culture David Chang Says Momofuku’s Toronto Branch Will Open on July 28

Toronto will be eating Momofuku's food in a few months, if all goes according to plan.

Foodies and fans of exquisitely crafted, pork-heavy, Asian cuisine now have a specific day to look forward to. Thanks to an interview with David Chang by New York Magazine, we now know that the Michelin-starred celebrity chef expects the Toronto branch of his Momofuku chain of restaurants to open on July 28.

The interview also contains some other new information about the Toronto Momofuku project. Chang says the Toronto restaurant will be “our largest project we’ve ever done,” and he confirms that some of his New York staff will be moving to Toronto to help oversee things. He also says he’ll be in town for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, which means that some VIPs will probably be eating well.

We found out that Momofuku would be coming here about a year ago, but this is the first time Chang has announced a specific opening date.

Everything else that we already knew about the restaurant appears still to be true. It will be located in a new building next to still-under-construction Shangri-La Toronto, a hotel and condo high-rise at University Avenue and Richmond Street. We also know that the new restaurant will have several floors, each with a different concept. Chang seems not to have figured out exactly what those concepts will be, though. When asked about the name of the restaurant, he told New York, “Lucky Peach will be the first floor. Daisho is the third floor. Or the whole thing is Daisho? I don’t even know.”

We do know, at least, that Momofuku’s legendary pork buns will be making the cross-border trip.

In the days after this article was posted, several news outlets reported that Momofuku has since recanted on the July 28th opening date. The restaurant’s opening is now scheduled for August.