Literally just stumbled on this in our hungered state. The title of Canadian Comfort Food drew us in. Waiter was fantastic and sold the dishes very well. I ended up trying 2 local beers, Mill St ale (red), and another IPA. My conclusion is that Canadian beers are nothing to write home about. The food however was outstanding! We started off sharing the Pickerel Taco + cucumber apple salad. Great starter. It had some delicious white fish in a chinese style steamed bun. Great starter. Next we shared the Roast Duck Poutine pizza. If you like well flavored duck, french fries, cheese, and gravy, this is your dish. We were kinda skeptical on smashing all these wonderful flavors together, but the waiter sold it well and it was amazing. Pretty large portion so definitely share. We ended with the Canoe Fireweed Butter Tart. Sweet (but not too sweet) honey tart with blackberry and cream sauce. Very good and different than your standard sweet fare. Overall a good experience and fantastic wait staff. Patria does up a really lovely Spanish tapas experience.First up, the place is beautiful. High ceilings, big windows and open space are made cozy with quirky sort of vaguely religious (maybe?) art, good lighting and big candles. The tables are as little or big as your group might want, so this is a good pick for both big parties and a date with someone you're up for hanging with for at least 45 minutes while your paella cooks. Service is good- the staff are attentive and understand the menu well; our server made great recommendations for both what to order and around how much to order, which is helpful for lazy people (me) in tapas places with long menus. The food n' drink is top notch. We had the dates wrapped in bacon (very good would eat again), something involving a large circle of goat cheese and honey (delicious) and a seafood house paella, which takes awhile but is big enough for two and worth the wait. At this point I was too full for dessert and had had one too many manhattans to stomach anything else sweet, but the options looked promising. Recommend! What can I say about Byblos? Possibly my favorite dining experience ever, even better than Splendido and Gramercy Tavern in NYC (my next favorites...now).The hostess was very pleasant and helpful, our server was efficient and very personable, and the manager James was a great host, checking in often to see how we were doing. Top notch service in every way!The food...wow. We started with a very nice salad and a fantastic artichoke and yogurt dish (I don't even like artichoke) that we devoured. Next, succulent lamb ribs with a coriander based (I think) crust on them that is similar to the excellent bread that they serve. Delicious!Wagyu beef on a cauliflower hummus that just bursts with flavor in every bite. Cooked perfectly and seasoned according to the rich fat of the wagyu to combine for the perfect bite of steak, IMO. A creamy lobster dish, some exceptional short ribs and some phenomenal Israeli couscous (and Brussels sprouts with haloumi cheese and bacon!!!) and we were pretty much stuffed, but James the host also provided us with three small desserts that were also fantastic. We also had one of their chilled alcoholic teas, and wow, does that ever finish a meal off perfectly. Can't say enough about our experience at Byblos. My wife and I are now presented with the challenge deciding how long we should wait before going back. We love trying new restos and don't like to overdo one spot, but I don't think we can wait much longer! Why did no one decide to bring me here until now? This place is a hidden gem and I quickly learned from the friendly lady at the cashier that Kaiju is one of the top restaurants in the GTA. Trust me, she wasn't lying. We ordered the classic chicken katsu curry with rice. What I like about the katsu is that it is fried perfectly crisp but doesn't feel oily. As well, the coleslaw is a nice touch to balance the flavour-filled dish. The cherry on top to the great food was that the service was amazing despite this being a food court. The lady at the cashier (assuming the owner) was super cute bringing the food over and checking up on us after the meal. As a side note, on Saturdays, they also offer tofu cheesecake which I will be back for next time! This is a really good restaurant with an awesome staff! The place is awesome and the food is just delicious! Is not way expensive but the food comes in a small portions. Even with that everything is perfect! I hate to give such a highly-regarded place three stars, but here goes nothing.In the thralls of finding a restaurant to celebrate my mom's birthday, it was with serendipitous timing that enRoute magazine unleashed its Best New Restaurants in Canada upon the web. Top of the list? Edulis, a local restaurant, thus relieving me of any need to continue my search. (They also made MacLean's Top 50 Best Restaurants in Canada.) A couple emails later, and our table was booked. (They say an online reservation system is coming soon.) Cozy and charming, this intimate restaurant is tucked away on a rather nondescript stretch of Niagara St. just south of King. The juxtaposition of the best restaurant in Canada facing onto a large co-op housing complex is worthy of note, and could serve as an archetype for boosters of mixed-income urban planning near and afar. Anyway, I digress.Debating between the smaller ($50) or larger ($70) tasting menus, our waitress indicated that the former would be sufficient to fill our bellies. We opted for the latter, and were prepared to have to undo a few buttons. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. Look, I get that higher-end restaurants skew towards smaller portions; I have no problem with that, and come to expect it. But if I'm ordering a seven-course tasting menu, I expect to be reasonably satiated by the end of the journey. Am I completely off base here? Alas, if it weren't for the constant re-filling of our bread basket (great home-made bread, btw), we all would have left hungry - and it's not like we have huge appetites to begin with. The blame I think is two-fold: First, many of the dishes were protein-heavy, with very little in the way of carbs. This is regrettable, as the one significant starch I do recall (a side of potatoes in a Djion vinaigrette) was phenomenal. Second, there was way too much downtime between some of the courses. Easily 20-25 minutes passed between some of the courses. Had the intervals been a bit shorter, I think we would have been okay.Not to say that service wasn't exemplary. As soon as we entered service was fantastic. Water was constantly topped off, fresh cutlery was brought out every meal, and the table was kept spotless. Presumably the bottleneck was in the kitchen. That being said, the actual food when it came was superb. Of the seven dishes, four consisted of seafood (herring, mussles, tuna, some white fish), two of meat (veal and sweetbreads, duck two ways), and dessert (ice cream and cookie, shared baba au rhum cake). I'd try to describe them in more detail, but would be doing them an injustice. The food was outstanding - I just wish there were more of it.Next time I think a better strategy would be to order a few dishes à la carte, and share those. I saw some tables adopting this strategy and the serving sizes seemed substantial. It would also eliminate some of the waiting between courses.8/30 I'm not going to pretend to be a coffee connoisseur, but I am a caffeine-addict as well as a coffee shop lover. Cute cafés are my jam! Jimmy's Coffee was a very average experience, however.Jimmy's uses the unsweetened almond milk from Silk, which is horrible because the unsweetened version tastes incredibly salty, and this definitely transferred to the taste of my almond milk latte. They use a rather acidic strain of coffee beans (re: sour), and the double shot macchiato was hard to swallow. Also, no latte art. Whaaaaat? The barista used some hand motions that made it LOOK like she was doing latte art, but in reality it looked like a white, unidentifiable blob in the middle of my tiny cup of coffee.There are three floors, yet there is zero place to sit down. The third floor has a conference-room style table, the second floor with a hodgepodge assortment of furniture, and the first floor has a severe lack of chairs. Good luck trying to enjoy your coffee inside!Jimmy's Coffee is an alright café, and I may drop by to try their other items. However I won't make a special trip for Jimmy's because there are better shops in my neighborhood, thanks. 3.5 starsPrice: More than an average dt ramen place at $14 a bowl. I got the Shoyu Ramen. Noodle: Al dente, bouncy.Broth: Amazing. I usually don't drink the broth but the Hokkaido's is so flavourful. Asked for less salt which was perfect. When you walk into the restaurant, the first thing that hits your nose is the smell of pork bones simmering away. You can also ask for less lard but why. Toppings: I love bamboo, glad it's included. I also had seaweed, slice of fish cake and green onion. Extra toppings are pricey (corn is $2.50, egg $1.80) which I didn't opt for. Chashu: Seems like I got the chashu scraps...got two small chunks of meat cut along the grain and a slab of pure fat. While it was tender, it was upon leaving the restaurant and seeing the display of noodles that my friends told me that they both got 2 regular slices of chashu. What the. Service: Friendly. Fairly quick turnover of tables. Bathroom: The sketchiest bathroom I have ever been in. My friend said it was like being in a horror movie and I had to agree. Dim eerie staircase leading to a dark dirty bathroom with a low ceiling. Given how popular and clean the restaurant is, they definitely could have forked over a little bit of money to improve the washrooms! Cheap, filling and fresh tacos in a variety of flavours! I keep getting baja fish tacos $5 from here and they're so good! There are 3 different salsas that you can put on your tacos - all delicious! I keep wanting to try their other tacos but I always make it an hour before they close so they are usually out of more popular items by then. Tip: come earlier for more choices!There are usually several people in line here since the staff make the tacos on the spot, so pack some patience with you as wait. Usually about 10 mins wait until you actually get your food, which isn't too bad! Also only a handful of seats but that's not a big deal since you could always eat it at the nearby park. Not your run of the mill Thai restaurant. Interesting decor with upbeat music playing in the background. Not a fan of dimly lit restaurants. I know it's supposed to set the mood but it only makes me sleepy lol. I sat at one of the tables with bar stools and it wasn't very comfortable. There are hooks on the side of the table to hook your bags and jackets to but I think it would have been better to have hooks on the walls for jackets. Weren't a lot of hooks and if you were wearing a long coat, it'll drag on the ground. My friends got the Khao pla tawt (fish) and Khao soi, and I got the ox tail. No complaints about the fish and the only thing my friend had to say about the khao soi was that it was a little too creamy for her but if that's your thing then give it a try. I enjoyed my ox tail dish very much! The sauce was amazing and there was more meat than I expected. Meat was fall off the bone so very very tender. Haven't tried anything else there but definitely planning to!It's a nice touch that they added the Wi-Fi password and network on the menu but unfortunately, it didn't work when I was there (Dec 15). Playa Cabana is a great spot for dinner and drinks. Here are a few highlights from my experience...1. Like others who have mentioned this, I did feel rushed to order, then to order more, then to leave. This was slightly annoying, but we were having a good time anyway, and didn't really think much of it until after we left.2. The tacos are a bit small, but they are fresh and delicious. I would order the chicken tacos again. (Be warned! Some of the table sauces are quite spicy!)3. If you like guacamole, you will love their chips and guacamole. The chips, which can be a tinge greasy, are tasty and made in house.4. The service, aside from being a bit rushed, was good. The recommendations for food and drinks were perfect.5. The vibe is loud and fun. I noticed that there was quite a diverse crowd here, which is nice as well.6. They have indoor and outdoor seating. To be mere steps from the corner of Davenport and Dupont, the outdoor patio seems quite removed from city traffic and noise.This is a great spot. There probably aren't many places in Toronto that can match Playa Cabana for Mexican food. It's a nice atmosphere and service is not bad. I enjoyed the first time I was there so I decided to buy the Living Social deal for a brunch back in October 2014. I was excited to use it but due to work and travel the coupon reached the expiration date. They refused to take the coupon after expiry even though newer/exact same deal was on via LivingSocial. I left a voicemail with the manager who never contacted me. I may have lost the $35, but sadly, I don't feel like supporting a business that doesn't appreciate repeated customers. My advise to those buying these deals: make sure you can stick to the reservation before the coupon expiration date. Cibo will not budge. You can however use the face value anytime. But then again will I really be excited to use the expired coupon just so I can get my money back? I will be happier at so many other deserving restaurants that offer great food and service. Found this place after googling best date restaurants in Toronto - truth.It was indeed a neat date location for a Friday night. Good vibe, neon décor, online reservations, delicious tapa style dishes and a menu of tequila tastings.What we ate (after the complimentary bucket of corn chips): Food:1. Guacamole dip - $11 for a regular (6/10) - hard to do guac wrong but nothing to write home about, get it if you want an excuse to eat more corn chips2. Sopes de tinga $15 (5/10)- this appetizer was unique but the fried, breaded cheese tart overpowered the taste of the chicken3. Tuna Ceviche $11 (7/10) - fresh ahi tuna in a fantastic fusion of mango and cilantro, wanted another one because the portion size was not meant to be shared4. Pulpo carnita $16 (8/10) - well cooked confit of octopus, not too chewy or dry, exactly what you expect from a well cooked octopus5. Carrillera en mole negro $15 (6/10)- extremely tender, 24 hour braised beef cheek - however the tar looking sauce definitely requires an appreciative pallet Drinks: 1. Mojito Reposada $10 glass -perfect concoction of Milagro Resposado, muddled mint, and fresh lime - not usually a mojito drinker as I find they're often too sweet or the tequila is overpowering, but this was simply delicious2. Tequilla tasting: Vertical Flight 1.3 oz - $19 - Avion Silver / Avion Reposado / Avion Anejo - fun addition to the meal, however I'm by no means refined in the art of tequila tasting - all I can say is that they were smooth and worth the order3. Tequilla tasting #2 - Barrel Aged Horizontal Flight - $22 - Tromba Anejo / Avion Anejo / Cazadores Anejo- ditto to my comment above - although I enjoyed this tasting a bit more as I found the tequila to be bolder and the neutralizing sides added some spiceRating Summary: Food: Average of 7/10 for the main courses as noted aboveAtmosphere: 9/10. Fun, posh Mexican vibe - definitely feeling the vibrant décor and music Service: 9/10. The Spanish speaking servers add to the atmosphere. Our server had his corn chip service in check; our chip bucket was never empty. Service was difficult at times to wave down and we would've liked the staff to be more educated in the tequila being served. Pulling out my phone to take photos would have been a date faux pas, hence no photos to share in this post. Will definitely come back during patio season! My second experience at Pai was great on a few fronts. This place is quite popular on weekdays and weekends so for big groups, a reservation is a must. By the time our group of 10 left, there was a line up the stairs and just at the door.The service staff were friendly and swift with taking our orders and the kitchen staff was just as quick to bring the food to our table all at the same time. :-)I like the street market atmosphere that they are trying to bring to the space in the restaurant.My favourite points of the meal were:1. the deep-fried squash fritters (the grabong) were crunchy and lightly fried and also tasted sweet like a sweet potato. It was great