This is my FAVOURITE place in the city I have been here multiple times and it never disappoints and have tried a lot of their changing menu! No cutlery just small plates eaten with your hands The Korean fried chicken and hand rolls are ok nothing amazing. BUT their steak tartar is the best i haven't found a place that makes it like this, when they used to have trini doubles it was great too! The empananda was so soft. Their newest item is the Canadian board for $30 you get 4 oysters in bib lettuce cups, tourtiere, potato skin poutines, smokey salmon and a beaver tail! It was pure deliciousness! last time I spent $55 for 2 people on food and rinks before tips and was so full walking out! Yes, there will always be a wait during Friday nights and the weekends. The best seat is definitely the 2 corner ones at the bar where you can watch someone make the tar tar, hand rolls and the oysters and chat up the chef, service is always great. However, the music can be quite loud and unfortunately the portions have gotten a bit smaller. Other than that I love this place! i want to go back right now while I write this read more

416 Snack Bar - The steak tar tar is the best! - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This is a great place to go for drinks and eat as secondary, not viceversa. The food is delicious but I could feel that it takes so long to be served and it is served by batches. read more

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When they say snack bar, they MEAN snack. Came here on a Sunday afternoon, looking for a light meal. The menu has maybe 10-12 items on it and they are all TINY portions! We got the Reuben sandwich, Korean fried chicken and double down fafafel. For $8-$10/plate you'd think you'd be getting a little more than a 3x3" sandwich. It was embarrassing trying to 'split' the dishes, if you're hungry be prepared to order 3 dishes at least (per person) and a $40 bill without alcohol. The sandwich itself aside from being microscopic was delicious, falafel was great- had hummus in it and the chicken was moist. Our server wasn't the best, he wasn't very pleasant-he brought us what we needed but he didn't seem in a good mood at all and definitely dampened our experience. Overall, I most likely wouldn't come back, maybe with a group of friends for drinks and light snacks but only if they insisted on 416. read more

Perfect for smaller groups. Tapas and drinks were excellent. Service was fast. Really appreciate that they clean your plates away as soon as you're done. 5/5 would come back again. read more

416 Snack Bar - Beef tartar. - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

After months of popping into a completely full 416 Snack Bar and walking right back out (I'm a constantly hungry and impatient girl, so I refuse to wait for food when there are other options available nearby), I finally got a table in this hotspot on a rainy Tuesday. Anyway, SO GOOD. My date and I tried a decent portion of the menu, but our favourites were the Korean fried chicken and the Trini doubles. The quail, reuben slider and tuna hand roll weren't too shabby, either. Don't come here on a completely empty stomach, nor an empty wallet. It's a fun place to come with a small group, late night, in between dinner and a night out on the town. Fun little detail: They've made their own 416-appropriate version of a San Pellegrino label, in which they serve water. I'm all about the little details... I appreciated it :) read more

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Killer vibe, phenomenal food. I sat at the bar right in front of the chef, and I tried everything he recommended. So much flavor and variety. My favorites were the Argentinian bbq and the pork steamed bun, but everything i had was great. Oh, and i forgot - holy crap, do yourself a favor and try the trout gim bugak!!! They also make a tasty old fashioned! read more

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Great vibe! Really good place for a date or catch up with friends. Were playing really loud good hip hop which I liked. Octo brava, steak tartare and the fried chicken were highlights read more

416 Snack Bar - Jerk fish. Very spIcy! - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Came here on a Wednesday night and the place was pretty busy. We sat right by the window and shared the row of table with 3 other couples. It's a nice place to go for a date night but it also gets a little loud and could get difficult to have a conversation. Food itself was good but only one or two dishes stood out. The Reuben sandwich and the steak tartare were probably the stand outs and the Korean fried chicken was close after. The falafel and the spicy tuna was not worth it for the price. At the end of the night, it was pretty pricy for the amount of food. read more

The tartare was so good we got two orders. Food was surprisingly good and very casual place to hang out with friends. Don't know why there's a bouncer lol read more

