Recommended by a friendly waitress at another neighborhood spot, Laissez Faire turned out to be a…read morebit of a hidden gem. Take the stairs to the covered rooftop... a lovely bar with dining booths and lounge seating, all with a perfectly cooled indoor-outdoor vibe. Downstairs, the first floor has a cozy, antique feel with all indoor seating. Food highlights: * Hamachi Crudo: Fresh and nicely portioned, though we wished for a little more citrus and zest. * Beef Burger: Excellent. the bacon jam and aioli take it over the top. * Roasted Half Chicken with chimichurri: Cooked perfectly, juicy inside, ultra-crispy skin, with lemon and herbs adding a bright punch. * Roasted Mushrooms: Generous portion and a win for mushroom lovers. Cocktails are beautifully presented and well-balanced. All around, a great choice for a date night or a larger group looking for something special but relaxed.

We were a group of 8 out for girls night and the staff were very friendly and made our experience…read moregreat. However, the food itself was very disappointing. I got the hamachi crudo and burger. The crudo didn't have enough citrus and the sauce it was in lacked flavor. I also asked for my burger to be cooked medium rare but it was well done. My friends who got the pastas really enjoyed their dishes, but I'm not sure I'd go back here for food again.

The food was more 4 star territory but the service put it in 5 star land. Set on the ground floor…read moreof Park Hyatt, Joni is a very elegant and beautifully designed restaurant. There is even a fully grown tree inside! It's a lovely atmosphere and all the greenery inside really takes it to next level. We had eaten here on previous stays, but this time the service really stood out. We had a party of five for breakfast and our waitress didn't miss a beat. I wish I had gotten her name, but she was truly focused on delivering excellent service and she was a complete rockstar! I had the omelette which had Gouda and a butter sauce (which I had on the side) with greens and toast. The only set was okay, but the toast with the homemade strawberry jam was outstanding! I also had a tropical juice smoothie that was very satisfying as well. Overall, the standout service catapulted Joni to 5 star status for me. Every aspect of the meal for our party of five was handled so skillfully, it really elevated the whole meal in what's an already stunning restaurant.

Toronto Review 8/Many: Located in the front lobby of the Park Hyatt Toronto, this is an elegantly…read moredesigned bistro that I went to with another person for lunch after visiting the ROM. From what I can tell, they have several other menus, including some tasty-looking prix fixe options, afternoon tea, and other things. The friendly person in front asked if we were hotel guests, which we weren't, and we were soon seated. Our waitress was, I believe, a friendly Polish woman who gave recommendations when needed to the small handful of other diners there. As we were on vacation and I was in the mood for a bit of indulgence, I went with the Park Smash Burger for 34 CAD, with American cheddar, truffle sauce, pickled onion, and fries. Along with the listed ingredients, the burger came with a mound of shredded lettuce, which is generally not my preference, and it was on a nicely made sesame seed bun. The burger, ordered and delivered medium-rare, wasn't exactly a smash burger, as it lacked the crispy edges, but I didn't mind that. It was pretty beefy and very juicy, which made it a bit messy. I presume the lettuce didn't help in this department, but thankfully the bun held up. The cheddar was nice, and the truffle sauce was on the lighter end, but for a good quality burger, I prefer that, as I like to taste the quality of the beef instead. I also liked the pickled onions, as that helped with the overall richness. The side of fries served with some mayo and ketchup was excellent, being both large and crispy. I presume they were double-fried, but I'm not positive. Overall, I liked it, but I would have liked some tomato, pickles, or something else to add more flavors/texture, though possibly those other typical American options aren't done in Canada. The other person had the comparatively much lighter 35 CAD Power Bowl with quinoa, grilled chicken, sesame, hummus, chickpeas, cucumber, za'atar dressing, feta, pickled onion, and arugula. The dish had a nice presentation, and he liked it. As I don't like quinoa much, I tried a bit of the hummus and cucumbers, and it was a light and tasty meal. We had a pretty good meal here. It wasn't the best burger I've had, but it was good and pretty much worth the rather high listed price.

