Avling is THE place to go for farm-to-table Asian and Nordic inspired cuisine. The exciting menu here led by Chefs Eva and Steve is constantly changing with the seasons and so brilliantly creative, thoughtful and delicious! I have been here several times and love it so much that I bring all out-of-town visitors here! The space is beautiful. The service is super down to earth and genuinely good folx in front of house and in the kitchen. Chef Eva, especially, is an amazing talent who brings her Asian roots into every dish with the utmost standard and inventiveness. She's constantly improving every menu and is a joy to be around. Yesterday's visit included: Char Siu Bun, Braised Beef Rib, Hand pulled Noodles with mushroom and soft poached egg, Fried Vegetarian dumplings, and dessert: Date cake (like sticky Toffee pudding!) with HK YinYang cream and Boba. Kudos to Chef Eva for treating us to a surprise Purple Yam Dessert Soup (a traditional Chinese dessert) and fresh cut Pomelo & Honey Pomelo. We felt right at home with that ending! Follow Chef Eva on Instagram for tips on her favourite dishes to try in the moment! I look forward to trying the Chef's Choice Menu that serves dishes not found on their regular menu! read more

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My bf and i loved his food (fish sandwich) and unfortunately, the same cannot be said with the pork "adobo" bowl I got. Our waiter was a bit dismissive...he wasn't rude but he gave off a vibe that he didn't wanna be there Not sure if the restaurant is familiar with Filipino cuisine but adobos don't taste like that. My pork was burnt, all I could taste was bitterness and it was not saucy. The dish should've had something fresh to brighten it up and the pickled carrots were not a good choice. Their garlic rice version was literally just sprinkling fried garlic on top of the rice. read more

Avling Kitchen & Brewery - Pork "adobo" bowl - Breweries Near Me - Leslieville, Ontario

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We checked out Avling for the first time on Father's Day. We did book in advance online and we were careful to select for the dining room room as seating because we didn't want the bar and we didn't want the patio. So our first intro was that they had put us at the bar, at which point I objected being our selection. (My husband has a back problem. He doesn't like the high seating). At this point I was ready to leave. They then went and checked again and came back and they found us a seat in the dining room. We had a very pleasant waiter. He took our orders. It was busy, I get it. It was Father's Day! But the next thing I know they're telling us that we have a new serving person and the other guy won't be looking after us. Thought it was a bit odd but fine. We had brunch and it was quite tasty. Second jarring part came as we were just finishing our food (we had only been there an hour), and the host comes over and is now asking us when we are leaving because the table is needed. This really did not sit well with me because they messed up our reservation and then they're really concerned about the next party??!!! Well glad they care about the next party! So we decided at that point we were not going to order any other drinks or dessert or anything more - we were done! You want us to leave - we'll go! We asked the host to get us the bill, which appeared quickly. We paid and left. Candidly I doubt we will ever go back. I'm a big fan of supporting local, but I'm not a big fan of being treated like that and I certainly expect to be at least having a table for a minimum of 90 minutes. read more

Avling Kitchen & Brewery - Burger and fries - Breweries Near Me - Leslieville, Ontario

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Avling is a fresh spot in Leslieville. It's airy and nicely appointed, like a Finnish brew pub with gastro street cred. The home brews are varied and of high calibre. We tried a hazy pale ale (sour but not bitter) and a golden lager (malty but also hoppy). The food was excellent. We stuck with shareables, starting with the chicken-fried mushrooms (brilliant concoction!) and the Brussel sprouts, which offered more heat than we expected but were still delectable. We then had the chicken sliders which were moist and flavourful as they used thigh meat rather than breast. And finally, the duck spring rolls, served with a nice plum sauce. The menu offers much more but we were in the mood for fried food and beer. So yeah, right place to go. Beautiful space. Look forward to visiting again. read more

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I wasn't quite sure what to expect Avling -- I picked it out because I wanted to try some local craft beer, and I saw they had poutine, which my daughter wanted. But wow, I didn't expect the food to be as good as it was -- and all locally sourced. The beef burger and the poutine were both delicious. And particularly memorable was the dipping sauce for the fries royale, made with black garlic aioli -- the garlic is grown on the rooftop of the restaurant. The beers -- we had the lime and the Vienna lagers -- were excellent as well. Definitely recommended! . read more

