The restaurants and bars that call one Toronto venue home seem to keep shutting down, but, as a representative from the group tells blogTO, that may all by design.
Sometimes, restaurants and bars in Toronto go out with a bang; heartfelt letters, airing of grievances against their landlords or splashy announcements of something new to come, all to let their devoted clientele know that the spots will soon be no more.
Other times, though, places seemingly just fade away with little fanfare — or none at all — until, one day, you find yourself asking “what ever happened to my old stomping grounds?”
The latter is precisely what happened with both Fifth Grill (formerly Fifth Steakhouse), Cabin Five and Selva, three venues located inside of the storied Fifth complex at the intersection of Richmond and Duncan.
The benefit, it would seem, of operating an entire building with multiple separate spaces is that there’s a discernable freedom with which the people up top — in this case, The Fifth Group, — can constantly reimagine the space, and that’s exactly what they’ve done over the years.
Once exclusively operating as a members’ club, the space later became home to Fifth Steakhouse (which was ultimately rebranded as Fifth Grill & Terrace), Fifth Pubhouse and Fifth Cafe, as well as Cabin Five, a party venue, Fifth Social Club and, most recently, Selva, a collaboration with Executive chef Nuit Regular of Pai fame.
Of those, only Fifth Social Club remains today.
“Cabin Five actually closed pre-pandemic, and the space was transformed into Bibliothèque, a luxury speakeasy-style lounge,” a representative from The Fifth Group tells blogTO.
“As for The Fifth Grill, the pandemic brought unforeseen changes, and the landlord reclaimed the space for office use.”
It hasn’t been all bad for The Fifth Group, though, and, despite the closures, fruitful new exploits have also bloomed.
RendezViews, for example, became one of the Fifth Groups preeminent properties.
Located in a vacant lot on Richmond, the epic outdoor patio, which opened in 2020, developed a gravitational pull of its own, becoming a go-to spot for drag brunches, sports screenings and even a particularly creative wintertime pop-up.
It’s no wonder, given the success of RendezViews, that filling spaces inside the complex with new ventures has become less of a priority in recent years — but that’s soon to change, too.
The recent closure of Selva, a restaurant perhaps best known for their unique outdoor domes for winter dining, poses a yet another fresh opportunity for a new restaurant venture to move into the complex, and the Fifth Group is already hard at work putting the pieces together.
While the details are still strictly under wraps, the Fifth Group representative tells blogTO that a new collaboration with Chef Nuit Regular and the Pai team is underway, expected to open this spring.
In the words of the Fifth Group’s representative, “the past few years have […] been a time of growth and reinvention,” for the company, and it looks like that’s not slowing down any time soon.
