Dundas West has a new snack bar. Called MoTo Coffee and Snack Bar, it’s a new business in the space formerly occupied by Porter House and Brockton General at 1321 Dundas West. That Instagram account is their online presence.
There are a lot of restaurants serving snacks around these parts, but MoTo stands out with a menu of predominantly Italian snack food, with many ingredients imported straight from Italy. The chef, Wes Hains, has experience at big name Italian restaurants in the city like Gusto and Piano Piano.
MoTo Snack Bar opened earlier this month, but we just stopped in last night. It wasn’t the best time for them; they were having a private function, so we haven’t tried the food yet. The opportunities to taste Italian snacks are pretty good, however: MoTo is open and serving food every night but Sundays starting at 6pm. In addition, they’ve got Italian wines, craft beers and coffee on offer.
The space looks great. They’ve reconfigured it so the bar is not all the way in the back of the place; it’s alongside the west wall, with some tables and chairs up front, and seating at the bar. This gives the room a more welcoming feel, and the people we met last night added to that welcome.
A couple of photos are below. Let us know if you’ve been to MoTo Snack Bar.
I went to the MoTo bar last night, November 14th, for the private party. I waited to order as the wait staff advised the kitchen was a bit backed up. Fine. After about half an hour, I ordered the pasta carbonara dish. I had seen others eating from the small plate and it looked passable. Long story short, right after I inhaled my pasta, I proposed to the chef. Yes. He was already partnered with someone, of course, because when you are that good, love is lined up out the door. I’m telling you, what he did with the bacon and the textures and the flavours put Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant in Yorkdale to shame. As a matter of fact, it was the best pasta dish I can remember having. It takes me about 1 1/2 hours to get to MoTo from home. It is totally worth it. Five stars, Wes. You are my new jam.