Bar Bacan – 369 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 2M8
Country: Argentina & Venezuela
Seating: Inside seating with small street patio. 
Must-try dish: Argentinian Beef Empanada (Argentina) & Pabellon Arepa (Venezuela)
The high: Personalized service by Hernan (our server and the restaurant manager). 
The low: There aren’t really any options for wine beyond white or red. 

Happy Pride Month!!! 

As we’re now in June, Mandrea Bike wanted to highlight some LGBTQ+ run restaurants in Toronto celebrating international cuisines. We don’t think it was a coincidence that the day we decided to visit Bacan was the same day a big rainbow hailed over the city. Bacan is owned by Guillermina Buzio and Alejandra Sifontes who brought their backgrounds together under one roof, thus creating Bacan, an Argentinian and Venezuelan restaurant located on Roncesvalles Avenue just south of Dundas Street.

Most of the menu is segregated into each respective country, but there are certain dishes that are a perfect marriage between the two. An example of this is the Bacan Costillitas, which includes short ribs, rice, beans, plantains, and chimichurri on one plate in a platter of sorts. This was one of the dishes that stood out as it incorporated staple ingredients from the cuisines of both countries – the chimichurri from Argentina and the plantains from Venezuela.  

In deciding on which empanadas to order, we decided to go for the most traditional from each country. The Argentinian Beef was the obvious choice, and it didn’t disappoint. The meat, the spices, and the texture brought Mat right back to the streets of Buenos Aires. As neither of us are Venezualan food experts nor have ever visited the country, we relied on our server Hernan, who without hesitating recommended the Venezualan Beans & Plantain. There is no going wrong incorporating beans and plantains into a fried pocket. Another obvious difference between the two countries’ empanadas is that the Argentinian is made with a more traditional flour dough similar to a savoury pie crust, while Venezuelan empanadas are wrapped in a corn dough, making them gluten-free, and in the case of the beans & plantain variety, vegan.

Finally the arepas – two pieces of baked maize dough that are filled with toppings ranging from meat, avocado, cheese, plantains, beans, and other delights depending on the location. Think of it as a take on a sandwich, a wrap, a taco, but with its own flair. The arepa protects all the delicious toppings inside, and it’s definitely something to eat with your hands!  

Arepas are native to the northern part of South America and are an essential part of Venazualan cuisine. Our first choice was to go the classic route to the Pabellon, which is stuffed with shredded slow cooked beef, beans, sweet plantain and lots of cheese. I mean, are there any other combinations of food that sound any better? Our second choice was perhaps driven by the fact that Bacan advertises that they make their own chorizo. The Chori Arepa is simple, yet complex, yet delightful, and combines house made chorizo and cheese in the tastiest of ways.

This meal was washed down with a few classic Argetinian beverages including a Fernet with Coke followed by a bottle of Argentinian Malbec (Red Wine) that was very reasonably priced at $39 for the bottle. For those who have never had fernet, it’s an Italian amaro that has a huge presence in Argentina that drinkers tend to either love or hate.

To finish off, we really wanted to stress that beyond the food, one of the best parts of the evening was our server Hernan. He was very helpful and an all around great guy who took terrific care of us during our short stay. We would go back just for him.

Gracias Hernan,

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Gay Mat & Andrea)