This is an elevated North American tavern. The building was built in 1910 with a wood-dominated vibe. It has since been renovated by the new owners, making it elegant, but keeping the same vibe. The restaurant serves pork chops, steaks, fish, and elevated comfort food. It can seat 130 diners. There is a wood fire grill in the open kitchen; yes i saw them stoking the fire with wood pieces. There is a large selection of signature cocktails, wines, and beers. The menu changes seasonally. Most of the mains are served solo; ie, not garnished. You would have to order shareable sides. The Pork Chop was recommended by the server as the most garnished, do I ordered that. We came there on 2025-06-19 to celebrate my Birthday Dinner. The food was amazing and worth returning to try more of the menu. They do have a kids menu too. We ordered the following: 1. Lychee Grapefruit Highball ($15). Soju, soho lychee, soda, grapefruit, Thai basil, NICE ice. 2. Macaroni & Cheese ($22). With aged cheddar. From kids menu. 3. French Fries ($10). Garlic mayonnaise. 4. Shrimp Toast ($22). BC side stripe shrimp, sesame, apple sweet & sour sauce. 5. Lasagna ($30). Beef bolognese, risotta bechemel, basil. 6. Pasture Raised Pork Chop ($34). 12 ounces, sherry, capers & mustard. 7. Crispy Brussel Sprouts ($12),. Sweet chili, sesame seeds. 8. Sticky Toffee Pudding with Ice Cream ($14). All the food was excellent, and worth the price. The NICE Ice is shipped in from a company that makes perfectly translucent ice. They boil it to be free of impurities, then put the boiled water into a mold to freeze. The Shrimp Toast was crunchy on the outside and the apple sweet & sour sauce was excellent. The Lasagna was great. Even my son loved it. The Pork Chop was perfectly cooked. There might have been 10% fat pieces and the charred bits were divine. The combination sherry and capers was a great idea. The Brussel Sprouts were not too bitter, and tasted great with the sweet chili sauce; it wasn't spicy. The Sticky Toffee Pudding was so moist. The amount toffee sauce was just right, and the vanilla ice cream was the perfect accompaniment. There is music playing in the background. There is a small private dining room downstairs. There is free WiFi. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible, but there is no door-open button. There are two male and two female and one gender-neutral family washroom, all downstairs, so they are not wheelchair accessible. There is paid and free neighbourhood street parking. There are three high chairs for little children. Review 2025-114 read more

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Maple Leaf Tavern is set in a beautiful old building. Both the bar side and the restaurant side are classy and elegantly designed. They have a nice curated menu, and the food was delicious. Great service. It's a bit more on the expensive side, but it's definitely more upscale and a nice treat. read more

$25 burger's a rip off. The manager claimed it was 8oz. BS. Not even as big as a McDonalds Quarter Pounder. See my picture... it's definitely NOT worth $25. Go across the street and get 3 Quarter Pounders from McD's and have money left over. read more

Maple Leaf Tavern - This is the burger Maple Leaf claims IS 8oz of ground beef. LIARS. Not even 4oz. SHAME MAPLE LEAF. Especially when you charge $25. SHAME. - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Can't say enough amazing things about this place. The food is nice pubby food but elevated. Flavours are crazy amazing read more

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Terrible service (Heather). Our waitress forgot to take our order - only to tell us the kitchen was closed. Food finally arrived, was decent - but very small portions. Almost laughable. Will not recommend or return. read more

Great food and atmosphere. Been here 2x now and overall I like the food and drinks. It's a nice addition to the neighbourhood. Bit pricey but worth it. I wanted to give this place 5 stars until 1 night, a table of 3 women were seated right next to our family and given complimentary food right in front of us when all they ordered were drinks. Thought that was kinda rude. Aside from that one off experience, I'd still go back hoping for more balanced service the next time. read more

Maple Leaf Tavern - Cavatelli, Instagram @fatnam_eats - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Bf and I came here to try the cheeseburger. They were default done to medium but we requested medium rare. His came out perfect and mine was definitely more on the rare side of things but luckily I didn't mind. If I were someone else, I might have sent it back. Burgers were good- not the best in Toronto by far. It was too simple I think and it could use another element- bacon, chutney, something. I think it was missing a sweetness that other burgers on my best burgers list have. Otherwise, the meat was high quality and juicy. Fries were good- kind of too salty. Bf ordered a Coke and it was a Mexican glass bottle coke that was $5.50 on the bill. Ooof. Probably wouldn't come back. read more