even without the garlic tamarind dip which provides some more savoury flavours.2. this was the first time I had khao soi and I think I will want to come back to have more in the future. The noodles had the right bite to hold up against the spicy and creaminess of golden curry. Bonus: ask for a container to bring the soup home if you want to enjoy it with some rice for lunch the next day!3. the thai milk ice tea is preferred over the lemongrass ice tea since the lemongrass is so subtle that I could barely detect it next to the stronger flavour of the thai milk ice tea.Only small issue is the lack of coat hooks for the larger tables that use stools instead of chairs. There is no convenient hook or coat stand nearby for guests at those tables.Till next time. Beautifully designed restaurant with equally well crafted sushi. It feels clean, minimal, and modern. The staff is very friendly and attentive.I recommend ordering the seared sushi if you want to try something different from your normal sushi. The sampler is also quite extensive and a good deal for $30. All the fish is incredibly fresh and tasty. This place is garbage. I get it, you're a big place but that's no excuse for poor service and food. Feels like a tourist trap. Guacamole is decent, drinks are ok,the rest is a mess. If you are in the distillery, do yourself a favour and spend your money elsewhere. Drew was wearing an underarmor sweatshirt and they still let us in even though a sign out front said proper attire was required so good on them for that. It's incredibly obvious that this is a place where people go to find a sugar daddy. I don't know how else to put it but when you have two 20 something's grinding up on a 40 year old in an Armani suit, you know there's a plan. Aside from that we were surprised by how cheap the drinks were and the Moscow Mules, although a bit sweet, were very down-able. If you like a club that has a good vibe and alternates between Drake and Bieber every other song then this is your place. Always impressive service, whether it's brunch or dinner. Great drinks, wonderful gluten free and dairy free options - I would take a picky eater there anyday! The atmosphere is super laid back and young feeling. The only complaint I'd have is that it's too loud, but that's because it's so popular. I always go with my boyfriend and we're never let down. Prices are quite reasonable too. The waitress actually noticed that I didn't eat chili peppers on the tacos so she made sure that the rest of my taco orders didn't have peppers on them either - without me saying a thing. Such positive experiences here! Good service. Tables a little narrow and awkward. The slaw was superb. They recite all 26 ingredients in it. The main course was not to die for. A little bland. Great ambiance and sitting outside we got to do my favourite activity, people watching. We came for Winterlicious dinner, so we were expecting it to be busy. Still, the restaurant did a great job in keeping everything well organized. The servers were very attentive and took time to describe what we were about to eat when they brought the food. Food was top notch! I got the Fogo Island Salt cod for appetizer, beef tenderloin / chuck flat for main, and sea buck thorn yoghurt for dessert. Some places don't really give good value for Winterlicious, but Canoe was definitely worth it! I would come back on any regular day / night. Overall, great food and even better service. The food was delicious. We definitely had some things that were out of the box thinking but must say it wasn't necessarily the best French food we have ever had. Our server, Brooke, was very helpful and always stopped by to see how we were doing. We also never felt rushed and were able to finish our wine before we even had to think about ordering dessert. Atmosphere is great... Not too loud and the decor is stunning. Will definitely return! I have been here twice now. The first time being the end of May. The weather was beautiful for a late Friday night. The patio was busy (as usual) but the ambience and service was good. We were here for a work friend's birthday group of 8 or 9. We ordered drinks and food and it was all delivered with speed and accuracy, considering it was a busy Friday night. The food was great. I ordered a burger and fries. My sister ordered a chicken flatbread.My second experience, left me a bit unsatiated, as we left without eating. We were there for the RedPath Waterfront Festival at Sugar Beach and wanted to have a sit down meal. Our group of 5 asked for seats on the patio, at around 7:45 pm. We were given pagers and were told the wait would be about 45 minutes. We expected that, so we walked up and down the lakeshore. We were finally seated at about 8:30 and ordered food and drinks right away. At 9:30, we still hadn't received our food. It's not like we ordered huge meals, we ordered two flatbreads, a salad to share, and shrimp something. We flagged down our waitress, and she informed us that we would have to wait ANOTHER 20 MINUTES. We had somewhere to be at 10, so we said forget the food, bring us our drink bill. The manager came out and apologized for the wait, he explained a large party had come in and unexpectedly backed up the kitchen. He took care of our drink bill and gave us a $25 gift card to come back again. Even though our service wasn't the greatest, the fact that the manager came out and took care of our bill and even gave us a gift card, showed us that this doesn't happen often, and they were generally upset for us.We will go back, not only because of our gift card, but because the patio is so nice, the drink menu is quite extensive and the food is pretty decent. Funny how they call it salad king but only have 1 salad on the menu.It's located right by Ryerson, so it's definitely convenient for students on a budget. The atmosphere was like a cafeteria, but a pinch more upscale with cuter decor than a typical highschool lunch hall.Like most Thai places, they had sizeable portions. My friend and I ordered the pad thai and the panang curry to share. Overall, the food was meh. It made me full, but not the happy kind of full. The panang curry was too sweet but not rich, and the pad thai was a little dry. Highly recommend hot sauce if you're thinking of eating at this place.But I wont go back again. The last experience here when we came out was absolutely wonderful. I would give five stars but it is still quite a wait. They did text us when a table was ready For a heads up so we were able to grab a drink nearby which was nice of them. The food we get this time was fab- shout of for the spicey beef and the chicken dish we had it was wonderful flavour and totally yum. and I do appreciAte how they have a legend for how spicy. I love the communal mixed drink bucket so come of your a sharing is caring type of personality. Our server this time was totally over attentive in a great way and checked in frequently to make sure our experience was going well. And last shout out goes to the music playlist here .. All the songs were a nice mix of classics and I swear it was right off my iPod. Fantastic food and relatively inexpensive, butternut fritters for starter were great and the pad thai was extremely tasty. Glad we went with this place. Cool atmosphere inside with some great older hip hop playing... Love the atmosphere! All the dishes we tried were so good! We got the lamb and it was unreal and good drink menu. If you're looking for a new place to have a special dinner or just feel like switching it up I'd highly recommend. Would definitely come back. Nice ambiance, atmosphere, good food and wine. Noise level was moderate so you could have a conversation. I would recommend. Went there yesterday (august 13th 2016). It was my 2 year anniversary and I was worried because of the few bad reviews regarding the food. But honestly everything was delicious! Me and my boyfriend both had the steak and lobster and it was cooked perfectly! Wish they put more mashed potatoes on the plate because those were so yummy too and not enough. But I loved the whole experience! The view is incredible and our waitress was down to earth and very accommodating. We had the smoked salmon appetizer and the oysters as well and was all really fresh and good. I truly enjoyed my experience and will be returning next special occasion Went her for brunch. Got the eggs Benny with smoked salmon for $20. Eggs a bit overcooked and not runny. Expected better but great location and good patio. Service was great. I have been meaning to come here for awhile, so when a Groupon came up, it was the perfect opportunity. It seemed a little expensive at first glace for the amount of food you received, but I was pleasantly surprised at how filling and delicious everything was. The place was a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. There were patio seats at the front, a bar that you could sit at, and then a number of seats that stretched down the hallway to a big back area. I had the lamb burger and dressed it with tzatiki, feta, onions and tomato. It was cooked perfectly with generous toppings. I added the panko crusted onion rings. OMG so delicious. The portion was pretty big, so next time I would probably share the side. I was delighted to see the variety on the menu. It wasn't just burgers. There were a number of other things I wanted to try. I was also surprised to see tons of drink specials. I didn't realize that it really had a bar atmosphere (my bad, considering it says bar right in the name)Service was friendly and fairly quick. Lots of people there watching the hockey game - which you could see from any seat in the house on big flat screens. Definitely one of the best gourmet burger joints I've tried in Toronto so far. Came here recently with the SO - I had been talking about this place with him, and knew that he would love the vibe. And course, he did! The spot is trendy and kinda indie, with charming lights and paintings from local artists. Oh and a great drinks list. It's popular so make reservations possible! They have an easy online system. Crab cakes - deliciousChicken thigh sandwich - tastyShrimp linguine - really flavorfulIceberg drink - refreshingBlush mojito - good, once the ice chilled it and diluted it a bit. Overall great experience. This spot is perfect to catch up with friends, first (or 2nd, 3rd) dates, and have some great food/drinks. I had to take off one star because it seemed like none of the staff knew whose food went where and brought the wrong dishes to multiple patrons. They brought us a salad we didn't order and then realized it was for the table beside us... Except it was the wrong salad for them too. This kinda thing happened throughout the night. However, the staff were really nice and swift about making the appropriate the changes. We are a couple of beer lovers and tend to seek out beer spots whenever we travel. My bf spotted this place before leaving on our trip and had it on his list of places we must try. We came here for an early evening dinner after tiring ourselves out with wandering Toronto by foot all-day. This place has a very cavernous feel to it as you have to walk down a flight of stairs to get to the dining and bar area. There's plenty of space for large parties and cozy enough for folks to explore their beer selection. I thought most of their drafts sound interesting but was disappointed to hear they did not offer a sampler of any sort. Instead, we went with a house-made coffee porter and a blackberry wheat (which was not made in-house). Both brews were fine but nothing worth writing home about. However, for dessert the bf opted for a pint of their Chocolate Orange beer which was really interesting and tasty. The service was attentive and the food was okay. I really liked all their vegetarian options but unfortunately I went with a bland jambalaya and he went with a bison burger. Skip the dishes we ordered and come by for a great take on craft beers. You're whisked away from the Disneyfied cobblestones of the distillery to an equally out-of-place 1885 Parisian bistro. The decor is fantastic. The rumour is that they spent a million dollars on the interior. It shows.Delicious food, shiny people. C'est dommage. The environs make you want to dress up in period costume. At one point you find yourself screaming 'Bon jour de Mères!' as loud as possible as they bludgeon you with heaps of butter. How could one complain? I love the look and feel of this place, as well as the location. I've been here a few times for brunch and dinner. I've never had to wait for a table for brunch. The space is huge and there's lots of open air in the summer. Going here is a great excuse to have prosciutto for breakfast! The frittatas are nice and fluffy, and the scrambled eggs are ok. I think this would be a nice choice for a big group.This place gets packed at dinnertime, and it's a fun place to meet up with people for drinks. The food is fine and the prices are reasonable, but none of the dishes I've had were very memorable. I have gone to Jacobs a few times over the past couple of years and I always come out with the same content feeling after a fantastic steak meal. The atmosphere of the restaurant is nice and intimate, with the dining area on the 2nd floor. The 1st floor is where you are greeted by the hostesses. There is a bar area with a piano lounge while you wait.It is NOT a cheap meal, but if you want good steak, it is well worth it. Instead of Ruth's Chris, try Jacobs. There are a wide variety of steaks, different each night. The waiter was very attentive and willing to make recommendations depending on your mood. I love the wagyu beef that they have. The steaks are served with a selection of sauces and salts to enhance the flavours of the steak.Certainly try the caesar salad that's made table side. I can no longer eat caesar dressing that is not made fresh anymore. Sides need to be ordered for the steak and I recommend duck fat french fries!One of my favourite parts of the meals come at the very end when they deliver breakfast muffins for the next day. I'm so happy when I'm munching on it with a cup of tea, reminiscing about my yummy steak the night before. Their most expensive menu, the full rack of baby back ribs were extremely dry. I felt like I was chewing a rubber. Maybe it was supposed to be dry. I'm not a rib expert so maybe the baby back ribs were supposed to be dry. I was going to try out their side ribs to see the difference but I was scared that I might get the $34 rubber. But wait, how come the ribs selling in The Keg are somewhat juicier and tender compared to this place's. I know they don't make the greatest ribs in the world so what's going on. Is it because they use side ribs and side ribs are supposed to taste better than the baby back ribs? I'm confused so educate me.Also tried their Cobb salad and bacon had this odor that I could immediately tell it wasn't fresh. This place is a hit or a miss. There are times when I come and the food and drinks are amazing and times where it is not so great.The most consistent thing is the service - which is always good. If there is anything wrong with your food or drink, the waiters will make an effort to make it right again. My favourite beer is the blonde for that crisp, fresh, cold taste. And the bbq pizza is also one of my go-to's. It is a good place to experience if you are in the area and it has a really nice patio in the summer. Make reservations because it does get busy. This place is very hit or miss, and unfortunately, my most recent time was a huge miss! To start off positively, it is a nice, clean location offering ACYE which seems like an anomaly in the downtown area. Service is typically average and menu has a decent variety. Unfortunately, last time my boyfriend and I went, the staff misplaced part of our order, leaving us sitting for over 20min after being served our first portion. When we told the staff, they acted quickly; however, the food they brought looked rushed and did not taste fresh. Both my boyfriend and I ended up feeling sick for a few days after. Probably won't be returning, but can't say every experience has been awful. I really enjoyed Sunny Morning!They do have tiny tables for two peeps (what is UP with that breakfast places?!) and it was very busy when we arrived around 11am on a holiday Saturday.Our server was very pleasant, I believe his name was Brent. The girl filling our coffees and grabbing us ketchup seemed to hate existing in this world but I just ignored her foul attitude, everyone has an off day you know! ;)Since this is the New Year and I was trying to behave a bit, I ordered the lighter menu option, which came with poached eggs, cottage cheese, toast, and fresh fruit. Coffee was good was was refilled (although we did have to ask). I enjoyed my breakfast and so did my bae. The fresh fruit was actually delicious, juicy and flavourful, which sometimes doesn't happen at breaky places - yay!!Overall, this is my favourite spot (to date) in Etobicoke for breakfast/brunch. Excellent!! From our waitress to the management, we were treated with so much appreciation and respect. Great customer service. I went with my newly fiance' (engaged that night) and when we told our waitress she congratulated us with celebration and jubilee. Then the management offered us a couple glasses of champagne on the house!! Very generous. The place is real quaint and cool. I like how its dim lit. Great date place. We were also impressed by the food. The Chicken Linguine. 