Acclaimed Toronto chef taking over former home of legendary Italian restaurant

Toronto was shocked to learn that a legendary Italian restaurant was closing down, but its new owners plan to carry the torch well.

Little Italy locals and other diners across the city were gutted earlier this July to learn that, after two decades in business, College Street stalwart Vivoli had closed down permanently.

At the time, the Vivoli team didn't offer much explanation behind why, after two fruitful decades, the beloved restaurant was shutting down, nor any hints towards what might be coming next. It wasn't until the new owners of the building contacted us that we finally had our answer — and, we're pleased to confirm, it's something to get excited about.

The new owner of the former Vivoli restaurant space is none other than respected Toronto chef Adam Pereira, who plans to breathe new life into the location while still honouring its roots with his latest venture.

The mastermind behind St. Clair West's Cano since 2017, Pereira couldn't be a better fit to carry on the Vivoli legacy, albeit in an updated direction. Cano specializes in Italian cuisine served with a fine dining flair, and that's exactly what he plans to bring to the new venture he's opening in the old Vivoli space.

Introducing Osteria Alba. You can think of it as Vivoli's cooler, younger cousin.

Pereira and his team are planning for Alba to be the new, hip spot for rooftop cocktails in Little Italy, leveraging the building's ample space and corner lot to create outdoor dining space that feels like it was plucked from the Amalfi Coast, almost like Little Italy's answer to Public Gardens, but even more Italian. It is Little Italy, after all.

"It's kind of a truth that while it's called Little Italy, there's barely any Italian restaurants there anymore," a representative from Osteria Alba said. "And Vivoli closing down was one of the last, so I'm sure that the world will be extremely happy to see that it's being replaced with something that is also Italian and coming from a storied owner."

Osteria Alba won't be a carbon copy of Vivoli, though, nor of Cano, but its own entity entirely that, while it adds something new to the neighbourhood, remains faithful to its Italian roots.

"It's going to be a glamorous, beautiful, Michelin Guide-level menu of traditional Italian food, but more broadly for the modern world than Cano is," he explained. "Given the location, given that it's a very, very trendy area."

As for the interiors, they, too, will blend contemporary tastes with traditional Italian design sensibilities. Think a neutral, rich colour palette with old-school Italian decor.

You'll have to wait patiently before you get to experience Osteria Alba for yourself, though.

As Vivoli only officially closed two weeks ago at the time of publication, there's a lot of preparation to be done, but a representative from the team says that they're hoping to open the restaurant by early October, so don't let your Aperol Spritz cravings die before then.

Osteria Alba will be located at 665 College St.