1161 Queen St E · Leslieville, Toronto
A Leslieville Restaurant
French technique, Italian foundation, on the south side of Queen Street East. Pasta rolled here every morning, a full bar down one wall, and a room narrow enough that a conversation stays at your table.
Queen Street East runs from the Don Valley out to Woodbine, and the stretch through Leslieville is still mostly narrow storefronts under two-storey brick, still mostly owner-operated, and still nearly chain-free. We are on the south side, east of Broadview, with the 501 stopping at the door.
The room is long and low-lit rather than dim, with the bar running down one side and tables spaced closely enough to feel busy and far enough apart to talk across. It is quieter at 10 AM than at 8 PM and it changes character across the week — unhurried on a Tuesday, full by seven on a Friday.
What We Cook
French technique, Italian foundation
"French-Italian" is a phrase restaurants use loosely, so here is what it means in this kitchen: the pasta and the produce come from the Italian side, the sauces and the protein cookery from the French. Ravioli filled with crab and ricotta, or with bechamel and black truffle. Gnocchi in sun-dried tomato and cream. Then a filet mignon finished with peppercorn sauce, mussels poached in white wine and Spanish onion, salmon under a sauce vierge.
The pasta is made here. That is the part worth knowing, because it is the part that costs time and cannot be bought in.
The full menu
Starters, pasta, mains, salads and a kids menu. Dessert changes; ask your server.
If the table has requirements
The Plant Power Burger is vegan and the mushroom risotto is gluten free — both proper mains rather than consolations. Several pasta dishes and the hummus are vegetarian. Tell us when you book.
The bar
Fifteen cocktails, nothing above $17, and every spirit priced by the ounce. French and Italian wine by the 5oz, the 9oz and the bottle.
When to Come
- Brunch
- Friday 11–3, Saturday and Sunday 10–3. The best-lit and quietest service of the week. Saturday and Sunday between 11 and 1 is the crush; before 10:30 or after 1:30 is a different room. Brunch menu and hours →
- Happy Hour
- From opening, at the bar, at tables and on the patio in season. Thursday is the early one — we open at 2 PM rather than 4. Happy hour →
- Dinner
- The full menu runs from 3 PM at the weekend and from opening on weeknights. Monday to Wednesday we open at 4 PM. Weeknights are usually walk-in; Friday and Saturday evenings are worth booking.
- Outside
- A wraparound patio on the Queen East frontage, step-free from the street, open seasonally. The patio →
Opening Hours
- Mon
- 4 PM – 9 PM
- Tue
- 4 PM – 10 PM
- Wed
- 4 PM – 10 PM
- Thu
- 2 PM – 10 PM
- Fri
- 11 AM – 3 PM brunch, then dinner from 3 PM until close
- Sat
- 10 AM – 3 PM brunch, then dinner 3 PM – 10 PM
- Sun
- 10 AM – 3 PM brunch, then dinner 3 PM – 9 PM
What It Suits
Because "is this the right restaurant" is the actual question
A date
Low-lit, close tables, a bar to start at. There is a way to order across an evening — a cocktail, then a bottle, then something warm.
A group
We can seat larger parties on one table, which most rooms on this strip cannot. Beyond that there is a private option.
Something being marked
Birthdays, anniversaries, a bachelorette. Tell us when you book and we will plan around it rather than react to it.
Work, and kids
A room quiet enough for a business lunch, and a kids menu for the other end of the week. Both are easier before the room fills.
The Neighbourhood
We are one room on a street full of them, and the street is the reason to come east rather than any single restaurant on it. Within a walk you can eat an Egyptian breakfast, a Michelin Bib Gourmand diner plate, and whatever we are doing that night. That density is what Leslieville has that the rest of the city mostly does not.
Our own guides to the wider neighbourhood: where to brunch in Leslieville, the local beer and cocktail scene, and date night restaurants in the east end — all of which name places other than us, on purpose.
What is local, is named. The draught is Wellington, brewed in Guelph, and the cider is Pommies from Ontario — both on the drinks menu. The wine list goes the other way entirely: French and Italian, which is the point of the kitchen.
Getting Here
1161 Queen Street East, south side, east of Broadview. The 501 Queen streetcar stops outside and runs the length of the neighbourhood; from the subway, connect at Broadview station. There are Green P lots nearby and free street parking on the residential roads either side of Queen — check the posted permit hours. The entrance and the patio are step-free.
Coming from elsewhere in the city, we have directions and travel times from Riverdale, Corktown, the Canary District, East Harbour, Greektown, the Danforth, The Beaches, downtown Toronto and the Financial District.
Questions
Where in Leslieville is NOLA?
1161 Queen Street East, south side, east of Broadview. The 501 stops outside; Green P and free street parking on the residential roads either side of Queen.
What kind of food is it?
French-Italian. Pasta made in house, steaks and seafood given French preparation, and a bar that leans European rather than sweet. The full menu.
Do I need a reservation?
Not always. Weeknights and Friday brunch are usually fine as a walk-in, and the bar is walk-in throughout. Friday and Saturday evenings, and weekend brunch between 11 and 1, are worth booking.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free?
Yes to all three. The Plant Power Burger is vegan, the mushroom and goat cheese risotto is gluten free, and the hummus, croquettes and several pasta dishes are vegetarian. There is a kids menu too.
Is there a patio?
Yes, wrapping around the Queen Street East frontage, step-free from the pavement, open seasonally. Details and what to order outside.