Magnificent Mile Italian Spot Bar Toma Closed Monday

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jan 3, 2017 3:11PM

Pizza at Bar Toma. Photo via Facebook.

If you've ever done any Magnificent Mile shopping, you've probably spotted Bar Toma, opposite Water Tower Place and across from the park. The Italian restaurant known for pizza and operated by Chef Tony Mantuano (Spiaggia) was open for five years, but has now closed.

The Tribune reports that Bar Toma closed somewhat abruptly, notifying its staffers yesterday that they would no longer be open for business. Mantuano didn't comment on the reason for the closure.

Bar Toma was a pretty ambitious concept when it opened. A huge space with multiple concepts inside it, it originally attempted to combine a restaurant with a sort of food court, with different counters for things like coffee and pastries, homemade gelato and mozzarella and more. However, things started changing pretty soon after opening. Even after a great review from Phil Vettel, the restaurant never quite seemed to take off.

In July of 2015, Bar Toma closed for a big renovation, getting rid of most of the menu and shifting its energy towards pizza. While this may have pleased some tourists, it apparently wasn't enough to keep the lights on.