3030
Posted on April 26, 2013 by TOFoodReviews Staff in The Junction

3 Stars
3030 has young-professional written all over it. Craft beers, slightly pretentious menu and crowd, its Junction location (sigh, I remember the days when they avoided this area). And although I spend quite a bit of time in the neighbourhood, I only managed to getting around to checking it out a few days ago. That’s mostly because it’s a difficult place to notice, with an unassuming, simple ’3030′ stenciled on the front door, and not much else to identify it.
3030 is huge inside… seriously huge; especially for a place in The Junction. Stuffed full of small table settings and 2 full bars, it seems more like you’re in a concert hall than a neighbourhood restaurant, and that’s with good intention. 3030 is built to be a live music venue that doubles as a food-venue, and in my opinion, not the other way around (although that’s what they go for in the off hours).
One thing’s for sure, they put a lot of thought into their draft selection. The back bar has taps full of local-ish craft brews, including Wellington, Beaus, and even some other, more difficult one’s to find, like the Junction Craft Brewing’s IPA (which was fantastic), a Sawdust City stout, and a Broadhead White. Clearly, they take their beer selection very seriously. The unfortunate thing about the bars though is that with no stools to sit on, you get the distinct that they don’t want you hanging out there.
Much like you’d expect from a place aimed at young-pros in The Junction (sigh), the atmosphere sets it up as a pretty cool place to hang out, with shelves full of board games and walls lined with old-school pinball machines and plenty of interesting art. With the retro pinball machines all lit up in the evening, it gives the perfect backdrop to a night out.
But with just a little ’5 dollar snack menu’ card on each table, you wonder what about those of us that were there for more than snacks. Our server haphazardly and unconfidently rattled off the items they serve (there was only 4 of them at the time) but not before having to go back to the kitchen a couple of times before she could get it right. I asked if the items changed daily, hence no menus and the difficulty remembering them, but nope, these items had been here for a while she said. While it’s cool to try items out to see what works, I hope that eventually they’ll put together a more permanent and more expansive menu, or at least one that changes seasonally.
Because none of their mains sounded appealing to us, we instead opted for the items on the snack menu. The Butter Chicken Wings, while mostly tasty with the typical strong flavours you’d expect, arrived lukewarm. The Potato Wedges on the other hand, were indescribably and inedibly hot, which turned out to be ok because they were bland and tasteless anyways. Overall, we just didn’t find any of the items on the snack menu impressive at all.
If you’re in the neighbourhood, 3030 may be worth checking out, but I’d say solely for their draft selection; and although the fact that there isn’t much like it in the neighbourhood makes it the kind of place you want to check out, I’d wait until there is a concert or show you want to see before making the trek. In my opinion, it just isn’t worth going out of your way for.
With a Gabby’s now opened next door, I remember feeling a little upset for them having competition so close from some evil, corporate chain, but really, it’s of little consequence. It’s obvious right away that they’ll both be attracting very different types of people.
- Andre
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Playa Cabana Cantina – The Junction
Posted on April 1, 2013 by TOFoodReviews Staff in The Junction, The Junction Triangle

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4 Stars
Playa Cabana Cantina is the latest restaurant to open in Toronto to fuel our newfound taco addiction in the city. It’s located in The Junction at 2883 Dundas St. West (at Keele).
Playa Cabana Cantina is the second location for Playa Cabana – with it’s first location on Dupont (at Davenport). The Junction has accepted it well, considering there were absolutely no reservations available for the whole weekend – but they assured me that they keep the bar open for walk ins.
So we walked in. Right away I was impressed by the decor, there’s plenty of neon-lit signs including a shout out to JUNCTION – WEST TORONTO, and an “Keep and Enforce Prohibition” sign at the bar – perhaps a little tongue in cheek reference to The Junction’s past as a dry neighbourhood until 2000.
The menu here is set up a little differently than other taco favourites like Grand Electric or La Carnita. Instead of ordering tapas style – one taco at a time, Playa Cantina’s menu includes everything from tacos and tostados to burritos and enchiladas along with a side of rice and black or pinto beans.
