The downtown core is full of good restaurants, and most of them are full at 7 PM on a Thursday with the same crowd you just left the office with. Sometimes the better business dinner is the one twenty minutes away from all of it.
NOLA sits on Queen Street East in Leslieville, far enough east that the room feels like somewhere else entirely and close enough that nobody has to plan a journey. It is a narrow, low-lit French-Italian dining room with a full bar down one side — built for conversations across a table rather than across a room.
Why Come East
What You Get for Twenty Minutes
A room you can hold a meeting in
The single practical thing that separates a working dinner from a loud one. Tables are spaced, the room is low-lit rather than dim, and you will not be shouting over a bar crowd to close anything.
Groups that stay one table
Most rooms on this strip are narrow and will split a party of eight across two tables. We will not. For anything larger there are private dining and group dining options.
Open from 4 PM, and 2 PM Thursdays
We open at 4 PM Monday to Wednesday, 2 PM on Thursday and 11 AM on Friday, so the room is ready before the after-work rush arrives. Happy hour runs from opening. Details here.
A bill you can explain
Every spirit is poured and priced by the ounce, and the number is printed against every bottle — $7 for the house pours up to $13 for Glenfiddich or Hennessy VSOP. No unnamed premium appearing at the end of the night.
Ordering
What to Order for a Working Dinner
The useful question is not what is best, it is what holds up while people are talking. These are the dishes that survive a table that is half paying attention to the food.
Put in the Middle
Siciliana, Genoa and Cacciatore salami with Gorgonzola, Brie and Manchego, walnuts, berries, baguette. Arrives fast, needs no explaining, and gives everyone something to do while the drinks land.
With pickles, Dijon, red onion jam and crostini. The order for a client who knows food and will notice you thought about it.
Tenderloin, shallots, cornichons, capers, sage aioli, crostini, Dijon. A confident opener; know your table first.
The Main
Pan-seared and crusted, with sautéed vegetables, mashed potatoes and a peppercorn sauce. The safe, correct choice for entertaining.
Grilled, with creamy polenta, mushrooms, spinach, white truffle oil and chimichurri. More going on than the filet, and better with a bottle of the Merlot.
Filled with bechamel and black truffle, sage butter, grana Padano. Pasta is made here. This is the dish to order if you want the table to stop and notice something.
Crab and ricotta, sautéed shallots, cream sauce, grana Padano. Lighter than the steaks if the evening has somewhere else to be.
When the Table Has Requirements
Wild mushrooms, peas, white wine, asparagus, goat cheese, parmesan, white truffle oil. Gluten free and genuinely a main, not a consolation.
Chickpea patty with mixed herbs and spices, tahini, pickled mango sauce, French fries.
Hummus, fava bean stew, pickled shifka peppers, olive oil, pita. Add falafel for $5.
Tell us when you book. If someone on the team is vegan, gluten free or has an allergy, saying so at the reservation is better than sorting it at the table in front of a client. The full list is on the menu.
After Work
The Drink to Start With
Cocktails run $15 to $17 — nothing on the list is above $17. Wine is French and Italian, by the 5oz, the 9oz and the bottle, which makes a shared bottle the sensible move for a table of four or more.
Gin, tonic, olive brine, sprig of rosemary. Savoury, martini-adjacent, and a move almost nobody makes — order this one when you want the table to start talking about something other than work.
Gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, orange peel. The correct thing to drink before Italian food, and the right partner for the charcuterie.
Vodka, freshly brewed espresso, Kahlua, sugar. The one everybody orders, and fairly so if there is more of the evening to get through.
Starred on our list. By the glass or the bottle, and the right red against either steak.
Mocktails are built to order rather than poured from a bottle. Nobody at a work dinner should be holding a soda water.
More on the bar — what is house-made, and every spirit priced by the ounce — on the cocktail bar page. The wine list in full is in the French and Italian wine guide.
Getting Here
Coming East from Bay Street
We are at 1161 Queen Street East, a straight run east from the core. Three ways to do it:
| How | What to expect |
|---|---|
| 501 Queen streetcar | Direct, door to door, no transfer. Walk north from the Financial District to Queen and take it eastbound — the core sits a few blocks south of the line. The simplest option if you are not driving, and it runs late. |
| Rideshare or taxi | Typically 15 to 25 minutes depending how close to rush hour you leave. Queen East or the Richmond and Adelaide corridors both work; Richmond and Adelaide move faster at peak. |
| Driving | Green P lots nearby and free street parking on the residential roads either side of Queen. Check the posted permit hours before you leave the car. |
Coming from somewhere else in the east end instead? We have pages for downtown Toronto, Corktown, the Canary District, East Harbour, Riverdale, Greektown, the Danforth and The Beaches.
At a Glance
The Short Version
| Cuisine | French-Italian |
| Address | 1161 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1L3 |
| From the Financial District | 15–25 min by car · 501 Queen eastbound, direct |
| Opens | 4 PM Mon–Wed · 2 PM Thu · 11 AM Fri · 10 AM Sat–Sun |
| Cocktails | $15–$17 · spirits priced by the ounce |
| Best for | Business dinners, client entertaining, team drinks |
| Booking | Recommended Thursday and Friday evenings |
FAQ
Common Questions
How far is NOLA from the Financial District?
We are at 1161 Queen Street East in Leslieville, a straight run east from the core. The 501 Queen streetcar goes door to door with no transfer. By car it is typically 15 to 25 minutes, depending how close to rush hour you leave.
Is NOLA suitable for a business dinner?
Yes. The room is quiet enough to hold a conversation across a table, we can seat larger parties without splitting them, and there are private dining options for groups. Book ahead for Thursday and Friday evenings.
What time do you open?
4 PM Monday to Wednesday, 2 PM Thursday, 11 AM Friday, and 10 AM Saturday and Sunday. Happy hour runs from opening. Full details.
Can you accommodate dietary restrictions for a corporate group?
Yes. The Plant Power Burger is vegan, the Mushroom and Goat Cheese Risotto is gluten free, and the hummus, mushroom croquettes and several pasta dishes are vegetarian. Tell us at the reservation and we will make the table work for everyone.
What about lunch?
This page is about the evening. For midday, see business lunch in Leslieville.
Explore More
Plan the Rest of Your Visit
Book It
Twenty Minutes East
1161 Queen St E, Toronto. Reservations recommended for Thursday and Friday evenings and for any corporate group; the bar is walk-in if you would rather start there.