A good friend of mine from the left coast was having an overnight layover in Toronto before reaching home. The homeland to Germany to Toronto to Vancouver. What a flight schedule! Lucky for this YVR guy, he got to hang out with a few friends while stuck in T.O. So where to go? He was staying in Leslieville and his host wanted to go to Maple Leaf Tavern. I for one didn't mind the trek as I was coming in from the west. MLT is a great gastropub. It stands out on from the surrounding that are less than favourable and is located directly across from the McD of Gerrard Square. The fully renovated pub welcomes those people who has a bit of mileage on them with a vintage cigarette dispenser...oh the good old days where you did what you wanted to do without being told off by every government busy body. The place itself is warm and inviting but let's get down to what we really want to talk about. The food. Yes...it is good! Prices, I feel a bit high but the quality makes up for some of it. A popular item is their cheeseburger with fries - it was recommended to me and it was delicious. Other items on the table were cauliflower, fish cakes, something to do with pumpkins, other vegetarian items not on their regular menu and Caesar salad. Veggie-peeps be aware and a afraid, they don't just put bits of bacon on the Caesar Salad. They basically give you a whole thick cut strip of bacon and yes, it looked yummy. Mind you...there is an e.coli scare on romaine...hmmm.... All in all, food was really good. As expected, they have a good drink selection from ales to top shelf hard liners. Service was good and attentive, but somehow it seemed my order for Pinot Noir ended up being a Grigio...whatever. Monday night was a bit slow at MLT but from what I see, you should consider making reservations. I would love to try their brunch menu. Also, when they bring back their Kitchen Counter Series. Cheers! read more

Maple Leaf Tavern - OMG - Amazing cheeseburger and fries! - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

My beautiful partner and I had always wanted to try this place, but with covid, it's just been impossible. But this saturday we decided to hit the restaurant scene again and start with Maple leaf Tavern. Boy what a fantastic decision, the staff was fantastic, super sweet and friendly, our server was fantastic, she walked us through the menu, answered our questions and armed us with the right info to make the best choices. we started with the steak tartare, and that was absolutely delicious, perfectly seasoned, served rustically on a half bone with a side of toasted sourdough. We were also gifted a beautiful burrata from our wonderful server, like wow!! it was crazy delicious!!! for dinner My partner had their famous burger, she absolutely loved it, perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, excellent fries too. I chose the bavette steak which had a spectacular cook on it, absolutely perfect, this lovely deep char on the outside and a perfect medium-medium rare on the inside, super tender, it was served with these fantastic eggplant potato fondants, fried perfectly crisp. i loved it there, was a beautiful tavern, the food was a little upscale which i love, but overall it's a place you can dress up for, or pop in in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt too. very accessible, zero pretentiousness, just really great food in a great tavern with great staff. we will definitely be back! :) read more

Maple Leaf Tavern - Steak Tartare - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

My partner and I made our official return to the dine in scene last night; we chose Maple Leaf Tavern and I am glad we did. We started with the steak tartare. It was fantastic. Our awesome server surprised us with a second starter on the house. So we tried the barrata too which was very tasty. I had to try their cheeseburger because I had heard so much about it. I do not regret my decision! It was a smaller burger, but this beauty was a beast. It was delicious! I ordered it rare and they delivered. My partner got the Bavette steak with a side of truffle fries. We were both impressed with the grill of the meat. All in all, we had a great meal and we enjoyed ourself a lot. I will want to return soon! read more

