Contrada, ranked eighth in Toronto Life’s Best New Restaurants list for 2024, is celebrating by launching a new brunch menu and opening its patio doors in time for the summer season.
Last night, Contrada participated in Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants 2024 event alongside the other winning restaurants across the city. Partners Patrick Groves, Jessie Mak and Chef de Cuisine Mike Vieira served their mouth-watering Ricotta Gnocchi with fresh pesto and Calabrian chili to the 1,000 guests at Evergreen Brick Works.
“Contrada was brought to life by industry veterans and trusted friends coming together to make our dream a reality,” said Vieira. “We are incredibly thankful to have been recognized by Toronto Life as one of the best new restaurants in the city and we had an incredible night celebrating.”
To welcome the warmer weather, Contrada has begun seating guests in the restaurant’s two semi-enclosed patios. The patios accommodate up to 50 guests cocktail style and are comfortably heated during cooler evenings. Located on the corner of College St. and Euclid Ave., patrons dine against the lively backdrop of Little Italy while delighting in unique flavours such as their popular Agnolotti ($27) made with smooth chicken liver, rich mascarpone, aged balsamic, cippolini onion, and squash and apple for a touch of sweetness; or their best-selling Cod ($41) served on white beans alongside juicy scallops, fresh artichokes and Tuscan kale.
Contrada’s extensive beverage menu features the perfect summer cocktails including the Contrada Spritz ($17), a perfectly balanced drink made with a base of skin contact wine, prosecco, Cocchi Rosa, akvavit, and tart sumac with tangy pomegranate. The Army Brat ($21) crafted with Tanqueray gin, Teremana tequila, Cocchi Bianco, IPA Orgeat, Nepeta Majora, vincotto and lemon is the drink that will be on repeat all season. Each wine at Contrada has been selected by Patrick Groves, general manager and sommelier at Contrada, for both quality and flavour, from Italian classics to rosés, orange wines, and a variety of sparkling options, making a robust wine list of mostly Italian wines with a focus on sustainably produced wines.
Contrada has also released a newly curated brunch menu featuring breakfast dishes finished with an Italian kiss such as the creamy Breakfast Carbonara ($17), a reinvented classic pasta dish topped with crispy bacon and a poached egg. Guests can also enjoy the decadent Croque Contrada ($22) layered with roasted pork shoulder, prosciutto, mustard, provolone, fonduta and finished with a perfectly fried egg; or their French Toast But Italian ($19), made for those with a sweet tooth, served with Nutella, whipped ricotta, figs, and a drizzle of 100 per cent Canadian maple syrup.
The brunch menu also features brand new signature cocktails such as the Italian Coffee ($18) with Montenegro, Bocale Grappa, Branca Menta, sweet vanilla and cream; or the Contrada Caesar ($18), crafted with vodka, Clamato, colatura di alici, and a blend of pepperoncini, Calabrian chili and lime. Guests looking to enjoy a non-alcoholic drink can sip on Star Witness ($12), a juicy combination of basil, olive oil, cinnamon, lime and grapefruit; or Imposter Syndrome ($13), a fresh blend of cranberry, beet, peach, ginger and tonic for a delicious mocktail.
To learn more about Contrada or book a reservation, visit contradarestaurant.com or connect on Instagram: @contrada.to
Additional imagery of Contrada’s patios and brunch dishes can be found: HERE
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday – Saturday: 5 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Monday: Closed
More about Contrada
Contrada is a new Italian-inspired restaurant in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood located at 537 College St. The name Contrada, Italian for district or ward, is a homage to the Contrada team proudly representing the Little Italy neighbourhood and a place where good food and wine can be found. Patrick Groves serves as General Manager and Sommelier, Jessie Mak holds the position of Assistant General Manager and Lead Designer and Mike Vieira heads the kitchen as Chef de Cuisine. Together, they bring an impressive resume full of experience at some of Toronto’s most prominent establishments including Alo and alobar Yorkville, Lee Restaurant, Brothers Food & Wine, Giuletta, Cluny Bistro & Boulangerie and Aburi Hana.
About Chef Mike Viera
After pursuing culinary education at George Brown College, Mike Viera began his career at some of the most prominent dining establishments in Toronto, working as Garde Manger and Expediter at Susur Lee’s eponymous Lee restaurant, followed by a formative role as Saucier at Susur’s Bent. Viera has opened three restaurants with Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants as Executive Sous Chef simultaneously in North York’s Bayview Village: Beauty Barbecue & Smokehouse, where he brined, cured, and smoked his way through the intricacies of Southern American BBQ; and Parcheggio and Village Loft. Currently at Contrada as Chef de Cuisine, Viera returns to his first love – Italian food – interpreting this most essential of cuisines for the modern North American guest, and incorporating all the love, the technique, and the confident playfulness he’s developed in his already long and storied career in gastronomy.
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