The Carbon Bar

The owners of The Carbon Bar are historic figures in Toronto’s fine dining scene. Yannick Bigourdan and Franco Prevedello have decades of experience that includes the Four Seasons, Nota Bene and Splendido. In December of 2013 they decided to take a different route with the opening of The Carbon Bar on Queen Street East.

“What they wanted to do was open a restaurant where you can sit in a casual relaxed environment, enjoy southern barbecue food but still have that standard and high level of service. We call ourselves casual fine dining,” explains Sam Lamonde, director of operations.

Picture a classically trained musician getting on stage at a southern rhythm-and-blues joint to rock out with the crowd. “It’s all in the details. We were all trained to the highest level of standards. I think it makes a difference,” says Sam. “Our servers wear running shoes, jeans and a T-shirt. Right away you’re like, ‘Okay I can relax, decompress and have a cocktail.’ If you want a sommelier or someone who can talk bourbons, our managers are dressed in suits and can address that level of service as well. We have that tight balance between casual and fine dining.”