A new restaurant and lounge called Republic 23 has opened in the space previously occupied by Rocco’s Plum Tomato on Islington.
This location of Rocco’s closed down during the pandemic and a leased sign appeared a few months ago. Recently the building underwent a dramatic transformation, painted entirely black with shimmering gold letters spelling out the name of the restaurant. A very different look from the previous establishment, which was a casual Italian trattoria.
Republic 23 offers an experience “where exotic Middle Eastern nights come alive in Toronto’s nightlife scene.” The Republic 23 Instagram page updates the featured live entertainment each week. They recently made their Instagram page private, so their posts are no longer visible unless you are following them. If you want to view their posts, you will need to send a follow request. They will have to approve your request before you can see any of their content.
Some video from Republic 23’s grand opening last weekend: Post has been removed as link is now broken.
As for Rocco’s Plum Tomato, the location at 164 The Queesnway is still in business. It hasn’t changed much since I wrote about it in 2014.
Republic 23 Restaurant and Lounge is located at 1068 Islington Ave, Etobicoke.