We started off the meal with guacamole and chips. The chips arrived warm to the table and were extra crispy and fresh. The guacamole was smooth and not too spicy for our tastes. The bartender replenished the chips free of charge too, which is a great touch.
Playa Cabana Cantina has a fresh oyster bar set up, and at $2 a shuck, we couldn’t resist them. They were huge, no skimping here, and were served with horseradish and hot sauce. Then, we each ordered a set of tacos with a side of rice and black beans, after starting off with Amber Agave Margaritas.
The Ancho Braised Shortrib-Brisket Crispy Tacos were served on a corn tortilla with melted cheese, sour cream and pico de gallo. They came to the table piping hot, and the mix of brisket and cheese was perfect along with the extra crispy tortilla. They were reasonably priced at $14 for an entree.
Next up was the Tacos de Pescado (Baja-Style fish tacos) for $13 . They were a little underwhelming in comparison. The breaded tilapia didn’t have the substance to stand up to the guacamole and shredded cabbage filling. Usually I’m a big fan of a good fish taco but this wasn’t the best I’ve had lately.
Personally, I prefer picking and choosing different tacos to try instead of ordering them as a personal entree. The sides of yellow rice and beans were fresh and a great addition, but it would have been great to try a few different kinds of tacos instead of three of one kind.
With another round of drinks coming, we felt the need for some dessert… Unsure of what to get, the bartender recommended the Mexican Flan, so we gave it a shot. After waiting a little longer than necessary (I think the kitchen forgot about us), our bartender arrived with the flan, which was actually 2 mini flan served with whipped cream. He apologized for the delay and said the dessert was on the house.
Overall the personal service at the bar was great, the bartender gave us a lot of recommendations on what to order and was more than helpful. The atmosphere was comfortable and casual, it didn’t have that ‘too cool’ vibe that many new restaurants are picking up on now.
We definitely will be returning to try out the burritos and other menu items along with the amazing guacamole again too. The tacos were flavourful, with fresh, house made ingredients but not the best of what the city has to offer right now.
- Karin
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Mitzi’s Cafe
Posted on November 18, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Roncesvalles Village

3 stars
- For the past year or so, I’ve been meaning to go to Mitzi’s Cafe for brunch. Weekends however, draw a big crowd and my nine-to-five job prevented me from going during the week and avoiding said crowd. Fortunately, having resigned from my job to be a writer (see: unemployed) I am now afforded the luxury of going to brunch on say, a Tuesday…which is exactly what I did this week.
I love Mitzi’s location. Tucked away on a quiet corner of Sorauren, surrounded by century homes, purple and yellow painted Mitzi’s is a bit out-of-place, but that’s the appeal. I have a thing for old neighbourhood general stores, and that’s what Mitzi’s reminds me of. Inside looked exactly how I both expected and hoped for; arborite tables with mismatched chairs, a glass display case that housed trays of muffins at the time, and walls adorned with local art. I really, really wanted to like this place.
And like it I did, however my friend was less than satisfied with her experience. Let’s start with mine shall we? Mitzi’s has a small but thoughtful menu, and I had previously perused it online, so I knew exactly what I wanted. Craving sweet over savoury, I ordered the French toast as planned ($10.95). Made with Challah bread it is then topped with a peach & ginger compote, covered in graham cracker crumbs and generously doused with real maple syrup (the last step done by yours truly). It was fantastic. The bread was thick and fluffy, and the compote had just the right amount of ginger in it. It had all the makings of a dessert…in a breakfast. It should be noted that this dish is typically served with whipped cream, but I decided it was too much of an indulgence (says the person who used so much syrup as to make her French toast wish it had signed up for swimming lessons).
Sitting just adjacent to the expanding pool of syrup, but not completely out of its reach, were the home fries, which offset the sweetness of the French toast nicely. Made with halved baby potatoes they were spiced perfectly. My only complaint is that there weren’t more of them, but it’s probably for the best in the long run. If the toast itself was the star of the show, then the home fries were the understudy.
