Bar Romy opens Thursday with pasta from celebrated Familia Baldassarre
A new Italian spot on Adelaide and John launches July 2. All their pasta comes from the legendary Geary restaurant—plus Roman pizza, focaccia, and wine.
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Bar Romy opens Thursday, July 2, at 295 Adelaide St. W., bringing casual Italian cooking and serious wine to the Entertainment District.
The 35-seat restaurant is helmed by Chef Ben Heaton and three hospitality veterans: Jenny Ware, Mike Couvillon, and Craig Spence. The draw: all pasta is sourced directly from Famiglia Baldassarre, the Michelin-recognized restaurant on Geary that's famous for its two-hour lunch service Tuesday through Friday.
Beyond the pasta, Bar Romy serves Roman-style pizza, house-made focaccia, sandwiches, and antipasti. The menu centers on simplicity—quality ingredients crafted into familiar Italian staples with integrity. Ware created a dream list of dishes around visual presentation, drawing inspiration from restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn, which Envidia then refined. "I bring whatever inspires me—the people around me or the Filipino, Mexican, Southeast Asian or Chinese flavours that I grew up with," Envidia says.
Wine is the star of the drink menu. Couvillon created an unfussy list that prizes sherry and vermouth, designed to complement the kitchen's bright flavours rather than overpower them. The wine list includes a global mix of exciting bottles, many sourced through Bittern Imports, the natural wine agency that Ware and Spence run. Some producers can only send four cases of special bottles—stock Ware and Spence have held for years.
The dining room was renovated from its former life as Figo into something warmer and more grounded. Warm wood, church pews, and vintage light fixtures set the mood, along with quirky blown-glass clown decanters and oddball tchotchkes tucked into corners. Select menu items are available for lunchtime takeout.
