Toronto Restaurant Tips by rsilva

Restaurant Name: Barberians

This restaurant is located on a quiet street, but it is not too difficult to find.

It is quite nice inside and apparently a lot of famous people eat or have eaten there. We didn't see any, but since we came for the meat we were not disappointed.

The service is outstanding, for instance, being European we were the only people in the restaurant that did not want ice in the water. The whole evening different waiters came and filled our glasses and never once did they forget our initial request - if only that worked everywhere else.
All meat was excellent, I do not remember what else we had, but that is not really important anyway.

The only downside is the price. Expect to pay 100 CAD/per person, but I guess it is worth it as we went there twice.

Favorite Dish: The Filet mignon was very good

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Theme: Steakhouse
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: (416) 597-0335
Address: 7 Elm Street, Toronto, ON M5G1H1
Directions: Elm Street between Yonge and Bay, right behind the Delta Chelsea Inn
Website: http://www.barberians.com

Restaurant Name: Hard Rock Cafe (Yonge and Dundas)

Well, the Hard Rock cafe is known worldwide, there are restaurants in most countries (all that I have been to), therefore you either like it and try to buy the shirt from the "coolest" location (I've seen far too many Hard Rock Cafe Miami or Los Angeles...) or you just avoid it.

I am in between. I bought the shirts for my brother and sister (they were 15 and 16 at the time) and I decided to eat there once, after all we are in Neil Young's country.
We were obviously treated to the "Rockin' in the free world" (great song, but not my favourite) video while we were eating.

I should add that this was the first restaurant we went to in Canada.

We were greated by a very happy-looking waiter who asked, with a big smile on his face: "How are you doing guys?".
So what?, you might ask. We are European. In Europe waiters don't ask how you are doing... We got used to this after a few days. BTW, I'm not complaining, it is just something we are not used to.

We had a New York Strip and a Pork Shank, which were both very good.

Overall, I was happy with both the food and the service. I would go there again (in any case, Neil Young would have made it worthwhile anyway).

If you are interested, this was the second Hard Rock Cafe to open in the whole world (after London)!


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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 279 Yonge Street

Restaurant Name: J.J. Muggs Grille and Bar

On our second night in Toronto, we decided to go for a quick bite and this place was not far from our Hotel (it is right next to the Eaton Centre.

We had a cheese burger (I'm allowed, when I am not in Europe :)) and a Sallad. They were OK, but I have definetly had much better burgers elsewhere.

I had a Sprite to drink which was just terrible and when the waiter asked if we wanted free refills, I asked if I could have coke instead: "No! refills are only for the same kind of drink". Overall, service was slow and sloppy.

I don't think I would go there again.

Favorite Dish: None

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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 1 Dundas St. West

Restaurant Name: Rodney's Oyster Bar

I had heard about this place but not had the chance to visit it until the last day of our stay, when strolling back to the hotel, after going to the theater, I noticed it.
Since my girlfriend is an avid seafood lover (I love fish, but usually stay away from seafood) we did not hesitate to go in.

Before you enter the actual restaurant there is a room filled with aquariums where you have live lobsters, oysters, clams and all sorts of seafood. Apparently, this is a place where you can buy all this and take it home. Good start.

We then got a "booth" to sit in and ordered a dose of oysters. After that we had a whole lobster and a very nice Halibut - Large portion, nicely cooked, tasty with good presentation (that's the way I like it). The waitress came by the table and showed us the live lobster - "Will this one do?". I guess that is as fresh as it gets.

To finish in style, I had a very nice Belgian chocolate mousse.

On top of this, the music was excellent (for my taste), they were playing a great mix of 70s-80s rock music (CCR, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, AC/DC etc). As if I really needed another reason to like this place :)

Service was also very good and prices were reasonable for a seafood restaurantd. Oysters go for just over 2 CAD each (depending on the type, there are at least 5 types, all Canadian). Lobster was just under 30 CAD per pound, so an average lobster is about 50 CAD.
The bill for 2 people was 130 CAD including tip, but if you stay away from the lobster, you can get a great meal for about 35-40 CAD per person.

This place is definetly on my list for next time I visit Toronto!

The website is really nice and gives you some good background information that will make you appreciate the place even more

Favorite Dish: As an oyster bar, you can't really go wrong with the oysters, but everything was just great.

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Theme: Seafood
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: 416-363-8105 Reservations: #0
Address: 469 King St. W. Toronto, ON M5V1K4
Directions: It's on King St. W (west of Yonge) on the streets with all the Theatres. It is a bit of a walk from Yonge (about 10 min), but I would not miss it.
Website: http://www.rodneysoysterhouse.com/

Restaurant Name: ki___

When we visited the place, it had been open for just over one month.