As I had already had my morning coffee I chased all of this with a glass of their homemade orange/banana/mango juice. It was just thick enough to know it was the real thing, and at $3 I think it was good value.
The glowing endorsement ends with my friends order. She was so looking forward to her poached eggs (also $10.95). Served on Portuguese cornbread, topped with wilted spinach, and slathered in roasted red pepper & asiago sauce, it looked delicious when set down in front of her, but as she cut into the egg with her fork, the yolk failed to flow. Her poached eggs weren’t poached at all… they were hard-boiled. Cue the violins. Tasty yes, but it wasn’t what she wanted, and the accompanying rye bread would fail to serve its dipping duty.
This would have been a 4 star review had I made it a solo trip, but alas the poached eggs (or lack thereof) knocked it down a peg. Mitzi’s is still worth a visit though for the French toast (and I hear the Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes are pretty killer too), but if it’s poached eggs you crave, be specific,…if only for the sake of your toast and its reason for being.
- Rebecca
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La Hacienda
Posted on August 28, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Trinity Bellwoods

1 star
- Meh. You’d think that there wouldn’t be much to be said about greasy Mexican food, but that doesn’t seem to be true in La Hacienda’s case. Not on my part though; they’ve got a pretty decent reputation online, particularly where weekend brunch is concerned. The Internet is full of lots of reviews, lots of check-ins, and lots of positive feedback.
I’d say most of that good stuff online about them is dead wrong.
La Hacienda is a decent little place at first walk-in: cozy, dimly lit, mismatched old furniture, the kinda place you’d expect to find on this stretch of Queen West. With a mostly-covered back patio full of comfortable seating and nicely placed greenery, it seems like the perfect place to hide on a Sunday afternoon.
But one thing is for sure, it isn’t the perfect place to eat. The menu is mostly unimaginative with few signs of thought or effort. Boring chicken and beef burritos and greasy chorizo hash is what you’ll be eating. Almost everything comes with a side of their store bought corn chips and homemade salsa, but again, that salsa isn’t made with any degree of love or passion either; just a bunch of cubed tomatoes with little seasoning. La Hacienda sure doesn’t have the fresh-chopped tomatoes, bright cilantro, spicy peppers, and killer guacamole you’d expect of a Mexican joint. There’s barley anything authentically Mexican at all.
Perfect for a hot, Sunday afternoon, they also serve in-house made Sangrias by the glass or pitcher. Unfortunately, they’re far from perfect too. Cheap red wine, mixed with pre-frozen orange juice, and few bits of floating fruit, it’s again, a big miss from the freshness most people associate with Sangrias. Call me crazy, but for 6 bucks a glass, I want some fresh-squeezed orange juice and fresh slices of orange and limes cut specifically for that purpose. I want the red wine in my Sangria to have flavour that compliments citrus, not just be whatever is laying around and was recently opened.
On this particular day, La Hacienda was brutally understaffed with one server and one cook; hardly enough to accommodate the back-patio alone, nevermind the front of the place. While still friendly, the server was obviously struggling to keep everyone happy; never returning to check on how people liked their food, which I assume they didn’t. She was so busy in fact, that I didn’t even have the heart to tell her how crappy everything was for fear that one misguided detail like that would throw her off her game completely.
Seriously, this place is should be on your avoid list. There is absolutely nothing special, or Mexican for that matter, about it at all. It’s just greasy, over-priced, ‘Mexican’ themed food served in a hipster shop on Queen West. If you’re looking for authenticity, you’ve got a ton of other way-better options in this city.
- Andre
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Holy Oak Cafe
Posted on April 17, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Bloordale

3 stars
- Despite it’s seemingly religious name, this little cafe has nothing to do religion. It’s a little cafe chock-full of character and a cool, homey-sorta vibe. You know the type of place I’m talking about: mismatched plates and cutlery on the tables, Value Village-esque paintings and pictures on the walls, slightly damaged panelling on the ceiling. It sorta looks like one day someone decided: ‘Well, we have a stove. Why don’t we open a restaurant?’ It seems random, but truthfully, it doesn’t matter all that much. If anything, those details make it better and much more comfortable.