Really mediocre food, to somewhat worse than mediocre. We ordered salmon dish that was mediocre, a salad that was pretty good, and onion rings that were inedible. Sort of like deep fried cardboard. Menus were also oddly sticky and it was dripping from the A/C on the table they initially brought us to. Drinks were pretty good. Overall, pretty disappointing and no way above mediocre. read more

2023-03-17 Review I love the vibrant, open space of Avling. Every beer we tried was good (I believe we had 3) and the service was nice throughout. The menu often changes, and the chef that was there when I went is gone, but I still thought the pictures would be a good reference for others to see how/if things changed. The subtle Asian influences (like the loaded onion pancake dish) created lots of creative, delicious riffs on familiar flavours for me. I think most restaurants of this type tend to have a chicken liver mousse dish of some type and this lived up to the usual standard. I would definitely go back for some beers and small bites to see how things have changed! read more

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Review for the Beer: I've only been to the bottle shop sadly, but I can write if you are looking for some really neat and interesting beers Avling is the place. They have a great selection of unusual brews including honey, different kinds of wine sours and some great german style beers. They try some interesting things without being gimmicky and try to use local ingredients as well. Recommended. read more

They built a cute patio on the street with approx 8-10 wooden bench tables. There were no coverings or sunbrellas but by 6pm the buildings covered most of the sunlight. Highlight was definitely the ravioli. It was one big ravioli that's rich with runny egg yolk gushing out. It was sooo delicious, I'm drooling just thinking about it! Didn't fully enjoy the tartine since the blue cheese was too overpowering. Burger was a let down, bun was too thick and not toasted, bacon was undercooked and extremely fatty (99% fat and 1% meat). Fries were crispy but too salty. I'm rarely drink beers but the server was nice and brought me a couple of samples to taste. We both decided on Saison, which had floral notes and easy to drink. Overall, it was a nice experience but not exceptional. Service was friendly, roof top herb garden is charming, the ravioli and beers are tasty. read more

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The patio is awesome, it smells like you're at the cottage. We actually asked our server if the tables and benches were newly made and he explained that they had them built out of cedar so that you'd get the cottagey wood smell! Didn't try the food as they only had a small brunch menu. Their burgers sounded amazing though and we look forward to coming back to try them. My partner had a couple of the beers - one was recommended and he really enjoyed it. I had a nice glass of rose. Love CafeTO! read more

Avling Kitchen & Brewery - Patio drinks - Breweries Near Me - Leslieville, Ontario

Oh hellos! Avling appeared in what used to be a Chinese foods warehouse, transforming the building extensively into a large and elegantly designed, bright and millennial-youthful experience, aiming to be an all-inclusive space with a wide bar to boot. Oh darling! They got a sustainable, locally-sourced ethos going, with even operating a rooftop farm growing small crops that gets used in their meals and beers (believe they do host tours of their roof from time to time). I like they hired an Asian female lead chef. Their kitchen menu albeit small, changes quite often I noticed, guessing driven much by seasonal ingredients. I only ate here once though--a brunch date in the summer at their enclosed nicely put together wooden curbside patio. Can't remember what I had anymore other than I wasn't disappointed, but did remember how well presented all their grub are, you can't help but to see how nice your neighbouring diners' plates are too. Alongside that, some impeccable service too. But I'm more for the beer. Of course I'd would be! Many of their fares are well-balanced, light but flavourful, not too crazy--even their sours--that I would think even craft-beer-haters and girls-that-don't-touch-beer could tolerate. My favourite so far is their 'Selene' smoked lavender sour--which I'm happy to see pop up every so often in their lineup. How does that combo work? I don't know but it's amazing and dainty--and apparently I heard came about from a brewmaster's fluke. A tiny bottle shop is accessible through a separate entrance. read more

