A Queen West cocktail bar is rebranding itself as an all-day restaurant with a “diner-ish” menu
But the drink list remains the same
Toronto’s restaurants are in year four of a squeeze that won’t quit. Since 2021, the cost of food, labour and rent has marched in one direction: up. Tapering, maybe, but never reversing. Menus shrink, hours tighten and the idea of a double-digit dinner bill now feels quaint. For Adrian Ravinsky, the owner of 416 Snack Bar and its younger sibling, Short Turn, the question isn’t how to stay afloat—it’s how to evolve.
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His snack bar at Queen and Bathurst has been a clubhouse for hospitality vets and night owls for (believe it or not) nearly 15 years now, and on any given night, there has almost always been a wait list. So in 2022, Ravinsky opened Short Turn just a few steps away to soak up the spillover. But appetites—and budgets—change, so he recently relaunched the late-night cocktail lounge as a daytime, value-driven dining experience.
Short Turn is now open from late morning through dinner and has traded its previous nocturnal energy for what Ravinsky calls a “diner-ish” vibe—but without the greasy-spoon clichés. “We debated putting diner on the window,” he says, “but that label comes with expectations, like you have to serve a clubhouse or a hot-hamburger sandwich to qualify.” Instead, he’s aiming for something where you can get a decently healthy lunch that’s also comforting. “Something fresh but not joyless.”
For the new menu, chef Kevin Lo (Aburi Hana, Mimi Chinese) reinterprets the 416 DNA—globally curious but distinctly Toronto—through a daytime lens. There are breakfast-y items like a jian bing omelette, a Chinese street-style crêpe stuffed with egg ($13); a Reuben-inspired hash built on house-cured meat from 416 Snack Bar ($18); and a single, perfect pancake adorned with cultured butter ($10).
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It’s not all brunch staples, though. The same menu runs all day, allowing diners to bounce between Singaporean chicken rice ($24), vegan mushroom shawarma ($14), black cod in laksa ($28), and steak and potatoes ($28). No one is policing cravings here, so if you want Nashville hot halloumi at 11:30 a.m. or a western omelette before bed, go for it.
As for the cocktails, fret not, members of the freezer-martini fan club: Short Turn’s drink list remains untouched, save for a few additions, like a $10 Garibaldi made with whipped orange juice and a blend of amari.
Short Turn, 576 Queen St. W., @416shortturn
Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.
