When describing a restaurant, vibes speak louder than words. “Neighbourhood restaurant” is more about mood than location, a byword for an unpretentious, lively hangout rammed full of regulars. Danny’s Pizza Tavern in Little Italy is one such spot: wood-panelled walls, photos everywhere, and packed every night. The titular Danny (Barna) and his wife, Anna Hopkins, opened Danny's three years ago. The concept was simple: classic American food inspired by classic American restaurants. Almost overnight, Danny’s was booked every night, with Resy offering waitlist only—an impressive feat for a couple with no restaurant experience and full-time jobs (Danny is a news editor at Complex, while Anna is an actor and director.) Recently, the pair opened Danny’s Next Door, a walk-in only bar where you can stay as long as you want and watch the game with the sound on.
Tell me how Danny’s came about.
⎯⎯⎯ When I started writing and editing full time, I still loved being in bars and restaurants — a lot. That’s where I spent most of my time when I wasn’t working, and even when I was working, I’d often be that person at the bar with a laptop open, having a Guinness. My only previous experience working in a restaurant was front of house, as a server when I was younger, which gave me a small window into how restaurants work logistically. During the pandemic, Mark Kupfert (the founder of Kupfert & Kim) and I did a pop-up together on Queen St. selling Thai salads called Larb for three months after his businesses had shuttered. When the pandemic ended, he came to me and said, “Hey, do you have any other restaurant ideas? There’s a great space on College, let’s go look. If you feel inspired, maybe we can do something.” I’d always wanted to open a place I’d love to spend time in, just a neighbourhood spot. I felt like Little Italy could use a casual, fun hangout. I told Mark, “We should do a fun, American-style tavern that feels like it’s been around forever. Warm and cozy.” Next thing I knew, we signed the lease, and we were off to the races.
Your wife, Anna (Hopkins, a co-owner at Danny’s), is an actor and you’re a magazine editor. Do you see any parallels between your day jobs and running a restaurant?
⎯⎯⎯ Yeah, definitely. I used to write for Toronto Life a lot and I was on the restaurant beat covering openings. So, I was always aware of what was happening in the Toronto restaurant scene. I got to see it from a different perspective, actually meeting owners and operators—talking to them, picking their brains. That insight helped me understand what it really takes to run a restaurant, and how tough it can be.
I constantly see parallels for my wife. As a producer and director, you manage people, delegate, problem-solve, and collaborate. Anna does so much of that at Danny’s and Danny’s Next Door. Anna’s creativity also shows up in things like the art on the walls, the music we play. Maybe working in media all these years and writing about everything from cars to liquor to fashion has given me eclectic taste? I don’t think of myself as having immaculate taste, but I do like to think I know how to curate things.
I feel like there’s this conversation that simmers and boils online about what’s considered good taste. That just self-deprecating, or do you really think you don’t?
⎯⎯⎯ I think I’m a good curator of a vibe. It’s really that simple: I just try to recreate a space that reminds me of places I love. Last night I was at Fanelli’s in New York, and today at Corner Bistro. When we first talked about Danny’s, I wanted it to be like those places. Something that feels like it’s been around forever; not pretentious, fun, welcoming to regulars. I know that’s not a unique vision, but those bars are some of the most popular in New York for a reason. My goal wasn’t like, I want to make people in Toronto feel like they're in New York. I wanted to recreate a certain feeling, and if that reminds people of New York, then so be it.
What I mean is that taste isn’t unique. I think my taste is very basic, to be honest. I don’t see myself as an arbiter of taste at all.
What are the three essential things that create the right vibe?
⎯⎯⎯ Lighting, music, and decor. We’re really deliberate about those things. We also have little touches, like small TVs that always play Seinfeld. It’s very personal; I love Seinfeld, and it gives me feelings of coziness and familiarity. That’s the kind of feeling I want to evoke in a bar or restaurant. As for decor, I love wood, I love art on the walls. Again, these are all very basic things, nothing revolutionary. Places around the world have been doing this forever. But when you put those elements together with care, it works.
