On Ossington, where Ghost Chicken once stood, Chris Piron and Connor Gilbert have built an ode to the community, a place where people are welcome to start their night, finish their night or spend their night. No Vacancy is a tribute to global cuisine and cocktails, a chill spot to hang out with friends and Piron and Gilbert’s gift to the community that has given them so much success through Ghost Chicken (which still operates through delivery) and beyond.
“Seeing what has happened with Ossington, especially over the last five years or so, and the trajectory that it’s on, we knew we wanted to do something unique,” Gilbert says. “We wanted to bring something to the strip where you could come for a drink, you could come for a couple snacks and a couple cocktails or you could eat dinner there and stay the night.”
The result is a menu that blends global flavours, mouthwatering vegetarian dishes and thoughtfully crafted cocktails — both classic and creative.
Chef John Carlo Zabala’s open-flame dishes spotlight bold flavours and local ingredients. Highlights include uni toast, bucatini with egg, pork belly, and pecorino, and a maitake-leek creation with walnuts and charred onion aioli. A weekly special, featuring seasonal produce sourced within 100 km, reflects Zabala’s Filipino heritage and global culinary training, Piron and Gilbert note.
“We didn’t want to box ourselves in,” says Gilbert. “It’s about experimenting, mixing things up, and showcasing Zabala’s background and the places that inspire him.”
Gilbert describes the vibe inside No Vacancy as moody, romantic and nostalgic and the space incorporates installations from local artists, sleek bar seating and neutral colours. Piron adds that the design team was limited in terms of structural changes — the space is housed inside a heritage building — but the exposed brick detailing adds to the homey feel of the space.
“I wanted to create a space that I would want to go to,” Gilbert says. “The colour palette, the warm light, how it all comes together, it creates a space that’s all so comfortable. You can have a range of experiences on any given night there. It’s a feeling.”
No Vacancy is located at 74 Ossington Avenue.
