It’s officially time to say goodbye to one of Toronto’s longstanding Italian restaurants and say hello to an entirely fresh face. INK Entertainment, one of Toronto’s best-known hospitality groups, is ready to revamp Figo; you won’t even recognize it.
Bar Romy, Figo’s replacement, officially opens July 2 at 295 Adelaide St. W., transforming the former Figo space into what INK Entertainment founder and CEO Charles Khabouth describes as a casual neighbourhood Italian restaurant built around “great food, great wine and genuine hospitality.”
For Torontonians, Khabouth is not a new name. Through the building of INK Entertainment, he’s shaped half of this city’s hospitality scene over the past four decades through restaurants, nightlife, venues, and hotels across Toronto and beyond. Now, he’s ready to breathe some life back into this city through Bar Romy.
The new concept marks a fresh chapter for this well-known spot on Adelaide, after more than a decade as Figo. With an entirely redesigned interior, a new culinary team, and a menu that focuses on approachable Italian comfort food — it’s likely we won’t be missing Figo for long.
Khabouth has always had a knack for knowing when it’s time to reinvent Toronto’s hospitality scene. While the rest of us might not be ready to let Figo go, he knows when it’s time to move on.
“We had an Italian restaurant there for over 10 years, and I think it’s done its course,” Khabouth says. “It was time for a change.”
Rather than creating another upscale Italian restaurant, Khabouth says the goal was to build something more casual and energetic that reflects the way people want to dine downtown today.
Designed as a hybrid concept, Bar Romy seamlessly shifts from day to night. By day, it serves sandwiches for dine-in or takeout, offering downtown workers an easy lunch option. By evening, it transforms into a lively full-service restaurant centred on modern Italian fare, with handcrafted pastas from the people’s princess, Famiglia Baldassarre, and pizzas made by what Khabouth can only describe as a “dough scientist.”
Pizza is expected to be one of the restaurant’s biggest draws. Khabouth says the team invested in one of the newest pizza ovens on the market and brought in a dedicated dough specialist to perfect every detail of the crust.
Corporate chef Ben Heaton will oversee the culinary program, while guests can also expect an expanded wine list curated by the team’s former sommelier, featuring 16 Italian wines by the glass alongside what Khabouth calls an “incredible cocktail list.”
The transformation extends well beyond the menu.
The former white-and-green dining room has been completely stripped back and rebuilt, replacing its previous look with warm walnut finishes, dramatic marble surfaces and burnt-orange tones. Towering wine displays will decorate the restaurant from above, while layered lighting, plush seating and beautiful tables create a space that will make those work lunches hard to keep short.
“We ripped it out and started from scratch,” Khabouth says. “When you walk in, you don’t remember anything from the past.”
While Bar Romy is intended to function as a neighbourhood restaurant, you need to remember this is INK entertainment after all. It won’t shy away from nightlife. The restaurant plans to introduce DJs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, with late-night service expected to launch shortly after opening.
For Khabouth, the location itself helped shape the concept. Situated in the heart of the Entertainment District, the restaurant sits just steps from Toronto’s theatres, sports venues and office towers, making it the heart of this city’s hot spots.
Ultimately, Khabouth isn’t trying to create another special-occasion destination. He wants Bar Romy to become the kind of place people return to again and again — for lunch, dinner, after-work drinks or the start of a night out. A neighbourhood hangout that fits into everyday life.