Congratulations on Danny's Next Door.
⎯⎯⎯ Danny’s naturally evolved into more of a restaurant than a bar that heavily relies on the reservation system. I hate the idea that people have a two-hour time limit. You know, in places like Europe or Mexico City, dinner is like a four-hour ordeal, and you’re able to sit there as long as you want. So I think Danny’s is very much viewed now as a dinner spot where food is the number one thing. And I love places where you can just go, have eight pints, and read the newspaper. Danny’s was never going to be that. But Danny’s Next Door, I want that to be that. Just a neighbourhood hangout. The biggest difference is that there are no reservations, which means you can stay as long as you want.
And we’re playing sports. I love sports bars. I love sports. I’m deeply, deeply obsessed with sports. I love watching sports at bars. I rarely watch big games at home. I like to be around people for a big game. So now at Danny’s Next Door, we have two giant TVs. We’re playing the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals with full volume, full sound. That was another thing: Unless the Leafs were playing, or it was a Toronto team, it was so hard to find a bar that would play the audio. Even places that dubbed themselves sports bars — which we don’t; we call ourselves a bar that plays sports — wouldn’t put the volume on for massive games. I always found that so frustrating.
How did you design the space?
⎯⎯⎯ There are a lot of things we’re doing in there that are directly pulled from other places we love. Like our bar, it is very specifically modelled after Musso & Frank, the steakhouse in Hollywood. I’ve never worked with a “designer” or “design team.” The original Danny’s kind of just happened. One day after the next, new things would be added, and then, the next thing you knew, the room was done.
Why Danny’s Pizza Tavern and not Anna’s Pizza Tavern?
⎯⎯⎯ That's a very good question. I've gotten that question before. I don't think she really wants to be that front-facing with the business. I also have a hard time with that too, to a certain extent. You know, it's like there is a bit of an ego element to damning a name after yourself, and it's definitely affected my life in certain, weird ways. And I just don't think Anna wants stuff for herself. With her other work, she's been in the public eye. I just…I just don't think she would want a restaurant named after her.
Can I write for you?
⎯⎯⎯ I don’t know how you feel about writing news stories all day for Complex. It’s gruelling work. Do you want to write 350 words about the latest thing Shannon Sharpe said to Katt Williams on his podcast and get it to me in 45 minutes? And then do that over and over and over again?
It takes me 14 hours to write 600 words.
⎯⎯⎯ Yeah, yeah, I get it.
Your brother’s also an editor, right?
⎯⎯⎯ He is, Ben Barna. He’s the executive editor of Interview magazine. So we always have the newest copy lying around Danny’s somewhere.
So I can’t write for you, mentally. But your brother… I have to pitch him.
⎯⎯⎯ My twin brother, by the way.
So he’s in New York and you’re in Toronto. I appreciate you’re open about wanting a restaurant that’s reminiscent of these classic New York spots. I feel that could be touchy for Toronto.
⎯⎯⎯ I feel like Toronto can sometimes be a little bit timid about going out. I want my restaurant to feel like a sea of humanity. Like, when you look out, it looks like so packed with people, you can't see any negative space whatsoever. That's my favourite thing.
So you want what my parents hate.
⎯⎯⎯ And my parents! My dad refuses to come to my restaurant almost entirely because it’s too loud and too noisy. My biggest phobia is an empty bar. When you have a reservation and you walk in and you're the only person in there, and there's just space everywhere. I hate that.
How did you balance running a small business with being a news editor, especially somewhere like Complex?
⎯⎯⎯ It’s two completely different parts of my brain. When I'm working my day job, it's such a solitary experience. Complex is based in New York, and I didn’t have any coworkers here. I didn’t really know anyone outside of my close circle of friends. But now it feels like my world is just so much bigger and richer. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true.
