sara toronto

This new Toronto restaurant has built in tabletop storage for phones

Ever been so annoyed by someone on their phone at a restaurant that you wish you could just make it disappear? A new Toronto restaurant has finally made that dream a reality.

Tabletops at Sara are designed with custom-built spill-proof cubbies that seamlessly and elegantly store the phones of diners. Designed by ODAMI, the entire space is meant to minimize distractions and emphasize reconnection with fellow diners.

Sara is the sophisticated, soft counterpoint to grittier Rasa (both operated by umbrella company Food Dudes) serving globally inspired small plates out of a converted Victorian home on Portland.

sara restaurant toronto

The phone cubbies are apparently spill proof so you don't need to worry about where you put your cocktail.

They’re not the first one to attempt to get diners or bar-goers to put down their phones and have some good old fashioned fun that doesn’t use up any data. Dumbo Snack Bar offers a charging station to juice up your phone while you’re hitting the sauce.

The only thing I’m worried about is whether I’ll be distracted by not being distracted by my phone. Will knowing that it’s only an arm’s length away, trapped inside my table, and yet that I’m unable to satisfy my urge to Google and ’gram, drive me slowly mad over the course of my meal?

sara restaurant toronto

The serene space at Sara need not be compromised by Instagram enthusiast diners.

That, and that after a couple of Sara’s gin-based cocktails, that I’ll forget the phone is there entirely and leave it behind at the restaurant, forgotten in its cubby. I guess the only way to find out is to attempt a phone-free dinner for the first time in an embarrassingly long while.

Photos by

Ted Chai Photography and Kurtis Chen


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