Tried a dinner at The Civic! Ambiance is nice. As for food: We tried the: - Crispy duck confit - the addition of grapes was nice and added an extra freshness to the vegetables Slow cooked beef short rib - this was really good! Tender, soft, juicy. Came with rapini and carrots. - Duck breast - I would have preferred if it was a bit less chewy. I did like the risotto. - Cheesecake - advertised to have pistachio sable and candied sweet potato but the flavours are quite subtle. Other than that, it's a traditional cheesecake! - Tiramisu - this was still semi frozen you know when ice cream sometimes has a kind of "crunchy" feeling because of icy pockets within the cream? That's what it felt like... Overall items were not as good as I expected other than the slow cooked short rib :( read more

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Loved the ambiance, friendly staff, good service. Food OK. The beef short ribs was fall off the bones. The chicken veloute soup is so good. My margarita drink is not watered down, I got a buzz right away which I loved. We ordered Americano coffee (special coffee, no refill) and taste good. read more

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Had a quick brunch here with my cousins after a bridesmaid dress shopping extravaganza. We were greeted fairly prompty and I really quite like the decor/set up of the place. The hostess knew a lot about the history of the building too, which made it a very interesting visit. The waitress was quick to serve our table and start us off with water and drinks. I ordered the lychee cactus pear juice to try and it was possibly the only thing I didn't like about the brunch. It was sickeningly sweet. I did absolutely LOVE my egg white omlette. It's my favourite breakfast. They cooked the egg whites exactly how I always imagine it will be cooked (but most places end up giving me something way over done or scrambled). They topped it with fresh cherry tomatoes, avocado, greens, spinach, goat cheese, and pickled jalapeno which was a nice touch. It's honestly how I will be making all my omlettes. With some extra fresh ground black pepper, ouuu you got yourself a delicious, healthy meal! I was surprisingly full from the omlette and would return again to try more. My cousin got their banana rum waffle and it looked and smelled really delicious! Definitely would recommend this spot! read more

The Civic At the Broadview Hotel - My favorite breakfast!! - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Was staying in the area & heard great things about this place. We stopped by for brunch & of course there was a line. We took a walk in the meantime but were finally seated in the sunny bar area once re returned. The weather was grey, cold & rainy so comfort food was on my mind. I ordered the "Grilled Cheese" (sourdough, cheddar, cheese curds, tomato jam & tomato soup). It was decent but I guess it had been sitting out for awhile & the cheese had started to harden into a gelatinous mess. The "tomato jam" was also very acidic & not necessary since the soup was delicious (albeit a bit cold) and would have been perfect for dipping. I n hindsight, I should have ordered the sandwich plain & just happily dipped away. My boyfriend chose the "Steak & Eggs" (6oz hanger, two eggs, roasted mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, home fries) & loved it. For dessert, we chose to split a Strawberry Croissant. When it arrived, we audibly gasped. It was beautiful, glorious with golden, buttery ribbons of pastry interloping with red and a string of dried strawberries crowning the creation. Unfortunately, it was all looks. I could not detect the taste of strawberry at all! Was SO disappointed. In any case, while not as amazing as I expected, the ambiance & the location are spectacular & I would definitely be back to try something else on their menu. read more

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We checked out The Civic recently for an anniversary dinner. And boy we are glad we did. What a nice addition to this neighborhood. Staff are friendly and courteous. Wonderful ambiance. We had oysters to start. Ordered a nice bottle of red. Hubby had the rib steak and I had the duck. Note: Sides are extra. We had the potato's and mushrooms. The entire meal was excellent. It is more on the high end side but worth every penny. The hub's steak was a pretty good cut, so he actually brought some home! If you are looking for a special occasion spot or a great quality meal - do check it out. Wonderful to see how they turned this corner into a happening spot! read more