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This place is AMAZING. Noise level, it is loud fair warning. The food is DELICIOUS. I could not help myself but order more than I should have, I left full and extremely happy. I sat at the bar and got to chit-chat with Dorothy who was in charge of one of the stations, she was fantastic and since I was solo visiting Toronto for just a few days it was a nice pleasure to get some insights and her recommendations. I ordered: - Foie Torchon - need I say more? Perfect. Just divine. For $7 for a nice portion of foie, always, always. - Empanada - very tastey, served with a mustard-esque sauce which was an interesting choice. Very filled and the pastry outside perfect. I was impressed. - Korean Fried Chicken - you must get this, and seems to be a popular choice. Not the most inventive thing in the world but a perfect nom nom. - Steam Bun with pork - this was my least favorite but was still really delicious. Living in Los Angeles I have access to some really good Korean and other Asian-fusion foods so high standards but was still good. But compared to the rest I ordered it was not my top favorite. - All-Canadian Cheeseboard - OMG this was perfect, I LOVE cheese and let me just tell you, this cheese board was so well put together and the cheeses (which I cannot recall at the moment) were SO good. Presented beautifully. - Oysters - quite tastey, I love oysters so much and this oyster, not sure the variety it was but it was so fresh and served with just the right condiments to adjust to palate. I also had a few of their IPAs but they have a full bar too. I was highly impressed with everything I had and despite the fact it is a little loud in there, it was popping. I went in on a Tuesday night, I can't imagine how busy it must get on weekends. And the plus was it was 11pm by the time I wanted dinner so this was one of the few places open nearby where I was and I am SO thrilled I picked this place. I'd recommend it to anyone! read more

416 Snack Bar - My array. So pleased with the entire experience. - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Fun spot! It's probably one of a very few places that are consistently busy no matter what day of the week it is. Drinks are good and reasonably priced, service is fast and even food is ok. Didn't give it 5 stars as the place can get sketchy at certain times of the night and it's nearly impossible to talk as the music is sooo loud. Still good spot to grab a drink before heading out read more

I came here last night for a friends birthday. Found it really underwhelming TBH. It was really small, but there happened to be just enough seats for us so that worked out well. I got a cesar which was pretty good and they actually listened to my request of not making it too spicy so that was nice! There were barely any food options and the people I was with were getting empinadas and korean fried chicken which I wasn't really down for so I got a spicy tuna handroll and the cucumber kani salad. The roll was alright but obviously would have been better at a sushi restaurant and the salad was weird, it was like in little wraps so I had to eat it with my hands and had this really strong dijon flavoured something in it which was really uncalled for and I did not like at all!! Will I return? Probably not! But if I did it would be for drinks only! read more

416 Snack Bar - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Came here around 6pm on a friday. Fairly busy place, but got two seats at the bar. Everyone there seemed to be drinking instead of eating; there was only one other table with food. The menu here is very random. Korean fried chicken, eggplant sandwich, cheese boards. Its tapas style so you can try many things, which is something i always like. Food was decent, but not great, so i can now see why most people were drinking rather than eating (or it could just be the time). Foie - foie was pretty good. was a great start to the meal Korean fried chicken - Was okay if it was just chicken. When you say korean fried chicken i expect it to be super crispy. So this definitely did not live up to the name. Eggplant sandwich - double down style with the egg plant as the "bun". this was pretty tasty and very cheesy. Empanadas - these were filled with beef and some egg white. the empanada was flakey and had good texture. the beef seasoning reminded me of ol el paso taco mix. Overall food is just okay, but i guess most people come here to drink and snack rather than treating it as a meal? read more

