Name: Baro
Neighbourhood: King West
Contact: 485 King St. W., 416-363-8388, barotoronto.com, @barotoronto
Owners: Valdez Group
Chef: Steve Gonzales (Valdez)
“If Valdez was Latin street food, then Baro is ‘nuevo Latino’,” says Gonzalez. This translates to a few Valdez favourites (chaufa, chorizo with arepitas) along with new plates like Japanese-flavoured ceviche that’s cured in a ponzu-lime mix and plated with nori, edamame, lotus root and radish. “Don’t call it fusion though—I fucking hate that word,” says Gonzalez. There’s a mix of snack-size and full plates on offer: Think guava chicken wings ($11 for three) and a chicken breast plated with avocado rice, spinach, saffron jus and plantains ($30).
An impressive selection of South American spirits (piscos, cachaças and more than 25 bottles of tequila), and a cocktail menu that lists familiar favourites (pisco sours, mojitos, margaritas) with house specialties.
The 4,000-square-foot, three-storey textile factory was stripped to its bones and then converted into four separate spaces. The 90-seat dining room takes up the entire ground floor and is decked out in Amazonian foliage with brass and marble accents. Tucked behind the more casual second-floor raw bar is Escobar, an invite-only lounge that requires an ever-changing password for entry. The third and final floor is an event space that can accommodate over 200 guests.
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Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.