There really isn’t that much for food here. They’ve got a couple of items that are fairly easy for the lone person working to make when the place gets busy, which it definitely does. Mostly it’s just the standard pressed sandwich kind of thing. No soup, no fries, no salad, as a side anyways. The friendly guy working there told me that it’s not that kinda place. He said that it’s mostly a cafe and a place to drink booze.
The menu is up on a chalkboard, and like I mentioned, it mostly has pressed sandwiches, like grilled cheese with apples and Tandoori chicken stuffed Naan bread. The sandwiches certainly aren’t bad, but sadly, the majority of the stuff they make seems to have been brought in with little of it made in-house, like the Naan bread. The Naan was the kinda stuff pressed and packaged somewhere distant, and then bought at some grocery retail giant. It definitely would have been better if they worked with someone local to get some truly authentic stuff. They do have quite a few baked goods too. I’m not sure if those were made in-house or not, but they look nice next to a cup of the great coffee they serve.
I’ve seen some pictures of brunch items at Holy Oak, like eggs Benny, but based on when I was there I couldn’t see that happening. Maybe they do bring someone in on the weekends to cook, but they guy working never mentioned it to me when I asked him about the food or the limited menu.
I went during the week for lunch, and this little place was pretty packed. Mostly with twenty and thirty somethings in front of laptops. It seems like a pretty cool place to work for those of us that frequent coffee shops for that sorta thing, because there really isn’t much else in the neighborhood that offers it. It’s cozy and comfortable, and I could easily see myself sitting there with a coffee, comfortably typing away.
Holy Cafe is a neat place, but it certainly doesn’t warrant a big trip to get to it. If you happen to be in the neighborhood and you’re looking for a comfortable place to soak up WiFi and get a decent cup of coffee, Holy Oak can definitely provide. But it doesn’t offer much more than that.
- Andre
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Drake BBQ – Revisted
Posted on April 14, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Liberty Village

2 stars
- If you’ve already read our first review of Drake BBQ, then you’ll know that they didn’t exactly impress the first time around. If you haven’t read it yet, I suggest you do. In any case, everyone deserves a second chance…
So, I wiped Drake BBQ’s slate clean and went with a clear mind that was free of any preconceived notions of what the food or service would be like.
After my visit, I decided to up Drake BBQ’s review to two stars, for one main reason in particular; I considered my encounter with the staff a drastic improvement from what Andre experienced a few weeks ago.
That said, when I first entered this tiny restaurant, I immediately thought I was in for much of the same. There weren’t any other people there, yet I hardly received a glance, much less a hello. However, once I stopped for to look at the menu hanging on the wall the guy behind the counter engaged me in the regular shtick, with a “how are you doing…” “what can I get for you…” and “may I recommend the pork.” Okay, okay, it’s not the most glaring example of good customer service, but I certainly didn’t feel unwelcome, and the employee helped where he could.
Now, I will deal with lackluster staff if the food is spectacular. Really, I don’t care much who is behind the counter if I’m handed a plate of something truly delicious – at least the attitude is well earned. Though, I’m sad to say that I have to agree with the Andre’s review of the food. I may never have been to Texas, but I have had good BBQ, and this just isn’t it.
All of my fond experiences of BBQ are owed to two important factors: an unbelievably tender meat, and a deep, smoky sauce smothering it. At Drake BBQ, I ordered the Texas chopped beef brisket combo with a side of coleslaw (other side options are peanuts, chips or pickles). When I took my first bite of the beef, I was momentarily excited by a hefty charcoal flavour that was seemingly infused in it. Unfortunately, it didn’t carry through the whole sandwich. When there is a true-master behind the grill, you’ll get something that has a deep flavour running through and through, not just on the crust of the meat. The rest of the beef was actually quite boring, bland, and dry. Truth be told, I actually saw another diner go up and ask for salt…ouch!