This review is a little bit of a mixed bag for me, so it's actually slightly higher than what I would rate it based on my own experience and that is only because of the circumstances (so I'm bell-curving this a little) So my wife and I came here for Winterlicious 2020 and the menu did draw me to this place. Right off the bat, the location is pretty easy to access, parking is available on the road (pay and display) or at Gerrard Square across the street. The mood and setting of the place somewhat set up to be more intimate, mood lighting, darker atmosphere, smaller tables but there is a lot of them so it felt a bit cramped for me. The appetizers, drinks and complimentary dish and dessert all ate very well, but the main fell quite flat for us. We started off with the lamb and stout sausage and the grilled octopus. Both dishes were great to start, you can't go wrong here. The seasoning was very good. The octopus was tender and accentuated by the brights acidic notes of the vinaigrette. The Sausage was juicy, and hearty for a little thing. Loved both of these appetizers We also ordered some non-alcoholic cocktails with our meal. Apple Buck for me, and the Grapefruit Thyme & Soda for my wife. Both drinks were on the lighter more refreshing side, and I had wanted the Apple Buck at least to have more of a kick from the Ginger Beer. Overall both decent drinks, not much to complain about. The server brought us a complimentary dish a Cheddar Cheese Emulsion with Roasted Cauliflower. This emulsion was this foam with a slightly like powdered parmesan texture once the foam settles, delivering a very light but familiar flavour of cheddar. The cauliflower maintains its bite and the char adds a nice smokiness to the overall flavour. I had the Elk Cheeks for my main and my wife had the Chestnut Tagliatelle. The cheeks itself were a little more gelatinous, the rest of the flavours were alright but didn't enhance the overall dish in my opinion. The cabbage blended in and added texture but was a little tough and the large cuts made it hard to manipulate on the dish. I felt like the cheeks were braised to be tender enough but, hard to really tell. The Tagliatelle was a heavy, yet bland sort of situation. I had a hard time discerning the earthiness of the mushrooms compared to the chestnut puree or sauce. My wife was not able to finish the dish and I didn't like it enough to add more of that to my stomach. The sticky toffee pudding and the cheese course desserts were both a great finish to a relatively good meal. The sticky toffee pudding is a great balance between a light moist cake base, not too sweet toffee sauce, and whip cream to balance it out (I would have preferred an ice cream here but c'est la vie). The Cheese course was also good but not recommended for a person who is already full. They had a good selection of cheese and should consider exploring like a charcuterie option for the menu if they source their cheese so well. The mains were the letdown, but this could be the setting of Winterlicious, and it looked like the go-to dish for Winterlicious was the burger. I can see the potential because of the other dishes, so I was a bit torn. I'd rather give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt when the majority of the dishes came out tasty. So what should have been a 3 for the overall experience was bumped up to a 4. read more

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fantastic food and great atmosphere. also expensive. good for special occasions. recommend. read more

An excerpt from a longer review... "This was not your grandfather's tavern--ambiance, execution and taste were kicked up a notch. Take the whole Ontario burrata ($29), for example--a dish that was reason enough to visit. The generous portion of luscious cheese was made table-side with a drizzle of extra virgin canola oil, baco noir balsamic, Newfoundland sea salt and seasonal garnishes. Adornments of roasted turnips, delicate ribbons of raw butternut squash, zesty pesto and slivered almonds were aesthetically pleasing and also satisfied my tastebuds. High-quality burrata needs no adornment. One bite of the creamy cheese affirmed this..." read more

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Top notch Great atmosphere Great staff Great food/ menu/ wine list Nuff said Ok seats on the rail of the pope kitchen and then Watch and learn how great plates of food are built I don't give 5 stars liberally read more

We had an amazing dinner when we dipped in last night for a bite. Our server was amazing and she recommended some great dishes. The Sicilian what wine was delicious, great steak tartare and i watched my friends battle over the last bites of the braised beef pie - fun night! read more

Food is very tasty, portions a bit small, staff is friendly, beer is cold. A bit pricey but worth it for a night out. Welcome addition to the neighbourhood, a huge improvement from the old taproom. read more

Stop by here on the bar crawl, so can't speak to any food quality. It was not too late on a Friday night but for some reason it was pretty empty...not sure if they were close to closing, but the staff was really nice when we asked if we could get a drink. So we got our drinks and drank them and left after a bit. It has been re-vamped (never went before so can't say how it looked), but now it looks pretty upscale...someone mentioned it kinda had that Keg feeling, and I agree! I think I'd love to try their brunch. Seems from other reviewers that the food is pretty good (pricey, but good). Looks like another trip here is in order read more

take out online works well, said 20 min/took 20 min ordered burger/fries; decent price $20 (not tipping for take out) fries were beyond over salted, plus they don't give you a napkin (not even one??). Fingers were greasy/salt covered. Outside burger was fine, inside was too pink/not even hot.... Bad vibe looking in the middle of that thing, really wanted to try this place and like this place. Bad fries and uncooked burger; bad combo... interior is nice! read more

