Here’s what just replaced a newly closed Italian restaurant in Toronto
Published April 14, 2025 at 1:38 pm
While empty storefronts can cause some anxiety during an economic downturn, it’s heartening to see closed doors reopen quickly–especially in busy neighbourhoods full of people looking for more hotspots to check out as the warm weather approaches.
Recently, diners in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood were shocked to see three popular places–Barrio Cerveceria, Frankie’s Italian and Greta Solomon’s–announce they were closing their doors. Fortunately, two of the three places picked up new tenants quite quickly and one new spot has already opened.
Last week, La Bamboche, a patisserie specializing in French and Japanese-inspired pastries, welcomed people into the spot formerly occupied by Frankie’s for a late-week soft opening. Held before introducing customers to its complete concept at a grand opening on Sunday, the operators started with a smaller selection of caffeinated beverages (espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, cortados, and organic teas, to name a few), refreshers, and a mix of fresh baked goods (including a delicate, sweet croissant that looks a bit like a Yorkshire pudding).
Some lucky customers were also offered a sample of one of the patisserie’s ‘under construction’ cocktails–a tangy, earthy, ultra-green matcha beverage that’s certainly appropriate for spring.
The newest spot on Queen Street East is La Bamboche’s second outpost. The restaurant also operates a location on Avenue Road and is known for offering croissants, macarons, tarts, danishes, muffins, scones, cookies, sandwiches and more.
According to the Leslieville BIA, La Bamboche bakes all of its pastries in-house (and you can even see the kitchen from the dining room, which boasts a brighter and sunnier interior than Frankie’s was known for, but still retains some classic elements, such as intricate flooring and modern white subway tiles).
The restaurant will also boast a back patio. As for the other recently closed places, a new tenant has announced plans to take over the space that once belonged to the elegant Greta Solomon’s. Bar Mini–which calls itself a Leslieville snack bar–will open on April 17.
La Bamboche celebrated its grand opening on April 13.