I know the sauce was a point of contention last time, and I’m sad to say again, I also wasn’t impressed with it. BBQ should leave your face splattered and your hands tacky from with sweet, tangy, and smoky sauce. I saw them put the sauce on my sandwich – honestly, I did – and some of it even dripped onto the plate, but somehow it seemed to vanish into thin air as I ate it. As for the coleslaw, there was dressing on mine, but it wasn’t quite sour enough to be a superb vinegar-based slaw, nor was it smooth enough to be considered one of those satisfyingly creamy ones.
I don’t want to protest too much without offering what I think could be the saving grace for Drake BBQ. Three suggestions, if I may: up the ante on the sauce, spice it up and get it flowing more substantially; respectfully, if you don’t want a fryer in the joint, get really original with the coleslaw because I don’t want something that tastes like the grocery store stuff. I haven’t lost all of my hope for you, Drake BBQ. But, for now at least, one more star is all I can do.
Visually, Drake BBQ emanates a stereotypical southern eatery, including bullhorns and cowboy hat decor, a simple menu scrawled on a chalkboard and fizzy beverages in glass bottles that require a bottle opener to get into them. However, just like my meal, all the flavour is just at face value and none of that great flare infiltrates Drake BBQ where it counts – the food.
- Nicole
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Drake BBQ
Posted on March 21, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Liberty Village

1 star
(Note: Drake BBQ is no longer in existence)
- Boy-oh-boy, do I ever feel let down. I actually went out of my way to go to this place one day when I was craving some good-ole-fashioned-BBQ. Claiming to be serving it up in true Southern-style, I thought that there’s no way this could go wrong. I’ve actually been to Texas and all throughout the Southern states on a fairly serious eating vacation, and lemme tell you something, The Drake and their lil’ BBQ place owe the great state of Texas and its surrounding neighbours a serious apology…
Drake BBQ has a slew of great reviews all over the Internet. Everyone on Yelp, Twitter, and a bunch of TO food mags have been raving about the authentic, badass Texas and Carolina style BBQ they’ve had in this place. I’ve read so many good comments, that I figured I must have gone to the wrong place. Maybe, I thought, there was some other place that just happens to look exactly the same, on the exact same street, with the exact same type of food?
Nope… I was in the right place. It just sucked is all.
Because they have such a loyal following, I’m sure quite a few people are going to dislike what I’m saying here, but in all honesty, if you got served what I did, you’d be disappointed too. My Carolina pulled-pork sandwich was small, dry, and amazingly enough, was completely void of BBQ sauce, which is a fairly important staple in a pulled-pork sandwich. They must have had some BBQ sauce somewhere in there, but if they did, they didn’t offer it to me, and it certainly wasn’t on my sandwich. My coleslaw was even worse. It was incredibly bland and wasn’t much more than shredded cabbage with a slight trace of what I assume was salad dressing. Not to mention that this stuff was expensive! Two of those sandwiches and an itty-bitty coleslaw–plus tip of course–cost over 20 bucks.
Welcome to The Drake BBQ; it’s BBQ with a side of pretentiousness. You don’t like it? Trust me. If it’s the same guy working behind the counter when I was there, then he won’t care at all. I asked if we could get some fries with our sandwiches. He just looked at me, shocked, and said, ‘I don’t want a deep-fryer in this place’. Hey, I’m fine with the guy being pretentious and true to the stuff he’s making and how he’s making it, especially if it’s honest-to-goodness Southern-style BBQ. If he truly was an artisan of the BBQ and the smoker, he can rightfully be as pretentious as he wants as far as I’m concerned. I probably would have answered back with an agreeing ‘Yes Sir’! But the true kick-in-the-ass was that the stuff that I ended up taking home in a sad little brown bag was basically less than edible. In fact, I only took a few bites and ended up throwing it out, which is something I never, ever do. Someone went and filled this guy’s head with the thought that this is actually what good BBQ is all about; someone lied to him.