5 stars!! im a foodie, its hard to impress me usually, but the pasta was cooked to perfection. the sauce was rich and savory. The tomatoes added a bit of acidity and sweetness that the dish needed. The perfect dish to end the perfect night. Highly recommend. Came here late one night with a large group. Tables were all occupied, but we were still able to find a spot by the bar to gather around. Plenty of space in the restaurant I noticed for big groups if you're able to come at a good time to grab a table. Good selection of beers on tap, and menu seemed like there were a lot of comfort food type options. Some of what we ordered were sweet potato chips and calamari. Chips were good, calamari was less than average. My friend's chicken wrap was good as I was told. Food was brought out with good timing, and drinks the same way. Service was average and as expected from being at a casual restaurant. The only annoyance of our experience at C'est What was with one of male bartenders that served us occasionally. He seemed to favour being sarcastic with his service responses. And that's perfectly fine, we appreciate fun sarcasm but his sarcastic replies weren't helpful nor were they in good humor. Being sarcastic doesn't mean that it's a free pass to be rude. All in all, wouldn't mind coming back here for a casual drink or bite to eat. Just avoid sitting at the bar. Earls Kitchen + Bar on King Street offers good food and an enjoyable dining experience. I dined there for lunch two Sundays ago and ordered the Bacon Cheddar Burger ($16.50) with a side of Truffle Fries (extra $2.00). I also shared a Mojito Pitcher for $20.00 (cheaper because of the Cool Summer Pitcher Happy Hour + Sunday Special) with three others. The burger was huge, mainly because of the oversized brioche bun. Both the burger and the fries were really good. I did wish there were more fries but in the end, I was happily stuffed so no complaints. The mojito, on the other hand, was quite disappointing. It was extremely watered down and flat. I could barely taste any rum and the mint leaves were likely not even muddled prior to mixing the drink. I might as well have been drinking water instead. In retrospect, I should have sent it back. We dined on the patio and it was very comfortable and relaxing. I highly recommend dining outside if you love patio dining. The indoor dining area was clean with an urban modern setup. Our server was clearly new and at times slightly frazzled. He did not know what glasses to use for our mojitos and left the pecans out of my friend's salad due to a mild nut allergy, even after my friend clearly insisted pecans were absolutely fine. Otherwise, he was a nice chap and we had no real issues except the occasional awkwardness. All things considered, I would definitely dine at Earl's Kitchen + Bar on King Street again. The last time I came here was approximately 20 years ago and the only thing I remember is that the prices were insanely outrageous. I find the location to be very suspect. Although, it is located inside the hotel, the only way to have outside access is through the elevator that runs directly into the restaurant. If you were to enter through the hotel, you would have to go downstairs to the lower level where the meeting rooms are located and turn left and walk to one end of that level in order to find the entrance, which is preceded by a long hallway. Interestingly, the hostess station (and I say hostess station because I didn't see any hosts) faces the elevator entrance and not the hotel entrance, which is off to one side before the bar. The hostesses were attentive enough but not too bright, as I described the person that I was looking for to be in a bright red dress and they weren't sure. So, I proceeded to give the name under the reservation. They quickly took me to my table. The restaurant is quite dark and doesn't look like it has been renovated since the opening; however, this doesn't seem to be an issue, as everything seems very well appointed. The bar was quite cramped and there were a lot of people waiting inside. Although, it was only 6:30 pm, the restaurant was filled, so, if you are going, perhaps, a reservation would be in order. I'd hate to be cramped inside that little bar. The place is loud, so, if you are on your first date, this place may not be for you.As we were a large table, we were located on a stage type area with 2 seat tables lined up to infinity. I am not sure whether they had a table that was big enough to seat our entire group, but it didn't seem to be a problem. Even the people located on the wall had enough room to walk behind a seated person. Remember this point.It took the waiter awhile but eventually, he came by to insure that we had water. Drinks were not offered at this point. When my whole table arrived, many of us were surprised that the water wasn't filled sooner. When it came time to order, the waited tried to efficiently start from one side and go to the other; however, that side wasn't ready, so, he skipped to my wife and I, who were seated on the outside middle of the table. We ordered and I accidently placed my drink order and was surprised to find that the waiter was rude about it. He wasn't ready to take drink orders. By the time the orders were completed, the waited left to put in our order. It was at this point that we discovered that there was a kid's menu that NO ONE had told us about, including the waiter. So, we had to place a second order into the kitchen. The kid's menu comes with a main course, side, dessert and drink. Once again, the waiter was rude to me when I placed the drink order for the kids, telling me that I needed to wait, as he wasn't ready to take the drink orders. The meal came, and there seemed to be confusion over who had what. It was made worse, when the kid's orders came and the waiter didn't know who it went to. I saw no attempt for the waiter to try to get to the side with the wall, they just claimed that they would pass it over, as it was too far. The waiters also need re-training, as they would move their body between you and your meal and ask for forgiveness later, rather than asking before moving. I recognize that the meal is hot; however, this is no excuse for the lack of etiquette at this location.Needless to say, the meal was delicious. Although, I said delicious, I didn't say it was right. Almost no one at the table got what they ordered in terms of how the steak was cooked, unless you had ordered it well done or medium rare. We didn't bother to send it back, but needless to say, we were disappointed. We were surprised that the kid's meals, which were about $23 each were SO LARGE! Then again, the price tag was high too. The chicken fingers came with 5 large chicken fingers and burnt fries. The children's filet came medium rare, she wanted it medium with tons of mashed potatoes. Someone ordered julienne fries, which turned out to be similar to hickory sticks. I ordered the steak fries and they were overcooked with one end on each burned. The mushrooms were well cooked. The $12 salad was large with fresh cheese, no side salads at this place.All in all, our total was over $1000. The starting price for a steak was $60, with the average price about $75. There are other things on the menu that aren't as pricey, such as the chicken, which was about $34. So, So overall, the waiter is rude, the food is undercooked, the prices are high. The restaurant is clean, which includes the restroom. There were 3 restaurant reviewers at our table. 33% would not come here again, 66% were unhappy with aspects of the food and 100% of us were dissatisfied with the service. The wait for a Wednesday night was long but understandable given the small space of the restaurant. The place is crowded meaning patrons waiting their table will be (im)patiently watching you eat from the sidelines, so eat quickly and don't hang out after your meal! Overall I had no complaints but nothing stood out as exceptional to me. The menu is simple--about a dozen traditional main entrées, about a dozen appetizers, and dessert of the day. The Northern Thai sausage platter appetizer was an unexpected item - it reminded me of steamed Chinese preserved sausages but with more grit and lemongrass. The bean paste sauce that came with it was tasty but didn't tip me over the scale of wanting to order the app again. The green curry served in a coconut was fragrant and satisfying, the option to select spice level suits every palate. The accompanying bowl of jasmine rice was a good size to go with the curry, but on the dry side. A decent selection of beers and other drinks are available, which suits the casual and ethnic atmosphere well. The Thai iced tea is a crowd favourite and many patrons ordered one as they waited for their table - it's on the sweet side but complements perfectly with the spicy menu. I have been here a few times and the food is pretty good. The only thing that wont have me coming back this time is their horrible service. The waitress we got was impatient, rude, sarcastic, and just a horrible server. Our food took forever to come out and came out of order. She only spoke in Chinese and even gave us our bill in Chinese and when we asked her for a bill in english so we could see what we were being charged for she made a huge fuss about it and took forever to bring us another copy. When she did she over charged us 95 dollars for things we didn't even order. She insisted we did order. At that point we paid the RIGHT amount and left. as we got up to go she demanded a tip. She actually DEMANDED we tip her. I don't tip unless I feel like I should. And in this case i definetly did not feel like tipping her. This is by far the best restaurant in the city , the food is always amazing , the service is fantastic . I always recommend this place for any special occasion or just a great dinner ! The view is breathtaking , This is a huge restaurant! We came as a group of 5 on Sunday afternoon, sitting out on the patio. The back of the patio is under shade which was really nice, very pleasant sitting right by the water. My partner and I got chicken fingers and fries (off the kids menu, $9, great value!) and some beers. Overall decent quality and value. Service wasn't great, we didn't see the server as often as I would've liked, but I think he did the best he could considering how busy it was. Overall a good spot to stop for a beer and snack (as long as you don't mind waiting in line to get in)! I got the lobster roll with the frisco fries upgrade. The lobster roll was alright. The sauce or lack thereof was a bit bland but the bread was tasty. The house slaw it came with was decent. I highly recommend the frisco fries though. That was by far the tastiest part of the entire meal. I think if I didn't opt for that, I'd have given this place a 3/5 instead. The place is pretty small with very few seats so don't bring a group of friends here. It's also pretty cold in the winter because of the small space and constantly opening/closing door. At the encouragement of one of our group members, my 5 friends and I decided to hold our exchange reunion at Pai, as opposed to another popular Thai restaurant (hint: it starts with a K and ends in Road; y'all know who I'm talking about). The wait was a reasonable hour for a party of 6 that arrived at 6:30 on a Saturday evening (reservations were booked at least one week out) because they allow you to put your name down and go your merry way until your table is ready. The ambiance is hip and reminds you of the hostel you wish you stayed at in Thailand. The server was friendly and helpful with the recommendations. I got the beef Pad Gra Prow (mild because I'm a baby). It consists of spiced ground beef over rice and topped with a fried egg. The spice level was just right--spicier than I expected for mild, which is great because it pushed me and when combined with the taste of holy basil reminded me that I was eating Thai food and shouldn't be such a baby. The yolk was perfectly runny and when punctured provides the fat and flavor needed to mellow out and complement the ground beef while dialing up the flavor of the jasmine rice. The only mistake was a user error: I thought it was a great idea to pour all my chili infused fish sauce over my dish halfway and was left with something that was too soggy and too spicy to enjoy. I guess if you like a wetter, spicier rice dish, go for it, but I was pretty sad that like Freddie Prinze, Jr. in 90's classic She's All That when the nerdy girl discovered that she was a bet and gets mad at him, I ruined a very good thing.Ok now for the real reason I'm even writing this review: the Thai Iced Tea. So I'm kind of a Thai Iced Tea (or cha yen if you're being pretentious) conosseiur; I mean it was 50% of the reason I visited Thailand...ok 60%. This one is nice because it's served over a glass full of crushed ice. The tea is also stronger than your usual Thai Iced Tea, which is great because then the overall drink is not overpowered by the sweetness of the condensed milk. TLDR: Make reservations at least 2 weeks in advanced. If you absolutely cannot stand spice, ask for no spice. Get the Thai Iced Tea if you're into that kind of thing. I finally had the opportunity to try Byblos after struggling to secure a reservation on a weekend a number of times. Settled with a 6:30 pm slot on a Monday evening and although it was relatively busy, you could probably take your chances doing a walk-in on a weekday.Contemporary decor but still had a very classy vibe. Lamb Ribs ($14) - These were delicious but tiny!! 3.5 small lamb ribs (the 4th one was more like a twig with barely any meat) that are tender, mildly flavored with a crispy texture. Not exactly the best value but taste-wise, 4/5 Roasted Red Beets ($13) - I debated whether or not to order this dish pretty much until the very last minute when I decided to just take a leap of faith and trust my fellow Yelpers. So glad I did as it was the highlight of the night. I was hesitant because my boyfriend and I aren't the greatest fan of red beets but you can hardly taste it when mixed with the labneh which had the perfect consistency and creaminess. Served with some delicious barbari bread, this dish is one you don't want to pass up on. 5/5Crispy Squid ($13) - This one was a decent portion but the individual pieces of squid are very small. Lightly fried and the spices and garlic sauce (toum) give it a nice kick. Very flavorful dish overall and tasted great with our rice. Probably one of the least traditional items because frankly, it's basically calamari with some Eastern Mediterranean seasonings. But I wasn't there to judge (nor would I know) how authentic their food was, so 3.5/5 Turkish Manti Dumplings ($14) - I was looking forward to this the most but it ended up being the biggest disappointment of the night. Such a shame. The dumplings were underwhelming to say the least. I actually didn't even know they were filled with eggplant until the fourth one or so because the ones I ate prior had nothing in it. The molasses balanced the yogurt really well but other than that, nothing special. 2/5Tartufata ($30) - Probably the most expensive rice I've ever had.The truffle and mushrooms were decadent and the fried chick peas were amazing. Crispy and flavorful. The rice itself is very ordinary. So all things considered, I can't say it was completely worth it. I wouldn't order it again because I'd like to try their other rice offerings which looked and sounded just as appealing. 4/5Seared Cauliflower ($8) - It's considered to be a side so I'd recommend ordering this with one of their meat dishes (ribeye, lamb shoulder, etc.) because I think it'd compliment it quite well. We just thought cauliflower with duck fat sounded awesome so we couldn't resist and ordered it anyway. I prefer stronger flavors so I loved this but heads up it can be a bit heavy. 