First arriving in Canada from Croatia on a three-month visa to visit family, Joso Spralja had no intentions of opening what would become one of Yorkville’s most iconic restaurants.
Back in its heyday, Yorkville was a watering hole for musicians, and Spralja, with his songs and his guitar, became a regular guest and performer in the neighbourhood’s local cafes and clubs.
“He was an artist; a painter, a sculptor, a singer…he was a Renaissance man,” recalls Leo Spralja, Joso’s son and current owner of Joso’s Restaurant.
In 1962, a talent manager approached Joso after a performance, and thus spanned a global music career between Spralja and local folk singer, Malka Himel. The pair operated as a duo, ultimately recording three albums for Capitol Records before underlying health issues halted Joso’s professional music career in 1967.
Seeking a new opportunity, Spralja noticed that the little cafe at 71 Yorkville where he got his start performing, was for sale.
“The owner asked him if he’d like to take over the coffee house, as he was no longer travelling, and he agreed,” Leo says. Along with delicious coffee, sandwiches and pastries, the cafe, renamed to Joso’s Cafe, soon became the go-to spot for international performers, from Liberace to Nana Mouskouri and Harry Belafonte.
“It was a real happening scene in Yorkville during that period,” says Leo’s wife and co-owner, Shirley.
Joso’s wife, Angiolina, was heavily involved in running the original coffee house. After rave reviews from her friends over a few home cooked meals, Angiolina quietly introduced fried calamari, octopus and clams to the cafe menu—Dalmatian specialties that had never before been offered in a Toronto restaurant, let alone a coffeehouse. “People were going bananas,” Leo says.
In the early 70s, gentrification crept into Yorkville’s Bohemian corners, and 71 Yorkville was eventually slated for demolition.
“When the clause came in to demolish the place, they had six months to move out and we found a new location, where we are now,” Leo says. “It became a full-fledged restaurant, not just a coffee shop.”
While Portuguese, Greek and Italian immigrant families were familiar with seafood dishes like squid, octopus and clams, at the time, these bold concepts were unfamiliar to a North American palate.
“There were no Dalmatian restaurants at the time, and a lot of the clientele who adored Joso’s music gave the food a chance,” Shirley says. “These were well-travelled people who loved us and our food from day one.”
Years later, when Leo began working in the kitchen, Joso remained a prominent fixture in his restaurant.
“He’d schmooze with the people, and they loved to chat with him,” Leo says, noting it wasn’t uncommon for his father to grab his guitar after dinner service ended and serenade the crowd. Joso also utilized the space as another outlet to create art, with a private studio on the third floor where he completed everything from glass blowing to sculpture projects. A shed in the backyard served as a place for him to fire ceramics, often when a moment of inspiration struck to create a new piece for the restaurant. To this day, all of the art remains intact and fills the space from floor to ceiling.
“He produced everything you see in the restaurant by hand,” Leo says. “The restaurant has always been full of art. Women, the sea, and the life of the fisherman were very prominent themes in his artwork,” Shirley adds. From bronzes to photography, collage, sketches, paintings and glasswork, Joso’s is an homage to classical art, largely focusing on busty female forms and scenes from the Dalmatian Coast.
Much like its artworks, save for one or two dishes, the menu at Joso’s hasn’t changed a bit since it first opened in 1975. The recipes that were originally dreamed up by Angiolina are still used, and fiercely guarded—only family members are permitted to use them, namely Leo’s son and current third-generation head chef, Marko. True to its Croatian roots, seafood dominates the menu, with pasta dishes like the alla Leonardo—octopus and shrimp sauteed in white wine and garlic with capers and lemon—the Nero risotto with cuttlefish ink, and steamed clams and mussels being among patrons’ favourite dishes. Grilled fish is served whole, and prior to ordering, staff wheel out the fish cart, where freshly caught species like sea bream are displayed, validating the freshness and authenticity of the dish. Seasonings are simple—a touch of lemon, garlic, salt, and of course, olive oil so good you’d swear it’s liquid gold. A small selection of sides, like blitva (steamed swiss chard) or Dalmatian potato salad make excellent additions to any main.
“You can’t make bad quality food good; if you want good results you have to start with the best product you can find,” Shirley says, noting that ingredients are incredibly important. “We stick to our roots of being fresh from the sea to table; nothing is frozen. It’s labour intensive, cleaning all the fish, but that’s how we do it.”
Since the early 70s, Joso’s has attracted swarms of famous people, largely due to Yorkville once being the setting for a number of film festivals as well as Joso’s connections as an artist and musician. The walls on the first floor of the restaurant are decked out in photographs of noteworthy celeb appearances, from Mick Jagger to Toronto’s very own hip-hop artist, Drake, who first visited the restaurant as a kid with his mom, and later went on to shoot the album cover for Take Care in a booth on the second floor of the restaurant.
“He had a memory of this place; this must be a nostalgic childhood thing for him,” Shirley says. “At least once or twice between seatings we have people wanting to recreate that album cover photo.” As for his favourite dish? “We’ve got a picture of him from the shoot eating the risotto nero,” Shirley laughs.
Though Yorkville and the city of Toronto have seen their fair share of changes through the decades, Joso’s is a comforting symbol of one family’s perseverance and a dream.
“Joso’s philosophy was ‘we feed your eyes through art, we feed your ears through Croatian music, and we feed your tummy’; you’re feeding the whole body,” Shirley says. “When it comes to the food, the art, and the general service, that never changes here,” Shirley says. “That’s the beauty of it,” Leo adds.
Joso’s is located at 202 Davenport Rd. and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 5 to 10:30 p.m.
