Our new favourite restaurant in Toronto! The hubby took me there for my birthday because I had been dying to go. We got the $80 carte blanche with a bottle of champagne and everything was absolutely delectable. We were immediately transported back to France with the flavours and cooking techniques, save the service which was impeccable! Such attentive and knowledgeable servers; it made the whole experience nothing short of perfect. read more

Pretentious. Reslly poor service- we waited 2 hours for our meal without a word from our server. And the food is really not that great. I've had way tastier food from a diner. My advice- don't bother coming here. read more

Overall very disappointing. Food was incredibly salty and did not live up to the hype. Maybe the chef was having a bad night, but everyone at our table agreed that overall the meal was disappointing especially given the price. We each paid $125 for a meal that was bland and over salted (we did not order wine or any expensive drinks, that was just the cost of food and single beer). Ambiance was very nice, but if we wanted a cool spot to hang out and have overpriced drinks there are better options in the city. Would not recommend. read more

Truly exceptional dining experience, atmosphere, service, and food quality/presentation. My dear friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening at La Banane. The decor in stunning, the staff are pleasant, attentive - but not overly so, and very accommodating. We ordered the shrimp cocktail, omelette, duck, and the outrageously gorgeous and delicious Ziggy Stardust Disco Egg for dessert. Zero complaints. Every single bite was delicious. Will definitely be going back. read more

Our favourite dishes: scallops, flat iron with yummy gratin, and confit. We also shared the CXBO chocolate egg which now contains 7 truffles, scattering of dried cherries and aerated chocolate chunks! read more

La Banane - French Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Had a great meal here. Dirty Martinis were awesome. Great seafood. And the Banana cake....awemazing!

Great restaurant. Excellent service. Very pricey. They upsold us on almost everything and didn't warn us how much more expensive all the selections they suggested were. The food was incredible. More of a once in a lifetime kind of meal. read more

Good food...but nothing exceptional or notable that would make someone absolutely want to return. Service...a hit and miss. Some servers were great...others lacking in basic service like filling water glasses and topping up wine. read more

Excellent food and even better service. After fitting us in last minute, the hostess was able to move us from the lively bar area to a quieter table - very helpful since my dad has a hard time hearing, and it was his birthday. Our knowledgeable waiter helped us pick a great bottle (from niagara but old world) and he was genuinely friendly and attentive. As for food, it merits a 5-star review on its own. Oysters and shrimp to start were very fresh, the fried chicken was a standout, steak au poivre was cooked perfectly. Dessert isn't to be missed, especially the banana and caramel. This restaurant came highly recommended by a friend, and totally lived up to his glowing review. Thank you, La Banane! read more

We have been going a lot lately to these new and hip restaurants on Ossington. This one is a french style restaurant with superb presentation and dishes like duck confit, waigu steak, eurobass - all three of which were done well, eurobass in particular came in a inedible salty dough platter, which was interesting, texture of the fish is similar to a tilapia. Crab cake app was delicious, but the raw scallop was not, slimy nothingness in the mouth with a sauce that was overpowering. Seared is still the best way to have these or maybe in a ceviche. The fried bread slices was another you-cannot-eat-just-one type of item, and was hard not to fill up on those, while the duck fat fried pretzels did not taste anything special. Foie gras was a good to share appetizer as well. Ambiance was busy and modern, and wait for people without reservation on the weekend was 30 to 45 mins if not more. Service was excellent. I would definitely pay a visit if in the mood for French food. Ran $200 per couple wine included. read more

One word: impeccable (that's the french spelling). Gorgeous setting, great lighting and not one but TWO servers, working in teams. What an innovation! We went a bit wild and tried something from every course on the menu; oysters and crab with Cremant for starters, omelette smothered with caviar came next, then selection of mains and sides which we were all compelled to share. The sea bass was incredible, and the steak tenderloin (done rare) was such a hit that we ordered another for dessert, followed by an actual dessert course with digestifs. All in all, a perfect meal, and one of the top restaurant experiences I've had an ages! read more

I love this restaurant. It is a wonderful place to have a nice dinner and a little too much to drink. We were there with a large group of 8 people, and it couldn't have been better. We started off with salted pretzels with mustard, chicken liver pâté followed by a shrimp cocktail, then albacore with capers, dill and brown butter. We had a little break after that to catch our breath and smoke a joint outside, and when we came back in there was even more food. Eurobass en croute with a tasty yuzu sauce, then some duck... I can't really remember everything but I think that's it. For dessert we had one of the famous disco eggs. They made a special one for a friend who was visiting out of town and it was so nice. After that, cheese and sweet vermouth and more chocolate. Oh yeah, we had wine pairings with every course, too, and champagne at the beginning. Outstanding food and service. Go to La Banane. read more

