Came with a friend to try the $14 vegetarian arepa which was tasty. For $16 we shared the yuca fries and two empanadas (spinach and sweet plantain with beans). Everything was made fresh and hot. I only wish they had a fresh element like a side salad as most things are deep fried. We sat outside to enjoy some sunshine. Service was friendly. read more

Bacan - Veg arepa - Argentine Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I truly feel like whatever Arepa I got, I would have been satisfied. The soft Arepa with the tender slow braised beef with the beans, cheese and soft plantain was fantastic. This was my first time trying an Argentina Empanada, Spanish bechamel to be exact, and this reminded me of a Quiche but the inside was more moist and 'raw'. Tasted great You can dine in, they have seating at the window, middle of the restaurant where the kitchen is an open concept. Ran by 3 lovely women. They also have plenty of seating in the back. I ordered take out and it took about 15min to get my food, well worth the wait! read more

Bacan - Spanish Bechamel. Argentinian Empanada - Argentine Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Stopped here for a light dinner, and ended up with some great options. The food is a fusion of Argentinian and Venezuelan food, and has some great flavour combinations. My highlight was the arepa I had here - the best I have had including arepas I have had in Colombia. Service was friendly and very quick; and I am keen to explore more items on the menu. read more

Bacan - Arepa Pabellon and Beans and Plantain empanada - Argentine Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came to try the winterlicious menu $25/pp. Got the beef/spinach empanada. Both were deliciously flavourful. Baked to perfection. Pernil with potato salad was dry, despite being smothered in the marinade. Ordered hot sauce to liven up the taste. Cachapa with cheese was a little too sweet for an entree. Small side of black beans and plain arugula. Again, ordered hot sauce to liven up the taste. The coco bites and flan was standard. Nothing to rave about. Apparently, hot sauce was $2 per request. It was legit 5ml. Would come back for the empanada, but nothing else. read more

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We stopped into Bacan for a light lunch. They're a Venezuelan restaurant that specializes in arepas and empanadas. You'll find them next door to Stamp's Lane Seafood Bar. We dropped in on a Saturday for lunch (around 12:15pm) and sat outside on the sidewalk patio. Service was friendly. The menu consists of appetizers, empanadas (Argentinian and Venezuelan style), arepas, cachapas, combos and platters. - Papelon ($2.50) - not too sweet. Similar to an iced tea. - Venezuelan chicken empanada ($4.00) - my favourite thing that we ordered. Chicken was tender and moist. The dough reminded me of something my grandma used to make. The side of wasacaca (garlic mayo and herbs) was tasty. - Pabellon arepa ($10.00) - beware: all the meat is stuffed into the first half of the arepa. The beef was succulent and flavourful, but very greasy. - Llanera arepa ($10.50) - liked the addition of the avocado here. Sirloin was nice and the cheese was oozing out of the arepa. Decent Venezuelan street eats at Bacan. 3.5 stars. read more

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My friend chose this restaurant for Summerlicious on a Friday evening. We had a great time eating and catching up! When we arrived, a friendly lady greeted us and asked if we would like to dine inside or outside the patio. In order to be Covid-safe, we chose the patio outside. For the appetizer, each of us ordered a different appetizer to share- an Argentinian empanada (beef) and a Venezuelan empanada (chicken). For the main dish, we ordered Bacan Criollo (juicy shredded beef, beans, fresco cheese, rice, yuca fries and sweet plantain) and Costillitas (short ribs, plantain, rice, black beans, cheese and chimichurri). For dessert, we ordered mini doughnuts (4 small doughnuts) and Alfajor (cookie sandwich with creamy dulce de leche filling). For drinks, we ordered lemonade (part of regular menu). Everything came out fresh! For an odd reason, all the dishes came out at the same time. So the desserts were sitting outside for a while, as we were eating the main dish. Both empanadas were hot and delicious- the fillings were full. I had Bacan Criollo and everything was fresh. The shredded beef was tender, the vegetables and rice were well cooked. My friend had Costillitas was yummy- the short ribs were seasoned well and succulent. However, he wished that there were more (the dish only had three pieces). The desserts were delicious- the mini doughnuts were dense and chewy, and alfajor was soft and melted in our mouths. The lemonade was lightly sweet and refreshing! The portion was good for a person with an average appetite (like me). However, if you have a big appetite (like my friend), this might not be enough for dinner. Throughout the evening, the service was friendly and attentive, and the food was good. Give this place a try! read more

