Restaurant at high profile Toronto hotel has permanently closed

A Toronto restaurant that called one of the city's swankiest hotels home has closed down permanently to make way for a brand-new concept.

Officially opening its doors in 2022 after a series of pandemic-related delays, Toronto's W Hotel instantly cemented itself as a trendy downtown hub, a Yonge and Bloor oasis both for those making an extended stay at the hotel or people just passing through for a meal.

Upon opening, the Marriott-owned hotel boasted three distinct dining destinations in their lobby lounge, Living Room, rooftop patio and cocktail bar, Skylight and bright-colourful cafe, PUBLIC School, all of which were instant hits among the city's discerning diners.

While Living Room and Skylight live on, continuing to serve their menus of international and Mediterranean fare, respectively, PUBLIC School, on the other hand, is officially a thing of the past.

Not to be confused with School or Old School, two other brunch favourites in the city, PUBLIC School was the W's daytime haunt, serving made-from-scratch dishes ranging from light and fresh to downright hearty, earning a reputation as a must-visit for breakfast, brunch and lunch.

Hotels are best enjoyed at night, though, and it looks like the W concurs, making the decision to pull the plug on Public School and reimagine it as a more evening-centric dining concept, a representative from W Hotel tells blogTO.

The change is part of a broader makeover of the hotel's main floor, which will also see an updated experience for visitors to the hotel and the restaurant's diners alike.

If you're hoping for concrete details on what, exactly, the new restaurant will be, you're out of luck — the specifics about the new concept are being kept strictly under wraps for the time being, though the representative tells blogTO that more news should be coming in the new year.

In the meantime, Skylight and Living Room are still operational and ready to serve you, whether you're staying at the hotel or not.

The W Hotel is located at 90 Bloor East.