The Team behind 416 Snack Bar have opened a sexy, streetcar-inspired cocktail bar right around the corner
Short Turn is the new cocktail spot from the veteran team behind Toronto’s beloved 416 Snack Bar. Located just a “short turn” from the 416 outpost, the swanky new bar officially opened its doors on March 22 and at just 11 feet wide and 60 feet long it has leaned into its proportions has been thoughtfully designed to feel like an “idealized streetcar ride.”
Guests can expect good old-fashioned cocktails in a warm and cozy place that blends the familiar comfortability of Toronto’s modern-day city streets with its historic charm.
“We worked with friend and designer Colin Sims and took cues from various generations of TTC streetcars,” says Adrian Ravinsky, co-owner of 416 Snack Bar and Short Turn.
Borrowing from the Peter Witt model of the 1920s to the Flexity Outlook streetcar models you see rolling down the city streets today, the result is a space that effortlessly melds old and new. Think: warm wood, salvaged ceiling lights with front signage, long interior mirrors and a brushed stainless steel bar inspired by TTC ticket collector booths.
Patrons who swing by the 576 Queen Street spot can expect the same best selling snack items its sister spot, 416 Snack Bar, have on offer including Korean fried chicken, steak tartare, eggplant doubledown sandwiches. For groups out for drinks and lighter fare, the menu also has cheese, Chinese sausage, mussels and nuts to munch on.
Guests can wash down the food menu with bestselling drinks like the freezer martini made with batch portioned tanqueray and poured tableside into glassware that’s been chilling in a minus 20 degree freezer. And if you’d rather something with a little heat, the Spicy Margarita and Cellophane Plane cocktails have also earned fan fave status within the last month.
“We really tried hard to replicate the warmth and vibe that define 416, while giving it a more refined edge. It’s been called 416 for grownups on a couple of occasions,” Ravinsky says.
Locals who love 416 Snack Bar will also recognize a few familiar faces in and around the bar. Industry veterans and the same team behind 416 Snack Bar’s success helm
the new spot. Adrian Ravinsky is joined by Dave Stewart and former front of house manager Taylor Lackie.
“We decided to start the business because we felt that we’d be able to accommodate more guests,” says Ravinsky, who noted that while 416 Snack Bar seats 60, Short Turn can accommodate an additional 30.
“We’ve been lucky enough to maintain a nightly waitlist, so adding 50 per cent more seats aims to essentially expand our effective capacity at the original joint, which is literally a 50-metre ‘short turn’ around the corner,” says Ravinsky.
While the original 416 was never meant to be a cocktail bar over the years as tastes have changed people have been asking for more and more of them.
“Short turn is designed to fill that need,” Ravinsky says.
Short Turn is located at 576 Queen St. W., and is open Wednesday to Sunday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., with plans to open for seven days in May.