4/5As for dessert, we had the Loukmades ($12) - Fantastic! We were pretty full and while waiting, we kept negotiating how many bites each person would take to finish it. Ended up fighting over the last piece. Pretty much burnt honey icecream on a krispy kreme donut (but a different shape). So good and a must-order!! 5/5 Service was lackluster. Our server was kind and filled our water pretty often but eventually disappeared. We found ourselves waiting a lot - to order dessert, to ask for the bill and to pay. Service shouldn't end after the customer finishes their main course but rather when they walk out the door. Also, typical of many high-end restaurants, they explain what's in every dish but it was spewed out so quickly that a lot of it was incoherent. Didn't really add any value to our dinner. A little overhyped but I'd come back because their menu still has a few other interesting items I'd like to try. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone who's looking to celebrate a special occasion or somewhere nice to go for a first date. Just don't expect to be blown away. Great atmosphere and drink specials!At night, the inside looks amazing. The tables have candles and I really like the lights above the bar!I've been here twice now. In May, I tried one of their 10 after 10 specials. That night was calamari sliders with a beer for $10 after 10 pm. I didn't like the sauce it came with much, unfortunately, but it was good otherwise. There was a different special every night. Highly recommend for late night eats!Most recently we came for drinks only. Caesars are on special for $5. Also, after 10 pm, certain beers and liquor are $4. Sounds like a good deal to me!The waitress was very friendly and prompt. We didn't have to wait very long for service. And she noticed our empty glasses right when we finished and asked immediately if we wanted another drink. Perfect!Excellent recommendation from my BFF. Hope I'll be back again to try out more of their food! Love their selection of deals! Maybe we will get their price fix next time - $25 for three course in August :) and judging from other reviews, brunch looks good too! I like the patio here, and the pizza is pretty good. I haven't ordered much here, I mostly come for drinks on the patio.I have had the spicy mussles which were really good, White wine, onions and jalapenos. Not too spicy but good flavour. I'd order them again. The house wine Sangiovese was nice and light to go with our sharezies. The pasta dishes coming out of the kitchen looked OK. I am a stickler for pasta and don't think I'd order it from here. I've seen better dishes elsewhere. It's not an expensive place, and the service is relateively good here so I will continue to come back for drinks and mussles on the patio.I ordered a margarhita pizza, it was basically a cheese pizza with some chopped basil and garlic on top... but the crust was really nice and I enjoyed it nonetheless. School's current average rating of 3.5 stars is spot-on. The atmosphere here is cool, unique, and playful - way better than any school environment I've ever been in. The theme runs well throughout the restaurant with drinks and syrups served in beakers, fake grass padding some of the picnic tables in their patio area, a wall of clocks (like those you'd see in a typical school), chandeliers with papers hovering near the lights, shelves with books and pieces near the bar, and an envelope with your bill - your individual progress report served at the end. At the time my friend and I went, she ordered a Brunch Bowl ($18.00) and I ordered the good ol' classic insta-worthy Black & Blue flapjacks ($16.00). The brunch bowl was plated and served nicely with tortilla slivers and a sunny-side up egg on top of the main goods. It was an overall delicious dish that made my friend full (and we entered with empty stomachs) however it was missing something to make it an amazing one. The flapjacks are oh-so-good and are stacked high. They're fluffy too which I prefer and are served with a side of brown sugar butter, vanilla whip cream, and Ontario maple syrup. These are definitely recommended for those with a sweet tooth and a love of pancakes - both of which I have. School is a must-try - it's especially nice checking out during patio season because the patio area is well-shaded with umbrellas and some sections lining the walls come with comfy pillows. Service is relatively quick considering the amount of people that were there and the food aesthetic is beautiful. School gives you better treatment that you'd find in any school and the food is beyond cafeteria-quality. I have always wanted to try this place and have been asking my friends to come here. Came here on a Saturday night with a couple of friends. When we got in, it was pretty busy but after 10mins of standing, we managed to bag ourselves a couple of seats at the bar. I ordered the BetterBeer (which is the Harry Potter inspired Butterbeer) and it was so yummy!! I don't normally like ale but this one tasted nothing like it as they add ginger ale and topped with cream and a skewered marshmallow. YUM!!Place is really small for what I'd expected and despite being a 'Harry Potter inspired' bar, the cocktails were presented pretty bland. I had hoped for weird presentations with dry ice, the whole shabang. But overall, really enjoyed this bar and will definitely come back for the BetterBeer again! Miku has been floating around in my bookmarks for years. It was always a combination of too expensive and too inconvenient that made it a faraway dream. But I took advantage of Winterlicious 2018 to finally give in. Ok. I get it now. I finally see the light.I was surprised to find out that Miku was as fusion-y as it was. You don't get a lot of quality Asian fusion places, especially ones that do sushi/sashimi with the same high standards as really good Japanese restaurants in the city. They've got an extensive alcohol list and unique cocktails for the adventurous. I got the non-alcoholic Ginger Basil Smash, which was a little sour, a little sweet, and very smashing indeed. Despite the higher end dinner price tag of $53, I still believe Miku is one of the best Winterlicious offers out there. Firstly, $53 for a QUALITY 3-course meal is pretty damn good. Don't believe me? Let's break it down: 1) Aburi Sampler Platter - (6 pcs, originally $18) - How special can torched sushi be? Apparently, really special when it comes to Miku. The flavour was stronger than any other Aburi sushi I've had. I contemplated getting more of the torched salmon at regular prices, but I was too full by the end. 2) Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin and Pan Seared Foie Gras Rouge - Not from the regular menu, this was a piece of Winterlicious originality. Everything on the plate tasted amazing, even the brussel sprouts. I can say for certain though that my first bite into the foie gras was the best, most orgasmic bite of the entire meal. It's also pure fatty goose liver goodness so even though you only get 3 small medallions of beef tenderloin, everything together made me quite full. 3) Green Tea Opera - (originally $14.5) - I was more than happy to see their signature dessert on the menu. It's really something special. Rich green tea mousse with crunchy hazelnuts. Served with a tiny scoop of fragrant house-made green tea ice cream. My fiancé had the Japanese Tiramisu. Tasty, but we both agreed the opera was better. Given the prices of the appetizer and dessert, that puts the beef and foie gras dish at $20! Sometimes, you can't even get a liver pâté dish at that price, let alone a whole piece of foie gras. On top of that, everything was cooked and flavoured to perfection. The prices might be high, but I think the talent behind the cooking justifies it. Quality over quantity makes Miku my Winterlicious winner. Now if only I could get a reservation at Canoe...(10/100) - 2018 Food quality degraded since last year. This is a Chinese owned Japanese restaurant and you can tell ... The sushi chefs are loud and trying to make their Chinese accents sound Japanese. They mutter under their breath after they welcome you in. The waitresses are a bit clueless and the sushi is not fresh- actually chewy... The miso soup was too salty and the fried chicken is likely one chicken thigh cut up into tiny pieces and fried up... And I actually suspect it isn't even chicken. I will not be coming back ever. It took a lot of dessert to get rid of the after taste in my mouth. I went here with high expectations. The servers are nice but they need to smile more; there was one server that wore gym shorts and apron while the rest of the customers wore dresses and casual clothes. Should I go back to eat lunch here again for $18.00 with three course meal? (Apetizers, main dish which are ramen, dessers). Probably not. My pork ramen needs more improvement; it lack tge Japanese ramen taste. It taste bland. I think cup noodles were tastier if I'm going to compare. The lamb bun was great! I will rate it as 4.5 over 5 stars especially the coffee dessert. Also, the washrooms we're dirty that time but when you go inside the women's washroom they have a private cubicle inside the washroom itself. It's like when you go to bayview village washroom. It was different but nice. The restuarant was clean and stock up which is good. Update: The lurid smell I formerly complained of is gone. My ex from Chicago loved this place and we came here every time he visited. We wanted to get a place around here and come here all the time. Then we broke up. Now there are way too many memories and I haven't been coming around as much. I also don't live as close.It is totally full on a Friday or Saturday night; anticipate a 20 minute wait after 8pm. Made my ex try poutine here. He didn't like it, and thought gravy was terrible too mix with cheese curds and fries but it was a solid, savoury, melty poutine and not too drenched in gravy. However, its not really a thick-cut like Poutini's.Drink prices have gone up by 50cents or a dollar, but that's concurrent with price inflation all over the world. This is a reliable location for wifi, as Green Beanery doesn't have it and a sign on their door says they have a regular thief right now. (and still. REALLY, Toronto?)It's nice to come here for working on your laptop or to throw a drink back before ambling over to Altima for an ominous dental cleaning. It's also great for a friends date and one drink easily turns into two. Because of how close the cubby lounge chair-table units are... you will overhear a lot of OKCupid dates going on and that can be quite hilarious.Now onto the good: coffee and alcohol. The coffee is always strong, they make a firm cappuccino. The craft cocktails are an economic and easy buzz. Ask for the secret hidden vintage cocktail menu that's only on 15 menus in the whole place. These drinks are both potent and delicious... But not too sweet. If you like bitter I recommend the sazerac or corpse reviver#2, if you like sour then paper airplane or pisco sour. Bonus stars for having fernet and cognac cocktails too. I went on a Sunday evening in October with friends before we saw a movie at the TIFF after dark festival. I was with 2 guys, one came later than we had planned so we waiting for him to order. I ordered the fried fish (with rice and 2 sauces) and the sweet potato tempura. Both came quickly and were extremely delicious. Some things I would improve: -the initial service (when ordering drinks) they asked us 6 times in 15 min. -when we ordered drinks it took them that same about of time to bring it Other than that I liked the atmosphere and the vibe. Would def go back. Good tasty Mexican food, portions on the smaller side for some dishes - for e.g. The scallops and pork tacos could be bigger. Ambience is nice and the bar is awesome. Drinks are good - I enjoyed this spicy drink diablo something. The only problem I have is that when the waitress took my card to run it on the machine she already put in 18% tip herself and I had no idea what I was paying as the only thing I saw on the screen was enter pin. Had I not asked for my receipt I would not have known that she charged 18% tip. This was a backhanded move, and not appreciated. Note: our party was not more than 8 people where they automatically incl gratuity. (note - we had a party of 5)additional note per OpenTable: For parties of 8 or more an automatic gratuity of 17.5% is added and one bill is required. Reservations are held for 15 minutes. Parties must fully arrive within 30 minutes of their reservation timeSo I would suggest that either the restaurant update the website whether its 6 or 8 people they charge the gratuity for or inform the customers up front. Went here a couple weeks ago, just remembered to review. The vibe and decor of the place is really cool. Wish we could have sat at the bar. We used the Yelp check in to get the korean style cauliflower as an app which was sooo good.I had the octopus dish with beans and and egg, was really yummy and filling. My friend had the brisket burger which I had a bite of and it was amazing, and I think my other friend had some type of mini wraps...we also ordered the corn bread which was amazing and a couple other apps I can't remember, but everything was delicious. A bit pricy but it was an enjoyable experience overall and there was a bunch of other stuff on the menu I remember wanting to try. Will come back in the future. I've been here twice. The food here is fantastic. By far one of THE best restaurants in the province. The staff are very friendly and accommodating. The presentation of the food was just extraordinary, and the taste...simply unforgettable. The ambiance is great, and it suits just about any occasion. The view is also breathtaking. I'm just gushing over this restaurant because despite its steep price it's simply perfect. It deserves every cent it charges. Also do the desert, get the spiced apple cake. You won't be sorry. One of the better dim sum restaurant in Chinatown. The dim sum here is actually quite good, better than what I had expected. Each of the dishes we ordered came out nice and hot. Service here wasn't to bad either, it didn't feel like we were being rushed out like what happens in most Chinese restaurants. I will definitely come back here when I'm craving for dim sum again. I almost completely walked by this place had I not looked inside and saw the crowds of people... every other restaurant I walked by on Adelaide was just about empty. The neon blue sign is almost illegible! I came by myself after a coworker had suggested it and ate at the bar. No, it wasn't awkward like some places can be when you eat by yourself.I was pleased to notice that all the workers in the kitchen were of Asian descent - not sure if they were Thai, but it's a start towards authenticity, I guess. All the waitresses were chatting away in Thai as well. I ordered a Thai tea to start - I noticed that they actually use condensed milk in their Thai teas, making for a much sweeter and thicker tea than I would prefer. Most places sweeten their black tea directly and add half and half. It tasted better when the ice melted. I'd suggest asking for extra ice in your drink.I ordered tha Khai Soi, as I'd never heard of any dish like it before. It seemed to be the most popular pick, so I went for it - just regular spicy. Geez, I always forget Thai spice scales are 5000x the levels of other places. I would have been happy with a medium and I can handle quite spicy things. I was sweating and it was in the negatives outside.The first half of the Khao Soi dish was delicious, but it was definitely one of those dishes that you get kind of sick of eating towards the end. It's extremely rich, as its got tons of coconut milk in it and with the extra spiciness, it was getting hard to eat. I liked the different textures of the dish, from the fresh and delicious egg noodles to the added crisp of the crunchy noodles. Could have had more cilantro and scallion, though. There was an abundance of beef (chunks, not sliced) as well. Overall, good food and a cool place to try if you are in town. Love this place! Great food and atmosphere, drinks are okay priced but really really good. Best tacos are the steak and fish. Probably one of my favorite places in Toronto for Thai food... If not my favorite. I remember the first time I went to Khao San Road years ago (when it was at the previous location), I told