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 small plates, Chez Wa built its early buzz around an unlikely standout: a creamy mapo tofu pasta that’s become the dish locals bring up unprompted. The rest of the menu rounds out with dishes like shaojiao beef tartare, backed by a drinks program that leans heavily into low-intervention wine and sake alongside a dedicated bottle-shop element for guests who want to take a bottle home.
The space itself is doing plenty of the talking too. Walking into the College Street spot means stepping into a clean, minimalist room built around whites, walnut, and stainless steel — a look the team describes as inspired by European bars, a deliberate contrast to the more rustic, exposed-brick aesthetic that dominates a lot of Little Italy’s other recent openings.
For a strip that’s seen no shortage of new Italian spots lately, Chez Wa’s decision to lean into Asian flavours and a starkly different design language has proven to be exactly the kind of contrast that gets people talking.
Craving pasta with a twist you didn’t see coming? Chez Wa is open now at 617 College St.