This is a very stylish and modern Japanese restaurant located on Bay in the middle of the Financial District. I was told they spent many million dollars in decorating the place, I guess that explains the waiters attitute... read below.

Both my girlfriend and I are fans of Japanese food (I was told the one you get outside Japan is very different from the one they eat there, but still) and while walking around we found this place. From the outside I was uncertain if it was a bar, restaurant or something else. I decided to go in and take a look. In my opinion it is quite impressive to look at, on the other hand it is a bit impersonal. Everything is perfect, no detail left to chance. This is nice at first, but I am not sure if I would become a regular as I prefer warmer, friendlier restaurants. It is a quite popular spot on Thursday and Friday evening, when the business-suit crowd comes for drinks and snacks.

The concept is supposed to be different and original in the sense that there are no starters, mains or desserts. All dishes are small and one will not be enough for a hungry person. You will have to order 2-3 (or more) per person as you feel is adequate. I recommend ordering only 2-3 in the beginning and take it from there.

When we were seated the waitress started explaining how it worked and then went on to say that for two people 8-10 dishes should be fine! Then she said "Well, maybe 6-8 will be enough". In the end we had 5 (2 people) and it was enough. We asked for suggestions and she would ONLY recommend the most expensive things they had. My girlfriend also asked which Sake she would recommend and obviously she indicated the most expensive one (which was 16 CAD, opposed to the 5 and 8 CAD that they also had). I was left with the strong impression that she only wanted us to spend as much money as possible. I did not like that.

Favorite Dish: The Kiwi-Tuna was very nice.

The decor - Check out all the pictures and see for yourself

The food was good, as I mentioned the portions are small, but presentation was great and quality was good as well. They call it "modern Japanese" and it is a bit different from the classic Sushi restaurant.

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Theme: Japanese/Sushi
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 416 308 5888
Address: 181 Bay Street
Directions: BCE Place - Bay and Wellington

Restaurant Name: Pickle Barrel - Atrium On Bay

Pickle Barrel is a chain of restaurants and this tip refers to the one on Atrium On Bay.

For me a clean restaurant is always a good sign. This one had recently been renovated and was spotlessly clean. I even saw a waiter on his knees cleaning the foot of the table.
This was a good start, the restaurant is quite nice and appealing. There are many booths (which I personally prefer) and also some individual tables. The round booths are extremely attractive and well decorated.

About the food: the menu is HUGE, there are at least 10 pages of stuff that is sure to please almost everyone. From salads to food from the grill and Pasta to Fish & Seafood the difficult thing is to choose.
We went twice and had Beef Fajitas, Chicken Spinash Salad, Steak and Eggs and a Californian Grilled Vegetable and Avocado Wrap. None of them were the best we have had, but all of good quality and prices are very reasonable, so it is a great place to go for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. It is also open until quite late.

Service was also quite good, waiters and waitresses were nice and polite.

I would go there again.


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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 416 977 6677
Address: 312 Yonge Street, Toronto
Directions: On Yonge between Dundas St and Edward St.
Website: http://www.picklebarrel.ca/

Restaurant Name: Saint Cinnamon

Having grown up in Sweden, some of my earliest memories include cinnamon buns.
Ever since I moved out of there it has become more and more difficult to get them as they are not very common in the rest of Europe.
Canada, however, is a whole different story. You can find them quite easily, but still this place sells the best ones I have had outside Sweden. The name "Saint Cinnamon" says it all. Everything has cinnamon on it - which is nice. You can get small or large buns, cinnamon sticks and other stuff. I usually keep to the buns as they are the best.
There seem to be more locations, but the one I know is on the bottom level of the Eaton Center, at the end by the food court.

Buy 3 and get one for free!

Wether it is for breakfast, dessert or just as a snack, they are highly recommended.

Favorite Dish: Cinnamon Buns

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Theme: Bakery
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Eaton Center, by the food court
Directions: Yonge and Dundas

Restaurant Name: Richtree Market Restaurants

First of all, this is a self-service restaurant. If you prefer to be served, this is not the place for you.
This is a chain of restaurants, but I refer to the one on 42 Yonge Street in the BCE Place.