Stopped by this lovely French bistro in the heart of the Distillery District…read more With the big group I had, we tried the following items - toronto tomahawk steak - chicken Cobb salad - mussels - tagliatelle Our favourite item was the tomahawk steak, highly reccomended in big groups, 4 to 5! Its a 56 Oz Canadian prime tomahawk with grilled corn salad. The steak was fantastic as it was dry aged and cooked very well to medium (showing a warm, thick band of hot pink). The corn salad was an excellent pairing as well. For the rest of the dishes, they all tasted great but the portion sizes were noticeably smaller compared to other restaurants I been to. Overall, this restaurant has a lovely / relaxing atmosphere and beautiful decor decor. Service was awesome as well. Worth checking out if u want a fine dining experience in Distillery District.

This French restaurant in the historic Distillery District in Toronto Ontario Canada has a Parisian…read morebistro atmosphere with modern French cuisine. The sprawling bistro atmosphere with vaulted ceilings offers both indoor and outdoor seating. Only a few tables seated for a Monday lunch. I had the French Onion Soup $21, and we shared the Caesar Salad $21, Bread Basket $13 and Crab and Shrimp Dip $27. Everything was delicious. The price is a bit high for the bread basket. It should be half that or complimentary. Service was friendly and efficient.

Café Renée had been on our list for quite a while, so we were excited to finally visit for a…read moreweekend brunch. The restaurant is cozy and charming; although it was too hot to sit on the patio, we enjoyed the indoor lounge atmosphere. We ordered the "French Toast", "Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers", and the "Benedict Royal". The eggs and Benedict were good, but the French toast was disappointing. It looked very different from the photos we had seen on Google Maps and the Instagram page. It came with only 3 banana slices, no blueberries at all, and a large amount of salted butter. Even after adding plenty of maple syrup, it still tasted too salty. We were expecting more based on the reviews and photos, so the brunch experience didn't quite live up to our expectations.

I've seen mixed reviews so I was a little nervous going into the restaurant but it ended up being…read moredelicious. I was able to catch the tail end of happy hour and ordered the frites and burger. The burger was mid and the bun came out burnt. Outside of the happy hour menu, I got the signature ravioli which I thought lived up to the hype. My friend and I were seated at the bar so there wasn't a lot of room to hang up our coats. However, I really enjoyed the natural light at the back of the restaurant.

Scaramouche was the first fancy restaurant I dined at 20 years ago. I'm not sure why I waited this…read morelong to revisit. The food was exquisite then and still is! We came to celebrate a friend birthday. It's nice to dress up and go out and enjoy a wonderful dining experience. The service is just impeccable. They are so attentive and really provide that white glove service. We shared the bread with hummus and I got the Romaine Hearts to start as well. I'm so disappointed that I didn't capture a picture of them. The bread was fresh and warm and paired nicely with the hummus. I really enjoyed the deconstructed Romaine Hearts - Caesar dressing, chopped egg(I removed the chopped egg), Parmesan, & toasted bread crumbs. I really enjoyed the presentation and the toasted bread crumbs. For my main my friend and I order the Halibut and my other friend got the gnocchi. Both were just delish! The gnocchi were just pillowy and soft with Maitake mushrooms, wild garlic leaves, peas, porcini cream sauce, and Parmesan crumble. The halibut was cooked to perfection. I really loved the flavour and the bacon added that saltiness you wanted to balance out the rich fish beurre fondue, sherry vinegar and veal jus reduction. I really wanted to order the coconut cream pie which they are famous for but we brought in a cake for her birthday. There is a cake cutting fee, but they did nicely cut and plated the dessert which was a nice touch. Overall, it was a wonderful dining experience and I will not be waiting another 20 years to return!

We had made reservations for a Monday evening. We were seated on the upper level with a view of the…read moreToronto skyline. It was a perfect table. Food 4/5 Service 5/5 Ambience 5/5 We all ordered from the Lobsterlicious menu: Starters: Lobster Bisque, Fried Calamari Main: Lobster Risotto, Butter Poached Lobster, Grilled Lobster Dessert: Coconut Cream Pie, Sticky Toffee Pudding with Tahitian ice-cream Cocktails, Beer We had a great evening and I will return. The service is impeccable and attentive. From our arrival at the valet parking to the service during dining and back to retrieve our vehicle. I highly recommend making reservations. It was busy even on a Monday. The restaurant is located on the lower floor of a condominium building accessed by an elevator or a staircase. The complimentary coat check is at the entry of the upper stairs. This restaurant definitely qualifies for a date night or special occasions.