My husband and I opted to try The Civic for brunch to celebrate a special occasion. Given the good things I've heard about the restaurant I had really high hopes and I hate to say that I was a bit disappointed. Let me preface by saying that the restaurant is gorgeous and the service was spectacular. No complaints about the people working there whatsoever. The food and coffee, however, left me underwhelmed. I ordered a macchiato and it was BAD. Really acidic espresso with a bitter aftertaste that is still lingering in my mouth. I enjoy a sharp espresso but even a touch of sugar couldn't save this shot. I was really grateful for the pineapple mimosa I ordered to wash it down. I would definitely order the mimosa again. In terms of food, I always err towards sweet over savory when it comes to brunch, so I ordered the cheesecake stuffed French toast. It looked beautiful on the plate, but the sides were really overdone and crunchy. The peanut brittle on top tasted wonderful, but was diminished by the very bitter and out-of-place grape compote. I didn't end up eating any of the portion that had grape on it because it didn't have a pleasant flavor. My husband ordered the duck Benedict and had nothing but positive things to say (his empty plate spoke volumes). I would consider trying this place again, but I think I'd stick to their savory menu and the mimosas over what I had ordered. read more

The Civic At the Broadview Hotel - Cheesecake stuffed French toast with grape compote and peanut praline. - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Came here for brunch and ordered the Broadview Breakfast and Omelette Frites. Broadview Breakfast had a tiny amount of the pork rosti and one of the poached eggs came hard boiled. The omelette has cheese inside which comes cold (I asked if that's the way it's supposed to be) so it doesn't melt in the omelette, but instead makes the omelette cold. They also don't have lactose free milk for coffee drinks. I wouldn't go back. Service is slow, food is mediocre and prices are high. read more

The Civic At the Broadview Hotel - Omelette Frites $16 - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I had brunch here on my last day in Toronto and I thought it was a solid last-minute spot keeping in mind that the place that my group originally wanted had a line out the window. During brunch Civic shares the same menu as the restaurant on the other side so it really doesn't matter where you sit. I chose to sit at the Civic because it had a more relaxed vibe. I chose the hangover skillet, while my sister chose the steak and eggs, and her boyfriend chose the Broadview breakfast. They also have unlimited coffee and mimosa if you choose to do bottomless. They never left my glass of mimosa empty and they kept the coffee pouring. They have their brunch until 3 so, I advise coming at around 1 or before to get your money's worth. I think for the price of the entrees they could have given more. The skillet was a good portion, but it was mostly hash on the bottom with a small portion of meat. The steak and eggs came with the smallest portion of steak. We wish we read the menu because it came with 6 oz which is 1/8 of an actual hanger steak. When you go to restaurants and order a hanger steak (which, is the cheapest cut of meat) you expect a big portion of steak especially for the price you're paying. Overall, I did enjoy my food, but I agree with other people saying that it was overpriced. If everyone is doing bottomless brunch it might be worth it depending how many drinks you get but I'm pretty sure you can find a cheaper option in Toronto. I did love the service and the whole décor of the place though but I'm usually coming to a brunch to eat good food with good friends. I don't really care if the décor is that great. Also, if you are coming here for brunch I'd recommend going to the other restaurant just because the bathroom is on that side and it gets annoying walking to the other side and then going downstairs. I think this place would do well as a place you go for if you wanted drinks after work or a small bite but for a big meal I don't think it's worth it. read more

Generic yet overpriced brunch. nothing special. the food didn't taste horrible though there are other spots where you can get better dishes with better quality. our sever was attentive and professional, though some of the other servers were rude. read more

The Civic At the Broadview Hotel - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Had the Broadview breakfast. Small portions of Store-bought hash browns with store bought bacon and eggs with a single tomato. I could have easily made this myself. Bread was good but not the best. My friend had the Duck Benedict which looked anemic as the duck was cold but the scone she said was very good and the hollandaise sauce not bad. Ho hum brunch and expected better for such an establishment advertising seasonal and ever changing menu for dinner. Maybe the dinner will be better, but dare I risk it? Maybe I will come back for apps and drinks and take it from there. Maybe. But for brunch be prepared to be underwhelmed and maybe have a snack before or after because the portions are not enough really. read more

