What’s on the menu at Parcheggio, O&B’s new Italian restaurant in North York

Name: Parcheggio
Contact: 2901 Bayview Ave, 647-943-6780, parcheggio.ca, @parcheggioto
Neighbourhood: Bayview Village
Previously: Origin North
Owner: O&B Hospitality (Leña, Canoe, Auberge du Pommier, Liberty Commons at Big Rock Brewery)
Chef: Corporate executive chef Anthony Walsh and executive chef Andrew Piccinin (Leña)

The food

Andrew Piccinin dug deep into his Italian heritage when working on the menu. His grandparents immigrated from Italy’s northeastern Friuli-Venezia Giulia region and Piccinin remembers a childhood full of food. A few of the plates on the menu are taken right from his grandmother’s roster, including the lasagna—only a dozen portions are on offer each night.

Lunch sees bronze-die-extruded pastas, Italian sandwiches and salads, all of which hit the table shortly after they’re ordered. The idea was to have a lunch-rush card (quick and with a lot of light options). Dinner is a heartier affair of (more) pasta, and meaty mains like steaks, veal chops, pork shank osso buco and seared branzino.

The drinks

Classic cocktails have been tweaked to focus on Italian spirits. There’s a Cynar spritz, for example, as well as white sangria made with pinot grigio, and a red version mixed with amaretto. The main focus, though, is on the negroni—there are five on offer. And, as many diners will be driving to Parcheggio, a big focus was put on mocktails.

The space

Parcheggio, Italian for parking lot, is an irreverent reference to the location of O&B’s newest restaurant: in Bayview Village Shops’ carpark. The 208-seat restaurant leans into it’s not-quite-glamorous location with some cheeky design winks from Sold Design Creative, like lights that look like traffic lights, parking-spot markings on the floor and banquettes that look like leather backseats.