416 Snack Bar - foie - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Awesome place recommended by local bartender while visiting Toronto. Small plates - all of which were great. We tried most of the menu. Our favorites were the hand roll, Rueben and chicken satay though we were happy with everything we tried. We wished we could have ordered more but we had just eaten. Everything was delicious. As for cocktails, they didn't have a list but the server said they can make any of the classics. I got a Paloma and my boyfriend got an old fashioned. After our 2nd round I was looking for something a little different so the bartender made me something similar to a Paloma but with mezcal. Very tasty. Whether you are a local or tourist this place should be a stop on your list. read more

4.5 I like this place. Can't wait to go again. I went here for lunch on a Saturday afternoon, but I've passed by on weekend nights and it appears jam packed! The atmosphere is relaxed and trendy industrial / wood decor. Small place. There was a long list of drinks but did not have any this time for lunch. I would try this again for evening drinks and snacks. So this review is based mostly on the food. Tapas like style, No utensils. The dishes that came out were delicious! A mix of flavors that blend well together and textures - Octo Bravas was what was recommended and it did not disappoint - the most tender octopus I have had and flavorful. The mushroom tuna hand roll was yummy as well, Argentinian beef was very tender and the scotch egg benny was tasty (though a bit to rich for me but my bf said it was his fav). The Korean fried chicken was good though for me, it was nothing outstanding. Prices of the tapas was reasonable to higher of course for sharing dishes but also reflect the yum factor. read more

Snack Bar is a cute little bar that punches above its weight. It has a very simple industrial feel. The service is attentive. The pricing is on the high-end, but reasonable. During the summer, the windows are open and it is fun to people watch. I like the casual feel of the Snack Bar. You do not need to dress up to go to Snack Bar the same way you need to on some of the other bars on King Street. Snack Bar serves great drinks and food. The menu is small and can only be described as being eclectic. The menu is a blend of small bites. We had a platter of oysters. They were fresh. They went well with my drink. I would recommend Snack Bar for a casual evening out. read more

Cute spot for drinks and snacks. I really liked the cider that I ordered from the menu (9$ per glass). Perfectly dry and very tasty. The Korean Fried Tofu - crispy battered cubes of silky tofu in a sweet sticky sauce - was nice but a bit one note. I expected more flavour and maybe a little heat. The Falafel Double Down - a mini sandwich with two falafels as the buns - was a little too bland and mushy for my taste. In the end... Great cider and average snacks. read more

Came here with a friend for a bite on a Wednesday evening and were able to get a table fairly quickly. We asked the waitress for recommendations and she was very helpful in suggesting some of the most popular items. The portions were small, but the prices were still reasonable, especially compared to some of the other tapas places these days. We shared the korean fried chicken (kfc - I think it was coated with some sort of kimchi sauce, which made it a bit spicy and pretty yummy), the special thing for the day (some chickpea fried dough with cauliflower, tomato sauce and kale - thought this was a bit dry and thus was the least favourite dish), and the eggplant sandwich double down. The last item was by far the best - so good we had to order another one. It's essentially deep fried eggplant with sesame as the bread, and mozzarella, tomato, and arugula in the middle (almost like a caprese salad, which I love). I had a glass of rose, which was decent. There was also a decent selection of beers and other bar rail drinks. It's quite loud in the restaurant so not really a place for a conversation. The food is also served with no cutlery, and some of it could get messy when eating - perhaps not a great idea for a first date :) The location is a bit hidden, on the northeast corner of Queen and Bathurst, but it's worth the search. I would recommend this spot! read more

416 Snack Bar - Korean fried chicken, eggplant sandwich double down, special thing. - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Interesting menu. Their selection of food is really diverse, ranging from Korean fried chicken to Vietnamese rolls to Mexican fare. We sampled quite a bit of the menu since everything was pretty cheap, about $6. I really liked the "special thing" which I'm guessing is their special of the day and that day it was this creamy slaw on a biscuit with some tobiko on top. It was delicious. The foie gras and Portuguese rissois de camarao (cheesy shrimp croquettes) were also pretty tasty, though there was nothing we ordered that wasn't a winner. If you're in the mood for something a little different, try the eggplant sangwich doubledown-- it was this sandwich with a crispy eggplant/sesame bun with mozzarella and tomato. The space was small and cozy with dim lighting but it was pretty loud. read more

