A female restaurateur is flipping the script on Bay Street’s male-dominated dining scene, Canada Reviews

Ambica Jain is taking on Toronto’s Financial District. The restaurateur behind Yorkville’s Michelin-recognized Adrak — and co-founder of hospitality group MJAJ — is opening Raani this summer at 360 Bay Street. Where Adrak shook up Avenue Road by hiring specialized kitchen experts trained under global culinary superstars, Raani marks Jain’s most ambitious layout yet.

Translating to “Queen,” the concept looks past modern fusion to focus strictly on royal heritage. Instead of reinterpreting classic dishes, the kitchen digs into the history of 18th- and 19th-century India’s princely states, reviving forgotten recipes, regional techniques and authentic flavour profiles that once held court. It approaches these traditions through a distinctly feminine lens, framing the dining experience around confidence, detail  and the historic spaces once denied to women.

The two-level, 162-seat space is built as a day-to-night destination suited for everything from executive lunches to late-night dinners. Guests arrive into a signature cocktail bar and lounge before moving into the main dining room, which features an exclusive 10-seat chef’s table at its centre. Downstairs, an old bank vault has been converted into a subterranean private event space that will soon double as a hidden speakeasy beneath Bay Street.

Specific details on the menu, cocktail list, and interior design are being kept under wraps until opening day. Early reservation updates are available through raanitoronto.com or on Instagram at @raanitoronto.