I live around this neighborhood but had never heard of it until my co-worker planned a team lunch at this place a couple of weeks ago. They had a sheet for every patron to sign at the front for contract tracing purposes. The front host then checked for everyone's vaccine passport. The atmosphere, interior and lighting made for a wonderful afternoon. With their wide selection of craft bears and other delightful drinks, we skimmed through the menu and ordered many items down the list. We had all pre-ordered our lunches ahead of time so that the process throughout would go more smoothly. I had thoroughly enjoyed my lunch there, which included a salad, butternut squash soup and the burger. I'm not sure spice was hitting my pallet, but every spoonful of the soup was absolutely delicious! I hear great things about the patio here during the summer months and pending on the Covid situation in the coming year will definitely be back! read more

Avling Kitchen & Brewery - Pale Fire - Barrel Aged Blend with Peaches. 375mL 6.7% ABV - Breweries Near Me - Leslieville, Ontario

As a fan of the late Saturday Dinette, I was excited to come here after finding out that Suzanne Barr was tapped as the head chef. The restaurant is pretty spacious inside with a lot of bar seating in the middle. Classic rock provides background music. I started off with an Avling Saison. It was OK, but a little bland. The food didn't disappoint though. I started with the turnip cake which was nice and savoury. The sauce that accompanied the cake was really nice. For the main, I had the masala fish fry which is a fish n chips type dish served with some potatoes. It was also tasty. Service was good and the food came out in a reasonable amount of time. I'd definitely come back. The menu was small but what I had was good. I'll be trying a different beer next time. read more

Avling Kitchen & Brewery - Masala fish fry - Breweries Near Me - Leslieville, Ontario

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Staff NICE :) Beautiful interior, queen E keeps getting better and better. Kitchen closes at 10 pm. Lots of variety of beers! read more

Let's start with the venue. It's bright and airy, with a beautiful huge bar, and a first hand view of the brewery. Service was great! Surprised with the other reviews complaining of slow service. At no time did we feel ignored or forgotten. Food was excellent. We had the vegetarian flatbread, burgers and a large spuds to share. Beer was also top notch. Tried a few different ones, no complaints. My only complaint, unfortunately, is the cost. I just can't justify 9 bucks for a few potatoes. The burger was 14 with no sides. There should be a side option that's not 9 bucks. Unfortunately we won't be eating here again but may drop in to sit at the bar for a drink. read more

BOTTOM LINE: Tasty beers and dishes wrapped in heart-eye emoji Scandinavian aesthetics. So basically if I were ever to open my own brewery, I would just copy these guys! Even though this place serves tasty beers and very good food (more on that later), I'm basically in love with the interior design. It's large and spacious and everything comes in lovely white oak - white oak chairs, white oak tables, white oak plantars, and (of course) structurally unnecessary white oak beams along the ceiling (love it!). Throw in a splash of millennial pink here, and some deep torquoise accents there, and this place is an eye-gasm. But is it just another pretty face? Thankfully not! Let's start with the beers. The brewmaster hails from time spent at Indie Ale House and Godspeed, and I think you can see the influences there; that is, their beers are more subtle and not "smack-you-in-the-face" bitterness/sourness. I tried their Pilsner, IPA and Esperta (Belgium ale), and all had a nice balance to them that you don't always get from the other breweries - this is neither praise nor criticism; it's more JFYI. There's also a small shop next to the main resto if you want to take something to go. Finally, I usually have fairly low expectations for food at breweries but I would heartily recommend this place. They have their own in-house butcher, and their roof apparently is a mini farm of sorts for their veggies. I can't remember when the last time I ordered a steak when eating out (I mean, I'm *that* guy w/ a sous vide cooker at home), but I had a major craving so I went for it, and oh man, that tenderloin was impressively done. I would defo recommend this place, and I know I'll be back. read more

Stopped in for a beer on a Saturday night, and in general I wasn't really feeling this place. It's a brewery with a focus on food, catching me off guard asking if we had a reservation. We did not so we sat the bar, which I prefer anyhow. They had some good beer choices and styles, which we enjoyed. I took a look at the food menu and found it fairly expensive for the area. Overall, I just struggled with what appeared to be the concept of a high end brewery. I'm willing to say it was mostly my issue, as the place was busy and clearly popular. It's just not for me. read more

Excellent food and great beer! Service first class. Good ambiance! Easy parking on Queen St.