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Hipster, cool, and interesting all things you can call 416 Snack Bar. They do a asian fusion with a splash of Mexican and then some European food to balance it out. Most of the stuff on the menu is $5-$7 and your milage will vary depending on how hungry you are. The Korean fried chicken was tasty and not over fried or under seasoned. Its a little expensive for how much food you get, but is easy to share with another person if you just want a taste. I also had a pork bun which was very tasty and full of that fatty pork belly flavor. My only complaint is that one pork bun is $5. The lushes of your group should be happy here. They have a bigger wine selection than I usually see in the bar scene. And they have a nice select of spirits, including some Canadian based tequila. The beer listing also contains rarer brews - my favorite being the only saison on the menu. I like this place for catching up with a friend or 2, or maybe even a date night. But with the prices of the food, it can get really expensive if you are hungry. $5 for a bun is steep when you can easily eat 3 of those and other items. read more

416 Snack Bar - Food menu - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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@416snackbar #YELPTO #TORONTOLIFE #SNACKSCENE #SNACKING I don't mind the intimacy at this place - it is really small, dim and the seating is pretty varied with and tight. I am yet to try the food but I went for 2 rounds of drinks and it was pretty nice. The server was great and took his time to explain items from the menu. ANKIE TIP: The owner of this place is on a lot of dating apps. LOL. read more

Really enjoyed my visit to the 416 Snack Bar while in Toronto. I would have rated this place a 5 star but the place is pretty small and we were told that we could stand and wait for our table next to the bar. There weren't any spaces at the bar so we were awkwardly standing in the middle of the restaurant dodging employees trying to serve their tables. Thankfully we were seated in about 20 minutes. I ordered the steak tartar on lettuce and my friend ordered the chili chicken(?). The steak tartar was absolutely amazing and flavorful; I'd highly recommend this dish. The drinks were also very good as well! read more

Very nice casual snack bar. It's a tight fit though and at times you might go in and be disappointed because it's a very tiny place. The service is great and the food is very tiny snack plates. However, it's quite good. Prices range from $7+ dollars. All plates are sharable with another person. They also have a pretty good drink menu. read more

Cute little bar/tapas place on the corner of Bathurst and Queen Street. It's a small place and has a grungy kind of feel to it. I heard so many rave reviews about this place so I took it upon myself to try it out. And honestly... the food left something to be desired. Had the Jerk fish platter which is essentially a make your own lettuce taco with some slaw and a slab of pickled veggies. Not a fan. Also had the Korean Chicken - didn't even finish these, it tasted like someone who tried to do an Asian fusion dish but just couldn't get the concept right. The flavour was just off putting but they did look visually appealing. Then had the Octo Bravos - they weren't bad but it just didn't quite hit the mark either. Almost tasted as though someone haphazardly threw some ingredients that tasted well on their own but fit awkwardly together. The double down eggplant - was the only thing I found to be tasty. Beef tartare - was missing some acidity. I think the concept of eating tapas is awesome and the idea of eating only with your hands is fun as well. Would I come back? Probably only for a late night snack when everywhere else is closed or only for drinks. read more

Pretty good cocktails, tasty snacks, usually very busy and hard to get in which makes this place not my first choice to pick when I crave the above. Almost everything is good in the menu read more

Fun place to stop in for drinks and snacking before a bigger meal elsewhere. Or like us- post dinner snacking to fill up tummies after eating at a place down the street where you can BLOW a lot of $$ on FISH. (If you didn't catch that, we ate at blowfish on king st and needed more food. ) Fun date night while we reminisced on previous unsuccessful meals at same address: azul's beet ravioli / cantina's horchata. Would return as a pit stop for snacking and move on for a full night of queen st snack crawl. There's so much great food in area. Would not depend on it as a destination for a full satisfying meal if you like to eat like me. read more