Being “Danny” of Danny’s Pizza Tavern has completely opened up my world in this huge, amazing, and sometimes awkward way. I’ve met so many people in Toronto: in the restaurant community, in the neighbourhood, people who love what we do and stop me on the street. And yeah, that can be exhausting sometimes, but it’s also so gratifying. I’ve built a sense of community I didn’t even realize I was missing.
I’ll say it again. None of it would be possible without the people I do it with: my head chef, who I collaborate with on the menu; my partners, Mark and Daniel; and, mostly, my wife, Anna.
How is it working with your wife?
⎯⎯⎯ The irony is, when I first approached Anna about the idea of doing Danny’s, I asked her if she’d be okay with maybe not seeing me much anymore. I anticipated taking on this huge role at the restaurant. But it actually happened for her too — she couldn’t not be involved. That’s just the kind of person she is. And it’s been great for our relationship as well. Before, we had separate professional lives. Now we’re doing this together. Collaborating with your wife on a huge project like this. It’s just so fun.
I’ve heard people say working with a spouse can be awkward or weird, but for us, it’s been amazing. I hate saying it’s been easy — because it hasn’t — but it’s been easy-ish, in a way. Especially when I think about the horror stories I’ve heard from other restaurant owners. Of course, we’ve had our share of crises and issues, but it’s never felt unmanageable. Not severely, anyway.
What’s the best part?
⎯⎯⎯ You found your angle: Danny and Anna’s relationship. The best part is that I think it's just brought us a lot closer together. I marvel at her ability to do what she does, how good she is at everything. I have such a deep, profound respect for her. Prior to this, we were a normal married couple where we go on with our separate days, and then we'd come home and have dinner, and talk about our separate days. We're a unit now in a way that maybe prior to the restaurants, we were not. So that's been amazing. It's a cliche to say, like, “Oh, like, you're supposed to feel like a team.” But I truly do feel like me and Anna are this incredibly strong duo, and she's been great. The best part of opening these restaurants is the way it's, like, enriched my relationship with my wife. Yeah, it's corny, but it's true.
What did you think was missing in Toronto? Or were you just like, I have this opportunity to open a restaurant that I’d want to go?
⎯⎯⎯ Yeah, I mean, I’ve not been to every single restaurant in Toronto, so I can’t speak for the city as a whole. But there was just something missing for me. There weren’t many spots that felt like the kind of place you could go to over and over again, to become a regular, and feel comfortable. Casual, easy, approachable.
Sure, everyone has their own local bar or whatever. But for me, it’s really special to see that some of our best customers have been to Danny’s 12, 15, 20 times. Usually, when I go to a restaurant, I don’t return for a long time. Not because it wasn’t good, but because I tried it, it was great, and that’s it. It didn’t feel like a place where you necessarily know the bartenders, or the other customers, or the owners. Everything at Danny’s came from either my childhood home or Anna’s. There’s a story behind a lot of what’s on the walls, and I love talking to guests and explaining that. Another compliment we get often is that people feel like they’re in someone’s house, or someone’s living room.
Have you always been into food? I don’t say ‘foodie.’
⎯⎯⎯ Yeah, as much as the next person. Foodie is such an oblique term. Does that mean I just love food? Most people love food. But no, I wouldn't consider myself a connoisseur or adventurer.
Do you want to open another restaurant?
⎯⎯⎯ Maybe down the line, a Danny’s Pizza Tavern expansion might be possible, but when that happens, I'll probably step away and just let someone else run it or sell it to like some fucking investment company and just like… do what you want with the brand.
I didn’t know you could do that with restaurants. That’s stupid of me. And what’s next after media?
⎯⎯⎯ You can't be a 40-year-old looking for a job in digital media. I’m gonna keep focusing on Danny, and then maybe one day I have a family, who knows.
Um, do you want to be rich?
⎯⎯⎯ That's a great question. The answer is no. If I did want to be rich, we would have a Danny's in Oakville. We would have a Danny's in Vaughan. We would have a Danny's in Midtown. I want just enough money to go to a restaurant whenever I want and hop on a plane whenever I want. I don't care about owning property. I don't need nice clothing. I just want to be comfortable.
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