Downtown Venues

Renowned V.I.P. host and media personality Mike Chalut recently teamed up with Marty Fortier to create Four One Seven Restaurant & Lounge. Decorated with a fire and water theme, Four One Seven is the perfect venue for intimate parties and large receptions alike, with dinner seating for as many as 185 people and a total capacity of 250.

The Storys Building is the first of three Hanif Harji and Charles Khabouth collaborations on this list. The 170-year old, 14,000-square-foot building will house Tavern Restaurant on the first floor, which is set to open in the spring of 2013. The restaurant and the Cocktail Parlour on the second floor, which will open in early 2013, will each seat 80 people. The third and fourth floors of the Storys Building are private event spaces and each hold 150 people for a seated dinner or 225 for a reception.

The Beer Academy opened in downtown Toronto this past June. With the aim of educating its customers, this small-craft brewery features a tasting room, a beer shop, a beer-lover’s library, and a historical tribute to the “world’s greatest beverage.” The 9,000-square-foot Beer Academy has a maximum capacity of 300 and two areas for private events: the Main Venue, which holds 200, and Brewer’s Kitchen, which holds 45.

Toronto’s newly opened restaurant, lounge, and art gallery House of Moments promises a unique and memorable experience for all its guests. The restaurant’s menu is a distinctive blend of European and Eastern Asian cuisines, and the art gallery features monthly exhibitions from artists around the world. This 12,000-square-foot space includes a dining area for 150, a private room for 40, and an art gallery for 350.

Weslodge, another Hanif Harji and Charles Khabouth collaboration, opened in mid-July.  Classified as a modern American-style restaurant with a saloon twist, Weslodge’s eye-catching, bright yellow doors welcome customers into a new dining experience. The restaurant has a semiprivate dining area upstairs that can seat 14 people.

La Société is 1920s-inspired Parisian bistro on Toronto’s Bloor Street. This chic, vibrant space can accommodate events of all sizes: The dining room seats 160; the terrace can host private seated dinners of 60 or receptions for 100; and Bloor St. Patio, occupying the ground floor, offers 80 seats and room for 200 standing.

In early September, Hapa Izakaya opened its fifth Canadian location in the heart of Toronto’s Little Italy. The Japanese restaurant offers tapas, sushi, cocktails, and premium sake.  The 3,100-square-foot restaurant will welcome large events and buyouts, and seats 120. The cozy patio can seat 10.

Top Chef Canada's Ryan Gallagher leads the kitchen at Reds Wine Tavern after the restaurant, formerly Reds Bistro, was rebranded and renovated this month. The rehaul, which opened up the space and heightened the ceiling by two and a half feet, included the addition of leather, brick, and wood decor accents, and new communal tables. The restaurant’s two private rooms—one boardroom-style space for 12, the other with room to accommodate 50 standing—were also redone.

Patria, the third Hanif Harji and Charles Khabouth collaboration on this list, is set to open in mid-October. The Spanish-style restaurant will have a semiprivate room that will hold 20 people for a seated event.

Top Chef Canada winner Carl Heinrich will open Richmond Station in early fall. The restaurant will include a semiprivate dining room called the Pantry, with space for 12 guests. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will also be available for buyout and can accommodate 60 for a sit-down dinner or 100 for a reception.