This new King West snack bar is from the team behind a popular barbecue joint
Carbon Snack Bar is now open in what was once Global Village Backpackers
Name: The Carbon Snack Bar
Contact: 460 King St. W., thecarbonsnackbar.ca, @thecarbonsnackbar
Neighbourhood: King West
Owner: Yannick Bigourdan
Accessibility: Fully accessible
The building on the northwest corner of King and Spadina has lived many lives—it’s been a TV studio, an iconic hostel and, most recently, a café. But it started life as the Richardson House, a 60-room hotel in 1875. And it’s that history that drew Yannick Bigourdan to the space. The Carbon Bar—his restaurant that he refers to as “the mothership” and his new project’s big-sister spot—is also housed in a historical building, on Queen East.
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“The Carbon Snack Bar was originally just an idea that could exist as a pop-up but nothing really concrete,” Bigourdan says. “And then I visited this site. All of the sudden, I had the idea of putting a Carbon Bar here.”
The Carbon Bar has become famous for its smoked meats, but Bigourdan is also responsible for several other hotspots around the city, including the Berczy Tavern and Lucie. He also launched an online store where the smoked meats and salts that catapulted the Carbon brand to barbecue stardom are available for purchase. So, naturally, the Carbon Snack Bar became an extension of that.
Fridges and freezers are stocked with grab-and-go lunch items: fresh sandwiches, to-go bowls, smoked meats. There’s also a selection of coffee-based beverages, muffins and Craig’s Cookies for the morning crowd.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel with the food,” Bigourdan says. “We just want to offer something to the community. Down the line, there will be specials, features and even special events like movie night or espresso martini night. We want to be everybody’s place at different moments of the day.”
The Food
“The best founders or entrepreneurs are always solving their own problems,” Bigourdan says. “I’m downtown every day, and like anybody in the city, I need lunch, but I’m not always in the same spot. So I go and buy a salad, and I realize that they’re all very similar. No one is working with the products that we’re working with at the Carbon Bar, which is the smoked meat. I thought it could be a good angle to offer something that is delicious, that is different, that we know that has been prepared with care.”
The Drinks
A liquor licence allows visitors and tourists to enjoy locally made beer or canned cocktails at lunch or dinner or before heading to a Jays game. “People can come and enjoy a cold beer on a tough day or have a quick drink before continuing on their day,” Bigourdan says. Vodka sodas from Cottage Springs, Casa Del Rey’s tequila seltzers, Ace Hill pilsner and Rosewood wines are all on offer.
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“We’re proud to support local Toronto brands alongside timeless favourites,” Bigourdan says. Non-alcoholic offerings include St. Spore kombucha and Barbet as well as Earth Water, a sustainable and charitable brand. And all of the specialty coffees are made using a unique blend crafted by Detour Coffee.
The Space
The colour-splashed space offers counter service for those dining in or taking their food to go. Fridges and freezers are full of prepared proteins and side dishes for at-home heating or grilling, and shelves are stocked with the brand’s signature salts, sauces and marinades.
There are a few seats by the window for those who wish to eat their sandwich or salad inside, but—while the sun is still shining—the streetside patio is the place to be.
