Local Kitchen to expand eastward with Bar Salumi, an “aperitif bar”
Fabio Bondi and Michael Sangregorio, the guys behind the Parkdale hot spot Local Kitchen and Wine Bar, are slowly taking over the neighbourhood. In a few months, they’ll open Bar Salumi, an aperitif joint, a few doors east of Local. As it stands, their restaurant’s popularity has outgrown its diminutive size; since they don’t take reservations, there are often lines out the door. Bondi says that the new place was conceived as a place to send customers while they wait for a table, since they don’t presently have a lounge.
Aperitif bars are all the rage in Milan right now, Bondi says, but the pre-dinner lounge hasn’t really hit Toronto. (Although we can’t help but note the success of Hoof Café, Dundas West’s carnivorous snack bar conceived to accommodate the Black Hoof’s spillover, which quickly became a hot spot in its own right.) As the name suggests, the menu will consist of small dishes ($5–$12), cheese and meat platters and drinks. “This is just another way to take care of our guests,” Bondi says. “It’s a way of growing while keeping it intimate.”
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/local-kitchen-to-expand-eastward-with-bar-salumi-an-aperitif-bar/&title=Local Kitchen to expand eastward with Bar Salumi, an “aperitif bar”&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Bondi.jpg&description=
[caption id="attachment_26751" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="Parkdale prospectors: Michael Sangregorio and chef Fabio Bondi (Image: Renée Suen)"] [/caption]
Fabio Bondi and Michael Sangregorio, the guys behind the Parkdale hot spot Local Kitchen and Wine Bar, are slowly taking over the neighbourhood. In a few months, they’ll open Bar Salumi, an aperitif joint, a few doors east of Local. As it stands, their restaurant’s popularity has outgrown its diminutive size; since they don’t take reservations, there are often lines out the door. Bondi says that the new place was conceived as a place to send customers while they wait for a table, since they don’t presently have a lounge.
Aperitif bars are all the rage in Milan right now, Bondi says, but the pre-dinner lounge hasn’t really hit Toronto. (Although we can’t help but note the success of Hoof Café, Dundas West’s carnivorous snack bar conceived to accommodate the Black Hoof’s spillover, which quickly became a hot spot in its own right.) As the name suggests, the menu will consist of small dishes ($5–$12), cheese and meat platters and drinks. “This is just another way to take care of our guests,” Bondi says. “It’s a way of growing while keeping it intimate.”){kind=link}
why eat at a place that was furnished with garage sale chairs, two by four lumber? and serve food that is mediocre italian fare you can get at italian bakery with hot table???
toronto diners are so naive!!!
pay the money my little people
“Excellent Food, Reasonable price”
We have been driving past this restaurant for monhs and finally made a trip in. Am i ever glad we did !!!
It has a very cozy atmosphera that made me feel at home, the service is quick and friendly, the food is Excellent and inexpensive.
I do not hesitate to recommend this Restaurant, in fact we have been back a few times and will continue to go.
Mariana and james.
This is one of the few great places to go for good food in Toronto, the food is excellent and the service is good, i would definately recommend it to friends and family.
John.
michael,
you obviously know nothing about anything. so it’s probably best to not post comments at all. i could go on but it would be wasted.
Local is great rustic italian food that reminds me of eating in my grandmas basement. You can’t get better then that.
go local!
Great guys. Great food. Excited to see them expand.
As for Michael’s comment, maybe it’s best you keep hanging out at Nino D’aversa and not come south of Steeles anymore. Oooooh, the big city is so scary.
I thought their hospitality service was horrible, my party and I waited for more than hour for a table (it was pouring rain outside) and was told to leave because we were standing in their way. They never even called us back that night after we left our name on their waiting list. I have a few friends who have gone and say the food is not worth the money.
I will never attempt to go back there again.
Hi guys! I live in the city and actually tend to agree with Michael. Plus, Nino D’Aversa is not that bad, especially if you are on a budget! I remember so many nice family pizza nights there! I am actually an excellent cook in the “cucina povera” style so I tend to agree that things are over priced…unless Vancouver’s chef Umberto Menghi is cooking, then I’ll pay whater. He is the master of “cucina povera” style cooking in Canada. Have a good day!
Amazing Food, Amazing Staff, Amazing Owners and Service! Love this place! Congrats Guys
Horrible service at Local. Will never go to any of their establishments.
Left our number and waited 3 hrs at Mitzi’s Sister for them to call us once our table was ready. We never got the call. Total disappointment.
I hope they have Sprtiz!
A nice little night on the town with the wife in my old stomping grounds. Ok….can’t make reservations @ Local…got it….lots of places have this policy. Wait at their sister bar a few doors down for about an hour to get BAR seating….great. Bar was cramped, one universal washroom to serve 30 + patrons (where the hell is the city building department- and what the f%$^ are they doing ), servers are having a glass of wine themselves…..this is nice….I guess, it is Parkdale after all. Bread was ok….main course was subpar at best. Atmosphere was atempting to mimic the artsy, edgy grunge that Queen West (but more east) used to be with the clothes line hanging from the wall and the wine crate bar surfacing – sorta cute – I guess.
Overall was not all that happy and do not plan on going again in the near future. 1 out of 5 from me.
I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone!
Michael the owner told us our wait would be 1-1.5 hours for a table. I looked at my watch at that point as I had a babysitter watching my kids. After about an hour in their bar 2 doors down, my party and I were contemplating ordering a bottle of wine. The waitress kindly asked for us when our table would be ready as she thought we may be called soon. Michael came to our table and told us it would be another hour or so, and that we should not be complaining as we had only been waiting 30 minutes! My party and I were flabbergasted!!! Even the waitress knew we had been waiting more than an hour. She apologized and was visibly embarrassed. When I told Michael we had been there more than 1 hour, he told me I was wrong and walked away rolling his eyes!!!
Needless to say we left. Incredible how some establishments feel they have the power to treat customers with such disrespect. Its a shame that Michael has not learned this. The only solice I have is that with continued ill treatment of customers this restaurant will be another one of the many who eventually go under.
My advice would be, if Mike tells you a table is not available, don’t go to Salumi to wait for one. Chances are the wait will be much longer than he tells you. There are a couple great restaurant just east on The Local…walking distance.
All the rage in Milan right now? HA Aperitivo is part of the Italian culture, has always been. It goes from somewhere between 6-10pm and then you leave and head on to dinner. EVERY place does their own variation on it from coffee shops putting out sandwiches to places like OBIKA having complete spreads. First of all, never, ever, would you find in Italy an aperitivo where you order dishes individually which are individually priced. The going rate is 5-8 euros for which you get one drink which includes anything from wine to a negroni, to any mixed drink you wish. The food is always arranged in an all-you-can-eat fashion and it is amazing. North America’s idea of an aperitivo is embarrassing in comparison to the real thing. Do it right or don’t do it at all!
This does sounds amazing but the style of it sees more tapas, definitely is not aperitivo!