This is what’s opening in the old La Cubana space on Roncesvalles

The dulce de leche has barely cooled and a restaurant for New York–style Italian food is already taking over the former La Cubana space on Roncesvalles. (If you haven’t heard, you can still get your Cuban brunch fix at their Ossington location.)

Proper, which opens January 7, aims to fill a buzzy nightlife void for the largely family-oriented neighbourhood. Owner Michael Edwards, who lives in the area, is new to the restaurant world, but he’s betting big on an unmet desire for late-night options.

Related: This new Italian spot specializes in choose-your-own-adventure pasta

Led by chef Julien Cawagas, who helped bring Eataly and Giulietta to cult-fave status, Proper’s menu will revolve around familiar, family-style American Italian flavours, executed with polish. “Traditional Italian food tends to be quite strict—it’s very rule-based. No cappuccino after noon, right? New York Italian is a diaspora that lets you break the rules a bit,” says Edwards.

Guests should expect showy mains, including veal marsala with mushrooms, shallots and a peppercorn demi-glace, interspersed with dishes like clams on toast, an elegant antipasti that involves sourdough, ’nduja, white wine and fennel. A selection of pasta rounds out a menu that aims to balance familiarity with finesse.

“My uncle is Italian and my aunt is Filipino. Our Sundays centred around family meals prepared by my nonna,” says Cawagas. “Tables filled with pasta; Sunday gravy with sausage, beef chuck, meatballs and pork ribs; fresh salads with ingredients from my nonno’s garden; and brick-grilled chicken from his small backyard. We always finished with warm sourdough from the bakery across the street—perfect for scarpetta. Proper’s menu pays homage to my aunt, uncle, nonna and nonno, who introduced me to Italian culture and shaped my relationship with food. After nearly a decade as a chef, my childhood love of Italian cuisine remains an essential part of who I am and what I want to share.”

Jen Neabel (Est, Alchemy) is responsible for a solid program of classic and seasonal cocktails alongside a wine list built entirely of regional Italian bottles—and some highlights by the glass—at an accessible price point.

Related: Charlotte Day Wilson is ready to take your order at her new Italian sandwich shop

Fans of La Cubana’s jazzy interior will be glad to find the same peppiness at Proper, with many elements—like the turquoise subway tiles and mosaic flooring—carried over. Reupholstered burnt-umber velvet banquets and warm mahogany accents add a layer of suave, complete with vintage chairs from the ’60s and ’70s and light fixtures bought at an auction in Italy.

For Edwards, the restaurant’s name is a play on “well done”—a nod to his team’s commitment to good-quality ingredients and 100 per cent scratch-made menu—as well as the British slang that dials up the enthusiasm, as in, “That’s a proper good meal!”

Proper will be open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday at first, with plans to expand to weekend lunch and coffee in the months ahead. For those already dreaming of the post-winter melt, keep an eye out for zhuzhed-up soft serve with rotating daily flavours, coming in the spring and summer.

“I love that Roncy feels like a small-town main street,” says Edwards. “But I also dislike that it sometimes feels like a small-town main street. We want to bring some dynamism—a dash of Dundas West, Queen West and Ossington. I don’t want Roncy to become any of those areas, but I think it will benefit from a bit of evening energy. We just want to do something fun, with good music, good food and cocktails, for a bit of a later-night scene.”