New culinary horizons Sottobraccio brings Harth’s Italian flavours to new location in Osborne Village By: Eva Wasney Posted: 5:21 PM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2026

Sottobraccio is the answer to a common refrain at Harth Mozza & Wine Bar.

“The No. 1 thing we always hear from guests at Harth is, ‘We love coming here, but it’s such a drive,’” chef Brent Genyk says of his popular fine-dining restaurant in South St. Vital.

Harth’s new sister restaurant opened in the heart of Osborne Village in June, joining a raft of other eateries that have moved into the central Winnipeg neighbourhood in recent years.

Sottobraccio is located at 160 Osborne St. in the main floor of the Zü, a new retail and residential complex built on the former site of the Osborne Village Motor Inn and its well-known music venue, the Zoo.

Renovations are currently underway next door, where the Sierra Café and Lounge — a breakfast, brunch and lunch spot — is set to open in the coming months, and Genyk is excited to join the neighbourhood’s growing list of chef-driven concepts, which include Sous Sol, BabyBaby, Shirley’s, Crumb Queen, Andy’s Lunch and others.

“This is what Winnipeg has needed for a long time, an area where you can park the car and hit a few different spots,” he says. “The Village is becoming more of a destination than maybe it has been.”

Sottobraccio’s 70-seat dining room is filled with lush greenery and natural light thanks to a long bank of windows overlooking the busy Osborne strip. The walls are painted a moody green and adorned with pops of colourful artwork, including a large triptych by Winnipeg tattooist Don Ritson, whose traditional ink is worn proudly by several staff members.

The simple, modern space was designed around the restaurant’s airy central kitchen. Diners can snag one of four bartop seats with a front-row view of the action.

Sottobraccio means “arm in arm” in Italian — a name chosen to describe the restaurant’s welcoming approach to guest service and the kitchen’s close relationship with local farmers.

Arm-in-arm is also how Genyk and business partner Brady Palmer have approached their roles as co-chefs/owners of Harth.

“We definitely plan on being collaborative,” Genyk says of the new venture. “Brady and I have been working together for a while now … and you’ve got to be ride-or-die.”

The pair met while cooking at the Mitchell Block, a now-shuttered Exchange District Italian spot, and reunited when Harth opened in 2017.

Aside from their shared passion for upscale Italian comfort food, the chefs have polar opposite personalities. Where Palmer is patient and reserved, “I am not,” Genyk says with a laugh.

“People have said we’re yin and yang,” Palmer adds. “But it works well because we’re so different. We don’t ever fight.”

While Harth and Sottobraccio are cut from the same cloth (i.e., hand-rolled pasta), diners can expect a larger offering of smaller antipasti plates and more adventurous fare at the Osborne location.

“Our demographic here is a bit different,” Genyk says. “People want to come in for snacks and drinks and then move on.”

The chefs are splitting their time between both restaurants and last week released a new menu at Sottobraccio following the recent departure of Tyrone Welchinski, a former chef at Nonsuch Brewing, from the kitchen.

The revamped menu seizes on summer produce with dishes like ricotta-stuffed tortellini served with fresh zucchini, beurre blanc and basil ($34), as well as panna cotta topped with local strawberries ($11). Appetizers include warm olives ($9), pork and veal meatballs ($24) and prosciutto toast ($9 each), which features cured ham, Marcona almonds, whipped ricotta and honey.

“We wanted to showcase local ingredients … and not mess with anything too much. It’s just good, honest Italian fare,” Genyk says.

“It’s food that we believe in, that we connect with, that we’ve been cooking for the past nine years, but with a fresh take,” Palmer adds.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com