New two-level restaurant with a massive rooftop patio just opened in Toronto

A new restaurant just opened that’s making old Portuguese traditions new again, and it actually has decades of Toronto family history behind it.

Taberna Lx is owned by Kelly Amaral, whose parents opened Portuguese grocery store Amaral e Vala in the 1960s on Dundas West where the ICI Bank is now, arguably helping kick start the birth of Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood. Lx is a local nickname for Lisbon.

“A lot has changed in the past 30 years. And especially in the last 10 years. It used to be predominantly Portuguese immigrant families and businesses,” Amaral tells YourCityWithIN.com.

“However, with the rising cost of living, many immigrant families were forced to leave the neighbourhood, mostly due to the high cost of real estate for both homes and commercial spaces. Today, the neighbourhood is made up of many different ethnicities of young professionals. It remains a vibrant and fun neighbourhood. And still my favourite neighbourhood in the city. I went to junior and high school here, and my mom and family still live in Little Portugal. For me, it will always be home.”

She’s teamed up with Gani Shquier and Jonathan Poon for the project, whose experience at Paris Paris shows they’re experts at paying homage to classics with just the right amount of reinvention. Amaral is the landlord for the original Paris Paris, now Lx space, and became a co-owner of Paris Paris when they made the move to Ossington.

“For me, this is a full-circle moment, one that’s deeply personal,” says Amaral. “I’m returning to the neighbourhood where I grew up and that shaped my experience of being a child of Portuguese immigrants. It’s an honour to share my heritage this way.”

When it comes to the Portuguese dishes on the menu at Taberna Lx, you can expect a few Asian twists. To accompany, there’s an all-Portuguese wine list curated by local wine expert Krysta Oben of nearby wine bar Grape Witches.

The crown jewel of the new two-level restaurant is a huge rooftop patio which might be one of the largest in the area, complete with a 26-foot-tall Lisbon-inspired mural by local artist Madison van Rijn. The space inside was designed by Lisbon architect Joana Astolfi, and incorporates lots of hand painted tile and mosaic work.

“This restaurant is a way of honouring where I come from while celebrating what modern Portuguese food, drink, and lifestyle has become. It’s soulful and full of confidence,” says Amaral in a release.

“We’re taking familiar flavours and reimagining them through a contemporary lens. The wine list is proudly Portuguese, with a focus on volcanic Azorean selections and wines that represent the entire country, exclusive to Lx. Bringing this kind of dining experience to the neighbourhood, one that feels both rooted and refreshed, is incredibly meaningful to me.”

Taberna Lx is now open at 1161 Dundas Street W.