100-year-old hotel in Toronto opens new retro restaurant

A Toronto landmark has opened its doors to a stylish new neighbourhood lounge.

The Broadview Hotel, an icon of Toronto’s east end, has been anchored at the corner of Queen St East and Broadview Ave since 1891.

Functioning as a famed silhouette against the backdrop of neighbourhoods east of the DVP, the hotel has recently opened a neighbourhood dining space on its main floor after sitting empty for four years.

Archie’s — named for the Broadview’s founder, Archibald Dingman — is, unlike other hotel bars, not looking to cater to those who have booked a room; instead, it aims to be a community space designed around old-school accommodations.

Sporting a refined menu of cocktails, pub classics, and a few lounge staples, such as steak frites and eggplant parm, the location has been designed from the ground up to be an open door to those both inside the Broadview and out.

“The main thought behind it was to make it a place you could go to all year round, mainly, for all the people who live around this area, but also all the people who work in this neighbourhood. We want it to feel like they can come in whenever and get good food and drinks that actually come from their neighbourhood,” Aida Ghaznavi, food and beverage manager at Archie’s, told INsauga.com.

As a result, beyond having a menu of killer signature cocktails, such as the ‘White Tiger’ with gin, fig and a creamy egg white finish, or the ‘Palomita Rosa’ with tequila, hibiscus, and fizzy grapefruit, Archie’s also sources a huge selection of their drinks from Eastside brewers.

 

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These include Common Good, Left Field, and Rorschach breweries.

While the location picks and pulls from the 20th-century dining room aesthetics, with big comfy leather seats, wood panelling, and high ceilings, Archie’s still functions as a space for everyone, which is reflected in its menu.

‘We always wanted to make it a space for everyone, we wanted from the very beginning to have our flavours be built on something recognizable but not boring. While now, while we aren’t as burger-focused as we were going to be initially, our executive chef has gone above and beyond with the menu,” says Ghaznavi.

Still borrowing from diner inspirations, Archie’s still has a huge selection of smash burgers, designed to fit perfectly alongside a cold drink in a comfy corner booth.

 

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“We have had guests coming in who are telling us they are counting down the days till we open. This neighbourhood has a lot, but a purposefully designed space where they can relax, have a beer, maybe watch the game, and play a little,” says Ghaznavi.

Archie’s — beyond its curated menu — also has a few additions that serve as a bit of a recreational extension, such as a retro photo booth, jukebox and a pool table adjacent to the bar.

For those looking for a community space to hang out and have a little fun in the east end, Archie’s opens to the public this weekend, on June 26, on the main floor of the Broadview Hotel in Toronto.