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Excellent meal for two on a rainy Friday evening. The chef added a complimentary savoury side of warm brussel sprout salad to our Canadian sourced trout & cod. Adequate portion sizes and cozy spot makes an intimate Friday Fish fry for two an easy meal. Enjoy local! read more

Maple Leaf Tavern - Friday Fish Night - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I'd never been to Maple Leaf Tavern before its most recent renovation. Built in 1910, the space has a storied history behind it...and was once apparently a brawler bar full of rough-and-tough types. I don't know much more about its former life, but today, this is a stylish restaurant with an eye-catching central bar, open-concept kitchen and elegant old-school vibe. I opted for the whole sea bream, cooked on a wood-burning grill, and served with fresh lemon, quality sea salt and a boat of buttery beurre blanc. Delish. On the side I went for the hasselback potatoes, which were super tender and served with addictively rich truffle sauce topped with chilled fois gras. Outstanding! For dessert, the sticky toffee pudding, with caramelized white chocolate, birch syrup (a delicious, complex alternative to maple) and vanilla cream was so good I almost licked the plate clean. Service was also stellar. Definitely a solid bet for a nice meal in the east end! read more

I LOVE Maple Leaf Tavern. I have enjoyed this establishment three times now and I can't get enough and can't wait to go back. Location: Gerard East - just east of China Town, just west of Little India, just across the street from G-mall. It's an odd location but it makes for plenty of cheap parking. It's a location that seems more fitting to the original MLT when it was a dive bar. My impression when I first walked in was "warm and comfortable." Off the top of my head there is nothing that stands out with the decor, certainly nothing that is following any trends. Lots of dark wood, simple/classic/elegant design. They have booths, traditional tables or you could sit at the bar quite comfortably. The staff are laid back yet attentive and knowledgeable. Based on the food and drink menu, I would qualify MLT as fine dining but there is zero pretentiousness. I feel right at home in jeans. THE FOOD Over my three visits, I have enjoyed: Shrimp Cocktail as a starter (it's the fire roasted seafood sauce...) Striploin - cooked and seasoned to perfection Wagyu Flatiron - as above Cauliflower - the sauce, oh the sauce Hasselback Potatoes - with truffle butter and they shave chilled foie gras at the table. Mind-meltingly good. The price is fair but just high enough to keep me from becoming a bar-fly and for that I am grateful. If you haven't tried MLT yet, I highly recommend that you give it a try, can't imagine you'll be disappointed. read more

Summerlicious with my aunt. She said. 'We're going to Maple Leaf Tavern; their cheeseburger will change your life.' Who can argue with that? Easy to find, across the street from Gerrard Square(free parking, yay!), it stood out in this neighbourhood. Located in an older part of town, Maple Leaf's bold exterior catches your eye. The dark wood covering the front, goes right through the interior creating a luxurious, yet still pub-like atmosphere. The kitchen is completely open, so you can even sit at the counter to watch all of the action. Even though it was a full house, the Chef and kitchen staff all appeared calm and focused. The first course started with salads, I had the Little Gem Salad and my Chef Aunt chose the Caesar Salad. She has been there before, so she knew it was a mean salad. Large romaine leaves tossed in anchovy dressing, sprinkled with parm and topped with a slice of grilled bacon. It tasted as good as it looked! My Little Gem salad had large leaves with a variety of picked veggies. So tasty! The main course was the whole reason we went there: MLT Cheeseburger. My Aunt said everything is made in house, from the bun to the grounding of the beef. This IS a life changing burger! The beef was cooked medium and was juicy and bursting with flavour. The cheese and bun were on point. My favourite part was the housemade relish. If I had this at home, I'd never put ketchup on a burger again! Like my Aunt said, it's good because they don't mess with it. It's not processed or imported; farm-to-table is clearly the way to go! After all of that deliciousness, we kept dessert simple...ice cream and sorbet. The service was phenomenal. Jeremy knew his stuff and the way he described beer and wine was perfection. We were both pleased with his suggestions. Great beer and wine selection too! I've already got a craving for that cheeseburger...oh darn...looks like I'll have to go back! read more

