Introducing: The Carbon Bar, a massive Southern bistro on Queen East from the owners of Nota Bene
Introducing: The Carbon Bar, a massive Southern bistro on Queen East from the owners of Nota Bene
Name: The Carbon Bar
Neighbourhood: Moss Park
Contact Info: 99 Queen St. E., 416-947-7000, thecarbonbar.ca
Owners: Yannick Bigourdan, David Lee and Franco Prevedello, the same trio behind Nota Bene on Queen West
Chef: Former Splendido chef David Lee, who is also the executive chef at Nota Bene
The Food: The contemporary American menu takes cues from Southern, Latin American and Texan cuisine. It’s divided into bar snacks, appetizers, sharing plates, “fixins” (i.e. sides) and wood-fired meats, which are slow-roasted in an actual wood fire pit. For 29 bucks, the Pit Master Platter brings beef brisket, pulled pork ssäm, jalapeño sausage and pork ribs, which have quartz-pink middles and heavily charred exteriors.
The Drinks: In keeping with current trends, the short cocktail list focuses on brown spirits and tequila, which are blended with unconventional ingredients like sea buckthorn and guajillo chili syrup. The wine and beer lists emphasize American bottles.
The Place: A big, modern bistro with brick walls, maroon booths and dozens of spherical light fixtures dangling from the ceiling. The building previously housed a Disney rehearsal space, a City TV broadcast studio and the nightclub Electric Circus. A few design details pay homage to that history, like a clubby neon sign and a collection of Donald Duck figurines.
The Numbers:
• 104 seats plus an additional 45 at the bar
• 30 seats in the second-floor private dining room
• 30-foot ceilings
• 15 Donald Duck figurines pay homage to the building’s former life as a Disney rehearsal space
• 12 spherical light fixtures suspended on pantographs
• 1.5 years to renovate
Read More
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- Carbon Bar is located at 99 Queen Street East, just east of Church Street
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- In former lives, the building was a Disney rehearsal space, a City TV studio and the club Electric Circus
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- Spherical light fixtures dangle from the ceiling on pantographs
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- Brick walls and low booths give the space a modern bistro feel
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
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- The neon “Electric” sign is an homage to the space’s Electric Circus days
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- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- The stairway to the private dining room on the second floor
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- The private dining room seats 30, and overlooks the main room
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- The Alibi: chartreuse, tequila, sea buckthorn, guajillo chili syrup and bird’s eye chilis ($16)
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- Goat-stuffed papusa with tomatillo salsa and guajillo date jus ($13)
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- Fried chicken skins with sweet chili vinegar ($6)
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- Wood-fired pork ribs ($18). The line of pink under the crust, called the “smoke ring,” is a sign of meat-smoking excellence
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- Wood-fired pork ribs ($18)
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- Blackened sea bass with yucca, chili, lime, coriander and tomatillo chutney ($22)
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- Beef rib with savoy cabbage, mustard, horseradish and pickles ($35)
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- Cheddar ice cream sandwich ($9)
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- Chef David Lee
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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- The space also used to be a Disney rehearsal studio
- (Image: Caroline Aksich)
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
- Introducing: Carbon Bar
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 and wood-fired meats, which are slow-roasted in an actual wood fire pit. For 29 bucks, the Pit Master Platter brings beef brisket, pulled pork ssäm, jalapeño sausage and pork ribs, which have quartz-pink middles and heavily charred exteriors.
The Drinks: In keeping with current trends, the short cocktail list focuses on brown spirits and tequila, which are blended with unconventional ingredients like sea buckthorn and guajillo chili syrup. The wine and beer lists emphasize American bottles.
The Place: A big, modern bistro with brick walls, maroon booths and dozens of spherical light fixtures dangling from the ceiling. The building previously housed a Disney rehearsal space, a City TV broadcast studio and the nightclub Electric Circus. A few design details pay homage to that history, like a clubby neon sign and a collection of Donald Duck figurines.
The Numbers:
• 104 seats plus an additional 45 at the bar
• 30 seats in the second-floor private dining room
• 30-foot ceilings
• 15 Donald Duck figurines pay homage to the building’s former life as a Disney rehearsal space
• 12 spherical light fixtures suspended on pantographs
• 1.5 years to renovate
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