What’s on the menu at Lisbon Hotel, a new all-day café and cocktail bar in Corktown
But it’s not Portuguese or a hotel
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Name: Lisbon Hotel
Contact: 19 Lawren Harris Square, lisbonhotel.ca, @lisbon_hotel
Neighbourhood: Corktown
Owners: David Wex, Adam Hijazi (Terroni, Buca, Eataly) and Sally Gillespie (Short Turn, Bar Raval, Pretty Ugly)
Chef: Mason Sankey (Bar Raval, Sunnys Chinese)
Accessibility: Fully accessible
David Wex, one of the partners in the newly opened Lisbon Hotel—a café by day and cocktail bar by night, located at the base of a new Corktown condo—is not a restaurateur. But he wanted a business to service the River City condos, which, as owner of Urban Capital Developments, he had just built. Knowing little about the industry, Wex brought on friend and Lisbon Hotel co-owner Adam Hijazi, a hospitality veteran, to construct the concept for him.
Despite its name, Lisbon Hotel is not a hotel, but the space intentionally gives hotel-lobby vibes. It’s a light-filled, stylish, appropriately Instagrammable spot. But it’s also pragmatic: cleverly concealed electrical outlets allow guests to sip on coffee while they email the day away—and then unplug when it’s time for cocktails.
The food
To pair with the drinks, there’s a roster of bar snacks, like marinated mushrooms, olives, cheese, lupini beans and seasonal pickles. Slightly more substantial plates—anchovy toast, chorizo, marinated mushrooms—are composed of simple, high-quality ingredients. Many of the items share their plates with (or at least invite in for a little dip) the queen of culinary humility: bread.
The drinks
Espresso-based beverages during the day, higher-octane ones by night. Cocktail guru Sally Gillespie has cleverly concocted a card of craft cocktails that has something for everyone. For those who like their drinks super boozy and spirit forward, there’s the High Tides, made with bourbon, amaro, black sesame and palo santo. Others (while still boozy) are citrusy and surprising, like the Little Wing Highball, an east-west blend of Fino sherry, sake, absinthe, house cucumber cordial and lime.
The space
In proper hotel-lobby fashion, Lisbon Hotel feels at once offbeat, original and a little familiar, like home—or someone’s very nice home, at least. A warm yet modern panelled-oak and quartz bar is lined with vintage-inspired stools that rest on worn-in woven Moroccan carpets. Concrete beams play against a custom wood drop ceiling and a hilariously fancy communal table that looks like it was dragged out of Rosedale to be coffee-ringed and emailed upon.
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Erin Hershberg is a freelance writer with nearly two decades of experience in the lifestyle sector. She currently lives in downtown Toronto with her husband and two children.
