Here's a look at new Toronto eateries, bars, hotels, conference spaces, private rooms, and other venues available for events this spring. The new and renovated Toronto event spaces are available for corporate parties, weddings, fund-raisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, teambuilding activities, conferences, meetings, and more.
Arthur’s Restaurant, a new concept from Chase Hospitality Group, opened in February. Located in Toronto’s midtown, the restaurant is inspired by the father of Chase president Steven Salm and their favorite grill house dining rituals in his home town of New York. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant was overseen by architecture firm Gh3 with the aim of bridging a modern aesthetic with vintage charm. In the Crystal Dining Room, a custom ceiling treatment recalls the base of a crystal cocktail glass with three-dimensional diamond-patterned wood panels and a brass center dome, weighing almost five tons in total. The dining room features floor-to-ceiling windows from eight 14-foot-high windows that overlook St. Clair Avenue. The space seats 90 guests or holds 150 for receptions. In the lounge, dark oak wood, bronze accents, and a hint of tartan are featured alongside photography and artifacts, honoring Arthur Salm’s childhood on the walls. The lounge seats as many as 64 guests or holds 70 for cocktails. There is a seasonal summer patio with additional seating for 60 guests. Full buyouts are available.
The event venue Grace opened in Toronto’s Junction neighborhood in February. The venue offers 18-foot ceilings, original exposed brick and beams, clerestory skylights, and a private tasting lounge with seating. The venue offers 2,400 square feet of rentable space and also includes Toben Food by Design’s commissary, which is the exclusive caterer for the space. The venue seats 100 with a dance floor or 120 without a dance floor, or it holds 150 for reception-style events. The space also offers a separate lounge with a custom millwork piece featuring Carrara marble countertop. The venue is also fully equipped with a Bose audiovisual speaker system with aux input and dimmable lighting.
In January, the Thompson Toronto officially opened its latest event space, the Park Room. Located on the ground floor and formerly home to Colette Grand Café, the 3,000-square-foot area is now a multi-use space. With a French countryside design and floor to ceiling glass windows, the room is equipped with audiovisual technology to support business meetings, cocktail receptions, or banquets. The Park Room also has a private board room overlooking green space, a pool, and a pavilion, with seating for 20 guests. Overall, the space holds 225 for receptions or seats 108 for banquets or 45 in a classroom setup. The hotel provides catering for events in the space.
In December, MRBL opened on King Street West as a classic American steak house. The restaurant, which replaces Drake and Susur Lee’s concept Fring’s measures 3,500 square feet and features marble pillars, tabletops, counters, and decorative pieces throughout. Mademoiselle is the champagne lounge located on the lower level of the building. It seats 50 or holds 120 for receptions. The restaurant features an open kitchen with a semiprivate dining chef’s table for 10. The menu features steak house fare including tuna tartare, Caesar salad, and, of course, a selection of steaks. The restaurant seats 180 or holds 200 cocktail style. Full buyouts are available.
Celebrity chef Mark McEwan opened his third gourmet grocery retail store, McEwan's, in January. The 17,000-square-foot space, at the corner of Toronto’s central Yonge and Bloor streets, blends food hall with grocery. The store, designed by Moncur, offers sleek design and high-definition TV screens. In the food hall, guests can treat themselves to McEwan’s Café, Fabbrica Pizza, a carving station and rotisserie, a sushi bar, and a hot and cold table. There is a mix of high and low tables that seat about 60 guests, with standing room for 110. Evening buyouts are available.
Laissez Faire opened in King Street West in December in the former Home of the Brave space. The 2,300-square-foot French bistro is decorated in vintage tiles, exposed bricks, and a coffered ceiling, giving it a rustic-elegant feel. The upscale French cuisine comes from chef Zachary Barnes, a Michelin trained chef, who will showcase his culinary knowledge garnered from his time at some of the top restaurants from around the world. An open kitchen is flanked by a six-seat chef’s table. There is no private dining, but a window facing King Street West with seating for eight is available. The restaurant seats 88 guests. For receptions, it holds 100 with the tables in place or 135 with them removed. Full buyouts are available.
Iconink expanded the Byblos brand with a third location, which opened in uptown Toronto in December. Transforming Mark McEwan’s former North44 restaurant, Studio Munge took the 9,120-square-foot space and divided it between two floors with 19-foot archways, handmade tapestries from Marrakech, and Persian rugs. The Eastern Mediterranean eatery has a sharing-style menu and seats 144 guests or holds about 150 for receptions. Off of the main level is a semiprivate dining room with seating for 10. Full buyouts are available.
The new coffee shop Milky’s Coffee, a venture from Fraser Greenberg, opened in February in Kensington. Working with Batay-Csorba architects for design, Anony for lighting, and Relative Space for coverings, Milky’s boasts a warm, inviting design. One of its quirkiest features is circadian rhythm lighting meant to imitate the quality of the sun’s light throughout the day and complement a human’s natural sleep/wake cycles. The 320-square-foot shop regularly hosts coffee tastings; for private events it holds 30 guests with no seating. Event hosts can bring in their own furniture rentals; the space would seat about 15 guests.
Goa Indian Farm Kitchen joined restaurateur Hemant Bhagwani’s roster of restaurants in December. The restaurant, located in Bayview Village, uses his traditional French style of cooking to showcase Goan-style Indian food. The 1,700-square-foot space uses rich jewel tones, many of which are reflected in the mirrored walls, and displays images Bhagwani has taken of his travels. The restaurant has seating for 40 with an additional 12 on an indoor patio. For receptions, the venue holds 70. Buyouts are available.
