Quiet Toronto neighbourhood just got a new restaurant and nightlife spot

A new restaurant that'll transition into a buzzy nightlife spot in the evening is gearing up to open in a largely residential Toronto neighbourhood.

Yonge and Lawrence's reputation as a sleepier stretch of the city's main north-south thoroughfare may be taking steps towards remediation recently, with the addition of trendier restaurants like Mandy's, Gus Tacos and Pii Nong Thai, but it'll take more than a few hot chains to up the largely residential area's "It" factor.

Baba, a new restaurant replacing the neighbourhood's former Chop Hop location, is the latest venture to throw its hat in the ring.

Founded by longtime friends, chefs Michael Medeiros and Kevin Chen, who first met in the kitchen at the Hazelton's One Restaurant, Baba aims to be the neighbourhood's new go-to restaurant, offering a relaxed daytime service of "Toronto-inspired" cuisine before transitioning into a lively snack bar at night.

With a comfortable atmosphere, Baba slots easily into the neighbourhood while offering the type of inventive, slick experience more commonly found downtown.

"We want Baba to feel familiar from the first visit...a place where people can stop in during the day and return at night for a completely different energy," says Medeiros. "The concept is personal to us, but we want it to become part of the neighbourhood."

It's personal in the sense that the menu was shaped around some of Medeiros and Chen's fondest shared memories: bonding over their love of coffee and gathering around snacks and drinks late at night.

The kitchen, built around a charcoal grill, churns out an amalgam of Western- and Asian-inspired dishes, like Mapo tofu and eggs, charcoal-grilled skewers and a chocolate-marinated striploin made with chocolate from Mokable.

Equally impressive, the beverage program is helmed by Uh Bar and Slice of Life alum Nick Hao. During the day, coffee-based beverages made in collaboration with Toronto's Library Coffee will wet your whistle, before a suite of inventive-yet-approachable cocktails, all capped at $20, take over in the evening.

Now open seven days a week, only time will tell whether Baba is able to help up Yonge and Lawrence's street cred, but built with a palpable passion, it's hard to imagine that it won't, at least, hit a sweet note with the neighbourhood.

Baba is located at 3204 Yonge St.