15-year-old restaurant just turned into an Italian spot with tableside martinis in Toronto

Toronto is home to tons of Italian restaurants, but a new one is opening in the city with something different to offer: tableside martinis.

Strella Strella is a new restaurant opening in Toronto where not only will you be able to dine on delicious Italian food such as pasta and pizza, but also order tableside martinis from a roaming cart.

“This restaurant feels deeply personal to me because it’s rooted in everything I grew up around—hospitality, family, rhythm, and the idea that how a place makes you feel matters just as much as what’s on the plate,” says Victoria Genkov, who runs Strella Strella with her father Sam.

“With Strella Strella, we wanted to create something that honours that legacy while giving it a new voice: one that feels elegant, welcoming, and built to stay with people long after the evening ends.”

“Modus has always been about consistency, care, and community,” says Sam Genkov. “Seeing Victoria bring her perspective into this next chapter has been incredibly meaningful. Strella Strella preserves the heart of what we built, while giving it new energy for the future.”

“Rooted in the client’s culinary philosophy and inspired by the timeless nature of the cuisine, the design reimagines classic elegance—drawing from a rich history while embracing the future to create a restaurant with lasting relevance,” says the Figure3 design team, who worked with Toronto-based Build It on the revamped space.

Strella Strella was once known as Modus for the past 15 years in Toronto, and has now transformed into this new space run by the same family team.

Strella Strella is now open at 145 King St. W.