What’s on the menu at Mossop’s Social House, Hotel Victoria’s Levantine-inspired restaurant, cocktail bar and café

Tomer Markovitz of Romi’s Bakery was the consulting chef

By Liza Agrba| Photography by Ryan Nangreaves

| March 11, 2024

What's on the menu at Mossop's Social House, Hotel Victoria's Levantine-inspired restaurant, cocktail bar and café

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Name: Mossop’s Social House Contact: 56 Yonge St., mossops.ca, @mossops.social
Neighbourhood: Financial District
Owner: Silver Hotel Group Chef: Asokkumar Tharumalingam Accessibility: Not fully accessible

Mossop’s Social House is—as the current trend dictates—a restaurant, coffee house, cocktail bar and hangout spot all rolled into one. Attached to the newly renovated Hotel Victoria, it’s named after Frederick Mossop, a former hotel clerk who bought the site in 1906 and opened the Hotel Mossop a few years later. A portrait of him in the foyer keeps an eye on the goings-on.

A portrait of Frederick Mossop hangs inside Mossop Social House in Toronto

The building has since been through several rounds of ownership, and the first-floor restaurant space was more recently a breakfast spot called Over Easy. After a thorough renovation—which carefully preserved some of the historical features, including the original flooring—Mossop’s Social House officially opened in October.

Hotel Victoria GM Jordan Gravelle, Mossop's Social House bartender Colin Walker and chef de cuisine Asokkumar Tharumalingam — From left: Hotel Victoria GM Jordan Gravelle, bartender Colin Walker and chef de cuisine Asokkumar Tharumalingam

The food

Tomer Markovitz—chef and owner of Romi’s—was the lead culinary consultant for this project. His influence is everywhere: the emerald-green falafel, the velvety hummus, the flaky bourekas and the rich Nutella-filled challah, which comes straight from his St. Clair West bakery. For breakfast, every item on the menu comes with a salatim platter—a spread of challah with tahini, labneh, chopped salad and Moroccan carrots. Dinner options include a selection of grilled skewers and sharables (as well as a larger version of the salatim). The breakfast, lunch and dinner menus are all plant-forward and include plenty of gluten- and dairy-free options.

Stuffed boureka, Nutella french toast, a three-egg omelette seasoned with za’atar, and the salatim platter at Mossop's Social House in Toronto — Let’s start with breakfast, as one does

The base of this French toast is delicious Nutella challah from Romi’s Bakery, topped with fresh fruit and maple syrup. $20

A three-egg omelette seasoned with za’atar. $18

Here we have a flaky, poppy seed–crusted boureka. The savoury, buttery puff pastry is stuffed with pickles, tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs, and is garnished with za’atar and microgreens — Here we have a flaky, poppy seed–crusted boureka. The savoury, buttery puff pastry is stuffed with pickles, tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs and garnished with za’atar and microgreens. $15

This salatim platter is a spread of challah, tahini drizzled with olive oil, cumin-spiced carrots, honey and cinnamon, labneh with roasted garlic, and a salad of chopped cucumber and tomato — In what has to be one of the best deals south of Queen, this salatim platter comes free of charge with every item on the breakfast menu. It’s a spread of challah, tahini drizzled with olive oil, cumin-spiced carrots, honey and cinnamon, labneh with roasted garlic, and a salad of chopped cucumber and tomato. Available on its own for $15

A spread of Levantine-inspired lunch plates at Mossop's Social House — Moving on to lunch...

Mossop’s creamy house-made hummus bowl with steak and a side of pita — Mossop’s creamy house-made hummus bowl comes with the option to add cauliflower ($18), falafel ($22) or steak ($24). This is the latter, simply garnished with paprika, olive oil and parsley and served with pita from Romi’s

Mossop's kale and Napa cabbage salad has a bevy of mix-ins including roasted sweet potato, walnuts, dried cranberries and black lentils — The house kale and napa cabbage salad has a bevy of mix-ins including roasted sweet potato, walnuts, dried cranberries and black lentils. It’s dressed with a honey-lemon vinaigrette and tahini. $20

