Rodney Bowers opened up his second restaurant over the weekend—but this one is missing the “meatball” from its name. Not to worry, though: Hey! at 91 Roncesvalles Ave. will still have the the infamous Rodfather sandwich on the menu, but the new sit-down restaurant will also be serving up a little refinement, and of course, brunch.
Update, September 25, 2012: In a conversation this morning, Bowers said his intention was to open another Hey Meatball! but, after seeing the 2,500 square-foot space on Roncesvalles, he realized it was too big for that concept. The former Tinto coffee shop had seating for 100, but Bowers removed about 20 seats in order to make room for a retail venture.
The onsite store consists of a bakery selling bread, wedding cakes and “all kinds of treats” that is headed by Leslie Cairns, and a juice bar (aptly named Hey Juice!) tended to by Katie Mathieu—the person behind Parts & Labour’s rooftop garden.
Hey will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with weekends serving up a “big brunch” and, starting this weekend, a roast every Sunday night. As a treat, for the first few Sundays, Bowers himself has offered to supply the toast if you buy the roast—in other words, free bubbly.
Overall, Bowers wants Hey to be a family and community-oriented space where he says “you can go for breakfast, and if we see you around later for dinner, then that’s great too.”—Rebecca Fleming
Photo: Jacob Rutka/The Grid
