The Open Cork Eatery & Lounge

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Where California Meets Italy, on Dundas Street East

The Open Cork Eatery & Lounge has built its reputation in Mississauga on a deceptively simple idea: take the light, produce-forward spirit of California cooking and marry it to the authentic flavors of Italy. The kitchen calls it "Cal-Ital," and the menu makes the concept concrete — locally sourced Ontario ingredients, seasonal rhythms, and dishes that range from hand-tossed thin-crust pizza to slow-roasted Veal Ossobuco braised in chardonnay tomato broth with saffron risotto.

The Food

The menu moves confidently across Italian and Mediterranean territory. Starters include Knife-Cut Tuna Tartare with sesame-soy seasoned Ahi and fresh avocado, Grilled Calamari with tomato Pernod sauce and feta, and a Seafood Antipasto marinated in olive oil, lemon, and garlic. Pasta is a particular strength: the Linguine of the Sea brings together shrimp, mussels, scallops, and calamari in a garlic basil tomato, cream, or rosé sauce — guests have been known to specifically request the rosa sauce. The Pappardelle Jambalaya, with grilled chicken, black tiger shrimp, hot Italian sausage, and baby spinach in a spicy tomato basil sauce, shows the California side of the kitchen's personality. From the grill, a 21-day aged 10 oz N.Y. Striploin and a Rack of New Zealand spring lamb marinated in the house herb blend anchor the heartier end of the menu.

The Space and the Wine

Four distinct areas — a main dining room, a private dining room, a lounge, and a bar — give the restaurant flexibility for everything from a quiet dinner to a full wedding reception. There is also a patio, recognized by Toronto Sun readers as one of the best in Mississauga. The wine program is what earned The Open Cork its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, recognized continuously from 2012 through 2024 — a run that reflects a genuinely broad and well-curated worldwide list rather than a token selection. Canadian Restaurant and Hospitality Magazine once named it among the top six lounges in Canada, and the Mississauga News has sent secret diners to review it more than once.

Events and Catering

The kitchen extends well beyond the dining room. The catering menu — built around hand-tossed pizza, veal parmigiana, N.Y. striploin, and seafood specialties — travels to corporate events, weddings, and private gatherings. For parties on-site, the private dining room provides an elegant backdrop, while the lounge offers something more relaxed. The Mediterranean-Italian cooking that has kept regulars coming back translates naturally to a shared table, which may explain why the catering side of the business has grown alongside the restaurant itself.