I really was not expecting what I saw when I walked in: a huge market-like (hence the name) layout of different stand serving all kinds of food such as soup, fish, steaks, oysters, pasta and even sushi.
The way it works is that you get a tray and walk around the different stands and pick what inspires you. Some things such as soups, salads, starters (olives, courgettes, etc) are ready to eat, but most of the other things you have to wait 10-15 minutes for. Let's say that you would like some mussels, just go over to the stand, order it and go get whatever else you want (drinks, etc). Everything is fresh and usually good.

We went twice and had two quite different experiences:

The first time we had Oysters (not very good), Sushi (quite good) and I personally had an excellent Shark fillet! It was served with stirfried rice that was delicious. Service was very good, almost all people at the stands were nice.

The second time we went for lunch and I had a steak which was not very good as it was not very thick and, although I asked for it medium it was way overcooked. My girlfriends "fish stew" was much better. I also decided to take the chance with the pasta as everything here is made in the restaurant (including the actual pasta), but it was not great. What dissapointed me a lot was the service, people were generally rude.

In any case, food is fresh and most of it tasty, but the "shopping around" is an experience on its own and I would recommend trying this restaurant.

Hint: stay away from the Marguerita's as they are quite awful and the Oysters are not great either (try Rodney's Oyster Bar for that :))

Prices are reasonable, at about 25-30 CAD per person (of course depending on how much you eat). Service is automatically added (about 10%).

Favorite Dish: Shark fillet
Fish stew

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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 416- 366-8986
Address: 42 Yonge St., BCE Place
Directions: 42 Yonge St., BCE Place
Website: http://www.richtree.ca/

Restaurant Name: CN tower Revolving restaurant

I had heard a lot about this restaurant, good and bad and did not really know what to expect. One thing everyone seemed to agree about was the great view.

Our experience was rather good. This is a quite expensive restaurant, so I was expecting good service and hoping for appropriate food. You can go for a fixed-price menu or "a la carte", we went for the second option

We started with a very nice rare seared tuna salad, served with beans, tomatoes and olives. We both love tuna and we were not dissapointed with this.
I had the roast pork tenderloin with prunes and sage mashed potatoes. It was a bit to dry for my taste, but still good. I would not recommend it though as my girlfriend's dish was MUCH better.
She had the "fish strak frites"... I know the name does not sound all that great, but it is actually "grilled swordfish with a cherry tomato, arugula, red onion salad, Yukon gold frites, Ni?oise olive aioli" and it was very good.

To finish it off, we had the exquisite "Dark chocolate tower", you must try it if you like chocolate.

This restaurant is renowned for having one of the best wine cellars (at over 300m height) in Canda, so if that is what you like, you will definetly find something here that will please you. There was one bottle priced at 15000 CAD... it was 8 liters though.

A main course at the restaurant will entitle you to the free ride up to the observation deck (usually 19 CAD).

Obviously and as the name indicates, it is a rotating restaurant, meaning that the view will change over the course of the meal. I was told it takes 72 minutes for a complete rotation. It is funny to see that you will loose your orientation if you are distracted. The washrooms that were just around the corner are suddenly on the other side... funny.

Prices are what you could expect in this kind of "luxury" restaurant. We paid 150 CAD (2 people) including tip, but if you think that we saved 38 CAD on the ride (you can easily combine a sightseeing session with a meal), it was not too bad.


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Theme: Local
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Address: CN Tower
Directions: The CN Tower
Website: http://www.cntower.ca/portal/SmartDefault.aspx?at=860

Restaurant Name: Irish Embassy Pub Grill

This restaurant/pub was just across the street from my hotel and since the hotel restaurant was being renovated, this place seemed appropriate for my Saturday Brunch.

Being an Irish pub, it tries to to set the athmosphere by playing Irish music (some Chieftans, Van Morisson, etc) and it also has some Irish stews on the menu, but that is as far as it goes.

There are TV's all over the place. I counted at least 15, personally I am not very fond of TV's while I am eating as I am easily distracted.

As I mentioned, I came for the brunch and had a quite good Steak an Eggs. However, there was quite a bit of a draft and, although I was far away from the entrance, the food got cold in no time, which was a bit unpleasant. I guess there is not much you can do about it.

I went back with some friends for drinks a few days later, we decided to have some fries that were, in my opinion, really awful. My friends seemed to have enjoyed them in any case.
We wanted to order 2 servings, but the waitress was quite nice and told us that one should be enough as it was large and that we could order more later. It was in fact enough.

Service was friendly and efficient, both times.

Prices were also good at about 15-20 CAD per person for a meal and drink.


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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 416 866 8282
Address: 49 Yonge Street (at Wellington)
Website: http://www.irishembassypub.com/