them to make it actual **spicy**, not North American spicy. That was a mistake. I tapped the table and cried mercy. (For what it's worth, I can eat very spicy food). But ever since then, I've toned it down, ordered food like normal people would and it tastes so very good!Several things I really like about it here. It's bright! Most of the seats are communal, so you get plopped wherever without having to wait too long. There service is also fast as well, so it's not like we'd have to order and wait forever before we can eat.Oh yeah, and the food has really clean and fresh tastes to it. The problem are pretty big. We were commenting that maybe next time instead of doing one entree and two mains, we could swap and get two entrees and one main... (To be honest, we didn't finish our 1 entree or any of our mains, so maybe 2 entrees is too large too). But the entree came pretty quickly, and we had plenty to nibble on until the mains came. We didn't wait forever for our drinks either. Their Thai ice tea was really good, as was the mango juice. We felt the food was reasonably priced. We saw some notice about prices and minimum wages etc on their walls, but I didn't really process what the message was. I just hope they're able to keep prices and services the same here. This place is great! Gets really busy on a weekend night especially but worth the wait. We luckily didn't have to wait too long. Got the bar seats for two. Probably the best seats since you get to watch how the drinks are made. We ordered the Essenes of the fall and their signature martini. Both out of this world amazing, flavour wise and presentation, really worth every penny. The drinks smoke out of the cups, the scent is amazing (essence of the fall, really feels like you're drinking a cocktail in a forest). The servers are really welcoming and upon bringing you the cocktail explain the drink and what's in it. When you first walk in to the CN Tower, and you have made reservations, you can bypass the lines and enter into the tower by going through a concierge area to the right of the ticket purchase kiosks in the lobby. After this, you are directed down the hall and around a corner where you would be greeted by very friendly staff. The staff members then confirm your reservation and give you a piece of paper (pass). After this, you are directed down the hall to a waiting area where you wait for the elevator to arrive. An attendant verifies your pass so that you may go on an elevator and up to the restaurant for reservation. Once you're up on the floor, you show your paper slip at the entryway of the restaurant again, your reservation is confirmed. Once it is confirmed, you are directed by a waitstaff to a table. We were lucky that it wasn't super busy when we went. I recommend getting there about 15 to 20 minutes prior to the reservations so that you have time to wait if there is a lineup to get onto the elevator to meet your reservations. The staff from the greeters all the way to the restaurant are very friendly.The food itself and the menu probably change based on seasonal preferences but I found the menu to be good. I liked the fact that the restaurant used local or Canadian-based ingredients. Being from the metro Detroit/Windsor area, it was nice to see that part of their salads had Leamington Roma tomatoes. That's pretty local from my neck of the woods. The options at the restaurant include various food options that are also vegetarian friendly which is very important to me. At the restaurant, you may order à la carte or, you can do a two course or three course meal. We were able to schedule our reservations online and were able to specify seating. Any seat in this restaurant has an amazing view as the floor is revolving. Although not all the tables are along the window, I would recommend if you have the ability to request a table by the window, do it. In my opinion, a seat by the window is better than some of the seating that is a little bit further away from the window (although you still have a view) We had a great experience in the food was fresh it was beautifully presented and it was full of flavours. The desserts at the restaurant were mediocre l, but the presentation is beautiful. We came here for some brunch at lunchtime. We ordered the pub breakfast and the butter chicken sandwich. The butter chicken sandwich was pretty good. The pub breakfast on the other hand was a very standard extra-greasy breakfast. You can eat indoors or in the patio, which is shaded and pretty large. Overall, the food in general wasn't anything special although the butter chicken sandwich was good. Nothing outstanding though. The service was quick and friendly. I've been to Gusto 101 several times and absolutely love it! They have a gorgeous patio which is heated in the winter. I only wish the restaurant was slightly less popular so that it wouldn't be so hard to get a seat! House wine (red or white) is just $1 per ounce, and you can order at any increments. The alcoholic demon inside of me is leaping in excitement!Now onto the food!Polipo ($14.50) - Grilled octopus, chimichurri, olive tapenade, piquillo puree, arugula and fried capers. I'm not always a fan of grilled octopus, but this one was done well. The exterior was marvelously charred in the most delicious way, and the octopus itself was quite tender. Bruschetta Guanciale e Taleggio ($10.95). Overall, I found this bruschetta to be a little salty, and I needed something to offset that salt.Arancini ($9.95) - wild mushroom risotto, fontina cheese, tomato sauce. These risotto balls are practically $5 each so I found that a little pricey. Aside from that, I did enjoy the arancini a lot, especially when they were served piping hot.Lasagne ($17.95) heirloom tomato, wild mushroom, italian eggplant, yellow zucchini, kale butter. We visited on a Sunday and luckily for us, lasgane was the special for the day! This was a very solid effort- the pasta layers were thin and delicate, so overall the dish didn't feel overly heavy, as lasagne often do. The sauce was also delectable and there were no complaints at the table. Mushroom fettuccine ai funghi ($17.50) - portobello, porcini, oyster mushrooms, truffle paste, light cream sauce. Hands down, one of my favourite pastas in town. I am particularly fond of mushroom pasta, but this was one of the best I've had! The al dente pasta was perfect for soaking up all the deep, earthy flavours of the mushrooms. This is a must try!Overall, the food was amazing, the atmosphere is lovely and you really can't beat $1 per ounce wine on tap! I will be back for sure. So disappointed. If you're a NKOTB fan girl or fan of the Wahlburger show, then check it out but be prepared for lacklustre food and mediocre service. My out of town sister wanted to see this place since she's what I've described above haha. And I knew the minute we walked in, she wasn't the only out of towner. This place evokes the same atmosphere as Hard Rock Cafe or Niagara Falls. I wouldn't be surprised if no locals eat here. We were greeted at the door and explained the two different routes we could take: full, sit down service or head to the back for fast food. We chose to sit down and take in the whole experience. It took forever to get our drink orders in. There were probably 2-3 servers working and maybe 5-6 tables with customers but we waited really long just for the initial order. We watched customers arrive and head to back, order and head up stairs with food before we got served.Once we did order, we found the portions small and the food mediocre. They serve the food in baskets and provide metal utensils which I found odd. The burger itself is dry and nothing special. I enjoyed eating the tater tots though they could be a bit more crispy and warm. Save yourself money and just head to Burger Priest or PnL for a quality burger that's probably cheaper. Lets just start by saying YUMMMAfter reading the reviews I came here on a Saturday around noon expecting a huge line up, which there was. I was told it would be an hr wait , which wasnt a big deal because things seemed to be moving well. We decided to go dwn the street to timmies for a tea while we waited as they took our number dwn and call you when the table is ready. We came back after about 30mins and were told that they called( which was B.S because phone did not ring once). Luckily they didnt make us wait at the end of the line and said next table wold be ours. Which took about 15mins or so. Once seated I went with the pancakes , I'm not a fan or ricotta or cooked fruits at all. But... these pancakes were amazzzzing. The lemon flavour in the ricotta was just perfect w the bluberries. I didnt even need syrup on my pancakes as the flavour was just perfect. My partner just got the reg ol eggs toast potatoes and substituted his meat for a fruit salad that i ate. Hes not into fruits and only other substitute was pork items which we dnt eat and salad. One of the negatives is if you dont eat pork theres no alternatives, no turkey bacon and even the beans hve pork in it which was a disappointment. To help I ordered him a biscuit w homemade jam which was out of this world. Everything was great and cooked to perfection. A bit overrated. Thought the food was okay. Servers were really nice and helpful. Good place to hang with friends. Great restaurant, the oysters were awesome, Mike our waiter was very helpful, nice and friendly. Coming from St. Louis Mo USA , the oysters and service was the best. Great BBQ, Great time, I've had pretty much all the meats they have on offer and love them. The brisket is one of the best I have had in Toronto. Got seated 10 minutes before our reservation time - yay! But our night didn't escalate that much after that...I asked for window seating in my reservation and was given a seat in the centre. We still had a view of Toronto but I wish they adhered to our seating preference, or at least notify us beforehand that there was none available for that moment. We were greeted by our waiter and he placed our napkins on our laps; I felt like a princess. The menu for the night:- White wine - Pinot grigio- Daily bread and chick pea spread - Coastal half dozen oysters- Rabbit saddle - Risoni risotto - Screeched tarte au sucre I appreciated how our server poured both my guest and myself some wine to taste. At other restaurants, typically only one guest would taste. As for food, I had everything besides the rabbit saddle. The bread was warm to touch with a firm crust. The spread reminded me of hummus - why don't they just call it hummus? It was nice how another server continued to bring us more bread while we were waiting for our mains, which did take a while to reach our table. Oysters were oysters - they tasted fresh.Risoni risotto - I enjoyed this a lot. It was different from other risotto dishes I've had as the rice was more flat and long. The risotto itself seemed to be loose. To explain, the rice would not stick together. However, I preferred this because it didn't make me feel like I was eating baby food. The kale crisps were divine - they were crunchy, thin, and added just enough texture compared to the star of the dish, the risotto. Screeched tarte au sucre - This reminded me of a creme brulee, but less sweet and less torched. Would have liked a bit more crunch on the top though! The crust tasted slightly undercooked but overall, good flavours in the dessert.One thing that would've made my experience better is having the menus labelled for persons with dietary restrictions. I had to ask the server whether 'kohlrabi' was a meat. EDIT:Another thing I forgot to mention was how I almost slipped 3 times while walking on the hardwood floor! Although I was wearing heels, I was able to walk in the lobby and to my car comfortably for 30 minutes. Unsure if my shoes or the flooring...but I vote for the latter. Yes, the drink are expensive BUT the experience is worth it! As soon as you walk into the place it has a unique sweet aroma, like incenses but not quiet. Each of us ordered a different $25 drink to try the various types.The Mad Man was served in a very cool pipe shaped glass, the drink was strong but smooth. It was accompanied by a leather aroma smoke which was please to the senses and cubes of jelly as chasers. I enjoyed this drink thoroughly because it was completely new to me.The Mojito is a safe choice for people who want to simply enjoy a drink and the order the first recognizable drink on the menu. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't special either. This drink also came along with a aromatic smoke diffuser. The best tasting drink was the daiquiri, served in a real coconut on a bed of sand with cute umbrellas. The cool factor of this drink was that it was served with frozen alcohol pellets on the side, similar to those dotted ice creams you would at the movies. 2018.01.29Here is an update to my last review. Since going to Baretto for the first time, it has become one of my favourite Coffee / Breakfast and Italian lunch places. I have over the last two years become closely acquainted with Manuelle and his wife, Cristina, the owners. They are such lovely people and they put out the freshest and most delicious Italian food in the city. Its simple, fresh, homely and FREAKING DELICIOUS!!!The coffee .....ohhhh the coffee...... If you have never heard of a Ginseng latte (i didn't), you absolutely need to go here and get it. Things my wife and I have tried here so far: All the pizzasLasagnePastaBoth the antipastoCaprese SaladIced milk with mintCroissantSfogliaItalian Cream puffGinseng LatteRegular LatteI give all of the above a 100/100I give the service a 100/100 Original review....I was in the Don Mills area and wanted a quick breakfast and was about to head to McEwans when I came across this place on yelp. It is located in the rear or this rather inconspicuous medical building. Let me start by saying that Yelp does not have the number of stars that I would like to give this place. The barista is a true gentleman named Manuelle who really makes you feel welcome. The place looks wonderful and there is another room as well that is a little more intimate and private. I had a coffee and a croissant and it's was delicious x . The place is clean, open and really relaxing. Will come back here for the food and post another review. 