There’s a new boutique hotel in the Annex with a Japanese Italian restaurant
Nomas opens March 1
With three trendy establishments to his name already—Yuugi Izakaya, 915 Dupont and Tebasaki Wing House—you may think Jeffrey Chu would be running out of ideas (or at least steam). Instead, Chu, along with his partner Jerry Tsang, went ahead and opened a hotel on a stretch of Bloor Street in the heart of the Annex. “Mirvish Village is returning to its former glory, with dozens of historic buildings being restored and a new urban centre under construction,” says Tsang. “Our team saw an opportunity to contribute to this revival by converting a tired early 1900s brick building into a new destination where travellers can truly live in the community.”
Related: What Choir! Choir! Choir! co-founder Nobu Adilman loves about the Annex
Nomas is a 17-room boutique hotel in a former mixed-use building that the partners acquired back in 2023. “There are many hotels in Toronto, but we wanted to create a boutique experience in central Toronto for the 25-plus crowd, who aren’t interested in major chains but who also don’t want to stay in an Airbnb,” says Jeffrey Chu. “We’re aiming somewhere between the luxury travel market and the budget one.”
Opening March 1, Nomas will offer art deco–inspired rooms with industrial tweaks and a keyless, tech-forward stay. Don’t look for a front desk: you won’t find one. There is an on-site restaurant, though.
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Anchoring the main-floor lobby is Bellis, a café by day that morphs into a Japanese Italian fusion cocktail and snack bar as night falls. The coffee program was designed by Nigel Wang of Rooms and 915 Dupont. The menu is by former Guu Izakaya chef Attila Baksa, who is also responsible for the cocktails. Guests can expect dishes like miso rigatoni and Toma-Toast, a play on bruschetta featuring ginger-and-soy-marinated Campari tomatoes, whipped yuzu ricotta and fresh shiso leaves. It would pair nicely with the tomato-basil highball or the yuzu paloma.
Rooms hover around $200 a night—making a staycation, one more cocktail and a spontaneous hotel sleepover feel like a very good idea.
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.