Besides being about honest and delicious BBQ, the Southern states are all about hospitality and genuine people; people that would never be rude or unwelcoming. They’re more likely to invite you in for dinner than they are to turn you away. Drake BBQ was none of those things. The service was rude, inhospitable, and unwelcoming. From the moment I walked in, I felt as though they wanted me the hell outta there. That is, except for the older guy that handed me the bag. He sent me off with a sincere sounding ‘thanks for your business’, which is something I think businesses don’t say enough these days.
Like I said, this was painful for me. I felt ripped off. I felt sad. I felt let down. It was a just a plain bad experience that was nothing close to true Southern BBQ or Southern hospitality. In fact, I don’t think I would even give it another go, and whether you’ve been exposed to true Southern BBQ or not, I’d suggest you don’t either, because you’ll feel let down either way too.
- AB
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La Revolucion
Posted on March 9, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in The Junction

2 stars
- La Revolucion is amazing! Well no, it isn’t, but that’s exactly how I wanted to start this off. Man, I really wanted to love this place. La Revolucion just looks so dam cool that I figured the whole experience was going to be amazing. When I was first drawn by the interesting front stained-glass window and poked my head inside to look around, I figured that in no-time-at-all, there’d be a lineup to get in. Sadly, I don’t think that’s going to be the case anytime soon.
La Revolucion is a Mexican restaurant, but at first glance, it certainly doesn’t scream Mexican; after eating there, I’m not even sure if that’s what they’re going for. It’s a sparsely decorated joint that for some reason—at least while I was there—feels the need to distance themselves even more from their Mexican roots by blasting annoyingly loud rave music. I mean, their food is the typical, standard Mexican fare you’d expect, like enchiladas and tacos and burritos, but other than that and the few Mexican-esque decorations, there wasn’t much Mexican about it at all.
They’re heavily pushing the banditos aspect of Mexican culture, which is actually a pretty cool gimic in my eyes. While I get the whole concept of banditos and revolution, it seemed as though La Revolucion fell a little short of their delivery of the theme. While what little decor they have there is mostly bandito-related, the rest of the theme is left to interpretation. La Revolucion does feel as though they’re finding their identity, but they have a lot of difficulty conveying what that identity is exactly to their guests. Sitting there, it doesn’t feel as though you were part of the revolution, it feels as though you’re interrupting them while they plan it, and they can’t wait for you to leave so they can get back down to business.
Presentation isn’t their strong point either. They haphazardly slap the food down on the plate, without much concern for appearances. My enchiladas were slightly warm and covered in tasteless green salsa; my burrito was humungous, but it was bland and not nearly warm enough. When I asked for hot sauce, because it was nowhere to be found, I got a small ramekin with some sort of sauce, but it’s details remained a mystery that was left for me to find out with no explanation from the server, and while you’re waiting for that stuff to all arrive, there’s no offer of chips and salsa or even water for that matter, which would have definitely improved the experience.
Interestingly enough, before this place was a Mexican place it was, well, a Mexican place. Whoever it is that owns it probably just decided it was time to rebrand, and while that may have been a great idea on their part, the execution of their new brand and concept needs some polishing because it’s hard to tell exactly what the concept is. La Revolucion may be a restaurant, but a revolution it is not.
- AB
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littlefish
Posted on February 23, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in The Junction

- As I’m writing this, I already know a lot of people are going to disagree with me. After all, the arrival of littlefish in the Junction has definitely been well received. The neighbourhood has been waiting an awfully long time for a cool, hipster-worthy brunch spot. Unfortunately, the arrival of littlefish hasn’t completely filled that void just yet. They still have a few kinks to work out, but don’t give up on them yet. I won’t, but only because I really want to love it.