My partner and I live around the corner so we REALLY wanted to love this place and he has told me the beer counter / beer are great. However, we have been twice in the main restaurant/bar and both times were just OK. The first time was immediately after they opened and we just stopped in for a drink. I had the El Jeffe, which was fine but not great. Service was fairly slow and most menu items were unavailable. To be fair, this was very soon after they opened so we gave them the benefit of the doubt and decided to visit again at a later date. We finally went back for brunch, my partner had a Caesar and the breakfast plate, I had the mushroom tartine. My partner said the Caesar was not good. We both thought our food was OK. Service was also OK. Aesthetic-wise, Avling looks great - modern, clean, spacious. The only downside to the venue is that it's SO cold inside...so bring a sweater (or three). TLDR; nice space and average food, drinks and service. Beer is apparently good and worth grabbing from the side door beer counter. read more

Avling Kitchen & Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Leslieville, Ontario

What a great addition to Leslieville. After an extensive (to say the least) renovation the owners have turned a former warehouse into a bright and beautiful brewpub! Still in the 'soft launch' phase it was hopping on a Monday night. Currently there are 5 beers on tap - the two we tried were terrific - and a deceptively pared down menu. The bar menu has some staples, like a burger, but after asking the server for specials the list grew dramatically... steak, fish and chips and many more! The burger was excellent and the broccoli dip was a great side. The salt and vinegar potatoes were ok - not exactly sure where the vinegar part came on, but that can be forgiven as they are still tweaking the menu. This spot is definitely worth a visit and I am guessing they be busy! A pretty unique concept... they have a 'farm' on the roof and are looking to grow ingredients there! read more

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We had a great evening at Avling. We went for drinks and snacks, and found the patio area really welcoming and comfortable. Service was wonderful throughout. I had one of their craft beers, and the pate, my companion had the cheese plate. We enjoyed it all thoroughly - it was just what we wanted. Recommend this spot. read more

A summery Friday night calls for beers and eats! We headed to Avling after hearing great reviews from our friends. Service was prompt and cheerful. Beer was tasty and refreshing. That Masala Fish tho...wow. I didn't expect a brewery to have food this gourmet, but I was pleasantly surprised. Avling has a full kitchen that doesn't just serve your standard pub food. I'll definitely be back! read more

Sorry to say, but Avling was a let down. $17 for an average hamburger- PLUS $6 for cheese- and it does not come with any sides? Sunchokes were bitter, flatbread was far overcooked, at least the potatoes were nice. Service though - when the brought out 2 of the 4 mains and then we patiently waited for a full 7 minutes until the other mains arrived- not well coordinated service at all. The ambiance is a little sterile- like it looked good in plans, but was not well executed. Had high hopes, but will not return. read more

Rooftop garden where they grow their own vegetables? Check. In house unique beers? Check. Everything here is delicious. Def going back

Stumbled upon this place the other night. Cute spot with a good selection of craft beer. We only tried two (lager and wheat beer). Both were delicious. Will definitely be back to try more read more

Avling Kitchen & Brewery - Wheat beer - Breweries Near Me - Leslieville, Ontario

5 stars for a beautiful modern interior and a delicious burger, along with a solid and improving beer selection. The burger is a great example of something simple done exceptionally well. It drives home the point of why they have an in house butcher. I'm looking forward to trying more of the food options in the future, and see what beers they keep adding. read more

What a great addition to my neighbourhood! The burger was SO tasty. My friend had the sausage (I had a little taste and it was yummy). The waiter Tristan was super nice and knowledgeable. Can't wait to go back and try more. I love the all-gender washrooms, too. CLEAN. read more

I really wanted to like it, and I did! What a nice addition to the neighbourhood. We sat at the bar and were served by several bartenders who were very friendly and knowledgeable about the food and beer. We had the ploughman's platter to start - the smoked mackerel was outstanding! Second was the seasonal veg plate w/housemade dip - YUM! Third we shared the grilled sausage and masala fish fry. Both were excellent, but the fish was my fav. We had cocktails to start and followed them with a bottle of Italian white wine. No beer this trip. We're saving that for next time. I highly recommend this place. **One thing (not a complaint): There are a lot of hard surfaces so when it's full it could seem loud to some. Lighting got nice and dim and the night wore on...just the way we like it!** read more

