What’s on the menu at Bonito’s, a new Korean-Ecuadorian diner on Ossington

Name: Bonito’s Contact: 180 Ossington Ave., 416-663-7867 @boniiitos
Neighbourhood: Trinity-Bellwoods
Previously: Hollywood Coin Laundry Owners: Adrian Montesdeoca and Mikey Kim Chefs: Mikey Kim, Adrian Montesdeoca, head chef Ronan Shaftoe and sous-chef Metal Accessibility: Two steps at the entrance, washroom on main floor

Over the past decade and a half, Ossington has done an about-face. Less than 20 years ago, it was where you’d go to get a three-dollar beer at a dimly lit sports bar while waiting for an oil change at the auto body shop next door. Now, it’s home to an award-winning brewery, trendy natural wine bars and Michelin-starred restaurants. You’d never guess that Bonito’s—a cozy wood-panelled room above its sister spot, Bar Bowie—used to be a laundromat.

Owners Adrian Montesdeoca and Mikey Kim are no strangers to Toronto’s food scene. Kim previously owned Uncle Mikey’s—a French-Korean snack bar named by his nephew—that closed at the onset of the pandemic. Montesdeoca, meanwhile, has had a hand in several spots, most recently Gloria in the Great Hall. They paired up in 2020 to open their own French bistro, Milou, followed by a sleek and sultry basement martini spot, Bar Bowie, in 2023.

The pair had also been running the laundromat Hollywood Coin Laundry since they took over the lease for Bar Bowie, which lives in the basement. But, while it was fun to use five washers at once during off hours, laundry wasn’t their ultimate goal. When they decided to convert the space into a diner, their management team was wholly on board. “We were craving a place that we would want to go to ourselves and that guests who live in the area would want to come back to for casual, affordable bites,” says general manager Chloe Li-Chapman. “Nothing too precious or overly manicured—just a place to really chill.”

The Food

For the dinner and late-night menus, Montesdeoca and Kim fused their Latin American and Asian heritages, which is also reflected in the restaurant’s name: a reference to both the type of fish prevalent in Asian cuisines and the Spanish word for “pretty.” The result is a rich and saucy mix of snacks and sharing plates. “When we started working on the menu, Adrian was sending me recipes and photos of dishes he grew up with, but melding our cultures is just a loose vision. Our main flavour profile is comfort,” says Kim. Head chef Ronan Shaftoe was also a big part of menu creation. “It’s been fun to bring not only Mikey’s and Adrian’s styles but all of our styles together,” says Shaftoe. “I’ve incorporated my own travels through Asia, and our sous-chef, Metal, who’s from Costa Rica, influences the menu too.”

The Drinks

Currently, thirst-quenching cocktails lead the drinks menu, but bar manager Alex Creglia has also made space for a list of easy-drinking beers and more than a few non-alcoholic options, including the founding mother of mocktails: a Shirley Temple.

The wine list, meanwhile, is short and sweet—or more accurately short and dry. “I’ve had my phase of trying every natty wine under the sun—and I loved that—but now I gravitate to cleaner wines and classic grapes that are full of personality and showcase the terroir. Wine is a great tool for Bonito’s food menu, which is predominantly rich and spicy. My mandate for the wine list is nothing too expensive, with a focus on fun sparkling wines—not necessarily champagne, but approachable sparkling,” says Creglia.

The Space

The former laundromat now feels equal parts grandma’s house and ’90s kid’s bedroom. Montesdeoca and Kim wanted to have as much of their personality as possible in the space, so they did most of the work themselves. “A lot of people say, ‘I’m so glad you kept the original wood panelling,’ but those panels weren’t original to the space and were actually hard to source,” says Montesdeoca. “We looked everywhere—even at houses that were in the midst of demolition—before eventually finding them. We wanted them because our go-to meeting spot near Milou has them. We’d sit at the bar forever drinking drip coffee and bottles of soda, thinking, We need a place that feels like this.”

Three TV screens play legendary sports games and throwback ads from a playlist Montesdeoca curated. The knick-knacks and sports posters that decorate the room are his doing as well. “I’m always looking to find weird toys and movie ephemera on the internet. I didn’t feel like I was actively sourcing them for the restaurant so much as making a place to store my collection,” he says. Over the coming months the team will also be finishing the back patio, a convenience store and a sectioned-off DJ area, which will host a local radio project.