Given all the glowing reviews and Brandon Olsen's impressive portfolio, we were excited to try La Banane. Perhaps the expectations were a bit too much to live up to. The decor was very nice, although as another reviewer noted, there are two distinct sections of the restaurant, one of which is decidedly more trendy than the other. We started with the scallops marinated in garlic buttermilk and drizzled with herb oil ($22). The texture was nice, but the sauce was a bit overpowering. We also ordered the infamous eurobass en croute, but were informed that the kitchen had run out of them and was in the process of making more. The waitress asked us if we wanted to wait so I asked if they had an approximate time. When she came back, she repeated that it would take a while and asked if we wanted to order something else. While the service was courteous, it was a bit off-putting to not get some sort of time estimate, and it felt as if we were being asked to kindly reconsider our menu choice. Instead, we opted for the crab back gratin ($35), a mix of crab meat, bomba rice, and comté cheese served in a crab back and baked. This was described as a sort of risotto, and came with a good amount of crab meat and a small side of frisée salad. The gratin was tasty, and the mixture of ingredients was very savoury. In contrast, the frisée tasted like it was doused in lemon juice or vinegar as it was far too sour. The last dish we had was the calf-brain ravioli ($22), which was good but unremarkable. The eurobass was indeed popular, as both tables beside ours ended up receiving theirs and mentioned that the beurre blanc was too salty. Overall, La Banane was underwhelming. Seasoning was rather aggressive throughout. While the food quality was not bad, at this price point "not bad" is not good enough. read more

I came here for a work dinner in the fall of 2017. My bosses called ahead and let them know that one vegan (i.e. myself) would be part of the group, and made sure I would be taken care of. I was blown away with the options I was served! I honestly cannot remember what each dish was, but the servers quickly knew who I was so that they could bring me the dishes and explain what each one was. They were all super helpful, friendly, and really cared about me having a good experience. I am grateful to all the staff and the chefs who contributed to that evening. If you're a vegan and find yourself having to go to La Banane for an event, do not hesitate to call ahead and let them know. They will take total care of you. Thank you so much! read more

Start to finish wonderful experience. A+ from the service to the food. Even let us sit down at the bar when we came a bit early before our reso. Beautiful restaurant. read more

Overpriced and overrated but still mostly decent. I initially went here to try the chocolate egg and went for dinner with a friend. She had the omelette which she said was good but not great. I had the fried chicken, also good but not great. The chocolate egg was really great but really expensive for the minimal amount you get. read more

I came to La Banane with high hopes. The eurobass en croute was popping up all over instagram, as was the "disco egg", and the reviews were all strong. The space itself has a nice retro cool vibe to it, and we were seated at a great table. The service was solid, and we ordered the beautifully presented eurobass. Unfortunately, even beyond the skin, the fish was very salty, and there certainly wasn't enough of it for two people to share without needing to order a whole lot more food (note - I have a relatively small appetite). The pommes aligot were delicious - rich, flavourful, and a nice complement to the lightness of the fish. The disco egg, unfortunately, ended up being a non-starter, as the flavours of truffles contained therein were, well, kind of unappealing. I suspect that traditional flavours like plain chocolate, caramel, or even something like champagne, are considered a little too unexciting, but black pepper and sake just don't work for the less adventurous amongst us. We opted instead for an apple tart with sweet corn ice cream that was really good, but were looking with envy as others cracked open their disco eggs. We gave La Banane another chance with some friends of ours, but this time we tried the duck breast, which turned out to be very chewy and unpleasant. After two misses in a row, we have given up, which is too bad, because it seemed to have so much potential. I realize that it remains very popular with others, but it just wasn't a good match for us. read more

Came here for my birthday and it was a nice meal. First off, the cocktails were great - I loved the Pimm's cup. The starters were the stars here. The raw scallop appetizer was by far my favourite dish. We also had the tuna appetizer, described by our server as bomb, and it was incredible. The foie was delicious and accompanied by some jammy fruit and lovely buttery bread. We also had the crab dish, eurobass baked in salted dough and pommes Aligot side. Mains seemed overwhelmingly salty across the board. Finished off with the Ziggy Stardust egg and it was a real treat. Beautiful to look at, fun to break open and delicious to eat! Definitely on the pricier side, but a nice place for a special occasion. read more

one of the best new restaurants in toronto - a definite must. we had the oysters, albacore tuna, lobster sweatbread (special), eurobass and disco egg for desert. the entire experience from wait staff, atmosphere and culinary experience was superb. All of the dishes were worthy of ordering again, but specifically the euro bass is a must try. we will definitely be returning to this restaurant. read more

Great spot for a special occasion particularly for the seafood lover. Scallops are a must, mussels and sea bass were all great. The cocktails were diverse and service was prompt. The atmosphere is fairly casual and loud - great for a birthday date. read more

First rate food and service. One of the best restaurants in Toronto, hands down. I look forward to returning again and again.

