What’s on the menu at Charlemagne, Café Renée’s second-floor speakeasy
Including an all-dumpling snack menu
More New Bars
Name: Charlemagne
Contact: 100 Portland St., @charlemagnecocktailbar
Neighbourhood: King West
Owners: Operating manager Bianca Rossi and Nick Liu (Dailo)
Chefs: Executive chef Nick Liu and chef de cuisine Josh Ling (Dailo)
Beverage director: Angus Edmundson (BarChef)
Accessibility: Not fully accessible (up a flight of stairs)
On the second floor of Café Renée, behind an unmarked black door, is Charlemagne. The hidden cocktail lounge—designed to look like something out of London, England, circa 1940—was inspired by beverage director Angus Edmundson’s British heritage. The cozy space fits around 25 guests, and behind the bar, seriously talented mixologists make cocktails to the sounds of Sinatra.
Related: What’s on the menu at Café Renée, chef Nick Liu’s Italian-inspired French restaurant
The drinks
Edmundson leads an expert crew: there’s a rum specialist who studied in a Cuban bar; a recruit from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and someone who worked at Bar Mood in Taipei. Guests unsure of what to order from the menu can simply tell their bartender what their preferences are for either a recommendation or a custom-made cocktail.
The food
The all-dumpling menu features shrimp har gow, veggie potstickers and Dailo’s popular pork-and-shrimp wontons. Each order includes three pieces and comes with a dipping sauce.
The space
Much like the Redwood, Edmundson’s favourite drink on the menu, the place is decked out in earthy tones, including milk-chocolate-brown leather banquettes and barstools and warm wood panelling. With the curtains closed, the only source of light in the moody room comes from the glowing, backlit bottles of liquor behind the bar.
NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY
Sign up for Table Talk, our free newsletter with essential food and drink stories.
