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La Cubana has been replaced with a New York–style Italian restaurant

Proper is bringing red sauce to Roncesvalles

By Nicola Brown| Photography by Ryan Nangreaves

| January 29, 2026

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Name: Proper Contact: 392 Roncesvalles Ave., properfb.com, @proper.to
Neighbourhood: Roncesvalles
Previously: La Cubana
Owner: Michael Edwards Chef: Julien Cawagas (Eataly, Giulietta) Accessibility: Not fully accessible

Roncesvalles local and Proper owner Michael Edwards is new to the restaurant industry, and it shows—but in a good way. From the wishbone chairs he refinished by hand to an all-Italian wine list featuring some of the smallest markups you’ll find in the city, the former entrepreneur and business consultant is leading with as much heart as his head will allow.

The team at Proper, an Italian restaurant in Toronto — From left: Chef Julien Cawagas, owner Michael Edwards and mixologist Jen Neabel

“The other day, a woman dropped by with a boxful of truffles, and the whole kitchen flocked to go sniff them. You just don’t get to have experiences like that in consulting,” says Edwards. “I’ve learned so much in such a short period of time about the power of personal relationships in the restaurant industry. Whether you have access to the best products at the right time goes well beyond a business transaction.”

The exterior of Proper, an Italian restaurant

The Food

The kitchen doesn’t have a walk-in fridge, so many of the ingredients arrive fresh each day, and Cawagas makes every dish from scratch.

With an unpretentious focus on fresh, quality ingredients, nothing is too precious. You won’t find edible flowers here, and Cawagas doesn’t plate with tweezers. Instead, attention to detail arises in the delivery of that classic New York meets Toronto trattoria experience, with no-nonsense Italian comfort food in a cozy setting.

Coming soon: coffee and snacks via the once-popular takeout window.

An arugula salad — The arugula salad is a punchy combination of fennel, cherry tomatoes, balsamic dressing and a pile of parm. $19

A baby gem caesar salad — The baby gem caesar is piled high with pancetta, crouton crumb, capers, white anchovies and more of that parm. $19

Clams on toast was one of the first dishes Cawagas cooked for Edwards at the latter’s Roncy home. A few rounds of refinement later, it’s one of Proper’s signature antipasti. Sweet and briny BC Manila clams are gently steamed with garlic, ’nduja, fennel and white wine. The resulting medley is piled high on a lightly charred hunk of garlic-rubbed Petite Thuet sourdough and finished with olive oil. The bread soaks up all the juices—no mopping required. $26

Beef tartare with grilled sourdough — Here’s the beef tartare, with shallot, capers, mustard, egg yolk and truffle pecorino. It’s served with more of that grilled sourdough. $32

Italian meatballs topped with basil — No Italian trattoria would be complete without meatballs. A blend of beef, pork and veal (the trusty trifecta), these are hand-rolled in milk-soaked breadcrumbs to keep them tender while cooking, then rested on classic red sauce. “It’s the kind of meatball you grew up eating—or wish you had,” says Cawagas. “One of the most important things I learned from Rob Rossi at Giulietta was restraint—when not to do too much and just let great ingredients speak for themselves. At Proper, I apply that same mindset: strong fundamentals, clean flavours and dishes that feel thoughtful but approachable.” $17

Spinach ravioli in red sauce — The ravioli al ragù is what Cawagas describes as a deconstructed take on a traditional Emilia-Romagna lasagna. Six big spinach ravioli pockets are filled with a rich blend of whipped ricotta and parmigiano-reggiano, served “al ragù” on bolognese that’s been slowly simmered for up to six hours. $27

Tagliatelle ai Funghi — The tagliatelle ai funghi brings glossy pasta ribbons luxuriating in a creamy truffle sauce with wild mushrooms. $29

Shrimp fra diavolo — Inspired by the bold flavours of Calabria, where Cawagas’s grandparents are from, the shrimp fra diavolo is a piquant mix of juicy jumbo shrimp and cherry tomatoes tossed with spaghetti, Calabrian chilies, garlic, parsley and butter in a lobster stock. $28

