Instant du Palais was absolutely delicious and completely satisfied my craving for African food. I ordered the grilled sea bass with a side of plantains and extra seasoned rice, and everything was packed with rich, comforting flavor. The fish was perfectly cooked, and the sides complemented it so well.The hot sauces were a standout, spicy but so flavourful. I was obsessed! The service was good and the ambiance was welcoming with thoughtful decor. Overall, it was a fantastic meal and exactly what I was looking for. I can't wait to be back! read more

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The exterior of the restaurant is cute, it stands out. It is pretty spacious inside, the washroom is located downstairs. The staff were friendly but service was a bit on the slower side. The food didn't feel fresh, the rice was hard and dry. I heard the microwave go off a handle of times, a bit concerning. read more

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I am ashamed to admit that I have not tried much African cuisine (OK, except for Ethiopian, have never tried African cuisine) but as this restaurant is located fairly close to me, came for a visit. To be honest, my first impression was not all that positive as the place is quite small, the service was very slow (took 3 tries to get our orders taken), and there was a fly buzzing around which seemed to be rather attached to me (the feeling was not mutual). But then the food arrived and... The grilled fish!!! It was @&:!:!,'!:&/@ (keyboard smashingly) fantastic. The meat was incredibly tender and the sauce it was topped with (a mixture of onions and tomatoes and something else a little acidic) made it absolutely exquisite. Note that they do serve the entire fish, with its head, eyes, and bones intact. Well, towards the end I had all but abandoned my fork to use my hands to get every last morsel off the bones. In my opinion, the best part of the fish was the neck area - the crispy skin and the soft meat underneath was just perfect. As a side, I chose the cassava couscous which had a taste in between the traditional couscous and white rice. Good, but not something that stood out. I also tried some plantains off my friend's plate and much preferred that. The interior is pretty minimalistic with an attempt at authentic decor. The service was friendly enough but not the most effective. Pricing is a bit of a mixed bag - $33 for a whole fish is a deal, but some of the other dishes like the peanut stew or vegan thieb don't seem to be worth it. Not a price point we can afford for an everyday visit, but perhaps for a special occasion. Tomorrow is the weekend, which is a special occasion, right? :D read more

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Absolutely loved the food at instant du palais. We went for foutou day and the food did not disappoint. La sauce arachide était délicieuse!! read more

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After being unable to get a seat at another restaurant, I stumbled upon this gem--and I'm so glad I did. This cozy spot served some of best African cuisine I've tried before. I tried the Idp signature cocktail and the Choucouya de chèvre (goat meat) with seasoned rice, and it was absolutely delicious. My friend thoroughly enjoyed his grilled seabass as well. I highly recommend giving this place a try--you won't be disappointed! read more

Instant du Palais - Idp signature - African Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I've been on the toilet ever since. And it was expensive. The women's bathroom was out of order. And a can of Sprite, literally served as a can of Sprite, was $4.50. All that being said, the dish I had, Peanut Stew, was delicious. Though I had to order chicken to it, otherwise it's just a vegan stew, for $30! Instant du Toilet read more

When it comes to African restaurants in Toronto, there are many more East African (e.g. Ethiopian, Somali) restaurants than West African ones. So it was a delight that Instant du Palais opened in the city, and conveniently located on Mount Pleasant Road. In terms of West and Central African cuisines, I've had Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Congolese food before, but this was my first time trying Ivorian food. The owner said that Instant du Palais is the FIRST Ivorian restaurant that opened in Toronto. When we went, they had only been open for 3 months. The interior was bright with minimal decorations (except for 2 paintings on the wall), and very quiet. We were the only patrons eating there. Service was VERY friendly (loved chatting with the owner / person who served us), and food came out quick. The menu (which came as QR codes that you have to scan with your mobile phone) was fairly small with a couple of main dishes and appetizers, so it was easy to choose. Everything came in pretty big / right-sized portion (each main dish was enough for a filling meal for one person). Thanks to Côte d'Ivoire's location right by the ocean, their cuisine is abundant with fish and they do fish very well here (in various different ways!). Dishes that we tried: 1) Poisson Braisé / Grilled Tilapia Fish with attiéké (cassava couscous), tomatoes, and onion - It was my first time trying attiéké (cassava couscous) and I LOVED it! It looked like regular wheat couscous or rice, but tasted nothing like it. It was denser and stickier in terms of texture, and tasted just like dense shaved cassava (but more 'together', not crumbly like the regular semolina (wheat) or Moroccan couscous). The grilled fish was also very soft, tender, and delicious x100. 2) Garba (fried tuna, tomato, onions, peppers, served with attiéké (cassava couscous) - I wanted to try this because Garba is commonly known as "the king of street food in Côte d'Ivoire". The fried tuna was very dense and tasty, and went really well with the attiéké (which is now probably one of my favourite carb sides of all time). 3) Vegan Thieboudienne ("Thieb" for short) (seasoned rice with cabbage, eggplant, carrots, cassava, and lime - cooked in a tomato & onion base in a pot) - Very flavourful, and we wished that there was more of the cabbage & other vegs, as well as the stew / sauce it came with, to help moisten the rice and other sides. The seasoned rice reminded me of the Nigerian jollof rice (in terms of texture), but more brown in colour and had a different taste profile. Overall, the dining experience (service, speed of cooking and serving) and food (taste, portion, quality) exceeded my expectations. I hope this restaurant thrives and more people get to know West African (especially Ivorian) cuisine more. It has a lot of potential! read more

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instantdupalais.com Instant du Palais, new restaurant on mount pleasant - it's more for special events like celebrating than a family meal. It's pricey for the small servings you get but tasty. Service was slow (even getting the bill took some time because they couldn't get the payment machine ready so we had to pay by cash) and the food needed a lot of time to prepare, so we were really hungry by the time that we were finally served. Others who arrived after us received their foods first. It's more on the quiet side, which is nice to hear conversations. Would recommend to them adding photos to their menu - they only have a digital scan menu, no paper menu, no photos aside from their Instagram page and their instagram food doesn't look the same (bento box) as the food we received. @instantdupalais read more

Instant du Palais - several plates of food on a table - African Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Food was fantastic. Service was beyond expectations! The owner/cook/waitress is really amazing. The ambiance was what you would expect in an Ivorian temple of cuisine. Music was just loud enough for you to hear but not so loud that you can't have a conversation. We will be back. read more

Mainly an Ivorian restaurant but with some dishes from other West African cuisines as well. Food was delicious and they didn't skimp on the spices and flavor. Be careful with the pepper sauce they serve on the side if you are sensitive to heat though! There are some vegan friendly dishes and non-alcoholic drinks on the menu which I appreciated. Highly recommend if you are in Toronto. read more