Ok. First off, this is a pretty cool restaurant. Besides the obviously brilliant name, littlefish is a great little place to grab weekend brunch. It’s small, only about 8 tables or so, but that just makes it all-the-more cozier and comfortable. It’s a long, narrow space filled with exposed red brick and shiny metal airducts. The daily specials, scrawled and displayed on a suspended chalkboard, are imaginative, original, and well-thought-out.
The brunch menu is pretty much what you’d expect to see. They have everything from French toast and eggs benedict to pancakes and crepes. Best of all, they seem to make everything from scratch with good ingredients.
The staff goes out of their way to be friendly and to make sure you have everything you need to feel comfortable. Constantly being checked on, I never found myself without a full cup of hot coffee, but I suppose that’s sort of expected in a place that only seats about 30 people.
The thing that’s not expected in a place this size is the ridiculous wait time for food. When I was there, it seemed as though everyone in the whole place waited 45 minutes to an hour for their orders to arrive; I know I definitely did. If they were understaffed, I couldn’t understand it; there were at least 5 people in the exposed kitchen, none of them seeming to be moving with any sense of urgency. Definitely not understaffed here. The whole place seemed to be in a state of chaos. The front counter was covered with papers and dishes, and the visible part of the kitchen was overcrowded with food containers and crowded counterspaces. Possibly it was organized chaos, but just barely contained.
People rave about the food here, but I really don’t see it. My eggs benny was, meh, not bad I suppose, but they certainly weren’t anything to get excited about. They were warm but not hot, and the side of potatoes was mostly burned. My daughter had their now ‘Internet famous’ French toast. With burned edges on an overcrowded plate, they were even less than meh.
Make no mistake though, this place was busy. Newcomers are put on a couch to wait until a table vacates, but they are offered coffee. If you’re planning on getting a table on the weekend, be prepared to wait. So why so busy? Personally, I think a lot of it has to do with the neighbourhood’s lack of options. I’d be willing to bet that although littlefish may be doing well in the Junction, had they been on a more brunch heavy area, like West Queen West, they may not be doing as well as they are now.
So would I go back to littlefish? Sure. I’d like to give them another chance. I think the whole neighbourhood would. After all, the Junction needs a place like littlefish as much as littlefish needs a neighbourhood like the Junction.
- Andre
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The Bloordale Pantry
Posted on February 21, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Bloordale

4 stars
- About a year ago, Bloor and Lansdowne saw the closing of its neighbourhood institution: The Dale. The Dale had been serving ‘greasy spoon’ diner food in the neighbourhood for nearly 60 years, but what emerged from behind the brown paper and dressing screens of a renovation was so much better.
The Bloordale Pantry, opened by young couple Rose and Anthony, has moved this venue from institution to gem. A lot of love went into this place; and not only love for their little diner, but also love for the neighbourhood in which it sits.
Upon entering, the greeting was warm and friendly, which wouldn’t be strange as my guest and I have eaten there a couple of times, but you don’t need to be a regular to feel at home; every one of their guests seems to be rewarded with a warm smile and happy hello.
The room is decorated with local art mixed with diner kitsch. It’s all brought together by red vinyl booths lining one wall, and an old dinerstyle counter and stools lining the other.
The menu’s main theme is diner food with an all day breakfast and lots of sandwiches, but it’s all updated regularly and prepared well. It also features a lot of Italian fare with both a panini and pasta section.
On a recent visit, my guest tried the ‘Mac’n’Cheese’, which she thought was cheesy and good, albeit needing a little more flavour. My Bloordale Brisket sandwich was sloppy and well cooked—as it should be! The brisket meat was tender, but not falling apart. The barbeque sauce was a little sweeter than I generally like, but overall the sandwich was filling and comforting just like diner food is supposed to be. Served with their expertly seasoned and perfectly crisp French fries and creamy coleslaw, it was quite a large portion.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and with a menu that has vegetarian options and interesting daily specials, like meatloaf, ‘Jalapeno Popper’ burger or house cured trout, The Bloordale Pantry pretty much offers something for everyone.
- Guest Contributor
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(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)






