Ek Bar, Toronto restaurateur's only Ottawa location, closing by month-end

Ek Bar, the upscale modern Indian restaurant that opened on Preston Street in spring 2025, will close by the end of September, owner Hemant Bhagwani confirmed Tuesday.

Bhagwani, a Toronto-based chef and restaurateur who has opened roughly 70 restaurants across North America and abroad, said the distance between Ottawa and Toronto made day-to-day management unsustainable. "With me not being able to be there in person, it became hard to manage the day-to-day, and that's a big part of why we've made this decision," he wrote in an email.

Customer traffic declined significantly after FIFA World Cup activity began, compounding the challenge. Ek Bar was Bhagwani's first and only Ottawa restaurant. He owned and operated the Amaya Group of Restaurants from 2002 to 2024, overseeing brands including Amaya Express, Goa Indian Farm Kitchen, Popa Burmese Kitchen, Good Karma, Mumbai Frankie, and Charcoal Biryani.

When Ek Bar opened, Bhagwani said in a statement: "Ottawa is ready for something new, something elevated." The restaurant's menu changed to Burmese cuisine and Southeast Asian dishes in August but will revert to modern Indian for its final two weeks, offering a special $55-per-person tasting menu.

Bhagwani received an award of excellence from Restaurants Canada this year. He is stepping away from the hospitality industry to focus on a new charity foundation in Toronto supporting hospitality workers.