4.5 stars!The menu at JaBistro has 3 sections - sushi, sashimi and bistro which included items such as black cod, ebi shrimp, calamari and angus tartare. Before I go any further, this really isn't your typical sushi joint. While the décor and atmosphere doesn't shout fancy and expensive, don't be fooled. The prices are high... if you're ordering sushi or sashimi, you'll be spending a lot. But you get what you pay for.What went in my belly:Kamo - smoked duck breast, burdock, onsen tamago ($14) which came in the form of a salad. The duck was tender and had a subtle smokey flavour to it. The dish was centered around a poached egg with a yolk which spilled into the dish after being cut into. I liked it!Sashimi Platter ($100). There's also a $50 platter. I inquired about the difference between the two and was told it isn't a difference in quantity but rather a difference in the quality of fish. It was a special occasion so we decided to splurge. The sashimi was served on a slate and the sashimi included uni, toro, salmon belly, amberjack, sea bream, lobster and fish jelly. Everything was incredibly fresh and just ridiculously good! Yes, the price is quite steep for not a whole lot of food but the quality really is top notch!Lobster Miso Soup. I'm not usually a fan of miso soup but I ate the entire bowl of this one! JaBistroll - salmon, snow crab, uni, cucumber and tobiko ($22). Like everything else here, it's pricier than your average roll but well worth it. It had a bit of a smoky flavour, saltiness from the tobiko, crunch from the cucumber...and deliciousness from the salmon, crab and uni. A real flavour punch!Aburi - 7 sushi pieces blowtorched ($27). This sampler of sushi came with a combination of nigiri - sea bream, amberjack, sweet shrimp and salmon belly and pressed sushi - tiger shrimp, mackerel and tamago. My favourite was the mackerel (next time I'd just get an order of this only).Like I said, the place is pricey...so save it for a special occasion! I loved this place. Easily my new favourite Thai restaurant and I can see what all the rave reviews are about. We started with the spring rolls (best I've ever had), and then shared three main dishes: chicken pad Thai, pork pad gra prow and beef khao pad thamada. All of the dishes were so delicious that I was stuffed to the point I couldn't eat anymore (at which point I usually don't want to think about food for at least half a day), but this time I was craving more within the hour. The pad gra prow was definitely my favourite, the way the flavours all melded together was perfect. I had to try it mild because my friend doesn't do well with spicy good but I think it'd be even more delicious with a kick of spice in it. The other two dishes were good, but can't say they blew me out of the club water like this one.We also had a pitcher of sangria which was decent. Extremely limited menu options that are all very highly priced for what they are. We had a caprese salad which consisted of three tomato slices and three pieces of cheese for $19. However if your looking for somewhere with a fantastic view over the lake and city this would be your place. Why come here? The sushi. It's very good and the sushi/sashimi lunch specials are especially good for what you get. Disclosure - I go to Japan every year and my wife is Japanese. It's getting better but what still passes for sushi in Toronto makes me wonder why most are still in business. AYCE sushi is a Chinese owned restaurant buffet gone wrong. If you see Bulgogi or Kalbi on the menu, it's a Korean restaurant serving sushi. This is why I was so impressed and so was my wife when I heard the owner is actually Korean. No doubt this chef trained in Japan. Excellent fish and excellent sushi. Great job on getting it done right! Everything about this restaurant was excellent. From the food (best steaks in Toronto!), the friendly & extremely professional staff, and the warm ambiance. Make sure to splurge on the Wagyu steaks (you won't be disappointed). You come here for the experience, not so much for the food. It was my first time visiting the CN Tower and dining at the 360 Restaurant the best way to go about it. If you eat at here, you do not have to pay for admission to the CN Tower. I'm okay with an mediocre meal for a great view.We made reservations in advance and luckily got seated right next to the window! We came here for dinner and the view was amazing! The ambiance is great as well - very romantic. The waiter told us that if you are there for 72 minutes, the restaurant would have done a complete 360. This is such a breathtaking view, especially during sunset.We both got the $65 prix fixe (Heirloom Tomato Salad, Caesar Salad, Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon, Citrus Glazed Boneless Half Chicken, Dark Chocolate Tower, and the Mixed Berry Tart). Food was average for the price - it wasn't horrible, but wasn't amazing either. No complaints really except in my Heirloom Tomato salad I had a bad tomato that wasn't fresh. However, service here was great for us. Our waiter was very attentive.Definitely a must see if it's your first time in Toronto! But I don't think I'll do it again unless I was bringing someone that has never been here before - it's one of those once in a lifetime things you do. Very cool place.I love the interior (Very dark, lots of candles, black/leather furniture). Amazing!I went last night (valentines day), and they gave out a free complimentary martini which was nice.The food is pretty good here! If I wanted to nit pick, I would say that the hamburgers could have used some lettuce or something (to give it some crunch), and the arancini (risotto balls) could have used a little more salt (bland).Otherwise food was great. I recommend the olives!The drinks were nice, some better than others. They have some interesting things that you couldn't find anywhere else, but in the end everything is quite average with a couple of twists here and there. The molecular drinks are fun as well (great presentation).So in the end, it's a great place to bring friends (birthday, a quick dinner/drink, etc).But come with a big wallet :) because the most expensive thing for what you get, is the food. So if your hungry, just be conscious about how much everything costs!Will be coming back for sure! My favorite thing about this place would have to be the serving style... if that makes any sense. What I mean by that is every dish is fairly inexpensive and it's the perfect serving size for two people. This gives you the opportunity to order more and try many different dishes without having to pay a fortune or be overwhelmed by too much food. The food itself was good too. I recommend the takoyaki balls, not so much the black cod though. The place is very loud and noisy with the waiters constantly screaming in Japanese, which makes for a fun environment and a good place for a group of friends to get together and eat and drink. With that being said, I definitely wouldn't consider it a first date night type of place, unless you want to be able to not hear the other person talk ha - Very nice place, extremely authentic decoration.(Tip, the inside is completely different from the patio so make sure you see both places before you choose where to be seated but both are veeery nice)- We ordered a gringa and some other tacos and they were the most authentic I have tasted in Toronto so far, they don't have carnitas in case you were wondering, only the classic pulled pork you will find everywhere.- The amount of food you get per plate is very small (I know it is supposed to be a tapas kind of bar but Tapas is Spanish NOT Mexican and you are still paying a huge amount of money for a small amount of good food.- The menu has a lot of different options and covers a lot of different regions of Mexico so that's cool.- The only downside is that it is very crowded so the service is really slow, people are willing to wait more than an hour standing outside in the line so keep that in mind. I live in Orange County California, and must say I was overwhelmed with the take on mexican cuisine. People: When we first walked in around 10pm or so, we asked for a table for 2 outside, which was supposed to be a 30 minute wait. That 30 minutes was about 3 so can't complain other then coordination needs work. We had one server who introduced us and said she would be right back to take our order for drinks, we never saw her again. Instead we waited for about 5 minutes for someone else, who was then our new server. Last comment about staff was we ordered a second round of food, which was placed. However the server said kitchen was closed so we ordered desert. Having prepared to have desert, it was kind of a shock to have it come at us last minute.Place: The dining atmosphere, ambience at night a beautiful sight. Sitting outside was extremely enjoyable and awesome to have a fire pit close by. The lights provided a very dynamic and interesting feel that brought the place alive. Awesome music, that tied everything together. Must say outside was glorious.Food: Im no amateur to tapas style dining, and for two people the variety and quality was outstanding. Favorites included both ahi and foie tostadas, camorone ceviche, tacos al pastor and bajas. Also a fan of the beef short rib. For desert we enjoyed the sampling plate and would go back for the churros..Damn those were good.Margaritas: all I can say is the Mayan was my choice over the traditional. Had a few too many and after the desert, definitely left happy. The price point was quite steep but I honestly haven't had a better mexican dining experience other than hole in the wall mexican places and food trucks in LA. It was a pleasure dining, but for being only open a month I understand staff need work. Coordination with the hostess, getting served beverages when seated should be top priority of any diner. Would love to see a manager come by and check up, being open only for a short while. My first yelp review and wanted to share my thoughts, hope this helps. Not a great evening out. Met friends after work for dinner and they suggested El Catrin. We sat on the patio which was questionable because it was too cold and very windy. The fire pit was burning and the heaters were trying to keep us warm but it wasn't working. We were cold but decided to stick it out. We had margaritas which were pretty good. We mentioned to the waitress we were heading to a show at 8, she said no problem that she would mention it to the chef. We started with the guacamole- delicious, I mean really good. The rest of the food arrived reasonably quickly. Because it's tapas, the first few dishes arrived. My wife asked for napkins and cutlery, I'm guessing the server must have mis-heard because she brought 2 cocktail napkins. Since our table had 4 people, my wife asked for more, the server than disappeared. Our next meal arrives via a different server, again we asked for cutlery and napkins, and the second server seemed surprised by the ask. He brought cutlery and napkins, by the time he returned the meal was starting to cool down. Now the first server returned with more cocktail napkins. The food was pretty tasty, but portion sizes were way too small for the price, IMO. And now the bill. We waited and waited, but our waitress was no where around. We finally asked another server to get our bill, she tracked down our waitress and she brought the bill and promptly disappeared again. She returned a few minutes later. Not great service. The patio is nice. (Trying to be positive)Overall, mediocre at best. I will not return. Small portions and alil pricey but Delicious food and every dish had a flavourful palette. Pros: Cheap food (everything on the menu is $5 and the portions are decent - between myself and my boyfriend we ordered perogies as a starter to share & a burger for mains each and we were full - he had the works burger & I had the pulled chicken sandwich - all yummy, I highly recommend the sandwich, next time instead of a starter though I think we'll share a salad with our mains) & really fun vibe (there was a live DJ when we went who was playing cheesy 90s tracks). Cons: Drinks are pretty expensive (that's how they make their money I guess), the music inside is blaring (like, uncomfortably so - you can barely hear people), they don't take debit - just cash or credit (like, not even Visa Debit!?) & the service isn't great (our server was obviously overloaded & she got snippy when 1 of our friends asked for his drink which he had ordered 20 mins beforehand & when she was collecting the plates, she spilled food onto my lap (not a big deal but there was no apology or acknowledgement even). I'll definitely go again, for the cheap food if nothing else, but I'll just wait for a spot on the patio where the music won't be so loud (& I'll make sure I have cash on me!). This has to be my favourite Thai restaurant. The food is superb, the staff is welcoming and the decor gives a great warm home feeling. The curry here is the best I've ever had. The Tamarin curry is exquisite and a culinary perfection. Their fried squash appetizer is a great meal to share and is full of flavour. The food came out quick and the servers were very generous. I liked the unique posters and paintings scattered around the restaurant for the decor. I live an hour away from this restaurant and I still drive the distance because of the top notch quality of the food. Was looking for a place for a group to eat at on a Saturday, and was so glad to stumble upon Pai! The location is really nice, very convenient if you're downtown. It is a very busy place, but they do have a room in the back with communal table, which is where we ended up. The service was really good, and the food was very flavourful. I got a curry with braised beef, which was very good. Will be back for sure! OH MY GOD this bar is every Potterhead's dream! It's very small (only about 4-5 tables) so get here early or on an off-night. My friends and I came on a Sunday night so it was pretty much empty except for two couples. Our bartender was very friendly and talked us through the drinks menu.I was really sad that they didn't have any Better Beer that day (they were out of the secret ingredient). Instead we got a Befuddlement Draft to share, which was still pretty cool and delicious. I also wanted to try the Dementor's Kiss, a shot of ghost pepper infused tequila. I thought I knew what I was getting into - the bartender even made sure that I knew how spicy it would be before serving it - but wow I was NOT prepared for that. The shot was fine going down but then continued to burn my mouth, my throat, my stomach in the minutes after. Thankfully, my table had ordered a plate of baked brie and bread so I stuffed 3 slices of cheese bread down my throat to try to counteract the spiciness. Roughly 30 minutes later, I finally felt normal again but be warned! This shot is NOT for the lighthearted!The decor of the place was so cute. They have drawings and quotes written all over the walls and one of the shelves have the Harry Potter Funko Pop! dolls all lined up.Keep in mind though that this is not strictly a Harry Potter bar. It's just a normal bar with Harry Potter decorations and themed drinks. Don't expect to walk into the Leaky Cauldron or the Three Broomsticks - you can get that at Universal Studios' Harry Potter World. But for a place that's not officially associated with Harry Potter, this bar is awesome. I'd definitely come back again to try their other drinks! No doubt this is a five stars restaurant for the food however, the 3 stars is for the attitude of the restaurant. They know right away that we are not local so they said either cash or Canadian debit card. When the bill came, they tag on 10% to the bill and charge us extra for the seafood ( because the crab n lobster weighted more than what the combo meal listed). The rude part was the server was staring at us when we were counting the money for the bill. Just be prepare for that if you are not from around there.Reservation is recommended. I really enjoyed this place and actually ended up coming back around 3 times during Pan Am weekend. I really like the service here from the beautiful waitresses and cool bartenders. Drinks are a little pricey but that is to make up for the $4.95 food menu which isn't bad. I highly recommend the honey garlic and hot sauce wings. Not to mention that the music is great with 90's hip-hop which is what I grew up to! This place is good for drinks with friends. Went here for my birthday and the service and food were fantastic. Food was great value for the price. It was family style and the platters were a hit for everyone. Table was great for 8 guests. Round table allowed everyone to socialize. Ambiance was great and large open concept. Drinks were unique but expensive and if you want to overindulge this wouldn't be the place. Ive been going to duffs since i was a young gun. Its always delivered on amazing wings. Whether you are taking out for a wing feast at home or munching down with your buddies, it just cant be beat for atmosphere, wings and honey garlic sauce. So good The food is delicious! The service is good and the atmosphere is inviting. I had the braised beef peanut curry and green papaya salad. I still think Thai Country Kitchen on Spadina has the best green papaya salad and sticky rice but they are in different categories. I can't wait to go back and try other things! In my many years of living in Toronto I've probably been to over 50 restaurants. I would easily place this one in the top ten. The food is great. My family and I ordered the slaw to start and the cod, braised beef and lobster ravioli for entrees. The portion sizes are a bit small so be prepared for that. I liked the braised beef and cod the most. Service was incredible. Really loved the sangria which was made and served at the table. Went here for dinner Thursday night at 5pm, party of 5. It's a great atmosphere, the waiters shout welcome whenever someone walks in the door, the service is impeccable and the menu is very unique. It's an excellent restaurant for groups because you are able to sample a larger number of dishes (the dishes are pretty small so you only get 1 or 2 pieces each, but if you order a lot of dishes, it provides a good variety). I recommend the baked brie and the octopus balls! The cocktails are also very good and reasonably priced. Delicious breakfast and plenty of it! The first time my friend and I went, we had an amazing, friendly, chatty and funny server. Love everything about the Senator and can't wait to go back. I'd hate to say it but I'm a little suspect of all of these five star reviews. I can't properly review this place because I was only here for a drink but here are my initial impressions. That said, I think this place needs to be taken down a notch. At the end of the day, it's tapas. VIBE Club impresario Charles Kabouth is