416 Snack Bar
Toronto, ON
Bustling hangout offering Asian-influenced small plates, draft brews & cocktails in a low-lit space.
HOW IT STARTED
Dave Stewart and Adrian Ravinsky have been in cahoots since Dave got Adrian his first significant restaurant job in 1999, at Ferro on St. Clair (boss Armando Pronesti said 'Sure...but get a haircut'). Over the next 12 years they worked at many of the city's most notorious establishments, gaining experience in all levels of Front of House operations. A couple of years before opening their first establishment, Adrian started a food blog called 416 Snack Bar, dedicated to exploring the city's wide range of under-the-radar culinary offerings - which developed a bit of a following. Finally, in January of 2011, they put a pile of tip money together and opened the brick and mortar version of 416 on a shoestring . At the time, good friend/Chef Dustin Gallagher was kind enough to make the opening menu on a seriously tight budget, and in 2014 he became executive chef for the company.
STYLE OF DINING
In spain they call this type of food tapas, and here we call it snacks. Definitely not intended to be eaten in an appetizer-main-dessert kinda way, we like to encourage guests to order a few pieces at a time, to ask their friend for a bite of whatever they ordered, and to just take time eating and drinking.
HOW IT STARTED
Dave Stewart and Adrian Ravinsky have been in cahoots since Dave got Adrian his first significant restaurant job in 1999, at Ferro on St. Clair (boss Armando Pronesti said 'Sure...but get a haircut'). Over the next 12 years they worked at many of the city's most notorious establishments, gaining experience in all levels of Front of House operations. A couple of years before opening their first establishment, Adrian started a food blog called 416 Snack Bar, dedicated to exploring the city's wide range of under-the-radar culinary offerings - which developed a bit of a following. Finally, in January of 2011, they put a pile of tip money together and opened the brick and mortar version of 416 on a shoestring . At the time, good friend/Chef Dustin Gallagher was kind enough to make the opening menu on a seriously tight budget, and in 2014 he became executive chef for the company.
STYLE OF DINING
In spain they call this type of food tapas, and here we call it snacks. Definitely not intended to be eaten in an appetizer-main-dessert kinda way, we like to encourage guests to order a few pieces at a time, to ask their friend for a bite of whatever they ordered, and to just take time eating and drinking.