Bar Allegro
597 College St
Toronto
Ontario
CA
M6G 3A7
The corner of College and Clinton seems to have as many lives as a cat. What started as the dreamy French bar-slash-restaurant, Pompette later morphed into a French-Italian restaurant, before becoming the fully Italian restaurant, Vinoteca Pompette.
Now the space has been relaunched as Bar Allegro. Each new iteration was designed to cater to what the neighbourhood needed during that moment, especially when adapting to pandemic times was essential. But now the team behind the award-winning Bar Pompette has returned to their roots with a bar-first concept — and the new Toronto restaurant opening is already one of the best bars in the city.
I've long loved Bar Pompette, which is a mere steps away from Bar Allegro, but the subtle differences between the two make it easy to decide where to go — and rather than compete, they take each other's overflow. Bar Allegro is touted as having a simpler cocktail menu, but looking through the list, I see just as much care and complexity in each serve, just with more recognizable ingredients. The food menu is more robust, but still only consists of snacks and shareplates.
Bar Allegro: What's the vibe
It's the kind of place I could spend all night. The warm orange-brown atmosphere, with plush, velvety curtains; French bistro chairs; and a central, white marbled bar that stretches off and wraps around the front of the space sets a scene that feels endlessly comfortable and romantic.
The last rays of sun illuminate the shelves brimming with bottles that line the front window, and they glow in a range of bright, colourful hues. Geometric posters of cocktails adorn the walls, while a cheeky Aperol mural depicts a man and a woman in an embrace. It has the lingering, care-free energy of summer in Europe — even on the first cold days of spring.
Bar Allegro: What's on the menu
The list of plates is small but precise; there are no filler dishes here. Optimized for sharing and snacking late into the night, the menu is divided into dishes that are available pre- and post-10 p.m. But these aren't your standard bar bites — they're elevated into delicious, chef-driven creations.
Mussels come swimming in a nduja beurre blanc, with chunks of the spicy sausage loaded onto every briny bite. A hollowed out bone is served overflowing with a rich bone marrow bourguignon, and surrounded by a pillowy, pull-apart potato bun to use as the perfect vehicle to sop it all up. Humble artichokes come marinated and soaked in black truffle and ponzu, which you will need even more bread to soak up.
The tuna crudo is a zesty, juicy little number with sweet passionfruit and a kick from red onion and jalapeño. At this point, I'm using the spelt sourdough (served with a delicately spicy olive oil) to mop up every single plate as I guard them from being taken by the attentive and friendly servers.
The dish that knocks me off balance is a crispy potato. Wonderfully crunchy potato bricks resembling hashbrowns are loaded with tangy, savoury sauces, a pile of parmesan and green onion. I will admit that I'm a sucker for a good potato, but this dish is heavenly, and I can't stop sighing exclamations of praise between each mouthful.
To cap it all off, the soft serve ice cream is topped with honey, fennel pollen and olive oil for a beautifully balanced blend of sweet, savoury and herbal notes. Like everything on the menu, depth is added to an often one-dimensional dish to create something delicious and unique.
Bar Allegro: What's on the drink list
Every single cocktail I try here is a knock-out — and between my date and me, we try six of them. (Once we start we can't stop because each one is so good, and the list is so intriguing, it keeps drawing us in for "one more.")
There's no rule that says you have to start with a serve from the Aperitivo section of the menu, but beware: The drinks in the Martini-ish and Negroni-ish sections are s t r o n g, so you may want to warm up your palate before you dive into the deep end.
Refreshing and crushable, the Bergamot Fizz is floral and citrusy with hints of Earl Grey tea, while the Cynar + Orange features the bitter apératif with a puff of sweet orange foam on top for balance.
I can't resist the pesto martini — and it doesn't disappoint. Made with gin, vermouth and distilled pesto, the ice-cold mixture is poured from a pre-batched bottle, with little drops of oil swimming on the surface. It quickly coats my mouth as the savoury, herbal notes linger in my cheeks with every boozy sip. This one's meant for drinking slow.
On the slightly sweeter side, but still heavy on the spirit-forward flavour, the Toasted Coconut Daiquiri has the gentle aftertaste of its namesake ingredient, and feels like a respectful nod to the tropics rather than full-blown foray into a tiki drink. Clarified cocktails have a special place in my heart, and the Peaches & Cream hits me right there. It's a bright, balanced blend of peach and tequila with a velvety mouthfeel that ends a long, slow-sipping night on a high.
With its daily happy hour and large patio, Bar Allegro is a top candidate for my new favourite bar in the city. I'll be back again for all the romance of a sun-soaked evening over inviting cocktails and inventive bites.
Dinner and drinks for two: around $150 before tax and tip.
