Toronto restaurant owned by chef who once cooked for the Pope has closed

An Italian restaurant on St. Clair West and Lansdowne has recently closed its doors.

Agio was a restaurant created by owner and chef Marino Song, who was born in South Korea and lived in Italy for seven years. During his time there, Song trained at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners in Torino and apparently cooked for the Pope.

The restaurant was known for its unassuming atmostphere, with simple decorations and photos and newspaper clippings of Song's culinary career around the world.

Before opening Agio in 2009, Song cooked in restaurants in Milan as well as Italian restaurants in Toronto.

Agio served classic Italian dishes and was known to be a hit for customers when it came to seafood-based dishes, like the penne shrimp arrabiata, the spaghetti ai fruitti di mare and linguine alla vongole.

Salads and desserts were also known to be free.

A restaurant called Jhon Jhon Snack Bar is reportedly taking over the space, with renovations underway.