Toronto’s top restaurant spin-offs

By News Room Last updated Feb 12, 2025

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This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Toronto

In many cities, restaurateurs spread their brand across several locations. But Toronto has recently seen a proliferation of these little culinary kingdoms. Chef Anthony Rose was an early mover; his uptown fiefdom spans from Middle Eastern dining at Fat Pasha to grab-and-go bagels at Schmaltz Appetizing.

My favourite outposts are always the more casual ones, which offer the best of a great chef’s influence without stuffiness or pretension. “If you go in there with a [Toronto baseball team] Blue Jays jersey on or a suit, I still want you to feel comfortable,” says Patrick Kriss of Aloette (see below), the casual offshoot of his Michelin-starred flagship Alo — a strong contender for the best restaurant in Toronto. Kriss wants its little sibling, Aloette, to offer exceptional food and drinks in a friendly atmosphere. “You don’t have to be expected to come in and drop a big bill,” he says. “You can come in and have a cocktail. The door is always open.”

Having grown up in the city, I think there is something characteristically Torontonian about this laid-back approach, and wanting to eat second-to-none food without having to swap your jeans for uncomfortable trousers. Ironed white table clothes are for London or New York. Here, it is all about food over fanciness.

Aloette Bay

81 Bay Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5J 0E7

Good for: Burgers. Something of a local legend thanks to an epic volume of takeaway sold during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Aloette burger remains a popular favourite
Not so good for: The ambience at the Bay location is unavoidably a little corporate
FYI: Alo Food Group is fast growing from kingdom into empire. Also try Alo, Aloette Spadina or two Alobar locations
Prices: Mains, C$22-C$46 ($15.50/£12.50–$32/£26)
Opening times: Monday–Friday, 11.30am–9pm; Saturday, 5pm–9pm
Website; Directions

The original Aloette is located downstairs from its fancier older sibling on Spadina Avenue, just off the ever-hip Queen Street West. But there’s also a new downtown location — and if you venture there, you may wonder if you’re heading to the right place. Aloette Bay is located just at the entrance to the — there’s no other way of putting it — food court at the brand new CIBC Square skyscraper. What it lacks in charm it makes up for in convenience: its location is perfect for businesspeople, those travelling though Union Station or attending events at the Scotiabank Centre next door. Inside, the green-tile and natural-wood decor does its best to channel the diner-inspired charm of the original Aloette.

Any qualms about the neighbourhood and atmosphere will fade as you peruse the menu and disappear when you tuck in. The house bread — a tiny loaf of feather-light cheese bread with smoky, roasted nutritional yeast butter — sets the table for a menu that elevates favourites like burgers or fried chicken to the realm of haute cuisine. The beef tartare stands out for its bright mix of pickle, mustard seeds and lemon. The koji-butter scallops come with crackly rice that is just slightly reminiscent of breakfast cereal. Cocktails are excellent too. I tried the tequila-based Iceberg Fiction, which was the first spicy cocktail that your heat-phobic correspondent has ever actually enjoyed.

Giulietta

972 College Street, Toronto, ON M6H 1A5

Good for: Cocktails. The mezcal negroni is even better than you think it will be
Not so good for: Wearing your new Blue Jays jersey. Giulietta is not stuffy but it is chic
FYI: Depending on where you’re staying, the location can be a bit of a step. It is served by Toronto’s iconic streetcars (trams). Frankly, it is usually quicker to walk. Otherwise, a cab is recommended
Opening times: Monday–Saturday, 5pm–10pm
Prices: Mains, C$29-$48 ($20/£16.50–$33.50/£27); pizza C$26-$28 ($18/£14.50–$19.50/£16)
Website; Directions

Although a more laid-back experience than the Michelin-star Osteria Giulia, little sibling Giulietta is still an elevated dining experience that features in the Michelin guide. Chefs Rob Rossi and David Minicucci wanted to offer “a genuine neighbourhood restaurant”. We will gloss over the fact that the softly lit dining room with its mellow music and glass walk-in fridge room is located in Little Portugal, rather than the more culinarily appropriate Little Italy neighbourhood up the road. Wherever this kitchen sets up shop will be Italian enough for me.