behind this operation so it's going to be a scene here --starting with its clandestine location behind Weslodge (oh, surprise! we couldn't get in there). The interiors are gorgeous and obviously a lot of detail went into it. I'm a fan of the bar and the bar seats are quite comfortable! You'll definitely want to stay a while. The hostess was a bit of a snot. We were just coming into the bar and she didn't even greet us - she just kind of waved us over to the bar. Another thing: I've had friends trying to call to get a reservation before and he had quite a bit of trouble doing so. The bar staff were much more receptive. And surprise! Everyone working here looks like a model. WE DRANKSangria. It's expensive, yes but it's boozy and you need to take your time with it. It was very good Sangria. Kind of reminds me of what Nyood was doing a few years ago. Average cocktail prices here are $15. OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK Good sangria. I'm not sure about paying $30 for imported iberico ham (from what I've seen/heard). It's overpriced. That said, I'm curious to try to their tapas. But if you want to impress and be part of the scene, then this is a good place to do so. Love this place, reservations make it easy to book unlike Khao San Road which is not saying anything about their delicious menu options.Came here with the bf and ordered a pad thai and khao soi curry. We practically licked the plates and bowls they came on. I've been craving for authentic thai and he's never had much outside of canadian thai so I was glad Pai delivered for both of us!I really want to go back to try their coconut curry! We had a beer and sake which was good and fairly priced. The service was a little absent, took us forever to get her to take our order, give us water (pad thai was nice and spicy) and give us our bill. So the 1 star is for that. Love the atmosphere but wish the tables weren't so squished together that i had to turn sideways to sit down. Will definitely be back! This place had such great reviews, so at the very least, I expected the food to be enjoyable. Boy i was wrong. The four of us were so excited when we looked at the food and drink menu. Everything looked great! Once we started our meals, we all shared the same disappointed look. A unanimous ehh. None of us finished our food. The icing on the cake though, was that 2 of us actually got sick. I myself, threw up in their bathroom. While my friend did hers back at our hotel. Completely ruined our last night in Toronto. The ONLY reason i did not give this place one star was because my drink before my meal was delicious. I had the tom yum caesar. Spiciest drink i've ever had, hands down. I loved it though. So much flavor and spice. Seems like the drinks are great. So I recommend going their for drinks and appetizers. Stay away from the entrees. Every time I visit Toronto I love taking in the views of Lake Ontario and Cityline from the harbour, from the island and looking down from the 54th floor of the TD tower. With Summerlicious and PanAm games crowds, walk-in bar seating was perfect. Bar bites were reasonably priced and bar staff (Jane) was attentive and extremely helpful with recommendations. Bread with white bean and beet spread was hardy and a nice change to see something other than oils or fats with bread. Duo of Tartare of beef & salmon was a perfect portion of meats and baby bannocks. If there's foie gras on a menu I have to order it. The S'mores foie gras was a balanced combination of savoury and sweet. This starter is a must have when coming here. To finish something light the apricot mousse from their Summerlicious menu. Stewed apricots with an airy mousse was smooth ending to my mini-tasting menu. With a glass of wine my bill with tip came close to $100. Highly recommend visiting Canoe if not for a full meal come for a drink or cocktail in the bar and enjoy the view. For a three star place, I really enjoy coming here. They have a fantastic patio in the summer. It's usually full so come early! The drink menu is standard, but the have a decent beer variety also.The reason I'm writing a review now is because yesterday I ordered delivery for the first time. It was okay. The chicken parmigiana was slightly drier than usual, but still good. The panini: sad face. The panini had brown lettuce! Brown! I know usually lettuce doesn't hold up well to heat, but maybe send it separately. The chicken was cooked well. The bun: sad face number 2! It wasn't really an appropriate bun for a panini and it wasn't 'grilled' like usual panini's. Truthfully it felt like a microwaved bun with bad lettuce. I will probably never order from here again, but will continue to visit all summer! Great patio! Khao San Road relocates to Charlotte St behind MEC, bigger place with two storeys and high ceiling. The new place has more natural light and can accommodate bigger groups with many long tables. There is a waiting area with benches that you don't have to wait outdoor anymore. Upstairs have additional space and it will be a take out / snack bar as per the staff. We came on Tuesday, one week after the grand opening, and there was no wait. The waitress service was quick, but the kitchen was slow. We waited for 15-20 minutes for the food arrived after placing orderWe ordered the signature Bangkok Street Style Pad Thai and Khao Soi with mild spicy. The food was authentic and delicious as before. I could taste the flavour of different spices. Since the restaurant is bigger and can fit more patrons, I hope the wait won't be as long as before and I will go back more often! The food at Byblos is phenomenal and unforgettable. I have been twice now and both times I've been so very pleased with the experience. The setting is intimate, cozy and comfortable. You can carry on a conversation without raising your voice. The service is excellent: friendly, helpful and attentive. I highly recommend Byblos for a wonderful and unique dining experience. excellent customer service. the owner is very friendly & was helpful. jerk chicken poutine is something to try. got the fried chicken but I didn't like the corn, and mash potato.. tasted sweet for some reason must try their house spicy sauce! & funnel cake was gooood I will be back on a weekend day to try brunch aka chicken and waffles This place is really good on weekends because of the vibe and the awesome drinks. The foods good and the waiters are okay. It gets really busy especially on weekends where it turns into a social bar- literally- where you can't find a spot anywhere and the patio is open during the summer. Good vibes here! I came here for dinner with my boyfriend and his relatives that were in town. I would say this place is average. The location is very convenient as it was near the Yonge and College subway station. When I entered into the restaurant the hostesses were very friendly and helpful. In general the service at this place was good, our server was very friendly and attentive (attentive meaning, the server was attentive to our needs and wasn't overbearing). The food on the other hand, I thought was average for a restaurant of similar caliber. We ordered two sociable size pastas and the charity bread as the appetizer. I didn't care much for the charity bread, it was too hard and a bit salty. As for the pasta, we ordered one chicken pesto, which I liked, the flavors were good. However, the other pasta that we ordered, which was a seafood marina sauce pasta, I thought the flavors were bland. I would say this is a good place for a nice casual dinner with friends. But the dinning room that evening was rather loud, so I did have a hard time listening to the conversation that was going on at our table. Overall it was a good experience. This place has to be one of the most interesting restaurants that I have ever been to! The service and food is extremely unusual, but I love it! (of course, this is coming from a white person, maybe it's not as unusual as I think!?).Anyway, the menu is full of really random and interesting things to choose from. If you're in the mood for sushi, the selection is small and I'd recommend going somewhere else. As a vegetarian there were a few options to choose from (and I'm not complaining, I'm used to having a small selection), but all of these items were completely different and unusual. I ended up having the KINOKO CHEESE BIBIMBAP which was VERY tasty and did not disappoint! My only complaint is that the waiters did not tell me that the bowl they served it in was VERY hot (stupid me, I probably should have realized this) and I had to burn myself to find this out on my own. EDIT: I just recieved a message that the cheese bibimbap is NOT in fact vegetarian in the way they prepare the mushrooms. Unfortunately I won't be eating this again, but I would still recommend to anyone who does eat meat =]The atmosphere is VERY different from usual. When walking in we were greeted by the entire staff, and when walking out they all said goodbye! While I found this to be really cute and interesting, this can also get annoying when the whole staff is constantly yelling out greetings and food orders. My recommendation is not to come here if you have a headache!Overall, I am definitely going to come here again to try the rest of the vegetarian dishes! The place was very busy, so try and book a reservation if you can! (We had to sit at the bar which was uncomfortable, but we agreed to it since we were in a hurry). Pearl Diver is a neighbourhood seafood eatery. The wooden booths and rustic decor gives the place an east coast vibe. The service is friendly. I have been to Pearl Diver several times and I have never been disappointed. The food is delicious. To start, we had the mandatory dozen oysters. You cannot go to an oyster bar and not have oysters. The oysters were fresh and succulent. For mains, we also had the steelhead trout and coconut mussels. The trout was served in a savoury ginger & kelp broth with soba noodles, shitake mushrooms, baby boy choy and a sesame honey glaze. It was not what I had expected, but it was a delicious and a pleasant surprise. The mussels was delicious. The broth was savoury. You will need to ask for bread to mop up the broth. For dessert, we had a pumpkin spice cheese cake and chocolate cake - great way to end a great meal.I would highly recommend Pearl Diver if you are in the area. good food and reasonable price. I ordered panang curry with shrimp. It had a lot of shrimps that tasted yummy and the curry was great. I ordered the chicken lemon grass soup but not very impressed by that. wouldn't order it next time. And I really hope they could have STICKY RICE with curry. authentic thai curry should go with sticky rice! first time caller...long time listener anyways...this restaurant came very very VERY highly recommended from a co-worker. as far as im concerned, when an Italian tells you something is good, don't question it. he really had me at when he explained to me they make their own mozz... i wanted to come here on a very special occasion, so i decided to go for my first anniversary with my girlfriend. finding this place was a bit ackward, on google maps it has it listed on the intersection of yonge and gerrard, it is infact just a bit north west of the intersection.we did not book a reservation(my line of thinking was, its the Thursday before Easter...no ones going to show up...WRONG!) the wait was very minimal, 15 minutes at the most. very very intimate setting, dim lighting and very romantic setting(candle light). we were greeted by our server named Jeff, Extremely friendly and amazing with his professionalism/manners. asked us if it was our first time within the establishment, and all sorts of other formalities. he also explained that they make the cheese everyday as a niche of the restaurant (and he wrote the name of the guy making the cheese...the name escapes me, as well side note my back was to the cheese making so i missed the whole thing) we wanted to celebrate and get a drink to celebrate the occasion. i was very impressed with Jeff's honesty, Jeff had explained that he needed to get back to me with what brand whiskey they had, due to a vendor change they had earlier in the week. drinks were ordered and we were looking at the menus. i couldn't help but notice all of the nice accents to this restaurant, the old school light bulbs, the exposed ceiling, and the jars of sauce/peppers designed and placed so properly balanced throughout the place. jeff returned with our drinks and we ordered the food, obviously i went with the fresh mozz...being a cheese lover that i am, it would have been pretty foolish to pass it up. when the app's came, i was blown away by the sizing, it was a decent size, but by the time i came to finishing the app, i was feeling satisfied. the mozzarella is amazing and should never be passed up.(i am also aware that they only offer it during 5-11pm) no sooner our apps were done, and jeff was back with our mains. i was slightly disappointed in the sizing, being a big guy i always worry about a main being enough food, however by the time i had finished the main, i was done for the night. my significant other had an issue with her main salad, which we had brought up to jeff, when we brought it up, jeffs manager deducted that main down from full price, which was a very nice gesture, considering the main was perfect, it was the side garnish that was not. we contemplated dessert but were too full to partake. a side note to my story as well: i was approached 3 times, by three different workers (managers i assume) asking if the service was up to a good standard, and if i was ok. this is how good business is done. im very proud to say, jeff worked his butt off for us on this amazing evening, actually took the time to know us, and congratulated us on our very happy year, with more years to come. i have no problem saying i gave jeff the biggest tip i've ever given to any server. just perfect from start to finish. pros: very romantic, fresh cheese, good portions, excellent qualitycons: wait time, a bit loud, all cheese sucks if not fresh :)this is the best sit down dinner i've ever had the privilege of eating at. I went here for a late dinner. The restaurant has a nice patio, which was really busy and usually there's a wait to get seated outside. The place was happening after 8 pm, and got livelier as it got later.I was pleasantly surprised by the food. I had a merscatto wine, which was sweet but I really liked it. I do tend to like the sweeter wines, so if you like something sweeter this is a good choice. They have a good selection of cocktails and different drinks. We ordered the calamari and the fish tacos. The calamari was nicely battered and flavourful. The calamari batter was crispy, crunchy and cooked just right. I also enjoyed the fish tacos. The pineapple and jicama slaw with cheddar and chipotle sauce nicely complemented the deep fried basa. I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere and I'd be back. SUPER DISAPPOINTED IN MAY - THIS PLACE WAS A CROWDED MESS!I was in Toronto with hubby for our anniversary and we wanted to go big for our special weekend so we decided - on the spur of the moment - to try Lee. We like watching Top Chef and we're super foodies - so we thought why not!WHAT A MISTAKE! We got there at 6:30pm on a Saturday and the host looked like someone had threatened him with a sawed off shot gun! We realized it's probably a busy place but it seemed even worse than that. We knew we had no chance of getting a table so we hit the bar for some cocktails and appetizers. The place only got more zoo crazy after that - it was like watching a horror film.LOADS of people crammed in trying to get a table - the host often all together DISAPPEARING! (This was funny to watch from the bar in a sick way) From chic to geek tons of people tried to jam in there. I was glad we had a little bar table and thinking this was a genius move! We had beer and champagne by the glass cause the cocktails were just outright ridiculously priced. The decor was unique and cool- very east meets west. And to my surprise Susur Lee was there darting in and out of the kitchen, greeting tables, and SEEMINGLY terrorizing the staff! We watched as staff would go out of their way to not get near him - go around the whole dining room almost in a way just to avoid him. He smiled when meeting guests and taking pictures but at all other times seemed pissed. I thought it might be cool to try and get a photo with him before we left BUT then we had some of the appetizers and I decided IT WAS A WASTE OF ANYMORE TIME - CAUSE THE FOOD WAS