Soma sits in an old Riverside building on one of the east end’s busiest — and formerly one of its seediest — corners, in a neighbourhood with virtually no nightlife (besides the hard-to-miss Jilly’s strip club, of course).

The choice of location may seem like a gamble to some, but a recent boom in activity on the Queen East strip, and a desperate need for an upscale neighbourhood lounge, has enabled Soma to pack the house almost every night since its opening.

In fact, the building had not been upgraded since 1902 and had to be completely gutted to create Soma. Previously a martial arts studio, it had no plumbing and even had an asphalt floor, making it a bit of an indoor driveway. However, despite many people’s disbelief and a year of transformation, the owners of Soma built a restaurant and lounge from scratch and have unveiled one of the Toronto’s most stunning new lounges, designed with the building’s history in mind.

An original secret passageway at the side of the room was restored and is now used for service staff, so you never see a parade of dirty dishes or encounter what would have been congestion by the washrooms and kitchen doors. The exposed brick behind the concrete bar is the building’s original, and any bricks removed during construction were saved to use on the exterior of the building.

But as old as its history may be, the new definitely comes out with the rest of the place. A sleek, modern lounge area sits in the front, with comfy black leather couches and ottomans, and tables line the back for either drinkers or diners. Most of Soma’s decor is black, grey and white except for the occasional screaming yellow wall.

WHERE: 703 Queen St. E. Toronto, ON

WHO YOU WILL MEET: East-enders desperate for an upscale place to go without having to cross that bridge into downtown. A big part of their clientele comes from the film industry from nearby lofts and studios.

TIP: Check out Soma’s stunning light fixtures. They were purchased from Italy and installed by a local Leslieviller, and kind of look like exploding silver flowers. Very cool.