Reconnect over dinner and drinks at these cool ‘n’ cozy Ossington Avenue bars, lounges and restaurants.
Gather the gang for a long overdue social in buzzy Ossington Village. From modern Malay street food to Cuban medianoches, here are seven inviting bars, lounges and restaurants with private rooms you can take over with your friends and fam.
Boehmer
This rustic-chic restaurant features a seasonal menu drawing from Chef Paul Boehmer’s childhood influences of Spain and Germany.
With its creative cocktails and global-local menu (featuring dishes like venison tartare with Ontario wild leek mayo, or locally sourced skillet-roasted chicken with morels), it’s a great spot for mixed company.
The private room at Boehmer holds up to 16 guests and boasts a long dining table with benches that—juxtaposed with white walls and sparse decor—will make you feel like you’re dining at a modern cabin.
Cote de Boeuf
This bistro bar à vin is a tiny space with loads of character inspired by the neighbourhoods of Paris. You’ll be charmed by its use of wooden wine barrels for tables, hanging menu chalkboards and shelves stocked with French wines, oils, vinegar and other pantry items.
Cote de Boeuf is also a bespoke butcher shop that breaks down its local beef the old-fashioned way: by handsaw. There are two private dining options on offer.
Outside of patio season, small groups can book the Butcher’s Table. Comfortably seating four to six people, this private dining spot offers a set menu of French dishes like chanterelles à la crème with dry aged côte de boeuf.
Larger groups can book the Parisian Feast, a multi-course private dinner that includes freshly shucked oysters, charcuterie, escargot, more of that dry-aged cote de boeuf and dessert.
Soos
This family-owned restaurant is a beautiful space specializing in modern interpretations of Malaysian street food. Its decor exudes exotic warmth with lantern-wallpapered walls, wooden screens and dramatic lighting.
The Malacca-inspired, private dining room tips its hat to the Portuguese, Dutch and Japanese influences on the Southern Malay state. Soos' striking back room accommodates 16 along a grand dining table with bright red chairs.
The menu focuses on Nyonya cuisine (Chinese-influenced Malaysian flavours) and boasts family recipes served in, shareable plates, bar snacks and street foods like Malay-styled rempah fried mushrooms with sambal hot honey, Sarawak pepper prawns and Rendang braised short rib.
Fat Choi
Bridging the gap between a healthy vegan eatery and a traditional Chinese-Malay restaurant, Fat Choi serves up plant-based dishes like sambal dhal and roti. Don’t miss the 20-ingredient prosperity slaw with yuzu plum dressing.
Operating as a permanent pop-up restaurant within a restaurant at Soos Fat Choi offers the same sumptuous surroundings and private dining room for groups of 10-14.
Kick off the evening with their creative cocktails, such as the Marga-Mori, a concoction of blanco tequila, chartreuse, passionfruit-jalapeño syrup and lemon juice.
La Cubana
Cuban comfort food comes with all the flair at this Toronto mini-chain. The interior design is as much of a draw as its menu, with a diner-but-make-it-classy feel that is exactly where you’ll want to bring your friends and family.
The cozy private dining room features exposed brick and a dark wood table that can seat between six and 12 guests over cervezas, corn fritters and signature La Cubana dishes like guava beef short ribs or achiote roasted chicken thighs.
Paris Paris
Located in a converted auto garage on the Ossington Avenue strip, this wine bar boasts a fun, energetic vibe that’s refined but doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Known for being one of the best spots for private dining, Paris Paris offers a convivial experience at the back next to the open kitchen. This leafy all-day wine bar is the perfect place to stay cozy, with plenty of plants to lend a sunny, semi-tropical vibe.
Dishes are not only French-inspired but also feature Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese flavours. Keep your palate guessing with piri piri chicken, maitake mushrooms with corn polenta, and parchment-wrapped shrimp and scallop parcels.
Reposado Bar & Lounge
With a selection of 120+ tequilas and mezcals, Reposado Bar & Lounge is the place for a serious Mexican beverage flight, ideally guided by its knowledgeable staff.
(It is also home to an excellent bodega/bottle shop where you can pick up cocktail kits, three-bottle tequila and mezcal flights and an assortment of bar snacks.)
On the menu: a satisfying taco selection including barbacoa, carnitas and veg-friendly mushroom al pastor.
With its exposed brick, finely crafted woodwork and stained-glass windows, Reposado channels an elevated party vibe. Take it all in while sipping a tequila negroni or virgin Black and Stormy.
Getting to Ossington Village
Take the 501 Queen streetcar to the Ossington Avenue stop.
Or take the Bloor-Danforth subway line to Ossington station, then catch the 63 Ossington bus southbound to Dundas Street West or Queen Street West stops.
