Japanese-Italian restaurant to open soon alongside Toronto's newest boutique hotel

A Japanese-Italian restaurant connected to Toronto's newest boutique hotel will be opening its doors soon.

As two of the world's most lauded culinary traditions, it only makes sense that Japanese and Italian cuisine weave so deftly with one another. It's a geographically unlikely mashup, sure, but one that Toronto has been increasingly enjoying the spoils of in recent years.

From fine dining projects like The Radici Project, to more relaxed restaurants like Tatsuro's, there's never been a better time in the city to twirl up a forkful of miso carbonara or furikake-dusted carpaccio, and, by spring 2026, we'll have yet another fusion venture to sink our teeth into.

Opening in conjunction with the Annex's upcoming Nomas Hotel, sandwiched on Bloor West between Insomnia and Big Way Hot Pot, Bellis, the city's newest Japanese-Italian venture, is poised to serve a menu that highlights the harmony of izakaya and Italian cuisine, all tied together with an impressive cocktail program.

To create the restaurant, Nomas co-founder Jeffrey Chu (Yuugi Izakaya, 915 Dupont, Tebasaki Wing House) joined forces with Attila Baksa, who has spent more than a decade perfecting Japanese cuisine as the General Manager and Chef at Guu Izakaya, Executive Chef at Tebasaki Wing House and even a stint bartending at Cold Tea.

In short, it's a winning combo, and one that instills immediate confidence in the offerings Bellis will be churning out (which hotel guests can order as room service) in no more than two months.

Opening initially as a bar with late-night snacks, diners can expect a smattering of dishes that balance Attila's "extensive background in izakaya-style cooking and his love for Italian food," the Bellis team tells blogTO: expect eats to the effect of miso rigatoni and bruschetta featuring ginger and soy-marinated tomatoes.

Come summertime, the team also plans to introduce brunch and a daytime cafe operation, before transitioning back to dinner and cocktails in the evening.

Speaking of the cocktails, they're nothing to sniff at either. The Bellis team tells blogTO that, drawing inspiration from local standouts like  915 Dupont, Uh Bar, and Kensei Bar, the cocktail menu will be populated with unique cocktails designed to highlight ingredients from the food menu.

The Caprese Fizz, for example, is made with fresh tomato and basil, while the Oh-Momo, balances shiso and peach.

"Bellis and Nomas operate hand in hand. The restaurant functions as the hotel's lobby space, meaning it's the first experience guests have when they arrive," the team tells blogTO.

"We're incredibly excited to open the space, welcome our first guests, and share what we've been building."

Bellis will be located at 561 Bloor St. W., and while the restaurant's opening date is still up in the air (sometime in the next two months, blogTO is told), Nomas is due to open on March 1, 2026.