Toronto is getting a new anime-inspired wing spot, and here’s a sneak peek

This review article is part of a series from Narcity Media. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Narcity Media.

Introduced gently in Toronto, Crave Wings serves anime culture with a side of wings.

This new restaurant dives into popular anime fandom with anime-inspired decor and wing flavors that fans will soon be able to enjoy takeout or indoors.

The concept behind this unique restaurant comes from its owners. The owners are early to mid twenties and three best friends from high school in GTA who wanted to create something unique and share a love of anime.

Partner and manager Krishi Desilda told Narcity that they wanted to create a space where people with similar interests could come together and watch cartoons while enjoying grand pianos related to the actual shows.

“We really wanted to bring anime and food together.”

Crave Wings will have a grand opening on May 11th, and Narcity got a taste of all the anime magic.

Place

The unassuming restaurant is located on Eglinton Avenue West, and while it looks like your average grand piano from the outside, the inside is a very different story.

outdoor area of ​​the restaurant.Brooke Houghton | narcity

As you enter the restaurant, your eye is immediately drawn to the huge hand-drawn mural on the right side of the store, created by artist Kirusha Kirideran.

An animated fresco.Brooke Houghton | narcity

The mural, which has been running since August 2021, is divided into five sections and features characters and hand-drawn manga pages from popular anime such as Death Note, One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen.

An anime mural featuring the characters from Demon Slayer. Right: An anime mural featuring the characters from Death Note. Brooke Houghton | narcity

The centerpiece of the restaurant features various characters posing with Goku, a popular one Dragon Ball Z Figure and two side murals with Demon Hunter and death threat Characters.

To the right of the restaurant is a seating area overlooking three TVs showing anime shows for diners to enjoy while eating on their wings.

Crave fender interior.Brooke Houghton | narcity

The left wall of the restaurant is painted mustard yellow and features the logo of Crave, a faceless version of Luffy, a character from One piece, with the distinctive scar and outline of the character.

The Crave Wings logo.Brooke Houghton | narcity

There is additional seating next to the window overlooking the street where guests can get a close-up look at the hand-drawn manga pages along the wall.

Close-up of the mural at Crave Wings.Brooke Houghton | narcity

The food

There are over 150 flavors of wings to choose from on the menu, with classics and unique options, with fun nods to anime characters and storylines.

The wings are made fresh daily and hand-dusted with a secret spice and recipe to give them their satisfying crunch, although they also feature other options like fries on the menu.

Three winged baskets.Brooke Houghton | narcity

I tried three of their flavors including Death Note, their spiciest wings on the menu, Sweet Zenitsu, and Where’s Sasuke.

Death Note Wings costs $13.25 a pound, and these bad boys are deceptively hot.

Crave Wings Death Note wings.Brooke Houghton | narcity

They are topped with Crave Wings special Reaper hot sauce and sprinkled with hot peppers and roasted garlic. They may not seem hot on the first bite, but the heat is rising.

The spiciness isn’t overwhelming and they still have great flavor. However, I wouldn’t recommend ordering these unless you can handle high heat.

Zenitsu soft wings by Crave Wings.Brooke Houghton | narcity

Sweet Zenitsu was by far my favorite wing flavor of the day. These sweet wings have great honey-mustard flavor with the perfect crunch despite being drenched in sauce and covered in sesame seeds.

If you’re a fan, you might notice that the wings look like Zenitsu’s character.

Wings “Where’s Sasuke” by Crave Wings.Brooke Houghton | narcity

The Where’s Sasuke flavor was very visually appealing and had the same crispy, juicy chicken as the others.

The pungent honey flavor was milder than the other wing flavors and I found the garlic and parmesan sauce to be a bit heavy. So if you like it sassy these are definitely for you but otherwise I’d look elsewhere on the menu.

I also tried some of their special baskets of fries, which tasted like every hangover food I’ve ever dreamed of.

Brooke Houghton | narcity

I snagged the Parm Garlic Fries for $7.99 and the Dolfamingo Fries, which are topped with cheese and hot Cheetos, for $8.99.