A trio of pitas stuffed with falafel — Chickpeas meet parsley, green chilies and other spices in Markovitz’s falafel for an ultra-moist-inside, crispy-on-the-outside delight. They’re stuffed into toasted pita bread with amba tahini, zhug (Yemenite hot sauce made with cilantro and parsley) and tomatoes. $18

A spread of Levantine-inspired dinner plates at Mossop's Social House in Toronto — Now for some items from the dinner menu

Zingy za’atar-spiced fries with amba tahini for dipping. $12

Roasted sweet potatoes dressed with pomegranate seeds and syrup, tahini, yogurt and toasted sunflower seeds. — For this sweet potato carpaccio, buttery roasted sweet potato teams up with pomegranate two-ways (syrup and seeds), tahini, yogurt and toasted sunflower seeds. It’s a deceptively simple dish that’s greater than the sum of its parts. $10

Here we have a kebab of juicy chicken marinated in amba and grilled to perfection — Here we have a couple kebabs of juicy chicken marinated in amba—a tart green mango sauce—and grilled to perfection. They’re served on a bed of arugula and topped with arugula microgreens. $34

An eight-ounce grilled steak skewer — This eight-ounce grilled steak skewer is perfect for pairing with a salad. $39

A delightful vanilla ice cream sandwich featuring a thick, decadent chocolate chip cookie from Romi’s — And for dessert, a delightful vanilla ice cream sandwich featuring a thick, decadent chocolate chip cookie from Romi’s. It’s finished with raspberry compote and caramel sauce. $10

The drinks

“We curated our beverage menu to reflect the history of Hotel Victoria by putting our twist on classic cocktails, which were also inspired by our food menu,” says food-and-beverage manager Jhovaine Brown. Zero-proof options are no afterthought here, with nine carefully designed non-alcoholic tipples at notably lower prices than their boozy counterparts. There’s also a streamlined wine menu and two “drink towers” (think bubbly or customizable spritzes for eight or 12 guests). Mossop’s partnered with Detour Coffee and Metz Luxury Tea for its café menu, which features all the espresso-based beverages one might expect as well as drip coffee.

A creamy latte made with Detour coffee. $4.50

Off Mossop's zero-proof menu, this is the Victoria Elegance with fresh cucumber juice, simple syrup and bubbly San Pellegrin — Off the zero-proof menu, this is the Victoria Elegance, with fresh cucumber juice, simple syrup and bubbly San Pellegrino. $7

Another of Mossop’s thoughtful zero-proof cocktails is the Bliss Lemonade, a blend of house-made strawberry-vanilla purée, lemonade and club soda. $8

The Queen Victoria High Tea is a blend of gin, green tea, house-made honey-rosemary syrup, pineapple juice, lime and mint, garnished with smoked rosemary — This is the Queen Victoria High Tea, a blend of gin, green tea, house-made honey-rosemary syrup, pineapple juice, lime and mint. It’s garnished with smoked rosemary. $12 (also available without gin for $7)

A mojito made with rum, lime, mint, soda and arak, a clear, distilled Levantine spirit — This is no ordinary mojito. Made with rum, lime, mint and soda, it has all the ingredients you would expect—and one you wouldn’t: it’s spiked with anise-flavoured arak, a clear distilled Levantine spirit. $14

The Punch Me Up, Mossop's take on an espresso martini, mixes a boozy base of Kahlua, Bailey's and vodka with espresso and simple syrup — The Punch Me Up, the bar’s take on an espresso martini, mixes a boozy base of Kahlúa, Bailey’s and vodka with espresso and simple syrup. $12

The space

Mossop’s is spacious, comfortable and eclectic—WestGrove Design studio carefully preserved a handful of historical features, like charmingly lived-in hand-laid marble mosaic tile and stained glass above the main entrance. The layout is split into a few different areas. Off the main entrance are alcoves with cozy lounge seating, including one playfully appointed the Coral Room, in a space that used to be the hotel’s ladies-only entrance (think Flapper Barbie’s Dreamhouse complete with a peacock-adorned gold mirror). Past the reception desk is the main dining area, lined by a long bar decorated with dried flowers and a fringed fuchsia lamp. Off this area is the Mosaic Room, currently used as a small art gallery. It’s cozy enough for a solo coffee and big enough for a party.