Most people spend their retirement slowing down. Gianni Bardini spent his deciding to open a restaurant — despite having zero prior experience in the industry. Bardini spent decades as an Italian diplomat, posted in Tunisia, Australia, Brussels, Colombia, Mozambique, and eventually Canada. Born in Tuscany, he built a career introducing the world to Italian culture, […]
Some small businesses fade quietly into memory. Others get stopped on the street for years by customers still asking when they’re coming back. Bar32 is firmly the latter. Sisters Chloe and Sydney Carron built Bar32 from a converted horse trailer in Port Carling, Muskoka, back in the summers of 2021 and 2022 — hand-dipping chocolate-covered […]
If you live anywhere near Queen and Pape, you already know Leslieville doesn’t exactly need another burger joint. Between plant-based favourites, brewery kitchens slinging thick smash patties, and a rotating cast of pubs and quick-service spots, the neighbourhood’s patty game is about as competitive as it gets in Toronto. And yet, a new name is […]
Every September, Toronto changes. The Toronto International Film Festival — TIFF — brings the global film industry to the city for ten days, and the nightlife implications are enormous. A-list celebrities, international film distributors, studio executives, directors, and press descend on Yorkville and the Entertainment District, and the city’s hospitality industry responds accordingly. For those […]
College Street’s Chez Wa didn’t waste any time building a following. The wine-and-sake bar soft-opened just weeks ago and has already carved out a reputation as one of Little Italy’s most talked-about new additions — thanks in large part to a dish that has nothing to do with Italian food at all. Rooted in Asian-inspired […]
Toronto has never been shy about its love for a fancy-schmancy grocery store — from Summerhill Market to Eataly, the city has consistently supported the gourmet grocer format. McEwan, the chef-driven chain helmed by Mark McEwan, is now expanding that footprint with a new location at Bayview Village. Currently operating just two locations — Shops […]
There’s a certain irony baked into opening a bar called Don’t Tell on one of Toronto’s busiest, most talked-about nightlife strips. The team behind it seems entirely aware of that tension — and unbothered by it. Taking over the unmarked Ossington Avenue space that formerly housed Pastiche, Don’t Tell quietly opened for business on June […]
Christie Pits Park draws crowds all summer long for its rolling hills, free baseball games, and public pool — but for years, one thing has been conspicuously missing from the area: a proper neighbourhood ice cream shop within easy walking distance. As of Friday, July 3, that gap has officially closed. Brokn Milk, a new […]
The Comstock Building has seen more bars come and go than almost any address in downtown Toronto. Built in 1898, the space has cycled through a long list of breweries and gathering spots since the late 1980s — Denison’s, the Strand, Duggan’s, Beer Academy, Batch — a run of turnover that would make most restaurateurs […]
Toronto has no shortage of hidden bars these days, but Bar Bokeh takes the concept about as literally as possible: to find it, you have to walk through a working cafe first. Tucked behind the storefront, the speakeasy leans into a moody, intimate aesthetic that draws a clear line between the casual daytime cafe up […]