AWFUL!We tried SUSUR'S FAVORITES PEDESTAL which consisted of:EDAMAME = Always tasty YET I could make this at home WHIPPED CHICKPEA DIP = Flavorful but could have easily been surpased by a gourmet store dip SALMON CEVICHE = only OK - not memorable or unique PEKING DUCK ROLLS = only good thing on the plate (probably cause it's fried?!) HUNAN CHICKEN WINGS = a total joke CHEESEBURGER SPRING ROLLS = HORRIBLE! Tasted strange and as if one too many herbs were in the mix.After having a Cheeseburger Springroll I didn't want to order anything else ( even though I had already asked for a Singapore Slaw) I was officially turned off.I had just had enough of the whole experience. I was turned off that the great Susur Lee seems to be pandering to the masses. THIS WAS NO MORIMOTO'S! Maybe it was an extremely busy night but the place just seemed chaotic. Like the computers were down BUT THEY WEREN'T!I'm glad we didn't get a table - I'm glad I didn't spend lavishly on a whole meal there cause the dessert from my hotels room service was amazing that night compared to everything at LEE RESTAURANT! Loved it!!!AMBIENCEI really like I was like n Thailand. The place is underground and it was a cool place. It had ample seating and a sizeable bar for a nice hangout if you were going for drinks. My guests and I sat at the tall tables, group of six. There's is cell phone charging station, very safe and useful I left my phone charging over dinner. A nice place to hangout with friends or a date night.SERVICEI like the staff, there was cool and took care of us. We also had a canteen of water and our food always was served hot and fresh. It was just the way I like it.FOODSo gooood!!! Starter - grabong = squash fritters; paired with a tangy sauce. Not oily and nice and crispy.Plah Nua - beef salad. Roasted rice with some lime sauce. So good!!!Som Tom Tad - papaya salad. Perfect citrus levels.Entree - gaeng kiaw wan in a coconut. Green curry was served a coconut, it was so good. Creamy, savoury and perfect balance. I ate all of the way down to the coconut meat. So my favourite.Dessert - mango sticky rice. It was good not something that really stuck out. I don't think I would eat. Just not my preference.I am looking forward to returning again, soon! This review is for dinner and I speculate that brunch is a different (and hopefully better) experience altogether.We visited Cluny Bistro on a Thursday night. It is quite a sizeable restaurant in the Distillery District and the decor and design of the restaurant is romantic and lovely, somewhat reminiscent of a bistro in Paris. The atmosphere is what potentially will draw me back to try brunch on the patio in the summer. However, the food unfortunately did not live up to the beauty of the restaurant itself.I would also like to note that despite the lovely display of various breads in the center of the restaurant, the bread served to our table was not as crunchy and soft as we expected. On the bread spectrum, it was more on the hard crust and dense interior side of breads, unlike what we would expect from a Paris bistro.We started with the salt cod donuts for an appetizer. It was served in the cutest little iron skillet with a side of smoked potato dipping sauce. The donuts had a thin crispy shell and a creamy inside similar to mashed potato. Despite being cod donuts, I could not really taste the cod, however they were pretty tasty overall with the creamy smoked potato dipping sauce. For main dishes, we had the hunter's stew with rabbit, pheasant sausage, and beef cheek and the veal meatball tomahawk, which was tomato braised and served with a side of gnocchi. The hunter's stew was served in a small bowl, with a side of mustard sauce and a flaky pastry bread. Although the meats were tender, the flavour was lacking depth and it was a forgettable dish except for the fact that it was quite small. The veal tomahawk was also tender, slightly better in flavour, and larger in portion. I enjoyed the side of gnocchi (garnished with parmesan and basil, to the best of my knowledge) better than the veal tomahawk itself. For dessert, we had the most disappointing praline profiteroles. Three profiteroles were beautifully plated, accompanied by chocolate chantilly, caramel crunch, hazelnut, and strawberry coulis. Unfortunately, the pastry itself was very hard and dense to the point that I had difficulty splitting the profiterole for a more manageable bite. The profiteroles were not very sweet but the delicate flavours were overpowered by the exceedingly sour strawberry coulis. The only part I enjoyed of dessert was the hazelnut and caramel crunch but I would not recommend this dessert.Honestly, I wish I could love this place based on concept and atmosphere alone, but the quality and taste of the dishes at Cluny did not reflect the price point.Overall rating: 2.5 stars This place is beautiful and very sophisticated. The patio is gorgeous as it looks over liberty and is very airy. The food is good, but nothing to rave about. The pizzas are fresh, which is nice, the Cobb salad is kind of just a salad (with no blue cheese :[). Overall, food is good, but it kind of feels your average run of the mill chain restaurant. Come here to drink after work for the views if anything. we called on our way into the city and made a reservation about an hour in advance. when we arrived the decor was fun but a bit busy, our table was ready and the hostess cheerfully showed us the way. we waited a bit to get our drink orders in and they took a few minutes to arrive but the bar was busy and the bartenders didnt stop moving. the drinks were a bit complicated but very tastey, i had the mojito brasilia (looked swampy with the heavy mint, execellent flavour tho) and the mayahuel (strong but well balanced), my girlfriend had the blackberry frutas frescas magarita (tasted the tequila and the berries) and pepino diablo (spicey and flavourful excellent recommendation from the server). we ate the 9 course tasting menu and loved every tiny course that arrived. the corn dish was phenominal, fish tacos were simple but fantastic and the ceviche was a favourite. the portions were a bit small but fit with the tapas experience, we were full by the end of our delicious churros (although i could've eaten a million more of them!). our server katlyn j was knowledgable and made excellent suggestions for food and drinks. we are looking forward to returning and trying out the patio. I dig Bellwoods! They brew a number of different styles right in their location on Ossington, all quite tasty. I particularly enjoyed their Saison. The food is good, nothing too special, this is a spot to come for beers and if you're hungry the food is good. But it's not a good only destination in my mind. The patio is GREAT. Definitely a great spot for a summer drink, come early as seating is limited. My fiance and I stayed in a crash pad a couple of nights in May and were very pleased. Its small (as the name implies) but with lots of character. The staff were friendly and accommodating, and we enjoyed getting breakfast and meeting up for drinks with friends at the cafe. Its definitely not the cheapest place to stay in town, but I'd have to say it was worth it for a special occasion. Khoa San Road is probably the best Thai food that I have ever had in Toronto.I came by at about 7pm on a Monday night with my friend. The weather was lovely outside, so it was pretty busy. We waited about 20 minutes for a table for 2, which I was told, was not bad at all. The hostess almost forgot that we were there before another table that was waiting to be seated, so while she almost seated them before us, we proceeded to grill her with our eyes and she got the message. She seemed a bit frazzled, but I don't blame her for having such a long line-up out the door. Just be a little more organized next time (this was my only problem with the place, was the hostess' lack of organization at the front, but other than that, my experience was amazing!). We were seated at one of the communal tables, which didn't bother me much, but the spaces are quite tight in between, so get acquainted with your neighbor!We were greeted by a very friendly waitress and we decided to order the garlic tofu to start, then the gaeng massaman and chef's special pad thai to share. Some of my highlights:-Garlic tofu: super yummy and came with a great dipping sauce on the side. The tofu was medium firm and seasoned quite well. The panko bread crumbs added a great touch to them-Gaeng Massaman: I'm not a huge curry fan (especially when there's coconut milk), but this curry was awesome. Super thick and rich with slight hints of tanginess. I'm a huge carb-lover so the potatoes were also a great touch-Chef's Special Pad Thai: I love pad thai, but I love this chef special even more! You definitely taste the sweet, sour, and savory flavors all at once. There's also tiny tofu bits in there which add some more texture. Everything was super flavorful and presented well. I was very happy with the service here. Everything was delivered to our table quickly and the waitress made sure to come by and check up on us and see if we were enjoying the food. Very friendly staff, very good crowd, just a great time overall. Great food (tasting menu) and great service (Greg and Seth) combined for a special meal. Started with the famous slaw salad which was fresh and delicious and made our way through 8 other dishes. In addition to the slaw, our favorites included the cod, lamb, top chef masters chicken, and short ribs. A couple of the dishes came out a bit too fast and the timing of the wine pairing was off a bit. Tables are too close together but it gave us a closer look at what our neighbors were enjoying... Best restaurant in terms of everything. I always have such a great experience. The staff are extremely friendly and positive and make you feel very welcomed. The restaurant itself is stunning with a huge plant wall/waterfall at the back. The sound of the falling water is so serene. The food is always cooked to perfection (I recommend their buffalo mozzarella, steak as well as their gnocchi). What I enjoy about this restaurant the most is how creative they are with their menu. Their flavours are always unique and exceptional and you can tell they have fun preparing their menus which transfers to customers that order from it. Just great positive vibes and always a wonderful experience when I go there. Recommend everybody to try this restaurant at least once! Honestly, I've had this place bookmarked ever since it opened so I was pretty excited to finally try it today.After reading fellow Yelper reviews, I just about expected everything. So yes, I can testify to the comments about how the store is run by a friendly and cute little Asian couple. The lady on the till was very nice and personally came to our table (in the food court) to ask how we were enjoying the food. So overall service was pretty great.However, I found the food to be a bit disappointing. Having maintained such a high rating after so many months of running, I was anticipating a dish that would wow me. Despite the photos that would argue otherwise, I had hoped that the taste of the curry would trump it's presentation. My verdict: ehhhh.. I would give the food a 3.5/5. I had the chicken karaage curry ($9.61 tax included) and it was just alright. The chicken was moderately tender, not the melt in your mouth type, and the curry was a bit on the sweeter end. I've definitely had better karaage and the overall dish wasn't as hot as I had hoped it to be. Why I rounded down to a 3 star, however, is because of the rice. My greatest complaint would be that the rice was too soggy and had clumped together instead of standing alone as individual grains. I also would have appreciated more coleslaw as I felt the meal was lacking in vegetables.The other reason why I rounded down is because I am now insanely thirsty. I haven't been able to stop drinking water since this meal and now my lips have this mild burning sensation. Owing to the deep fried nature of the karaage along with the MSG in the curry, I probably should've seen this coming. Regardless, this is definitely not a pleasant feeling. After spending a long day travelling we arrived in Toronto with the intent to eat near St. Lawrence market but due to Buskers Festival, there was no parking. Frustrated we finally found parking down at the docks and discovered Against the Grain totally by accident.It was a Friday night and really busy on the patio. We were tired and hungry and were about to turn away when the manager, Teresa Wilson, immediately took charge and managed to seat us quickly. We enjoyed one of the best tables on the patio, great food and the best service we have experienced in awhile. Our special thanks to Teresa and the great staff that night for the memorable experience. And we were delighted to finally find a beautiful setting on the Toronto waterfront to eat. Will definitely return. Very tasty, Good pad thai and northern style food. I have to say I was little disappointed after reading such great reviews. It's worth a visit but I wasn't blown away.Also goo prices with the portions you get. I want to like this place a lot but I find it quite hard too as every time I've gone here I've been disappointed. Severely.This basement bar is full of beer. Lots of it, which is why I want to like it. There are different pints from different places with a nice mixed crowd to boot. The decor is average. Small reddish wood tables and chairs, a nice big bar, dull lighting, a few pool tables at the back, and a lot more carpet than you would expect.The food here is food. Let's just say it tastes just how it looks. Sometimes under seasoned and other time way over seasoned. It's nothing fancy so I don't get how it is just so sub par but it is a bar known for beers after all. Shame they couldn't serve up some nice food to go along with the great beer selection. Service here is blindingly slow. We're talking turtle speed. No wait. A turtle with arthritis and missing one of its legs speed. The beer and food barely crawl into your hands. On top of that the service is just non existent. Wait staff don't care nor can they bother to. They are doing their job and I think they hate it. It makes me angry that I don't love this place. I mean, there is a huge beer selection. It is very hard for me to not like a place with great beers to choose from. C'est What? managed to do it though. Sad, really.Overall, this place is super cheap for drinks and food. The price of food reflects the quality but the same cannot be said for the beers. Come to drink the night away on a small budget but you might want to stop off somewhere else for food. Service is dismal so seat yourself at the bar so you can at least see that someone is pouring your beer.C'est What?C'est fail, that's what. it's not bad but you could probably find a better AYCE in toronto.the service is alright... we had to wait for a good15 to 20 usually for our second orders... it kinda sucks when i left my earphones there.. i called them and they said they have it.. when i got there they said that they dont have it anymore.. Boooo!!!! they're sushi is average nothing really special.... This place is garbage. I get it, you're a big place but that's no excuse for poor service and food. Feels like a tourist trap. Guacamole is decent, drinks are ok,the rest is a mess. If you are in the distillery, do yourself a favour and spend your money elsewhere. I decided to try this place based on other reviews. I found the food very average to poor. We had the BBQ ribs and beef brisket. The ribs were over cooked and dry. The beef brisket had very little flavor. They advertise their smoking but both the ribs and beef brisket had no smoke flavor to them. The only flavor was in the sauce. I will not be going back based on the high price for very mediocre BBQ. The wait time was long but definitely worth the wait! It's a super busy place and very small, but very cozy and nicely decorated! Nice for a small group of 2-3 people. My friends and I had the Chicken Sandwich and The Max and both were very flavorful and filling! The portion size was just perfect and the staff was also very accommodating and friendly. I would like to go back and try some of the other dishes. Its hard to find good brunch places in Toronto and i havent been impressed with my search until now. 'Insomnia' - my search is over!! You guys rock. The food is really amazing, ambience & decor is classy and contemporary, coffee is really delicious, mimosas are such a nice addition too. All in all, one of our favs in Toronto!