With the recent arrival of such hot spots as The Hideout, Tattoo Rock Parlourand Barchef, the Queen and Bathurst area has seen a boom in late-night hangout options (with the notable exception of the Bip BopBig Bop’s closure). But a few steps north on Bathurst used to mean immediate entry into a nightlife dead zone. At least, that was before Adrian Ravinsky and David Stewart opened 416 Snack Bar on Monday, bringing with them a cosmopolitan menu of palm-sized grub options.
The two business partners met years ago as bussers at Ferro. Since then, they’ve become true front-of-house veterans, having undergone serving or managing stints at such venues as Brassaii, Buca, Gileadand more. Now, at 416, they’re trying their hands at menu creation in the space formerly occupied by burrito spot Johnny BananaJohny Banana. “We’re sort of hastily trained chefs,” Stewart admits, but it’s certainly not obvious from the effort put into their eats. It probably helped, too, that Grace’s Dustin Gallagher provided his services as mentor.
For $4, customers get several bites’ worth of a pork belly bun, the meat of which is cured for a week, submerged in duck fat for three or four hours, then deep-fried until crisp. It comes on a steamed bun, made in-house, with hoisin sauce, pickled celery, pickled ginger and watercress as garnishes. The Napolitano pizza pocket ($4) offers vegetarians a miniature panzerotto filled with mozzarella, basil and San Marzano DOP tomato sauce. Other petite highlights include a grilled hot dog ($3) and a Jamaican beef patty filled with braised short rib ($3), both also made from scratch.
The beer selection includes such local favourites as Duggan’s Number 9 ($6), Hoptical Illusion ($6.50 a pint) and Steam Whistle ($6); the wine list is VQA heavy, and the liquor selection steers clear of candy booze. All of that, plus the antique-heavy decor, make for a venue that’s reassuringly worthy of the name.
Hello, this piece is full of bizarre errors and mistakes. Is your writer new to the city?
– The Hideout, Tattoo Rock Parlour and Barchef are not “recent” additions to Queen West, they’ve all been around for a few years each.
– By BIP Bop, you probably mean BIG Bop, right?
– North on Bathurst isn’t a nightlife dead zone – some of us remember Azul, or more recently the metal bar further north on the west side
– Johny Banana – one N. You could hire a food writer who is at least vaguely familiar with local restaurants.
– and how does a restaurant full of antiques make it worthy of the 416 name?
This article hurts my head. Please try that fun thing called “editing”.
Hey Squeasel- lighten the hell up. Do you live in one of those dilapidated over-store apts down there so you can be all street cred cool and correct errors in 300 word online reviews?
I think the place looks wrad (sic). Will be checking it out ASAP.
hmm… steamed pork buns, sounds vaguely familiar to ny superchef david chang’s ‘signature dish’…
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pork-Belly-Buns-240258
i’m sure no one will notice…
that said, i’m going to try them asap.
ANOTHER HOLE IN THE WALL
LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER HOLE IN THE WALL , WHY???
hey squeasel,
the name is based on the blog that one of the creators started years before the idea of the restaurant came into being. Also both owners are born and raised in toronto.
Although I agree with you that more people should proof read and fact check their work before going to publish but its only a local publication the same complaints could be made for cnn and other other “credible” news agencies.
@hillcrest144:
david chang did not invent putting pork belly into a steamed bun (though he has recently popularized it). having tried both momofuku’s and 416’s, i can honestly say they’re quite different – and our local one might be better.
Just so you know, he didn’t invent Ramen either. Also, “superchef”? Super Agent maybe. Too bad he’s started to believe his own hype.
I live literally around the corner, and this is EXACTLY what this corner need needed. A cozy bar, snacks that actually taste good, a nice beer & wine selection, and great music. It sort of reminds me of Czehoski’s later night bar scene, but the music is not too loud & drinks are less expensive.. Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody know your name..
@frank Oh, and it’s not a hole in the wall. ;)
David Chang may not have invented the Pork Bun, but he did popularize the idea of selling the crafted street/late night foods, which many industry people find themselves scarfing after services. The place sounds like it is trying waaay too hard following yet another lead from NYC.
Boorriinngg!
I don’t see how this place will be able to last.
insideman, I think you are over analyzing this whole thing… just because you know all about ‘David Chang’ and ‘NYC’ doesn’t mean everyone else does. I think they will do very well and they deserve to for the hard work they have put in. Can’t wait to check out the space!!
You so called foodies kill me. I guarantee you this place will last. It is the perfect little nook to take a girl, have some drinks, gnosh on some affiordable yet well crafted snacks and the people there are super friendly. I wis that some of these so called foodies would go and check the place out before they naysay
The Snack Bar rules! The owners are really down to earth and friendly. The prices are more than decent. Good tunes. The food is delicious; perfect for post-drinking. It is totally classy enough to take a girl. The setting is just right for those late night, intimate conversations you can’t have in a club.
I’m born and raised in Toronto, I love food and I’m all about atmosphere. This is my new fav Queen West stop!
Negative reviewers: GO to the Snack Bar before you start sharing your lovely opinions. But please sit in the back and be quiet. You sound like annoying geeks.
Yes rascal, you are right.
I know for a fact that they write annoying comments on Chowhound too!
I loved this place. Great Concept and friendly staff. Check out my full review at http://ppttoronto.blogspot.com/2011/07/416-snack-bar-great-place-great-concept.html
Please let me know what you think