Jays' 2025 World Series run still fresh in the city's mind, the sister location should have no trouble earning the same devotion as its original.