Inside 1 Hotel Toronto's beautiful, zero-waste, farm-to-table restaurant (PHOTOS)

Aug 17 2021, 2:50 pm

The space that was once a famous diner is now a light-filled, airy, farm-to-table restaurant.

Canada’s first-ever 1 Hotel opened in the city earlier this month, and with it opened the new 1 Kitchen Toronto. Besides its bright and earthy decor indoors, the space also offers an outdoor patio at the corner of Wellington and Bathurst.

And the 1 Kitchen Toronto is a far departure from what the space used to be.

Daily Hive Toronto

Offering up fresh, local, and sustainably sourced cuisine, the 1 Kitchen Toronto is also a zero-waste operation. This is part of the enviro-centric theme of the 112-room luxury hotel located at 550 Wellington Street West, where the Thompson Hotel used to be.

And it’s not just the food that’s sustainably sourced. The hotel says the bar’s base of cocktails is made from cold-pressed juices, and the wine list includes products that are “biodynamic or organic.”

King Street Command and Purple Rain/Daily Hive Toronto

The 1 Kitchen Toronto’s menu offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch on weekends.

For those who love cheese, their Local Charcuterie Boards include local Ontario cheeses, cured meats, jam, pickles, and Forno Cultura sourdough.

Daily Hive Toronto

Not only does the 1 Kitchen Toronto use fresh and seasonal ingredients from local Ontario purveyors, the 1 Hotel actually offers a pop-up Farmers Market on Sundays.

Dishes like their steaks use grass-fed beef, and the cod is sustainably caught off the coast of Fogo Island.

Vegetarian options include the Famiglia Baldassarre Cavatelli, and the Sweet Potato Tikka Masala.

Daily Hive Toronto

1 Kitchen’s Executive Chef Derek Powers Jr. said they’re proud to offer “mindful culinary experiences” for guests.

“Guided by 1 Hotels’ dedication to sustainability, 1 Kitchen’s zero-waste menu showcases the hotel’s commitment to preserving the beauty and bounty of nature. Guests can look forward to dishes that feature fresh, seasonal ingredients from Ontario’s finest farmers and purveyors,” Powers Jr. told Daily Hive.

Daily Hive Toronto

“We strive to educate our local community and hotel guests by finding ways to connect them to our local partners. Whether it is showcasing the honey from our apiary with a specially curated menu on National Honey Bee Day or our pop-up Farmers Market with 100 km Foods that takes place every other Sunday afternoon in our Garden Pavilion. We’re really proud to offer mindful culinary experiences through the food we serve.”

Daily Hive Toronto

And when you do decide to visit this new Farm-to-Table restaurant, be sure to try the Caramel Donut, even if you only pop in to try the cocktails.

1 Kitchen Toronto won’t be the only dining and drinking option at the hotel.

In September, the highly anticipated Harriet’s Rooftop will open, and in October, the 1 Hotel will be opening Casa Madera.

Casa Madera will be Canada’s first location in Canada from famed restauranteurs The Madera Group and will offer an immersive dining experience.

The 1 Kitchen Toronto

Where: 550 Wellington Street West

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