416 Snack Bar - Oysters + Foie Torchon - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The food is very good The place is cosy and small The price could be more reasonable Staff was very polite read more

416 Snack Bar - Steak tartare - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I gotta say, I was truly sceptical the first time I saw this place. It felt rowdy so I didn't know what to expect with the food but it is truly amazing. The oysters are fresh and delicious and for 45 dollars, you get a bottle of bubbly to accompany them. I have had the watermelon salad which was good. I am not a watermelon fan which is why I didn't think it was great. The cheese platter is great as well. The fish sandwich and the eggplant parmigiana is out of this world. One of the best culinary adventures to have in Toronto! read more

Still like it but the service is a bit spotty. It's winter I'm positive the spaces near the door aren't popular. But when seated there we asked to wait to be moved. The reply was I am not the hostess. Fair but how would you like us to communicate that? Flat cava told same server as the bill was presented so they wouldn't keep serving it. Got told I should have said it earlier. Overall a flat experience read more

We showed up to this restaurant around 2:30PM - there was no one inside. And I don't mean no patrons, I mean no servers, person behind the counter, no one. Walked back into the kitchen and finally found someone who told us to just sit wherever. Ok, that's fine. We order a few dishes, and they're tiny tiny plates, for anywhere between $8-12. Pretty pricey, but the food tastes ok. Not somewhere I'd come back to, but it was fine to try. While we were eating, some more patrons came in - I guess these guys were the servers friends. After that, we were entirely ignored. Finally flagged him down to get the bill, which he brought to us, but instead of getting the POS machine, he went back to his friends. We kept waiting, then trying to get his attention, and finally I just went up to the counter and stood in front of him, which was when he jolted and seemed to remember he had other customers. I am writing this review while still HANGRY. Also, did I mention it feels like 36 degrees outside today and they have one fan that barely circulates air, and no air conditioning??? read more

My boyfriend and I just drove from Chicago and we decided to come here for our first meal in Toronto. By far this was one of the best tapas place I have ever been too. Their steak tartar was super delicious, the foie gras was to die for( every place we go to foie gras comes with think chewy breads, but they made their bread into chip looking and the texture is as crunchy like a chip)--absolutely love. We also got spicy tuna hand roll and the octopus. Everything was great, definitely will come back soon read more

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First experience here was great. Second was not. First time: fast and courteous service. Second time: server pours the water so freely, doesn't care that it's spilling around the table and didn't even apologize that he spilled over my phone. A snack size reuben sandwich took 30 minutes. Outrageous. Everything was slow as molasses and the sever had the laziest hipster attitude I've ever seen. Only finally apologized that "Kitchen was busy". There was no more than 10 people in the place and people who showed up 20 minutes after us were getting there food already. First time I was here it was packed and I ordered twice as much food and it came faster. Otherwise I like the menu and style of the place. Items are hit or miss. read more

I was visiting Toronto a few months ago with my girlfriends and we checked out 416 one night. I love tapas but wasn't particularly fond of this spot. I know tapas are small plates so maybe we shouldn't have stopped by because we ordered a lot of plates (we were probably hungrier than we realized). We tried the following tapas: Dim Sum Snack Stack - this was average in taste, pretty much what we expected Korean Fried Chicken - this was the only thing we truly enjoyed on the tiny menu Steamed Bun (Pork & Fish) - this wasn't as great as we had hoped Cider - can't remember which one exactly I had but it was pretty decent based on the waiter's recommendation The tapas bar is actually really small - we were a party of 5 and squeezed onto a table with two other folks. The staff is a little cocky when it comes to their menu; I wish they would offer more types of plates. I recommend you come here more for a drink than a quick bite to eat. read more

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Good food & drinks, down-to-earth waitstaff and cool ambiance. A bit expensive for snack plates and not-too-crazy drinks, but that's expected of a Toronto staple such as this. Sometimes it could be quite loud, you'll have too scream a bit to have a convo which is a bit weird for a food place. Again... it's Toronto. Main takeaway is that the snacks are LOVELY and the drinks are a bit $$$ but that's expected. read more

