District 28 Bar Bistro

District 28 Bar Bistro was once little more than a makeshift café patronized by a handful than neighbouring residents and businesses. Today it’s the enticing front door to District 28 Studios, an 18,000 square foot multimedia facility located which encompasses three studios a reception bar and a screening room.

“It has a really good synergy,” says Sasha Crystal, who took over the facility in 2015. After a much needed revamp, District 28 Bar Bistro re-opened under his supervision in December 2016. “We started with half of this space. This used to be their showroom and warehouse.”

While Sasha is only just new to the restaurant industry and learning, he certainly knows the entertainment business inside and out. Sasha crafted his production skills at New York Film School in New York City, and has worked in various roles in productions in the U.S., Canada and parts of Europe. Through his experience in the film industry, he discovered there was a need for a production facility that treated clients more like guests. When he came across the abandoned studio and it's tiny cafe in Leslieville, Sasha saw it as the perfect opportunity to give Toronto's film industry the kind of all-in-one hospitality experience that he says has been missing.

“I kind of spend all day running around. I’m up and down, left and right,” he says. Fortunately, he has experienced restaurant staff who have helped him take District 28 Bar Bistro from a little-known café serving sandwiches and pastries to a bigger player in Toronto’s food court.