A new food emporium has just opened on King West and it has everything you need for a Saturday night spent downtown — rooftop cocktails, live music, late-night bites and a whole lot of energy. With four distinct concepts beneath one roof at 600 King St. W., Portland Square is the solution to those late nights spent wandering the buzzing street in search of your next destination.
“The whole idea behind Portland Square is for people to come in at 7 or 8 p.m. and be here the whole evening, moving from one floor to another,” says Charles Khabouth, the visionary behind INK Entertainment. “It’s about having people come in, have a great meal, and then they can move on in the building, they can go somewhere else, or they can come in after being elsewhere.”
Though Portland Square just might be its most ambitious project to date, Ink Entertainment has already brought numerous notable restaurants (Sofia Yorkville, Akira Back, Daphne, among many others) and trendy clubs (REBEL, Cabana Pool Bar) to Toronto’s nightlife scene.
Previously, the building that has been transformed into Portland Square was home to Ink Entertainment’s exclusive super club Clio, and upscale dining destination Margo. The redirection, Khabouth says, reflects King West’s post-pandemic era where the young crowd is looking for accessible, approachable hotspots to spend the night.
“We felt we needed to move with the time and the neighbourhood has taken on a different vibe and energy,” he says. “It’s a different level of dining and experience on King Street today from what it was in the old days before COVID.”
Kicking off the new destination on the first floor — which, according to Khabouth has not been used before except for pop-ups — Ink Entertainment is trying their hand at a new venture with a casual, country-inspired sports bar called Rodeo Dive.
Though it will still be a few months before this trendy hoedown of a place will be open — Khabouth promises before Christmas — it will be worth the wait for the live music and stage performances, and BBQ-loaded menu.
With high hopes for this themed opening, Khabouth says there are two more Rodeo Dives set to be unveiled soon — one in Canada and another in the U.S.
Above the Western bar, Portland Square boasts a versatile event space that can be used for anything from an intimate birthday party to 250-people corporate gatherings, and anything in between — such as, perhaps, star-studded TIFF events.
The third floor sees contemporary Chinese cuisine served in a moody space designed by award-winning Toronto designer Nivek Remas. Honey Chinese offers a menu inspired by “the nostalgic charm of Canadian Chinese restaurants.”
On the fourth floor, and with a prime rooftop patio, Prima Donn offers a contemporary Italian menu featuring hearty, comforting dishes in a glamourous space that nods to Italian mobster legends and their wives.
“The idea in this building is to do simple food, but to do it the best anybody can,” Khabouth explains. “Whether it’s a spaghetti with tomato sauce or whether it’s a chow mein noodle, it’s simple. We’re not reinventing the wheel, we’re just making sure that we’re going to run the best quality food and service that we can without it being stuffy, overpriced, or tough to understand.”
Meeting a demand for King’s late-night crowd, both Honey’s Chinese and Prima Donna are open until 2 a.m. over the weekend.
“Toronto often is still a very early night on the weekend with dining, so we’re hoping to change that and break the mold,” Khabouth says. “I think that’s an amazing thing, because we’re always rushing to eat something before the kitchen closes at 10:30 or 11 p.m. on the weekend. To be open at 1 a.m. with a full menu is a really big thing and I think it’s going to change the street by the way of people coming out to eat even later or after they go to the bars.”
With Portland Square’s opening, Khabouth promises an experience that keep the standards of Ink Entertainment’s notable destinations, while curating a space that’s accessible — no matter what your Saturday night plans look like.
“You’re going to enjoy being here if you love a lifestyle restaurant that delivers awesome food and amazing service,” he says. “A focus for us here is attracting people that enjoy a happy, exciting, fun space.”