I'm a visiting New Yorker in town for a week on business. After reading all of the amazing reviews about this place, I was anxiously anticipating my visit to this taps style restaurant. Upon arriving, my boyfriend and I were greeted by Adrian, one of the two owners. We ordered drinks - my boyfriend a tall Sapporo, a great value at $8. I ordered the $9 pinot, which while delicious, was a very, very short pour. Let me stress very short, to the point that I did not order a second one. Once seated, we chose 3 items to start; the fried chicken, the steak tartare and the grilled Reuben sandwich. 35 minutes later, no, wait, 40 minutes later, no food. Not even the raw steak tartar. Nada, nothing, zilch. Even our friendly waitress commented on our unusually long wait. Ok, so shit happens. No biggie right? When she did not return to report on the status of our order which she went to check on, my boyfriend had to get up and find her. "They're working on it" - which everyone who has ever been to a restaurant knows means they simply forgot. And to make matters even worse, the two people that sat down a full 30 minutes after us GOT THEIR FOOD!!! Now here comes the really good part. I called Adrian over to inform him of the situation, expecting any number of responses from him - "let me go check on what's going on", "let me get you a drink on the house" or even a simple "I'm sorry". Any of those would have done just fine. Problem solved. Instead, I got a patronizing, insulting, huffing, over-the-top "what's wrong with me?" attitude. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know it's not an unreasonable request to expect your food to be delivered in a timely manner. As someone who has dined in restaurants to numerable to mention, and all over the world, I know what casual dining is, and this place it ain't. Adrian - if you're reading this - and I hope that you are, YOU NEED A SERIOUS ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! GET OVER YOURSELF! There are way too many good restaurants in Toronto to have to put up with you. I will not be returning to this place, ever, nor will I recommend it to any of my numerous friends and business associates, who like me, come to Toronto on a regular basis. Here's an idea - why don't you put a sampling of humble pie on your menu. That dish would do wonders for you. read more

Yelp led me astray. Tiny plates of food? Check. Hipsters galore? Check. Long wait times? Check. Communal table shared with 8 other hipsters? Yes. Sure it's a cool vibe, we had one of everything on the menu. Plates ranged from $5-13, and nothing was that good. I have to be honest here. Fois on toast for $13- the fois was the size of a quarter. Quail for two $13- literally two bites for each person. Korean fried chicken- 6 pieces of chicken popcorn. Pork Bun $7 for one small bao- oh did you want to cut it in half to split? Sorry no utensils here. That's ok ill use this toothpick that came with my popcorn chicken, I mean my "korean friend chicken". Cheese board - boring. Tartar $9- boring. Reuben - half a sandwich? Yes please. I think it's hilarious that there are outlets that state this is a one $ price place. It adds up and you're not even close to being full by the end. Also budget in the cocktails. It's just not worth it when you have to sit at a crowded table with everyone fighting for precious tabletop real estate. Some people at the table had to eat with a plate in hand. Which isn't really ideal when you're paying $9 for a small plate, right? It's crowded and cramped. Dark and loud. Again, the vibe is cool if you're in that mood to yell at your dinner mate. Not the right place if you wanted to get to know someone or have a private conversation. I'm not sure that I would go back but probably not. The menu changes frequently so it's possible that I just didn't get a good selection. There's no cocktail menu but they do classic cocktails the waitress told me. Service was polite. The disappointing food and experience was lacking for me though. read more