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I have been looking forward to trying this place for a while, but after my visit I am sorry to say that I was underwhelmed. When we arrived on a Saturday evening at 6:30 pm , the place was almost empty. Having made reservations, we were quickly shepherded to our table. Unfortunately it was an awkward end table that lacked any sense of specialness. Our server was polite enough but attentive to the point of making us feel rushed. We started with the roasted beet salad. It was pretty simple, but overall decent. Unfortunately, when our server took our plate away, he managed to drop the dish so beet juice and vinaigrette splattered my light coloured wool coat. He was apologetic, but it did take him a while to return with something to clean up the mess. And honestly, I did not get the impression that he was too worried about staining my coat. I understand totally that accidents happen, but seriously, customer service? For my main I had the Mennonite hen. It was good, but overall I'd say the dish was not as memorable as it could have been. My friend had the trout and said the same. During the course of our dinner, the restaurant filled up. And the space got louder and louder. It became very difficult to have a conversation without yelling. The space is very nice looking in photographs, but in person it did not feel good to me. But I think that is a result of the entire experience. read more

It's a pretty restaurant (much like the rest of the hotel) but food is mediocre for the prices that are being commanded. I had the kale salad which was great, half chicken for dinner. First few bites were good but the breast was dry. Service was my biggest problem. We waited, and waited and waited for pretty much everything. We were going to order dessert and didn't bc it took to damn long for our waiter to pay attention. Wouldn't rush back. read more

The experience was completely horrendous. From the waiters physically touching my food to arguing with me about what proper etiquette is... this was a 1 star experience... at best! On top of everything it took 45 minutes just to get a drink. I'd recommend this restaurant as a comparison to McDonald's or Burger King's service. Enjoy if you want to eat at a restaurant that is constantly performing various health violations on their customers food and the waitress flipping you off as you walk out the door. Furthermore, Ryan Campbell the manager, is completely incompetent and any disagreement with him will lead you to being escorted out of the restaurant. He has no experience in customer service and should be at a Fast food at best... zero communication skills, zero customer service and definitely do not comply with the food safety code of practice. 0/5 stars read more

On a trip, sashayed yo to the bar and what an unexpected pleasure. Wonderful martini. Great wine choice. Chicken pate. So well done, it begins to define something you can use as a bar to compare. Dinner was a sable fish. So wonderfully crisp that to discover the meat itself underneath was just an addition to an already enjoyable experience. A Pinot I don't know by name, but for some reason of consistency. Character laden, as well as enjoyable. Cheese to come. A cup of coffee. Perfect meal for a dislocated traveler. Bravo. read more

We enjoyed or dinner and drinks at the bar. The vibe was lively without being annoyingly loud. The bartenders were good and attentive and the food was quite good without being mind blowing. All above average for sure and worth trying. It's amazing to see how the building has transformed. read more

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The civic is gorgeous inside and I really believe it is a great addition to the neighborhood. Our service was really good and the food was delicious. We had oysters, ribeye and the pork chop at the table. The oysters were very good but the horseradish (if you can call it that) tasted very bland, I could have eaten it all in one bite. The ribeye was delicious but the portion is very small for the price. The atmosphere was really nice. We did have a large group sit near us part way through, made it much more difficult to hear. Overall, our experience was good. I found value wise it was extremely disappointing, even comparable to other similarly priced restaurants. read more

The Civic is not your expected hotel dining. This hip chef created menu has everything you want in modern offerings from steak to seafood and vegetarian options. The craft cocktails were well balanced. The appetizer of albacore tuna on delicate rice crisps and pumpkin seeds is an incredible experience in texture. I also tried the kale salad which was perfect dressed with grapes. Salmon was the main dish and cooked to perfection. As a person with food intolerance including lactose and garlic I had no problem navigating the clean menu. A top spot for dinner. I almost forgot to mention the great service! read more

Overpriced, mediocre quality and taste. Don't waste your time. Ambiance was ok, except for the flickering pot light which was really quite distracting. read more

Came here for brunch as we couldn't get a spot on the roof terrace. The food and drinks were great, nice coffee nice selection of wines and the food is very creative and tasty. The only thing that was so so was the pastry, it was good but nothing to write home about. It's definitely worth going and it's all very moorish. read more