Came here for a bday party. Easy online reservations. Accommodates kids. You can request a high chair. They provide crayons and paper for them. Modern but cozy Ambience. I don't even remember hearing music, which was good because we could actually hear each other. Very busy on a sat evening. We ordered: Bread and butter - $6 - not necessary worth it, but some of the bread was soft and flavourful. Some was a bit hard for my liking. Two kinds of bread. - B Lasagna: $23 - very different from traditional lasagna. Crunchy on the outside with grounded veal, tiny mushrooms, and tomato sauce. It was not too salty and just the right amount of tomato sauce. I liked it. Salad was a nice touch. Beware, portion is a bit on the small size, but I was very full after my meal. A Cup of punch - $10 - very interesting. Literally punch in a cup. It was pretty strong. A bit sour. Impressive presentation, but nothing too special in terms of drink itself. B Toffee pudding - $10 - delicious! Warm and soft. We asked the waiter to bring a piece of dessert with a candle on the notes. They remembered and it was sweet. FYI: this is not comped. A Service was awesome! Our waiter was very sweet and handled all our demands. They have a kids menu as well. Good for groups! Only side street parking available. read more

Maple Leaf Tavern - Lasagna and salad $23 - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Toronto Life put this restaurant as one of the best openers last year and I had to try it out to see what the fuss was about. The menu seemed approachable without a hefty chef menu price tag and it suited a nice casual time out. It is an unusual part of Toronto... just on the outskirts of Chinatown East. As you approach it, you can tell much love has gone into the restoration of it as it looks quite out of place from the surrounding areas. I will say that if you're ever in this part of town, enjoy a good meal at this upscale gastro pub. It might not be a destination meal for me but I would return to this every time I'm in the area. We arrived early to the restaurant and just as it was setting, the amount of light filtering into the restaurant was really nice. The restaurant is nicely done up ... definitely upscale but still quite a comfortable pub. I really enjoyed sitting on the banquette as they were very comfortable. We had lots of room to enjoy our meal without having our neighbouring table too close. The menu was simple and yet enticing that it was very hard to choose. We ended up choosing several items and nothing disappointed In house spicy pickles (so good), green salad (with again.. pickled veg and shaved crisp vegetables. A solid salad), their daily vegetarian offering (This I loved... as someone who loves vegetables, the variety of textures and flavours was sooo good. Loved the rapini, crisped potato, perfectly cooked egg...), and striploin perfectly cooked to order and very very well priced (8 oz for $24!). We also got a very dull looking but incredibly flavourful peanut and chocolate mousse dessert. It had brownie pieces and PB rice crispy squares inside it... fun dessert. The prices definitely make it upscale but the service level and also food quality was well worth it. I think they did a great job with the renovations and a great menu. I would recommend to try this place any time you're in the east side! read more

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This little restaurant is such a gem. It looks almost misplaced in the neighbourhood that it's in, but it's definitely worth a trek. Me and some friends came here for their Winterlicious menu. From the moment we walked in, the customer service was impeccable! You could tell that Winterlicious had them busy, so as we waited we were offered drinks and escorted to watch the kitchen. Staff were extremely pleasant and personable! As for the food, I got the sausage to start, burger as the main, and toffee pudding for dessert. The sausage was to die for, and that's coming from someone who doesn't even typically like pork! The burger was very juicy, but nothing too special. Now the dessert-- that was the winner! I would probably go back just to get it! It's a toffee cake with maple and toffee toppings, very delicious. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because the wait between courses was quite long. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it was because of the overwhelming traffic from Winterlicious connoisseurs, so if you are crunched for time, just be mindful of that. Overall, this little restaurant is definitely top-notch and I can see myself coming here with friends if I am ever in the area... Or maybe even if I'm not for that dessert!! read more

