Here's a look at new Toronto eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces for all types of summer entertaining and events. The new and renovated Toronto venues are available for corporate parties, fund-raisers, outdoor events, business dinners, teambuilding activities, conferences, meetings, weddings, and more.
After years of delays, the Hotel X Toronto by Library Hotel Collection opened on the Canadian Exhibition Place grounds in March, with its event spaces debuting in June. The hotel, event space, and sports complex has a total of 90,000 square feet that Stephen B. Jacobs Group P.C. Architects and Planners oversaw. Andi Pepper Interior Design helped transform the hotel using reclaimed materials, clean contemporary lines, and modern touches. Offering Toronto’s only three-story indoor-outdoor rooftop, the hotel’s Falcon SkyBar features multiple event spaces. One such space is the View, which offers 1,662 square feet of indoor and outdoor space and features seating for 133 banquet-style or 175 theater-style, or holds 150 for receptions. On the third floor of the hotel, the Victory Ballroom covers 6,346 square feet and can be divided into North and South blocks via a Skyfold drop-down ceiling partition. It seats 500 banquet-style or theater-style, or holds 660 for receptions. The Bowtie Room, at 720 square feet, has multiple flat-screen televisions, a billiard table, and comfy lounge seating and holds 75 guests for reception-style events. Catering for events is available from ByPeterandPauls.com.
Grant van Gameren has expanded his restaurant empire with the vegan Mexican concept Rosalinda, in partnership with Max Rimaldi and Jamie Cook (Pizzeria Libretto, Enoteca Sociale). Opened in May in the downtown core, the eatery boasts 4,700 square feet of space with seats for 138 and capacity for a 50-person cocktail reception. Bent and Gable transformed the space into a greenhouse oasis, with vintage finds to complement the modern space and hand-painted murals on the walls with lots of play between florals, bright colors, and a greenhouse-inspired interior roof hung with plants that create a garden vibe. With a commitment to plant-based dining, the kitchen has infused the rich, bold flavors of Mexico into bites including a roasted cauliflower tostada and a black-bean burger they call the Rosaburger. While the space doesn’t offer a private room, it has semiprivate options with a large table suitable for 10 people toward the back of the restaurant. Full buyouts are available.
Ink Entertainment opened Sofia, its latest restaurant venture helmed by entrepreneurs Charles Khabouth and Danny Soberano, in Yorkville in June. Executive chef Christine Mast’s Italian menu features pastas and breads made in-house and meat and fish prepared daily in a charcoal, wood-burning fire. The restaurant’s design, overseen by Studio Munge, features rich marbles in gradient shades of purple, pink, and jade form an expressive herringbone floor, as well as luxe touches such as red velvet benches. Also notable: The restaurant will feature contemporary and modern art from the noted Taglialatella Gallery. The nearly 6,900-square-foot interior has seating for 150 seated guests in the main dining room and 64 seats at the bar. There are two patios: one that faces north off of Yorkville for 52 seated guests and one that faces south onto Cumberland Street for 58 seated guests. There is a semiprivate dining for 24 seated guests; the venue also is available for buyouts.
C9 Art Gallery, a new gallery in Yorkville, opened in March with plans to share international perspectives on contemporary art. The heritage building was repurposed by Lee Development and Taes Architects to meet the needs of a contemporary art gallery. The 850-square-foot gallery fits 60 guests for cocktails or seats 45. The gallery is available for full buyouts—with the rule that its staff must be on-site if art is on display during rental. It also has a listing of preferred caterers.
Two of the owners behind Queen West’s Otto’s Bierhalle have launched a new venture on the Ossington strip that is part restaurant, part bar, and part event space. Soso Food Club opened in June, serving regional Chinese cuisine by chef Jasper Wu such as lettuce wraps, roti, and red chili wings. The nearly 3,000-square-foot space uses a teal-and-pink color palette inspired by Nancy Chen’s travels to Hong Kong, plus programmable LED lights and artwork by Toronto illustrator Kendra Yee. The front dining room seats 80 and features multiple tables and bar seating, with a lounge area in the back set up with a Funktion One sound system for live music. The back room can be booked for private events, and full buyouts are available.
Located in the lower-level of the CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Hendriks Restaurant & Bar took over the former Baton Rouge space in March. With more than 7,000 square feet of space throughout the restaurant, the team worked alongside GH+A Design and BLT Construction to transform the venue into a modern, upscale restaurant with leather banquettes, rich wooden finishes, and splashes of blue and marble throughout. The restaurant, which seats 225, has a variety of seating options including booths, tables, and high-tops. Although there is no private dining area, the restaurant offers a semiprivate area at the back which seats 16 guests. On the menu, guests can order from a classic American menu with hints of a Mediterranean influence, although it’s known for its steak and seafood. The restaurant is available for full buyouts.
Located inside the newly opened Anndore House near Yorkville, the hotel restaurant Constantine comes from Toronto chef Craig Harding. His menu focuses on Mediterranean flavors for his dishes with inspiration from Morocco and Greece. The 145-seat restaurant was designed by Studio Munge and is separated into three areas: a bar, a cafe, and a main dining room that looks out to the open kitchen. Around the restaurant, decor such as glass-blown objects and deep red walls create a restaurant fit for a Roman emperor. It opened in April.
Canadian craft cider brand Brickworks opened Ciderhouse, a retail shop and restaurant, in Toronto’s Riverside community in March. Nova Scotia design firm Breakhouse oversaw the 3,000-square-foot split-level restaurant with a garage-style door that opens during the warmer months, big open windows, an apple-theme mural painted by Meaghan C. Kehoe, and a large screen TV above the bar. The menu is seasonally based, but features classics like hummus with pita, mussels with frites, and pork belly ribs. The main dining area seats 58 guests or holds 66 for receptions. The second floor overlooks the main floor and can be used for semiprivate dining or large groups with a total seated capacity of 54 guests or 74 for drinks. The owners have plans to open a second-floor patio, which would have room for 24 guests. Buyouts are not available.
In June, Ignite Restaurant Group replaced the fine-dining restaurant the Berlin with a gastropub, the Rich Uncle Tavern, in downtown Kitchener. The venue covers 6,600 square feet across two floors and features an updated design and decor. The design from DFY Studios, Mannhardt Management, and Arianna Perricone showcases indoor tin roofs, brick walls, vintage paintings, and plush leather banquettes. On the first-floor main space and bar, there is room for 120 seated or 135 for cocktails, while the patio seats 16 or holds 26 for cocktails. On the second floor, the restaurant will feature a bar and lounge, called the Study, as a semiprivate event space for groups of about 40 guests seated or standing. Also available on the second floor is the private Meeting Room, with room for 20 seated guests or 25 for cocktails. The restaurant is also available for full buyouts.
