Shocking diners! Toronto Michelin starred restaurant permanently closed, chef announces closure

The Michelin starred restaurant La Bartola, which is highly sought after in Toronto, will officially close next month.

Despite facing many challenges in opening in the summer of 2020, La Bartola restaurant located in downtown Toronto quickly rose to prominence in the Toronto food industry.

As a shining gem in Toronto's plant-based food scene, La Bartola's uniqueness lies in its authentic Mexican flavors and chef Ivan Castro's nostalgic dishes.

This also makes it stand out among many vegetarian Mexican restaurants - such as the now closed Rosalinda, which was once one of the most popular vegetarian Mexican restaurants in the area.

According to the English media Daily Hive, Chef Ivan, born in Mexico City, was inspired by his mother and grandmother to create a warm atmosphere not only in the dishes but also in the overall atmosphere of the restaurant.

At the same time, the restaurant's signature dishes such as mole, tacos, aguachile, and quesadillas all present bright and creative flavors.

After two years of opening, La Bartola and its chef Ivan achieved great success, earning the "Bib Gourmand" title in Toronto's first Michelin Guide, becoming the first vegetarian restaurant in Canada to receive this honor.

In the following years, La Bartola consistently ranked on the Michelin Guide list, an achievement that many restaurants were unable to achieve.

However, beautiful things have an end.

La Bartola recently announced that it will officially close after dinner service on Saturday, March 15th, ending its five-year operation.

Over the past few years, we have poured countless amounts of love and energy into closing La Bartola, and our emotions are mixed, "Ivan said in the announcement.

We will welcome this ending with the love and joy we had when we first opened, and continue to uphold our original aspirations and goals

According to Ivan, the closure of the restaurant is related to the challenges he has faced in terms of physical and mental health in recent years. Therefore, he has decided to temporarily withdraw from the catering industry and prioritize his own health condition.

Although I understand that this profession often requires sacrifices, I believe that we must not sacrifice our health, "he said.

However, this is not the end point. Ivan said that he may return to the catering industry in the future, but there are currently no clear plans: "This is not a farewell, but a brief pause that will allow me to embrace a new beginning

To commemorate the end of this journey, La Bartola has launched a special tasting menu that will be available until March 15th.

This seven course menu called 'One Night in Oaxaca' pays tribute to the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. La Bartola's address is located at 588 College St, Toronto， If you want to taste this legendary Michelin restaurant, don't miss the last chance!

Source link:

https://dailyhive.com/toronto/la-bartola-closing-toronto