Maple Leaf Tavern - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We loved this place! A total hidden gem. The burger is easily the best in the city. Cooked perfectly with a fresh bun, mustard pickles and onions. It's the best burger I've had. The bread and scones are all fresh baked in the kitchen, so we got some to go and they were delicious. Love the outdoor seating area and renovated space indoors. My only complaint was a Diet Coke is $5 for a slim highball, so order waters! The bill wasn't too bad ($67) for an appetizer, two mains and scones to go. We will definitely be back! read more

Place: such a fancy tavern with a lot of character. The owner was adamant about not having any TVs in the place because he wanted to encourage people to socialize and communicate without any distraction. Drinks: amazing selection with quality ingredients. All the mixers used are made from scratch and anything put into the drinks are of high quality. Watching the drinks being made is part of the fun! They are crafted with so much care and presented beautifully. Also, the Manhattan here is so popular here they actually have it on tap! My favourite of the night is actually the Planter's Punch served in an adorable tea cup! It's light, fruity and deadly. Food: they pride themselves on making everything from scratch here and using quality ingredients. The cheeseburger here is made with a thick striploin patty served in a house made bun, with house made cheese and just all the right toppings. Fried turkey wing is humongo and it's delicious. The dip is so spicy and so so good. It's made with a purée of chilies, vinegar and butter. The show stopper was the garlic bread. It's easily the best garlic bread I've ever had. The potato focaccia bread is soft and filled with a liquid flavoured Parmesan sauce. Then it's topped with a mountain of parmigiano reggiano and a generous amount of grated black truffle. Promo Tipple time! On Thursdays and Fridays from 3-6 you can get bar snacks and drinks for just $5! read more

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The atmosphere in the Maple Leaf Tavern is warm, dark, and cozy. You really leave the outside behind and have a chance to focus on food and conversation. We came here for a special occasion, our anniversary, wanting to have a great culinary experience and a bit of a splurge. I found that the portions we're reasonable but not huge. We were able to enjoy a starter, a main, and some cocktails and we felt full, not stuffed, by the end of the evening. The servers were very attentive and friendly. We felt welcomed and enjoyed the level of service. For our meals we shared the bread and butter plate and the three-sausage plate. Since all of their food is made in-house, both of these selections were fantastic, fresh and flavourful. In particular we loved the pork sausage. The Irish soda bread was fantastic. My husband chose the celebrated cheeseburger and fries for his main dish and I chose the pork with mashed potatoes and collard greens. I am so happy I chose the pork. It was phenomenal. The sauce, the flavour combinations between everything on the plate was just divine. Thank you for a great meal! read more

Excellent! Delish! Great vibe! Highly recommend for a special occasion or a date night! We had the: Baby kale salad Buratta Lobster cavatelli Rib steak Chocolate tarte w coconut sorbet Just divine!! read more

Based on the positive reviews on Yelp, we went to MLT for din. The front foyer was paved with colorful crafted tiles. White table cloth tables. The place was classy. The attentive hostess offered us to put away our coats when I obviously scouting for a place to hang my coat. We ordered a few drinks from a rather cheerful gentleman. Beers from a cask were different for me. A quick review of their wine list, all drinks and cocktails appeared to be all in order. The price was your typical Toronto mark up. No complaints there. The choices in the menu covered a large range of variety. Grilled meat, specialty pasta and etc. Beers had arrived. Only a pint and a half available. Another wait staff announced that the half pint is free. Free beer? We love free beer. I took the large one as my pal had to rush back to la belle province after dinner. The beer tasted good. Food was served and our night had gone down hill from here. Homemade sausages were served in slices. A few slices. They tasted alright, nothing ordinary. It was rather expensive for a few slices. The mushroom soup was ok, but I had better somewhere. Two of us ordered the "la nouvelle" lasagna for main. The dish was dried and burnt. I strongly suspected our serve forgot about dishes and left them under the tanning light for a bit. We had to wait for 45 minutes between our appetizers and mains. I couldn't finish my main. It was really dried. The bill came. We were charged for the half pint and a bottle red from the next table. The server was kind enough to take my beer off the bill. It was a nice touch. Guess what? We could not find our coats when we leave. The nice hostess had gone home for day. The server finally located the costs from the booths. It was rather a negative experience. read more

Maple Leaf Tavern - Dried and burnt. - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

One of my faves in the city. Looking forward to becoming a regular after Covid clears!. Fantastic food. I would give five stars if they improve their wine list. other than that, service is always amazing and reliable experience with good quality all around. read more

