Toronto’s hottest new restaurant is a storage container in an alley

Toronto has fallen in love with a restaurant run out of a storage container tucked away in an alley.

Elvira’s has been making waves since its opening in May, with line-ups around the block for what many are hailing as some of Toronto’s most authentic regional Portuguese cuisine.

With husband-and-wife duo Luis and Carolina Lima interchangeably running the register and grill — in only three months — Elvira’s has become a Riverside institution, cleaving through the pitfalls many new restaurants in Toronto encounter.

But how did a 150-square-foot box anchored by the Don River pull off what so many with startup capital and social media strategies fail to do? They did what is sometimes tough in this town — they kept it sincere.

“When you cook, especially as a cook, it is not a job; it’s a way of life. When you work with this kind of stuff, in this environment, you do what you do best,” Luis Lima, co-owner at Elvira’s, told yourcitywithIN.

[Bright and early to be the first one at Elvira’s]

The Limas [Luis and Carolina] both grew up in different corners of Portugal, with distinct customs and, more importantly, flavours, and after tying the knot, made their way to Toronto in the early 2020s.

Luis, a restaurateur and private chef, and Carolina, a social worker, took their time settling into a city that operates in an entirely different gear. In fact, they looked at Toronto’s perpetual state of hustle as a challenge to invite the average passerby to slow down.

“I only want to be comfortable; you don’t get into this business to get rich, and, at the same time, I want everyone else to be comfortable as well. To get by in this city, it seems like you have to be crazy, just running around all day and all night,” says Luis.

As a result, Elvira’s has courted the numerous office workers and residents who call the east end home, all looking to grab something so good that it genuinely forces whoever is holding the fork to stop to take a beat to enjoy it.

The Limas ensure this value is stitched into the entire menu, with savoury regional pastries like patanisca (codfish), frigideira (chicken) and rissois (beef), all costing as much as the average Toronto cup of coffee.

Beyond that, when it comes to the larger fare like roasted Portuguese chicken, prego no pao (steak sandwich), and a francesinha (a take on a croque monsieur that’s a revelation), everything is built for two, generously portioned, and in the ballpark of affordable.

[A Francesinha with a poached egg and signature beer sauce, plus some fried potatoes and pastries]

“In Toronto, if you are running a restaurant with average square footage, say 3,000, the overhead pressure is immense — you feel like you have to be charging $200 for a t-bone steak,” says Luis. “We wanted to change that.”

Even with their accessible price tag, Luis and Carolina still go to local markets every morning for fresh produce and source their meat and bread only from local Portuguese butchers and bakeries.

As for its origins, when the Limas were shopping around for their new legacy space last winter, the red container Elvira’s now calls home was discovered by Carolina, prompting them to lock in a down payment and, in turn, give as much back to the community as possible once open.

“We are just trying to do good, and we are living proof that you can do that in this city. We started with little to no money in Portugal, and it was very much the same when we got here. But with rent being just the way it is everywhere, our focus is on doing as much good as we can by making our food not too expensive,” co-owner Carolina Lima told yourcitywithIN.

[Honest signage at Elvira’s reading the day’s specials. But Luis says if you come by, he’ll “make you whatever you want”] 

As a result, in the span of a single summer, Elvira’s has been getting visitors from far beyond its own neighbourhood, with a paper trail of 5-star Google reviews and Carolina citing that people have come from as far as Kingston to see the ‘restaurant in the red container.’

Luis further reflects on Elvira’s opening, saying they briefly had a sign on the alleyway/sidewalk, but as news of the location spread so fast that there was no longer a need. There is one snag, however: with skyrocketing popularity, the Limas are now contending with a huge spike in sales through courier services like Uber Eats.

This doesn’t negatively impact Luis per se, as he reflects on when he personally ran deliveries in Portugal and enjoyed the business it brought. But, in line with the Limas’s ethos of slowing down, they also believe the best way to inspire anyone to take their time is face-to-face.

[Carolina showing off a shawl from her hometown in Portugal with Luis on the grill]

“I like to see the customer; that’s the way we’ve always known, and the way I think it should be. But I know here it’s different, and when it gets colder, it will be a huge help,” says Luis.

This leads to the next point of contention, as beyond being a fast-moving city, Toronto also gets cold, so how does a non-insulated tin can hope to stare down the barrel of a Canadian winter?

Well, according to the Limas, they’ll do it however they can.

Elvira’s, in its current state, has a rooftop patio, and according to the Limas, between now and the first snow, they are trying to clutch at any opportunity to insulate, cover, and heat its accommodations.

Beyond that, the Limas will shift gears to accommodate the city once the leaves start to change, leaning into a menu focusing on regional stews and heartier fare to keep Toronto warm.

[The top patio at Elvira’s, which seats way more than you think]

Until then, the Limas will keep pace with their skyrocketing popularity while operating as a remedy for some of the pretension that can invade any big city’s food scene, with Luis stating, “When the lines up start, it fills my heart, because this place feels like an extension of my house. I like to think I have more heart than ego, and every day it feels like I’m just inviting friends over to my place.”

Elvira’s is located in a red storage container in an alley behind 639 Queen St E, and anyone who visits will undoubtedly leave full in more ways than one.