Bacan - (Left to Right) Alfajor, lemonade, empanadas, Costillitas, and Bacan Criollo - Argentine Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Walked by here on a Sunday evening and decided to try their empanadas. I was intrigued by their choices of argentenian and Venezuelan empanadas! We got a chicken Venezuelan empanada and a beef argentenian empanada. At first they look different. The Venezuelan chicken empanada was deep fried and the Argentinian one was baked. Both... tasted okay but a little bit bland and dry. However, I went back and asked them for some sauce and that was a game changer. They gave me a little bit of chimichurri (I think that's the one that matched the beef argentenian empanada) which was amazing And another sauce for the crispy chicken empanada. It was amazingggg and complemented the empanadas so well. The filling could improve but their sauces made up for it. Give it a try! read more

My friend and I decided to check this place out for Summerlicious and it was honestly one of the most disappointing and underwhelming dining experiences I've ever had in Toronto. We were coming from the Downtown core so It's a bit out of the way to Roncy. However, we read the reviews and were hopeful that this place would knock it out of the park. We were wrong. The place wasn't packed on a Saturday night and there were 3 empty tables. Upon arrival, the female server mentioned it was just her and it's really busy. Clearly understaffed but it's totally okay. Were seated after a couple of minutes and promptly given the menu. Things started to go downhill from here. It took almost 15 minutes to flag our server down. I believe she was in between shifts so we both ordered a happy hour drink (Buenos Aires). It took another 10 minutes for the drinks to arrive and have our order taken by another server. It honestly felt like there was no alcohol in the drink. LOL. At this point we both decided to skip the app and dessert, order the main, and just call it a night. It took another ~15 minutes for us to be served our food and upon receiving it, my friend noticed there was NO cheese on her veggie/vegan plate despite the menu saying so. Flagged the server down and it took another 5 minutes to get some cheese. Friend asked for hot sauce and was told it's $2. No problem. What's funny was that the server probably forgot and brought the hot sauce to us 20 minutes after we were served our food! At this point my friend was 80% done with her meal. BTW, my friend didn't like the plantains. (Personally think it tasted fine). I ordered the bacan costillitas and it was kind of cold. Not sure if it was supposed to be served like this... but it's really nothing special TBH. Just rice, beans, some plantains, chimichurri, and a bit of short ribs. Tried really hard to like this place but it's no dice for me. read more

Bacan - Argentine Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We stood outside contemplating the empanadas for a long time and then I busted up the plan by saying, "Know what? I want an arepa." My dining companion followed suit and we ordered up 2 pabellon and waited outside. Indoor seating is available, but there's a bench outside and it was a nice day and people watching is good on Roncey on Saturday afternoon. I ordered and paid at the door and then waited a few minutes outside. Check my pick for the delivery - WHOO-HOO! Big little punch-pack of corn-cake goodness right there. The beef was So! Juicy! The beans were So! Flavorful! The plantains were So! Yum! This arepa is a touch smaller than some I've had before, but the fillings are plentiful and scrumptious ad stuffed in the top half of the arepa. The nice secret is the cheese that goes throughout the whole thing, so you've always got a little something on your corn cake. The dressing (a kind of herby-lime-cilantro cream sauce) was a little thick to daub on without utensils, but I'm a champion street eater and found a way (the patented finger spread). $10 each for these is a great price for a delicious, hot, perfect lunch. I can't wait to try the Reina Pepiada (chicken + avocado). And the empanadas. Crystal ball says many more visits to Bacan in the future for me. read more

Bacan - Pabellon close-up! - Argentine Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Had one of the best meals we've ever had with our toddler here on the west side. Staff were very kind and helpful, and welcoming to us all

