Staple restaurant in Toronto's Financial District transforming into something new

After 15 years of feeding the FiDi fleet, Toronto's celebrated Modus Ristorante is about to embark on its second act as something entirely new.

It came as a shock when Modus, a restaurant that's been lauded for its elegant Italian cuisine since 2011, suddenly closed its doors in early 2026. But now, the reason behind the closure is coming into sharp focus.

The restaurant formerly known as Modus is slated to reopen in fall 2026 as Strella Strella, a "reimagined Italian dining concept" from father-daughter team Sam (Modus, Bravi) and Victoria Genkov.

Though swapping an Italian restaurant for another Italian restaurant doesn't seem like too earth-shattering of a change, the transition from Modus to Strella Strella is more than a couple fresh coats of paint.

Where Modus paid faithful tribute to the classics — the spaghetti and meatballs were an undeniable staple — Strella Strella will put a more contemporary spin on Italian cuisine and service, pandering to the young and hungry crowds in its King and York stomping grounds.

A handful of Modus' most popular dishes will make a comeback, alongside an expanded suite of shareable plates and a roaming bar cart where bartenders will shake (or stir) diners' preferred cocktails tableside.

Just like the menu, the restaurant's dining room has gotten a facelift, too. 

At the heart of the restaurant, a dedicated martini bar is surrounded by low, cushy seating for clandestine after-work gossip or pre-dinner drinks.

In collaboration with Figure3, the dining room, once formal and dim, in shades of charcoal and bronze with starched white tablecloths, takes on a breezier feel while honouring the bones of its forebearer.

The updated dining room.

Shades of cream and olive green have replaced the smokier tones of Modus, while tiled flooring and soaring ceilings maintain the sense of luxury that the restaurant before was loved for.

 "With Strella Strella, we wanted to create something that honours [Modus's] legacy while giving it a new voice: one that feels elegant, welcoming, and built to stay with people long after the evening ends," Victoria Genkov says.

Dragging a long-loved restaurant into the present day is a decidedly tough line to tow: a delicate balance between maintaining what folks loved about the original and introducing elements to secure a new audience. That conflict, it seems, was not lost on the Genkovs when creating Strella Strella.

We'll just have to wait until this fall to see whether they managed to hit the nail square on the head. 

Strella Strella will be located at 145 King St. W.