Of all the American restaurant chains, Chili's is my favourite (which may not actually be saying much because I can't think of another one I would eat at). I first discovered it back in the '90s on a trip to Arizona and quickly warmed up to their big portions, and relatively cheap southwestern-inspired menu. I've always wondered why there wasn't a Chili's in Toronto but now I need not spend sleepness nights pondering over this puzzle any longer - Chili's will be opening their first Toronto location on May 19th.

Sort of. Like other recent chain debuts such as Anthropologie and McNally Robinson, Chili's has opted to forgo opening in high-priced real estate downtown in favour of, wait for it, a spot in the Colossus Centre in Vaughan. Because, ya know, there's nothing like filling up on beans and back ribs before settling in for the latest Hollywood schlock.

Follow along as they get set to open via their Chili's Ontario Twitter. Also, I'm told they plan to open four additional GTA locations by 2014.

Photo by skyliner72 on Flickr