Bar Vespa, FAB Concepts’ new Liberty Village restaurant and bar
After opening the Sugar Beach–fronting Against the Grain in June, FAB Concepts, the group behind places like Mill Street Brewpub and The Pour House, is now launching Bar Vespa. Located in Liberty Village next door to their Brazen Head pub—and right across from the new Williams Landing—Bar Vespa was inspired by a recent trip through Tuscany by co-owner Sean Bayley and his partners.
The new restaurant’s space was once a boiler room that powered many of the area’s old factories. FAB stripped the high-ceilinged room back to its brick walls, and employed William Cummings of WTC Designs to design a dining room inspired by a Florentine restaurant and bar. In one corner, there’s a giant wire-framed wasp (vespa being Italian for wasp), and along the walls there are photographs of Vespas (the motorized kind) and street scenes of Italy.
The Italian-influenced menu was created by Bayley and FAB chef Kai Chan. Starters include crispy risotto balls ($8), lamb spaducci skewers ($10) and chorizo fonduta ($14), a spin on a classic Italian cheese fondue. There’s the customary caprese salad ($15), panini like grilled eggplant with roasted red pepper ($13) and Vespa wedding soup ($6) for lighter options. The pizzas use house-made dough and come in “Red” varieties like the classic margherita with buffalo mozzarella from the Cheese Boutique ($13) or “White” ones like the portobello, crimini and button mushroom pie with sunchoke puree and taleggio cheese, all drizzled with white truffle oil ($15). The pastas—like butternut squash ravioli in brown butter and sage sauce ($14) and spaghetti carbonara with pancetta and pecorino ($14)—are also homemade. Like other FAB outposts, there’s a healthy selection of cocktails, wine and beer. The wine list is mostly Italian, and there are classic Italian cocktails like the Negroni. Featured beers include Mill Street’s Birra Sophia ($6.24, on draft), a classic Italian-style pilsner made (mostly) exclusively for Bar Vespa and Birra Bruton Stoner, an Italian import that comes in a 750 ml bottle ($28) that’s meant for sharing.
Next up in FAB’s quest for citywide domination: another Against the Grain, this time in Leaside, right across from Olde Yorke Fish and Chips on Laird Drive.
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- Outside FAB’s new Liberty Village Italian restaurant
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- Before FAB got its hands on it, the space was once a boiler room
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- Bar Vespa’s Bar
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- Caprese Salad ($15): heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar
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- Suppli: crispy risotto balls filled with fontina cheese, served with arrabbiata sauce
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- White Prosciutto Pizza ($15): prosciutto, Parmigiano-Reggiano and baby arugula drizzled wtih a light vinaigrette
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- Vespa Meatballs ($10): beef, veal and pork meatballs with a simple tomato sauce
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- Spaghetti Carbonara ($14): fresh spaghetti with pancetta, Pecorino cheese, garlic and fresh egg sauce
Bar Vespa, 167 East Liberty St., 416-533-8366, barvespa.ca
more mediocre food and crappy service from these folks…just what liberty village doesn’t need
September 22, 2011 at 6:13 am | by parkdaleeaterI had a delicious meal at Bar Vespa on Tuesday. it was complimented with excellent service from friendly staff. just wondering if you have been to Bar Vespa yet or are you making assumptions…
September 23, 2011 at 9:34 pm | by stevenfoodi won’t go, i’ve been burned by the fab group too many times…brazen head is the perfect example-if they share a building and an owner….this place is a month old-give it another month and their true colours will show….
September 27, 2011 at 6:17 am | by parkdaleeaterBar Vespa is a hidden secret for now as well as Against The Grain on the waterfront. Both locations are a great place to dine and have a couple of drinks
Great service, great food, chic decor and you feel welocomed and appreciated as a guest
If you like Pizza, Bar Vespa offers the best Pizza outside of Italy I have had…Bon Appetito!
September 27, 2011 at 1:15 pm | by R BAMsounds like an ad
September 29, 2011 at 6:26 am | by parkdaleeaterstay home then parkdale eater, your first comment insinuated you’d been there….you dont seem to know much – silly donkey.
September 29, 2011 at 4:00 pm | by Liberty BitchI was excited to try this spot & ended up having dinner there last night. The service was not very good. It took them almost 15 mins to bring us any water or ask us if we needed anything once we were seated. The 1st comment from the server was “Thank you for you patience. We are just really busy”. Ummm…it wasn’t busy actually but we’ll let it slide.
December 5, 2011 at 5:01 pm | by hungry kidThe food was mediocre. My pasta seemed like it was sitting under the hot lamp for a while as the pappardelle was all stuck together at the bottom. The side sautéed spinach was quite salty as well.
I’m hoping it was an off day for the restaurant as I’d like to give it a second chance.