Avling has amazing beer and food. The IPA is one of the best we've tried in Toronto. We ordered the small Land and Sea plate + the Short Rib Butcher Cut plate and both left us satisfied. Every bite was delicious. In addition to the food the service and attention to detail by the staff made the experience really special. I would recommend this to anyone. read more

Service extremely slow. Even getting a beer took 15-20 minutes. Small menu with about half of the items not available. Everyone's food came out at different times (some after others were done). And then auto-grat 20%. Beer was nothing to write home about. With so many breweries in the neighbourhood, not worth your time. read more

Turned a warehouse into a beautiful brewery - kitchen - garden restaurant! Extremely spacious inside with such a comfortable atmosphere. Just past the see through windows lies the huge cool brewery station where they make all their in-house alcohol, very enjoyable to look at while tasting their beers. The food is absolutely delicious, whoever makes their burgers needs to get a raise, along with those salt and vinegar spuds although the vinegar is very faint. My good friend who is a serious yelper also mentioned that the menu was quite fatty or more on the heavy side of savoury but this restaurant just opened and is continuing to improve drastically which I cannot wait to experience more of. The reason being is because everything or 95% of their products is made in-house and their ingredients are all within the local area and Ontario, which brings me to their rooftop garden that they have, I had a nice tour of the rooftop garden and they're starting to grow a lot more vegetables and herbs for the kitchen and as time passes it'll get even better because for now the word is that they're getting their soil to be extremely nutritious and healthy then moving forward can they start growing big vegetables such as pumpkins, eggplants, cucumbers and so on. Overall an amazing experience and a bonus if you're able to experience the tour of the establishment! read more

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Very good beer. Very good burger. Very good, period. Still others to be tried, but for me and for now now this is the #1 burger in east end Toronto. Its close, but better than ML tavern. read more

I have been looking forward to this building opening as I pass by it quite often. Went with 2 friends & really liked the transformation of the space. Very open with lots of natural light and furnishings. The hamburgers, bourbon cocktail and IPA were very good and flavourful. We started with the large charcuterie plate and were very disappointed. I had seen photos of this dish online and ours was lacking. There was a piece of smoked trout & because we got the larger plate it also had another smoked fish which was supposed to justify the additional cost. Why would there be two types of smoked fish on one plate but no other meat other than what was supposed to be pate that was grilled? We were given bread but not any crackers as the menu suggested or any cheese as the photos had shown. We were also given a teaspoon of dijon mustard & cultured butter to share that wasn't hardly enough. The service was good but when additional bread was requested it took 15 minutes to receive. Since it is such a nice space and knowing this has just opened hopefully some adjustments will be made. read more

Busy but not noisy and always excellent customer service. No matter how busy it is, someone follows up and asks how I'm doing. Food always comes out pretty quickly and they grow a lot of their own stuff on the roof. How charming! And I recently learned they do their own in house butchering and are geared towards non waste so you can't order specific cuts of meat from their menu, but they list it in sections so they use every part of the animal. I love that. Good beer, too! read more

Leaving this place left us with a very unexpected warm and fuzzy feeling. We had the sharing plate and their saison. It was a very interesting and refreshing experience with lots of surprises and commentary from the staff. We spoke with just about all of servers, and even exchanged names. Where do you even get that? read more

We held our VES pub night here last night. Nice place with good selection of beer and friendly staff.

Just tried Avling for the first time. The beer selection was as impressive as the space itself. The food and service were also top notch. We'll definitely be back. read more

viciously horrible service, the general manager caught my eye as I was looking to get a beer for my friends, she decided to ignore me and continue her important conversation with an employee, waited and waited, tried to get the waiters attention behind the bar, he turned his back on us knowing full well we were there, I had to pretend it was self service and went behind the bar and immediately got a reaction, finally got some beers, I asked the waiter if I could ask him a question, he put up his hand and said he would be right back, he never came back. first time in my life not leaving a tip, asked for the owner to contact me, never did, just proves my point. I know people in Leslieville and they will hear of this experience, minus 10 stars. read more