Veal chop marsala — The veal chop marsala is a sharable showstopper. A beautifully grilled 16-ounce chop gets bathed in a marsala wine reduction made with shallots, garlic, and a mix of cremini, maitake and wild mushrooms. The addition of a house demi-glace and a splash of cream dial up the decadence, while a trace of dijon adds subtle acidity for balance. It’s served bone-in and carved, so each piece is coated in that glossy, deeply savoury sauce. It’s a comforting dish that recalls both a big Italian family dinner and a special-occasion steakhouse. $60

Steak with salsa verde and confit garlic — And here we have the bistecca, a 16-ounce rib-eye covered in salsa verde and confit garlic. $86

The Drinks

Cocktails hit a playful high note. Mixologist Jen Neabel (Est, Alchemy) has created a collection of Italian riffs on the classics.

“I’m very romantic,” says Neabel. “My approach is to keep drinks accessible, not make them too quirky or wild, just pick a staple and riff it. I really like juxtaposition, where a drink appears to be one thing but it hits you a bit differently. I gravitate toward drinks that have something you know and love, but with an unexpected twist.”

The tight regionally driven Italian wine list was developed by Luli Lavdari of Buca Yorkville. It showcases a range of by-the-glass options and bottles, organized north to south by terroir in another subtle nod to the value placed on the provenance of ingredients. Peroni (classic and zero-ABV) and espresso (made using La Cubana’s rocket-red espresso machine) round out the drink offerings.

The Amalfi Blonde cocktail at Proper — The Amalfi Blonde is a take on what’s rumoured to be Taylor Swift’s favourite cocktail: the French Blonde, typically made with grapefruit juice, elderflower liqueur, gin, Lillet Blanc and lemon bitters. Neabel’s version swaps the Lillet and bitters for limoncello, giving it that sunny-sweet Amalfi Coast flair. It’s a wink at passionate Italian summers—cruel or not. $18

The Vespa, a take on the Sidecar cocktail — This sultry version of a sidecar was almost named Streetcar—but, in a pivot toward something with cuter curb appeal, the Vespa was born. The classic sour cocktail is given wintery warmth using a house shrub of spiced pear, sage and peppercorn. Perched jauntily on the rim is a pear slice whose natural shape mimics the smooth curves of a car. You can’t unsee it. $18

The Sole Rosso, a tequila-based cocktail — The Sole Rosso features tequila, Campari, blood orange, soda and a house champagne syrup. It’s juicy and refreshing but also a little bit tart, which plays nicely against the richness of the food. $18

A tiramisu martini — Here is the Tiramisu Martini, an obvious Italian dessert meets cocktail mashup if ever there was one. Neabel uses beans from nearby Reunion, layering fresh whipped vanilla mascarpone cream and a dusting of cocoa powder on top. It tastes like a drinkable version of their tiramisu. $18

The Space

Proper strikes a cozy vibe, with many of La Cubana’s elements preserved (the original Mexican encaustic floor tiles and the turquoise wall tiles, for instance) alongside elegant updates like velvety burnt-umber banquets, mahogany panelling, those Danish wishbone chairs and curvy Italian sconces. The goal? Neither retro nor kitschy nostalgia but a more timeless nod to the past, with decade-meshing elements collected over time from the ’50s to the ’90s.

A gallery-like series of black-and-white photographs by Fabrice Strippoli, lining the walls from the entrance to the back, depict iconic Toronto street scenes from the ’90s. Some feel contemporary (a bay window storefront with a snoozing cat) and others historical (a guy on a bicycle wearing a hefty boom box on his back). The collection serves as a reminder that Toronto can be just as charming and iconic as the Big Apple.

The entrance and front dining room at Proper

Looking from the front of Proper's dining room to the back

The bar at Proper, a restaurant on Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto

Nicola Brown

Nicola Brown is a freelance writer and editor with 15 years of experience creating travel, food and lifestyle content. Her work has appeared in the Toronto Star, Time Out, Canadian Traveller, Travel Life, Toronto Life, EnRoute, WestJet Magazine, CAA and Cottage Life, among other publications.

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