A bite from our full experience review - "With an old gas light-inspired flickering candle on the table, Ma Cherie marvelled over the Tavern's well-designed brand. The leather menu with gold foil letters was a nice touch, but nothing to compare to the pattern adoring the menu as if endpapers of a book." read more

Maple Leaf Tavern - table light decor - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I've been to this "establishment" once in my life and that is once too many. I went with 2 friends and had a pitcher, I think the selection was between swill and recycled on tap. There was a woman passed out in vomit at a table in the corner, couple of toothless old men at the bar and wrestling on the a couple of big screens. There's a sign outside that proclaims they have karaoke, though I wouldn't attend I could only imagine the travesty of slurred Conway Twitty and Loretta Young that would be. At one point the bartender switched the station to hardcore porn and yelled "It ain't wrassling boys but sure is full contact" We finished our beers in an attempt of silence and left. Well at least the beer was really, really cheap. read more

Maple Leaf Tavern - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Been hearing this place had a stories, rowdy past. Passing by the Maple Leaf Tavern every day to and from school growing up however, it did not look like a place I'd want to step into (I sure as heck don't know what it was like inside then), and also like a place that might not last much longer. Then sure enough the seedy place got revamped and reopened as a classy upscale restaurant. Maybe not surprising given what is happening in this rapidly changing stretch of Gerrard circa 2017, to which the Tavern is a metaphor of this shocking transition. The old sign that once graced the front now hangs in the side patio attached to an iron fence. This new version of the Maple Leaf Tavern, storied as I have heard it is, comes across initially to me as a slightly fancier version of The Keg, meanwhile the outside certainly now stands out cleanly from the rest of the block. It sure feels tastefully charming inside, with a variety of seating options, and a vintage vending machine to greet you that they apparently dug up from the basement (where you will find the washrooms by the way). Someone on Instagram once told me he thought their lasagna was a shocker. I had to see why. So of course for my dinner I ordered the bloody thing, being a pasta sucker myself. The $24 lasagna in question was who knows how many layers of noodles packed together, served sideways. It was crusty on one side, mellow and dense, and was not as saucy and packed in savoury tastes as I would have liked. The bone marrow elements added some phat fatty flavour in an otherwise a C grade dish. My sister meanwhile had a grilled albacore tuna ($20), and it was a perfect banger. I tried a piece and enjoyed the grilled flavour hints from the clean white meat. Service was on top to match the classy tone. Even though this area is shockingly changing, the prices are quite up there for the area. I honestly see this renewed and dressed up Tavern as merely a respectable destination restaurant for a date night or a special brunch occasion. read more

Sometimes you are lucky enough to have one if the best meals of your life on your birthday, and yesterday was one of those times for me! Every experience in this place is exceptional, from the decor and staff to the food and drinks. We started with the breads - 3 different house made delights that we devoured - and the spicy pickles. Delish. Then I had the green salad - crisp mix of romaine, kale, and a surprise favorite baby book Choy in a savory dressing- and my husband had the ham hock consommé soup - wonderful savory broth over tender ham on split peas. For main dishes he had the strip loin and I had the albacore tuna. Both were superb, and the accompaniments of tarragon butter for the steak and lemon marmalade for the fish were the perfect accents. Adding to the confusion of trying to pick our favorite part of the meal was the fact that the grilled broccoli with chili and anchovy and the crispy hasselback potatoes with chilled foie gras and truffle butter sides stood out on their own as feature dishes. For dessert I was presented with a sticky toffee cake with a candle for the occasion. Rounding out this meal was Curtis - the perfect waiter, funny, helpful, and excellent at his job. We will make a special trip to go back here! read more

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Beautiful setting, excellent ambiance, top-notch service, great menu and the food offered is fantastic.

