A popular Yorkville cocktail bar is reopening after a six-month hiatus
Bar Reyna is back with a new look and an updated menu
Back in February, Bar Reyna’s Yorkville location—known for its year-round patio—closed its doors, but owner Nicki Laborie assured disappointed regulars that the shutdown was only temporary to give the Mediterranean lounge a much-needed glow-up. “I opened Bar Reyna in New York a few years ago, and my location on Cumberland was going into its tenth year,” she says. “Every time I’d go to my new spot in New York and return to the one that started it all, the disparity between the two became more and more striking.” Unable to neglect her firstborn baby any longer, Laborie embarked on a redesign that was way more than a little nip and tuck. “Old Toronto buildings are great—until they aren’t,” she says.
Reopening later this month, the new Bar Reyna features three distinct spaces that land somewhere between Lawrence of Arabia and The Real Housewives of Miami—think azure and dusty rose accents, plush fabrics, pergolas, greenery and flowers. The refreshed menu blends signature favourites (don’t worry: the Bar Reyna salad, falafel and lamb baklava tacos are still on it) with some modern, slightly stepped-up snacks.
“Our new chef, Jordan cabal, worked at both 416 Snack Bar and Alo, so we’re very lucky to have him here as he was able to execute our vision for Bar Reyna with ease,” says Laborie. In other words, he knows his way around a fancy snack. Standouts from the new menu include fried chicken wings topped with caviar as well as Cabal’s spin on steak tartare, made with chopped Wagyu, A5 beef fat aïoli, shallots, mustard and cornichons, served on French toast–style sourdough and topped with za’atar-cured egg yolk.
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As for the cocktails, Laborie says the new list is an extension of their signature drink roster. “We would never say goodbye to our tangy Mezcal Smoke Show, but we’ve added a few that are going to have equal impact.” One of them, the Please Sir, Some Mo’is a blend of brie-washed bourbon (or whatever Canadian substitute is on hand) and Chambord with a red wine float. It’s a good sign since cheese-infused booze just might be the new holy water.
Erin Hershberg is a freelance writer with nearly two decades of experience in the lifestyle sector. She currently lives in downtown Toronto with her husband and two children.