Came here by chance and fhd kids loved it! The empanadas, we tried 3. Beef, overflowing once opened, reminded me like a beef patty. Mushroom and cheese, this one is folded so that it's like a bag with an opening. And the Venezuelan chicken, fried like a dumpling. They were all delicious, favorite being Venezuelan chicken cause who doesnf like fried stuff. The Bacan Costillitas, grilled short rib with beans, plantains, rice was everything I wanted. And the chimichurri, perfect dip for the ribs. And my kids loved the rice and the beans. Service was very pleasant but I think because they are all in front and I'm in the back, plus the place is narrow it's hard to get their attention. But whenever I did it was very nice and friendly. They even gave me kids some coloring to occupy their time. Kids say it was delicious so gotta go back! read more

Bacan is apparently Argentinean slang for "a person who likes to eat and live well". It was quite a trek to get to this small, family-run restaurant and check out their "bon vivant" promise, but ultimately they delivered and the trip was worth it. My wife and I came here for an early dinner. And as is the Bacan style of small plates and sharing, we tried a bunch of stuff: - Empanada: O...M...G! The beef filling had the most amazing flavour, the pastry had the right level of firmness/thickness, and the side salsa brought a freshness/lightness that contrasted well with the empanada. Sounds ridiculous given it's just empanada, but this was the star of the meal and the one thing I'd go back for. - Choripan: Housemade chorizo on a thick bread with chimichurri and lots of tomatoes. Thought the chorizo was a tad salty but the tomatoes balanced them nicely (not sure where they get their tomatoes which are really fresh). The chimichurri was ok, though got a bit drowned out by the chorizo/tomatoes. - Chipa Guazu: Cornbread type 'pancake' topped with lots of veggies. Good contrast to all the meat offered at Bacan, and a nice thing to pair with your main meat dish. - Picana: Sirloin strips which, for a family-run restaurant, the quality of the meat was really really good. That said, it was a bit too salty for my taste. - Chocolate Mousse: Nice and smooth, good chocolate flavour, though the biscuits/cookies they used as toppings seemed plain and didn't match the quality of the rest of the dessert. Overall, Bacan was a thoroughly enjoyable meal. I guess I find Argentinean style cooking a bit too salty for me so can't go all out and give this 5 stars. But I do think the quality of their meat is good enough to recommend this place. And I'm still kicking myself for not getting more empanadas to go... read more

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I've walked by this spot many times on Roncesvalles. The last time I tried to order was a few months back but they were closed pretty early (maybe due to selling out their empanadas). They currently have a take out window due to Covid. I decided to try some of their empanadas early afternoon today. I ordered one chicken and beef. It was $4 each. I would have to say their baked empanadas were super tasty. Saucy on the inside but it didn't make the dough soggy or anything. I really liked the chicken one! Both beef and chicken were okay but chicken takes it for me. I am surprised about the complaints regarding the time it took. The worker said 6-10 minutes and I think he was 10 minutes on the dot. Maybe it's different since I only ordered empanadas? Overall it was great. Would definitely eat here again when I'm craving some empanadas. They also have arepas which I will try next! read more

Overall not a bad little restaurant. Great atmosphere and adequate staff but unfortunately the food was cold to the touch. The food was well cooked and well seasoned just cold. read more

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My friend Pearl and I visited Bacan, a small family-run restaurant, on a Saturday night in September 2019. We had dinner with drinks. The food was tasty, and the service was friendly and attentive. The prices were reasonable: I think two people can enjoy a full meal there for less than $75, including taxes and tip. We'll go back to Bacan and recommend it to friends. "She had the fine wine. I had the flan, man. I'm a poet and don't even know it!" read more

Visited twice, both times for takeout. Both times experienced lackadaisical service. First time took the Reina Pepiada Arepa, and was underwhelmed by the portion and lack of flavour. Also felt that it was very over priced for how much food I got. Tried it a second time and took the gluten-free Venezuelan empanadas. These were greasy AF. Like, literally dripping with grease. read more