We had a really lovely dinner here. Beautiful, classy modern French bistro interior. We started with the seafood petit plateau (which was grande). The oysters, crab, mussels, and scallops were as fresh as it gets in TO, just excellent, and our other mains (sweetbreads and the crab gratine) were equally delicious. The chocolate egg is not to be missed. Service was friendly and attentive. We look forward to going back and exploring the rest of the menu! read more

Get the tuna and the fish with the salt crust and raw bar. Do not get liver and onions my stomach is flipping! Also skip the disco egg, it's gorgeous but $50.00 worth or a rip off! read more

We were really looking forward to our evening at La Banane based on the reviews. The actual experience, not so much. They pitch the restaurant as French but there is zero "French" ambiance - the music is an annoying loop of techno-pop, the white linen table clothes are topped 100% with a piece of white paper that curls up and catches your shirt cuffs every time you move you arms and feels unpleasant against your skin (OK at a roadhouse, I suppose, but not here), no Chablis on the by-the-glass list, just a ho-hum Chardonnay ($18 for 5 oz.), loud-loud-loud, especially as you venture further into the room, which actually feels like 2 rooms. On a positive note - the eurobass was amazing, as were the oysters. End of positive note. Stay away from the duck - like chewing on the sole of your shoe. The service was inconsistent - as it got busier, the service went south. In spite of me pleading with my wife to complain about the tough duck breast, she wouldn't (our "bad"), so I had hoped that our server would notice that my wife's meal was still sitting half uneaten on her plate...but it was the "not quite a full-server, more like an upscale bus person" who cleared, and she pointedly ignored the load of inedible food. It was so noisy near the end of our visit (approx. 8:30 pm) that we were actually not just raising our voices, but low-level yelling at each other across a table for 2. read more

Food is pretty good and front desk staff terrific but service is lacking. This is our second time there and the first time (February) was much better. Not sure we'd rush back. Oysters were very good, drinks great, nice wine, good salads and, overall, good food. This time around though, we waited 1.5 hours for our second course (after oysters and salads) and were never asked if we wanted a second glass of wine. Our server was absent at best and when we placed our order he advised us "great choice, that's my favourite". He also advised all of the tables around us of the same! I really don't need our server telling me what his favourite dish is but I do need him to be present and on the ball with service. My review is only "a-ok" because of the service. Our 6:45 reservation got us out of there at 9:30 and we told him we were in rush when ordered dessert just to get out of there. Not sure I'd rush back. read more

La Banane was highly recommended by a friend, and it did not disappoint! I was looking forward to the seafood and trying other dishes. But, I was really on a mission to get the Ziggy Stardust Disco Egg :) That was the highlight of the meal. I didn't read beforehand, what it was made of and what was in it, as I love surprises. Cracking it open to a burst of chocolate truffles inside was everything! it also contained dried cherries and some other chocolatey goodness that resembled chunks of Aero chocolate. The price is steep at $50 for one dessert, but it was a lot of fun, great quality ingredients, it was artfully painted, and apparently each component was handmade and took three days to prepare. No two eggs are painted the same, so I am definitely going back for more. Let's get to the food. We ordered the petite plateaux, a 3 tiered platter of an assortment of seafood. The top tier contained sliced raw scallops in garlic buttermilk served on a scallop shell - the texture and flavour not a fave for me, but my date liked it. The second tier had Argentenian shrimp which was lovely and sweet. At the base are dungeness crab, Alaskan King Crab, lobster, lucky lime and strawberry point oysters, and marinated mussels. The dungeness, king crab, and lobster was just ok for me, a little on the dry side, but the mussels were plump and tasty, and the oysters were really fresh. The platter was accompanied by several sauces/dips: tarragon mayo, cocktail sauce, hot sauce, a mignonette, Crème fraîche, and butter. We also ordered sweetbreads and pommes aligot. FYI, sweetbread is a fish, which was smoked and served atop a shrimp and lobster sauce, which I found a little salty, but still good. The sweetbread had a nice light coating on the outside and soft on the inside. The pommes aligot is to die for; a rich, creamy potato puree with cheese, and it paired really well with the sweetbreads. This was a recommended pairing by the very polite and knowledgeable server. Every time a dish was brought out, the servers recited the ingredients, which was much appreciated. They had an extensive drink menu of which we tried the Charlie Chaplin (gin, apricot liquor and lime) and a couple of whiskies, Elijah Craig and Buffalo Trace. All were smooth and yummy. $300 later, we were left full and happy. Looking forward to another experience there. read more