One of Toronto’s best bistros is opening something new in the Annex

Last week, By the Way Café, a Mediterranean brunch spot that had been a cornerstone of the Annex since 1979, closed its doors. Just two days later, a new chapter began as one of Toronto’s top restaurateurs picked up the keys, with plans for a future as enduring as the previous occupant’s legacy.

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Teo Paul—the force behind Ossington’s farm-to-table fixtures Union and Côte de Bœuf, Hamilton’s Le Tambour Tavern, and Grey County’s Hearts—and Côte de Bœuf manager Eamon O’Dea are set to inject new life into an Annex dining scene that’s overdue for a refresh. Their latest project: Brasserie Côte. “It’s going to be like Côte de Bœuf but with more selection,” says Paul.

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For Brasserie Côte, Paul envisions the kind of space he’s become known for: French in spirit, with a zinc-topped bar, likely some reclaimed wood and zero pretension. Guests can expect wine-friendly snacks, a robust selection of charcuterie and whatever farm-to-table brilliance Paul has up his sleeve. Inspired by Parisian haunts like Aux Deux Amis, Brasserie Côte aims to be boisterous and joyous, open all day with no reservations—as the French would say: c’est la vie.