Cultural Tidbits below, but first:
We do not accept reservations.
Waitlist: We use a ‘first-come-first-served’ policy and can add your name if there are no seats when you arrive in-person. There is no longer a remote-add waitlist.
Accessibility: Due to the age of our building and its dimensions, we are unfortunately not fully wheelchair accessible. We have a single, moderately large step up into the dining room from the street and ~30” of clearance for turning in and do have a ramp that can be utilized upon request. Our washrooms are not wheelchair accessible. A chair can be moved from a low table to accommodate any mobility device that can get into the space (ie. foldable wheelchair). All of this considered, we will make any efforts possible to accommodate guests with accessibility concerns.
Feedback: The process by which we accept feedback relating to 416, including complaints/anything accessibility-related, is via the inquiry form below on this page. The feedback process is that we will attempt to reply to any inquiries within two business days.
Buyouts: We can do em, but only for the entirety of a night's service. Please hit us up in the inquiries field below
Cutlery: There's literally no cutlery in house for guests. All of our snacks are made to be eaten with your hands - if you want to share, you might have to be okay with your friend's cooties.
Modifications: Because we put out a lotta plates in such a little kitchen, if we took modifications, things would get ugly. We don't want you to wait a long time, and as such, we respectfully ask for your understanding.
Split Bills: We only split bills when asked upon arrival. It says so right on the menu, so please don't get mad when we cant divide your 37 items onto 8 separate bills at 9pm on a Friday night.
Takeout: We don’t do it - our snacks get cold quickly so they just aren’t good that way. However - if you want to bring in tupperwares, order at the bar and have us plate into reusable containers - we won't object!
HOW IT STARTED
Dave Stewart and Adrian Ravinsky had been plotting this move since Dave got Adrian his first significant restaurant job in 1999, at Ferro on St. Clair Avenue West, on the cusp of Corso Italia and Little Jamaica. Over the next 12 years they worked at many of the city's heavier establishments, gaining experience in all levels of Front of House operations. A couple of years before opening their first establishment, Adrian started a food blog called 416 Snack Bar, dedicated to exploring the city's wide range of under-the-radar culinary offerings - which developed a bit of a following. Finally, in January of 2011, they put a pile of tip money together and opened the brick and mortar version of 416, on a shoestring. At the time, good friend/chef Dustin Gallagher was kind enough to make the opening menu on a seriously tight budget, and in 2014 he became executive chef for the company.
STYLE OF DINING
In Spain they call this type of food tapas, and here we call it snacks. Definitely not intended to be eaten in an appetizer-main-dessert kinda way, we like to encourage guests to order a few pieces at a time, to ask their friend for a bite of whatever they ordered, and to just take time eating and drinking.
