Resilience is a quality Toronto’s hospitality scene has had to develop in recent years, and Liliana on Queen Street West is one of the best examples.
Chef Marvin Palomo was behind Vela, a beloved Toronto restaurant that was forced to close after a devastating fire. Rather than scatter his team, Palomo took his crew to Queen West and opened a 30-seat stunner that immediately became one of the city’s most in-demand tables.
The aesthetic is vintage warehouse chic: exposed brick, low lighting, and a room that feels like a dinner party hosted by people who know what they’re doing. Palomo describes the food as Italian with Asian creative touches, but that undersells it. The beef carpaccio finished with furikake and pearl onion is a standout. The stuffed chicken wings — deboned, packed with truffle risotto — are the kind of dish that people message friends about.
What makes Liliana particularly worth knowing for the nightlife audience is the service culture. The team (many of them Vela veterans) treats every table with genuine warmth, and the room operates with a kind of controlled energy that makes it ideal for a late dinner before a night out, or a destination evening on its own.