HOT DAMN. If you plan to come here, make sure you're dressed properly to wait at least 15 minutes in the cold. Not that this place is cold. There's a reason why you're waiting. Once you do actually get in, you notice it's a bit cramped but for some odd reason I really liked it. It felt cozy. It felt like you can mingle with the stranger next to you. It felt like you were so close to the person you're with now than a moment ago. It's definitely a louder bar, but it's worth the place to go. On top of that, as the name suggests, the snacks here are the greatest. It has everything you could possible crave in Toronto from poutine to kimchi to curry. The menu is versatile and changes every week or so. It's made by chefs that specialize in whatever snacks the bar offers so you know it's legit and not the same guy trying to make everything taste ethnic which can't happen. The snacks are made by chefs around Toronto who want to showcase their certain food. The only thing i would have to pick on is the prices. It is kind of like a tapas bar so things can add up and get a bit pricey. Overall, it's definitely worth it to check out. This place is a gem in Toronto and the place to eat and meet new people. I mean what more do you want? read more

If I could say something positive about this place, it's that they will text you once they have a free spot, so you're not forced to wait outside. They have this concept of not using cutlery, but the menu doesn't fit the idea. A lot of items are greasy or simply cannot be grabbed with your hands without needing excessive amounts of napkins, which are not provided because of the horrendous service. Not only is it extremely loud so the waitress does not hear properly what you are ordering, but she does not even bother to write it down and/or confirm it with you in this crazy loud atmosphere. As a result, we received 2x an order that we had not even asked for, and there was another item we simply never received. To add insult to injury, after submitting a second order we were forgotten about and only got our food 40 minutes later (we saw the chef beginning to cook it 20 minutes later when the waitress remembered about us). Finally, when we received our food, it was a disgusting mess, a lot of flavor combinations simply didn't work and were a sign of poor design. Avoid this place at all costs. read more

Review #400 In late 2011, following a local Yelp event, a few of us followed then Toronto CM Vivek to a new spot that had opened up on the corner of Bathurst and Queen. By that point, about a year had passed since I had swapped NYC from Toronto and everyone who had crossed me was sick of my comparisons between the food scenes in the two cities. Snack Bar quickly became the first spot in Toronto which turned the tables and had me bragging to my friends from New York. Between the passionate staff, slick layout, and crisp old school hip hop playing in the background this place definitely had a personality of its own. Add to that a display over the bar where the rotating artwork included painting of the Maple Leafs and a panel of old TTC bus transfers and you had a spot that was quintessential Toronto. In the years since, the menu has changed countless times, as have the clientele with the emergence of rave reviews in every local outlet. Despite this, the character of the bar and the drive of the staff to deliver something different appears to be well intact. From some of the more consistent menu items I have always enjoyed the steak tartar, steamed buns and oysters. The menu items I wish would return are many and include the scallops ceviche (pair with tequila), devils on horseback, eggplant parm and anything I've tried with quail eggs! The drinks are also quite potent and well made. My favs here include the corpse reviver #2, paper plane and gimlet. The options for beer, wine and cider are mostly on point, while they also serve a phenomenal chaser with shots of tequila! Add to all of this the fact that they were very accommodating to a friend's extensive food allergies during a visit and you have a place that's a winner on my list. Overall, Snack Bar has managed to remain my favorite place in the city since the first time I stepped in. Their consistency and professionalism deserves praise and should help establish them into a Toronto institution at this rate. Try to visit on an off night and be weary that the space is tiny/ not the best for parties larger than 4. read more

Just slightly hipster without being too hipster. I've been twice now and I think I can safely say 416 Snack Bar is a solid 3.5 star for me. Please don't go here expecting to eat a full meal. The snack portions are very tiny. If you were starving you could likely eat 5-6 "snacks". The snacks are, however, perfect when you just want a small taste of food to pair with your beer or wine. It sort of reminds me of Greek bar/taverna culture (Where you are usually served some kind of small portion of food with a drink, even if it's a dish of 5 olives or a slice of bread with olive oil). The menu is small. Bottled beer starting from $6 all the way up to $10. Glasses of wine start at $8. Snack are $3-$6 but most cost $5. I feel like they are just *slightly* overpriced for what you get; they are really tiny. My latkes ($5) were literally the size of ritz crackers, and you only get 2. But yes, they are delicious! Great vibe and seems to be really busy no matter when you go. read more