This is a family-run, Latin American restaurant that doesn't disappoint with its brunch menu, which they were trialing when we popped in on a rainy Saturday afternoon. They pride themselves on subtle flavour profiles with interesting twists on traditional Argentinian dishes and I was floored with their bacon, eggs, spinach and toast dish served with a side of home fries. What impressed me was the apparent simplicity of the dish but how they were able to put so much flavour and body into it. The way each ingredient complemented each other was a real treat. Their coffee, a unique blend of Columbian and Argentinian beans from Reunion Island up the street, was strongly brewed to perfection. My wife enjoyed the smoked salmon sandwich that was fresh, moist and flavourful. If there was one opportunity for improvement, it was that their dishes are a titch smaller than what North Americans would typically expect at brunch. The staff were ridiculously friendly though completely genuine, even remembering my daughters' names as we exited. We hope to return soon to taste their dinner menu. read more

We were on the street looking at the menu when a lady came out and recommended we go in and eat because she enjoyed it so much. We did, and it was great! Bacan was still very new when we went, and although they are going through some of the teething problems you would expect from a new restaurant, everyone was helpful and super nice, and the service was good. The food is the real star. The grilled and cured meat dishes we had were both excellent (the sirloin was at least as good as at some of Toronto's over-the-top steakhouses). The egg and parsnip thing we had was truly unique. Delicious, but also unlike anything we've had before. The dessert selection, too, is full of novel Argentinian dishes you've never heard of, and the one we had (stuffed fig) was delightful. The only disappointing dish was the grilled fish. I would probably give this restaurant 4 and a half stars if I could, to reflect that only one of the dishes we had was not at the same excellent standard as the others, but because the others were all so good, Bacan gets the benefit of the extra half star! I'm pretty sure if we had chosen another meat dish over the fish, it would've been just as good. read more

Food is amazing but the service is extremely slow. Our food took 45 min to come and the restaurant was empty. It was a Sunday afternoon where the menu is smaller with only brunch items being served. Our dessert also took another 25 min to arrive. I hope they can improve on the service, it is Bacan's weak spot. read more

Located on Roncesvalles south of Bloor parking was available on the street. The decor is very basic. Dinner tonight was disappointing overall. The chickpea pancake was dry although the taste was good. House salad was ok but not exceptional. The 30 oz. Rib Eye was fairly tasty but a little overcooked and chewy. The short ribs were also tasty but dry. The lamb chops (3 chops from a rack) were quite good. Service was fine. read more

Delicious, wonderfully fresh and thoughtfully flavoured Argentinian food. I'm not typically into meat dishes, but their assortment of bbq along with made to order empanadas, fresh salads and succulent breads really impressed me (not to mention the bbq!) The staff were so friendly, the atmosphere good once you get past the front that kind of misrepresents the place. I had a deflated tire and our waiter leant me his pump. Hope lots of people give this awesome restaurant a chance. read more

We got there just by chance... It was the Canada Day weekend and there were hardly anyone on the streets and just a table occupied inside. I'm and Argentinean that prides himself of "claiming" to know about beef and empanadas, not to mention "locro" and "buseca"among other things such as "mollejas" and "riniones", "tripa gorda" and "chinchulines"... It was time for diner and we went in... The most impressive thing right the way was the attention they paid to us. Even when I mentioned several things that for most readers may not mean anything, we, in our late 70's do not eat much so... We did not order much but what we ordered we shared. Everything was just right BUT... The empanadas were among the best I ever had. For what does not look much more than a "hole in the wall" the place deserves to be mentioned and visited. Great food, great service, small selection of wines BUT THE RIGHT ONES. Jorge read more

Stopped by for a beer. My friend and I had an excellent empanada and the Picaña (top sirloin) made to perfection. Really like the food and staff. read more

I never realized how much I love Latin American food until I tried this place!!! My faves thus far are the Pabellon Arepa (served with a super yummy sauce!!) and the Mushroom and cheese Argentinian Empanada with their INCREDIBLE chimichurri sauce (add on -- SO WORTH IT!) read more

The food is alright chefs treat other employees not the best from what I've heard overall a very small and dark place