Superb service and great atmosphere! You can tell whoever runs the place is meticulous with the decor details, and in choosing their staff. We were a party of four, so we were able to order a few things to try. One of our friend loved his cheeseburger and fries, he said its one of the best burger he's had! He can tell the meat patty is fresh because of the texture and taste, and he loved the burger sauce. Even though we ordered the same dish, I find the patty was a tad salty for my liking, again it's a matter of personal preference. My husband loved his lasagna, even though it's not your traditional lasagna with sheets of pasta. But he really enjoyed the mushroom flavour from the dish. He would definitely order it again next time. The roasted cauliflowers, and honey and cumin carrots were amazing! Perfectly charred, flavored well and seasoned perfectly. The cocktails were also really good, we had the Pisco Sour and Salty Dog. Overall, love the atmosphere, really enjoyed the food, and we will definitely be back to try more dishes! read more

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I visited Maple Leaf Tavern for the first time tonight (Valentine's Day). It was buzzing but not exceptionally busy, which is perfect for a high volume holiday such as today. I really enjoyed my experience, except for one aspect - I was originally seated at a super tiny table that honestly could barely fit two people. You're expected to sit next to your date in a cramped booth. My date is over six feet tall and we physically could not fit and it was actually painful for me, such an awkward position! When I asked if I could please move, the server/hostess (?) was really rude about it...even though there were many free tables and of course, I'd had reservations for over a month. I hope that she gets a bit of customer service training on how to be a tad nicer/more understanding, in future. However, we were eventually moved, and we got a new server - it will all uphill from there! Delicious and fresh tasting food plus exceptional and attentive service from our server. Despite it being moderately busy, I never had to go five minutes without my water being topped up. He was really on the ball, without being annoying at all. Very pleasant demeanour. Our meal started with the "bread and butter" appetizer and the spicy pickles. The pickles were legitimately massive. I couldn't even eat all of them! The bread and butter was delicious, warm and fresh tasting. My partner then ordered the wagyu steak ($49, I think?) with fries (extra cost) - and it was divine! Perfectly cooked, and the fries actually shocked me. I didn't know fries could taste so good. Perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The mayo that came with the fries was quite distinct tasting, and not bland whatsoever. I ordered the cheeseburger and it definitely lived up to the hype. It's cooked medium rare, which I don't see often (if ever) in Canada. The juicy pink middle was perfection. A touch salty overall, but a solid 8.5/10 burger - I wasn't disappointed. The desserts were outstanding. We got the peanut butter and chocolate "hot and cold" dessert, which has a nice flavour, texture, temperature contrast. We also got the sticky toffee pudding - this is NOT to be missed! By far the yummiest part of the meal (next to the mouth watering fries and mayo). I will say that the dessert is a very generous portion. I committed a borderline sin, and didn't finish my dessert! Definitely just get one to split, or save room! In the end, our bill came up to $127 for two apps, two mains, one added side to a main (the wagyu steak comes solo without anything) and two desserts. I think this is quite reasonable, especially for Valentine's Day, when most places are doing costly fixed price menus. Keep in mind that we didn't order alcohol at all. Overall, a very good experience with delicious food in a romantic, dimly lit, sexy atmosphere! Perfect date spot. read more

Great service. We had a table of 10 and the staff were great at making suggestions for food and drinks, never failed to refill water and drinks, and we're very attentive with out being overbearing. I had the seared tuna with cauliflower side. The cauliflower was baked with a creamy cheese sauce that I ate every last drop! It was delicious and everyone who tried agreed. The drinks were all good (some of the cocktails were deceptively strong) and the beer selection was fairly extensive. The tuna on the other hand is why I took off one star. The fish quality was fair but the plating left much to be desired. The tuna was essentially seared and cut in to strips and put on a plate, it was very visually unsatisfying. Even having it on a few leafy greens would have made it more worth the$20 price point. Overall great dinner I'm definitely coming back to try some other items read more

Hmmm.... Had brunch here. The options were somewhat limited, yet I spotted a waffle on the menu that looked good. The server asked "do you want it sweet or savoury?" I said sweet assuming that had something to do with the waffle, only to learn that "sweet" meant fresh fruit on top, while savoury meant bacon. The waffle was a waffle. There was a small amount of fresh fruit on the top. For 14$ it was no deal. I don't typically feel like I didn't get enough to eat after a meal, yet I did here. Others at my table had the $20 burger and had mixed opinions. They were also out of two of the 5-6 advertised draught beers. The coffee was hot and refilled quickly, and service was generally good. The restaurant itself is charming and laid out nicely. read more