Xango: Latin American restaurant in Toronto permanently closed
King West is notorious for its crowd-drawing, sometimes flashy establishments, and while it buzzes with nightlife, it’s also known to have a constantly changing scene.
The latest closure along that corridor is Xango, a space from Liberty Entertainment Group (the same owners as Casa Loma, BlueBlood Steakhouse, and Michelin-starred Don Alfonso 1890).
Billed as a Latin American restaurant, it served Nikkei (Japanese Peruvian) inspired cuisine when it was first under the culinary directorship of Claudio Aprile (Copetin, Origin) with Ivan Bailey (Pick 6ix Sports) as chef de cuisine.
Opening in the fall of 2019, the restaurant was the final phase of 461 King Street West’s redevelopment, which also housed Arcane nightclub. While comments about the vibe and patio have been favourable, many have noted it had a club-like atmosphere.
Then, earlier this year, there ceased to be any further posts on the business’s Facebook page with its Instagram account and website no longer available.
Before shuttering in January, the restaurant’s menu served things like a smashed Peruvian burger with fried egg, tempura prawns with spicy XO sauce and tamarind, kalbi ribs and miso black cod with macadamia nut burnt butter. For the big spenders, there was a 44 oz. tomahawk steak served with Asian-style chimichurri or with marsala with mushroom crema.
When asked about the abrupt closure, Liberty Entertainment Group’s director of marketing, Stacey Hawkins, shared that there wasn’t any specific reason for it.
“It was the end of its run,” said Hawkins, teasing that the group is “moving forward with a new concept for the space.”
Guess we’ll have to stay tuned to see what that might be.