A brand new fine-dining restaurant called Bar Eugenie is getting ready to make its debut next month in Toronto at 89 Harbord Street.
The new restaurant is set to open at the end of July 2025 in the former Harbord Room space, recently vacated by Piccolo Piano, according to Toronto Life. Piccolo Piano Pizzeria was founded by Chef Victor Barry of Piano Piano and permanently closed at the end of April. The closure comes as the Piano Piano brand continues to expand, with six locations currently operating across Ontario, including recent openings in Toronto and plans for a new location in Hamilton. The decision to close Piccolo Piano was made to allow the team to focus its resources and energy on growing the core Piano Piano restaurants.
Now, set to take its place is Bar Eugenie, owned and operated by chef Rebekah Bruce and general manager Ronnie Fishman, who previously worked together at Alo Food Group. The restaurant is named after Eugénie Brazier, the first chef to receive six Michelin stars, in recognition of her overlooked legacy as a woman in a male-dominated industry. Despite the name, Bar Eugenie will not serve French cuisine.
Instead, Bruce draws on her experience in British Michelin-starred kitchens, her Filipino heritage, and family traditions in canning and preservation to shape a menu focused on Canadian ingredients and rotating shareable plates. The duo aims to create a collaborative dining culture, encouraging guests to experience dishes across nearby restaurants. Bar Eugenie will include a 35-seat patio, doubling its overall capacity.
Bruce and Fishman are launching their restaurant within a vibrant dining scene increasingly defined by strong, woman-led teams. A notable number of the city’s new restaurants are owned and operated by women. Among these are General Public, led by Jen Agg; Maven, run by Shauna Godfrey; Yan Dining Room, owned by Eva Chin; Gia and Stefano’s, operated by Jennifer Coburn; and And/Ore, which is managed by a team of women with chef Missy Hui heading the kitchen. Bar Eugenie will continue this trend, highlighting the growing presence of female leadership in the local restaurant scene.