I stopped by Frenchy for lunch with some coworkers on a weekday afternoon and had a really pleasant…read moreexperience. The restaurant is located right in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel in the Financial District, which also made it wheelchair accessable. It wasn't very busy when we arrived, so we were seated right away. The restaurant has a modern French atmosphere with comfy seating, and our server was extremely accommodating, attentive, and friendly. We opted for the lunch prix fixe menu, which offers any two courses for $35. Since we couldn't decide between an appetizer or dessert to go with our main, we were able to add the third course for just $10 more. I started with the mushroom soup, which was super delicious and gluten-free. For my main, I ordered the crispy salmon, which I found to be just okay. The salmon had a bit of a fishy smell when it arrived at the table, which was slightly off-putting, and it was also a tiny bit dry. That said, the dish was otherwise good. For dessert, I had the chocolate mousse, which wasn't overly rich and was a nice way to finish the meal.

The hubby and I decided to wander over for a slow lunch one Sunday afternoon…read more It was surprisingly nice for a restaurant in the middle of the hotel lobby. They actually have a good selection of champagnes, and our server was knowledgeable. We had a lovely salad, and tried their two tartare options. I can't say that the either of the tatare were good - the quality was ok I suppose, but a lot of people working in kitchens seem to have forgotten what a tartar should taste or feel like.... The frites were fine, and the server surprised us with a welcome to Toronto dessert (we had just moved back). Overall, I would come back for a bottle of champagne and try different items from their menu.

Came for a summerlicious date night! It's literally just above the Go Station so definitely just…read moretake the Go if you're coming from out of town. Sooo easy to get here! It's like a baby Aloette. Small location in a fancy looking eatery. The tuna tartare and steak tartare were delicious. The tuna one had like a tomatoe/ strawberry relish mix which made it incredibly refreshing with a little kick. It was a very light dish. The steak version was really well seasoned and so good with the toasted bread - still light but a bit more on the savoury side. I had the angolotti pasta with snap peas and peas. It was a bit heavy and creamy with the ricotta filling, but delicious. Really enjoyed the green sauce. My partner had the truffle burger which was quite literally a burger on a plate - no sides. It was really heavy with the cheese and oils. I couldn't really enjoy it but he seemed to like it. Meat was definitely juicy! We ordered a side of truffle fries which I think lacked truffle flavour, but were delicious anyway. It came with a light aoli and they were similar to frites. Soo good! 100% would recommend it. For dessert, we had the strawberry pavlova and lemon meringue pie. The pavlova was too sweet and the pie was quite sour. So funnily enough, mixing the two was perfect. Service was very friendly and I feel like I'd love popping by for a quite bite of appetizers if I were ever in the area again. This definitely makes me want to try the larger Aloette location now!

We visited Aloette Bay on a Friday night and made a reservation in advance. The restaurant has a…read moremodern, casual atmosphere and is relatively small, so reservations are recommended. One thing that seemed off to us was the reservation policy. When booking through OpenTable, a credit card is required, and there is a $25 per person charge for no-shows, cancellations within 48 hours, or even guest count reductions made within that time frame, which felt a bit strict for a casual dining restaurant. The restaurant officially closes at 9 p.m., but they accept reservations until around 8:15 p.m., continue taking orders after that, and allow guests to stay and finish their food and drinks at a relaxed pace. The menu is simple and approachable, with appetizers, shareables, mains, cocktails, and a selection of red, white, and sparkling wines. The food was good, the service was friendly, and everything was enjoyable, but nothing felt particularly extraordinary. One thing worth mentioning is that the restaurant's popular cheese-topped bread, which was previously complimentary at the original Aloette location, is now offered as a menu item at the Bay location for an additional charge.

Stopped by on a Sunday night, hoping to find a table without a reservation. It's a rather small…read morespot, but we were lucky and were able to get a table. The standout of the meal was the service. They have a really great team that works very well together and made our dinner fantastic. We had the calamari to start and then split the cheeseburger as our main and got a side of the grilled greens. I wish the calamari had a little bit more flavour or more spice, but it was still very nice. The burger was really good and the fries were amazing. I would come back for the fries alone. As for the grilled greens, I really enjoyed them but the person who I ate with didn't. It all comes down to preferences. I would recommend this place

We love going for happy hour 3-6pm because they have $2 oysters, they're great. I've also had the…read moreburger a few times, definitely on the salty side. I also wish they have more options on the dinner menu because I like the vibe and their patio but find it tough to order anything except for the 2 items mentioned above. Also. The happy hour beef isn't really a cheap price ($10), but I do enjoy having the well priced oysters.