Toronto Michelin-recognized chef’s Italian restaurant shutters in under a year

Ristorante Sociale, the Italian spot from the team behind Michelin-recognized Enoteca Sociale, has quietly closed after less than a year in business.

The restaurant, located on King Street and Portland, opened last June to much fanfare. Now, the website and social accounts are gone, and Google lists it as “permanently closed.” The most recent OpenTable review, posted on May 24, says diners arrived for a reservation made a month prior, only to find the restaurant had shut down.

The upscale dining and entertainment venue was a 3,700-square-foot space that seated 110 in a white tablecloth setting. According to partner Deni Di Tullio, the restaurant’s approach to an elevated party atmosphere was unlike anything else in the city.

“Our goal was to create an all-night affair, where guests can come for exceptional food and drink and stick around for an exciting party reflective of the celebratory approach and traditions in Italy,” said Tullio.

@ristorantesocialeto/Instagram

Ristorante Sociale was known to  channel a 1970s steakhouse vibe, but unlike other upscale spots in the city, dancers performed right at the tables on Friday and Saturday nights. Plus, from Thursday to Saturday at 11 p.m., the dining room morphed into a chic party scene with DJs spinning until 2 a.m.

Like its sister restaurant, the menu at Ristorante Sociale showcased  Kyle Rindinella’s dedication to traditional Italian cuisine, using local and seasonal ingredients. Roman flavous and Tuscan influences combined for a menu rich with fresh pastas, seafood, meats and steaks, all perfectly paired with Italian wines and signature cocktails.

“When creating the menu at Ristorante Sociale, the intention was to have it be a companion to Enoteca Sociale, building on the quality and approach that guests have come to expect from us over the last 10 years,” said Rindinella in a press release.

Streets of Toronto reached out to Rindinella for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.

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