There’s a quiet revolution happening on King Street West, and it has everything to do with what time kitchens close.
When Portland Square opened in summer 2025, INK Entertainment founder Charles Khabouth made a deliberate decision: two of the four restaurants inside the building — Honey Chinese and Prima Donna — would stay open until 2 a.m. on weekends.
For a city that has long had a reputation for early last calls and kitchens that shutter at 10:30 p.m., this is a significant shift. The idea is to let the night breathe — to allow people to eat after they drink, to extend the hospitality window, and to build the kind of late-night dining culture that’s second nature in cities like Montreal, New York, and Mexico City.
It’s working. Both restaurants have become destinations in their own right. Prima Donna’s contemporary Italian menu served in a rooftop space with glamorous decor has found an audience. Honey Chinese, with its moody room and nostalgic menu, has become a conversation piece.
The ripple effect could be bigger than just one building. If late-night dining becomes normalized on King West, it changes the entire rhythm of the street. Keep watching this space.