This French restaurant operates out of a historic heritage home with a hidden speakeasy in its basement

Maison Selby is a chic, charming restaurant that serves classic French meals, for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

Editor’s note: CP24’s Bill Coulter has been visiting some of Toronto’s most notable restaurants as part of our recurring ‘On the Menu’ series. Stay tuned for more features on CP24.com and CTVNewsToronto.ca taking a look inside some of these hidden gems.

Housed inside a St. James Town mansion that’s more than a century old, Maison Selby is a charming restaurant that serves classic French meals, for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

“There’s something on the menu for everyone, which is fantastic,” executive chef John Horne told CP24’s Bill Coulter during a recent On the Menu segment.

It also serves decades of history.

The building, located on Sherbourne Street south of Bloor Street, includes several dining rooms that each have its own unique flair, along with a downstairs speakeasy. It was designed in 1883 by architect David Roberts Jr., the man behind Toronto’s Flatiron Building.

The mansion has transformed over the decades from a private estate, to a private “hostel” and later a hotel. In the 1910s, it was even home to Toronto all-girls private school Branksome Hall. For the first few decades of the 20^th century, it housed some important figures when it functioned as a hotel. These included Ernest Hemingway, boxer Whipper Billy Watson and William Shatner, who would visit its men’s beverage room in the 1950s

By the mid-1990s, it was known as Boots Warehouse, the city’s largest gay club, before being turned into a Howard Johnson in 1997.

These days the mansion known as Maison Selby’s is a bistro with a French-inspired menu, which includes classic items like French onion soup with a social-media worthy cheese pull ($19), beef tartar ($23) and Coq au vin ($36), a traditional French dish with red wine and braised chicken. On the brunch and lunch menu expect a variety of pastries and savoury dishes like Crêpe Madame ($23) and quiche ($21).

Horne says that the restaurant’s cozy ambiance makes it a perfect place for a date, or a special celebration with the building’s history contributing to that appeal.

“You can’t go wrong with this heritage mansion,” he said. “There’s a room for everybody in here.”

For those looking to quench their thirst, head on downstairs to Bar Sous Sol, the mansion’s vibrant speakeasy. With a curated list of cocktails and wine, there is, as their chef said, something for everyone.

Maison Selby is located at 592 Sherbourne Street.