A secret 30-seat pasta speakeasy is opening in a former Toronto trattoria this month, Canada Reviews

The team behind some of Toronto’s most celebrated restaurants is opening a unique, hidden Italian dining experience. Located at 11 Church Street, Pasta Privato will open on March 27 with an evolving menu rooted in storytelling, offered à la carte or as an eight-course tasting menu.

The project is a personal one for partners Yannick Bigourdan and Adam Teolis, and chef Michael Angeloni, who make are the driving force behind Notte Restorante and The Berczy Tavern, among other hotspots. Teolis explains that hosting the road-trip dinner series and all-Canadian pasta tasting nights at Notte Ristorante (then called Amano Trattoria) was so fun and creatively inspiring that it helped them reimagine how they could use the space at 11 Church Street as an intimate dining room that seats just 30 guests.

“Really wanting to scratch that creative itch and create something special — something that could be very curated — really appealed to us,” says Teolis. “That’s what we enjoy, because it lets us focus on the guest experience instead of just mass production.”

Angeloni says serving for only 30 allows him to experiment and serve artisanal pastas and unique dishes that can’t be done in a 200-seat venue.

“We got such great feedback over the years on all the road-trip dinners that we did, which were very regional, very specific, very unique,” says Angeloni. “So, having a restaurant space that does that consistently was really exciting for me. I can showcase all those really unique positions, especially with the process because they are so technically driven and precise, and really hard to execute at a really high volume.”

As with their other projects, there will be a focus on storytelling — a thread that will be explored across the main dining area which is decorated with images that take you into Angeloni’s creative processes. Copies of his notebooks will fill the wall space, detailed with images, scribbles and recipes — including a recipe card from his grandmother dating back 40 years.  

The storytelling comes alive in the inaugural menu concept being introduced at Pasta Privato, called “Un Omaggio.” Meaning “an homage,” the series is dedicated to defining moments in Angeloni’s career and taking influence from some of the mentors who shaped him including Dario Tomaselli, David Lee and Grant van Gameren.

“There’ll be some really fun stories along the way about why the dishes are the way they are and where the inspiration comes from. That thread runs through the whole experience,” says Teolis. “You’re left with a real sense of chef Mike’s cooking and the thinking behind the food. You might see an ingredient that doesn’t immediately make sense, but it’s not there just for the sake of it. It’s a nod or a tribute to something that was done intentionally, beyond just adding flavour.”

Though rooted in Italian tradition, some dishes draw inspiration from global stories — like the beef heart and beets, reimagined from a traditional Peruvian street food, and the spizzulus pasta, a pan-braided noodle finished with sea urchin and chicken skin, a combination Angeloni discovered in Mexico City.

“It’s dishes that I think are really fun and unique, and I put my own twist on some really cool finds,” says Angeloni. “It’s food that’s really near and dear to my heart.”

Wine pairings will complement the curated dishes with unique and rare bottles from regions of Italy as well as Canada.

“There are a lot of exceptional wines that people can get priced out of, but for a tasting menu, you can at least get a little experience of what they’re like, so we’ll lean into that,” says Teolis.

As they prepare to open the doors, Angeloni and Teolis say they are looking forward to sharing all-new, uniquely curated dishes in an intimate space with the diners who have been with them over the years.

“It’ll be cool to see him flex that creative muscle, and it’ll be fun to watch people come back. We had so many guests who came to all those road trip dinners and are excited to return,” says Teolis. “Being able to share that with people who appreciate Mike’s cooking is going to be great.”