The menu is Italian to its fingertips, but not so traditional that it cannot be inventive. There is plenty of choice, from generously portioned appetisers, pasta, meat and seafood to pizzas. The famous octopus lives up to its reputation — tender with a barbecue char, served with buttery cannellini beans and fresh green salsa. The cooking excels at texture. The artichoke fritters are crisply fried with melting interiors, and the signature La Giulietta pizza is an unexpected and brilliant combination of pistachio pesto, lardo and smoked scamorza cheese.

Food writers are generally called on to say something more creative than “the food is really, really good”. But do not misunderstand. This was one of the best meals I’ve eaten in a very long time.

Bar Ardo

169 King Street East, Toronto, ON M5A 1J4

Good for: Fries. These are delicately cut, with an impossibly delicious lemony mayo
Not so good for: Choice. There’s a huge selection of small plates but fewer choices among the mains
FYI: The restaurant also hosts events such as curated dinners featuring outstanding wine tasting, and arancini cooking classes
Prices: Small plates, C$13–C$27 ($9/£7.30–$19/£15); mains, C$23–C$119 ($16/£13–$83/£67)
Opening times: Daily, 11am–late
Website; Directions

Chef Roberto Marotta’s Sicilian establishment straddles the line between cocktail bar and restaurant. Further west, King Street is known as Toronto’s clubland — Bar Ardo is more grown-up but still with a touch of glamour. Guests are invited to order cocktails and small plates or bigger dishes to share. The spacious restaurant is chic but not pretentious, with bold modern art, comfortable bentwood chairs and simple whitewashed brick walls. Down the block, sibling Ardo offers a more traditional sit-down menu.

The stars of the Bar Ardo menu are found among the extensive selection of creative small plates. The cooking is oriented around high-quality ingredients and has the restraint — bordering on austerity — to let these shine through. The scallops are a perfect example: delicately accented by cucumber, green apple, orange and lemon olive oil without overwhelming their natural flavour. Equally brilliant are the artichokes, sliced in half and gently pickled and topped with mint, capers, breadcrumbs and pecorino. Warm, nutty marsala and braised fennel elevate the mussels, making a perfect balance between earth and sea.

Vinoteca Pompette

597 College Street, Toronto, ON M6G 1B5

Good for: Dessert. You must order the vanilla soft-serve with honey, olive oil and fennel pollen. I beg of you
Not so good for: People with dietary restrictions. Trying to avoid dairy or meat on this menu would be a little challenging
FYI: This culinary family includes the buzzy Bar Pompette a few doors down and the excellent Bakery Pompette nearby
Prices: Pasta, C$25-$29 ($17.50/£14–$20/£16; “Comfort Plates”, C$28-$29 ($19.50/£15–$20/£16)
Opening times: Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–3pm and 5.30pm–late
Website; Directions

If you don’t like butter, skip Vinoteca Pompette. During my September visit, the menu was richly autumnal — from the brown-butter mayo on the Wagyu beef carpaccio to the butter-drenched ravioli du Dauphiné. But the cooking is far from one note. The tuna crudo is fresh and spectacularly presented with edible flowers and a palette of different-coloured tomatoes that actually taste different from each other — a heartening testament to the quality of the ingredients.

With its large glassed-in terrace, whitewashed walls and friendly staff in T-shirts and jeans, Vinoteca Pompette could easily be mistaken for a simple neighbourhood favourite. But the atmosphere belies the truly outstanding cooking at this successor to the Michelin-recommended Pompette. Its owners unexpectedly closed the popular eatery to re-emerge in a more casual guise with the addition of a new Italian influence (the late Pompette was strictly French). The section of the menu entitled “Comfort Plates” features a steak au poivre-inspired burger and breaded chicken breast alla Milanese. I’d also recommend a look at the cocktail list, especially the Basil Smash — faintly reminiscent of a whisky sour but made with filtered burrata water and gin, distilled with basil in-house.

Do you have a favourite Toronto-restaurant spin-off? Tell us in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter

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