The Civic At the Broadview Hotel - American Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We were a group of 6 all really excited to get a reservation for Winterlicious at The Civiv as we had heard so much about this place. The place is well decorated and staff are friendly. As for the food it was overpriced and underwhelming. Looks like the hype outranks the food. Be happy I left the review as the others may have been less favorable. read more

wonderful food, great staff! I just finished a great meal at The Civic. Starting with Prawns and tomato tartine was a great choice, the shimp were perfect and the bread gorgeous. The corn chowder was light and full of flavor and the duck breast entree was the best duck I've had in memory. And perhaps best of all was the staff who were charming and joyful - Damien and Lotus made our night. read more

I had the misfortune of dining at The Civic last night. What's worse is that I booked the reservation for myself, family and friends over a week and a half ago for my birthday thinking it would be a special night out. There was nothing special about the lack service and lack of care paid to our table. After the first round of drinks we were practically ignored as were many of the other tables around us. It was clear after nearly forty five minutes of waiting for our meals that something was wrong. Unbeknownst to us there was a wedding happening on the top floor which I didn't find out about until after we left. Why The Broadview Hotel would keep its restaurant open during such an event is beyond me and can be nothing short of greed. Only aware that there was some sort of private event occurring, I asked the manager if there was something going on in the kitchen and if it had anything to do with the event upstairs. He dismissed my concerns and assured me that they paid attention to all their guests. When our meals did finally arrive, after nearly an hour, only two of our guests were served. Their meals, the $36 spinach cavatelli, were hot but I'm told were average to the taste. I ordered the ribeye which at $42 showed up with only two small mildly warm slices, a rectangular slice of bread pudding and some burned rapini. The last of the three meals were the $30 duck which arrived cold, the $34 lamb which was on the verge of turning by the smell of it and the $36 Atlantic salmon. Surprisingly the salmon received no complaints. The duck, however, was sent back to be reheated and the lamb was removed only to be replaced by some scallops which were only lightly seared leaving them cold and, frankly after the lamb, nervously unwanted. The duck, it should be mentioned, did return after a short stay in the microwave which, at $30, was nothing short of insulting. By the time our meals were done we had to ask for another round of drinks when, suddenly, some desert plates arrived. Asking the waitress what these were for, she reported that the kitchen was making something special for my birthday. After the plates went down it was almost another twenty minutes before this special desert arrived. Two separate plates of assorted gluten free deserts randomly placed on the table. I'm guessing we were supposed to serve ourselves with our individual forks? At this point, I was done. It was clear from the beginning that something was going on in the kitchen, that they were behind and that many of the tables around us were not being tended to. I deeply regret not going somewhere else but it was my birthday and I hoped that things would get back on track to which they never did. When I called the waitress over I asked for the manager. I was then informed that he wasn't even on the floor. I informed her that I was not pleased, very angry and that I did not want to be angry with her because she didn't deserve it. The Civic had let her down as much as they had let us down and I was greatly embarrassed in front of my guests. When the manager eventually showed up after another fifteen minutes, I informed him that whatever opportunity there was to grant me and my guests a decent evening had been ruined. I wasn't sure how he felt, and said as much, but informed him that under no circumstances were any of us going to pay for anything. He didn't apologize but rather agreed and that I deserved a happy birthday. Too little, too late. We got up and left. The Civic and The Broadview Hotel have permanently lost my patronage and I will not be recommending this establishment to anyone. read more

Came here for dinner. We tried the chicken, trout and mushroom pasta. Everything was under seasoned unfortunately. No dimension to the flavours. On a positive note the restaurant is beautifully decorated. read more

I had a guest in from out of town who I brought to The Civic. The service (Emma) was exceptional, well paced, friendly and not stuffy at all. Both the Duck and the Hen were fantastic. A 3rd friend joined us towards the end of our meal and they promptly accommodated her. We had just about finished our 2nd bottle of wine and asked if we could go upstairs for a final drink. We were told that they would happily bring our wine upstairs if we wanted - to which we declined and said that we would order drinks upstairs. We got in the elevator, when to the top floor, took our coats off and were about to order a round of drinks when we were asked to leave by the two security guys. I politely told them that we had just finished dinner and our server told us that it would not be an issue for us to have a drink upstairs. The security guards made us put our coats back on and escorted us out. After spending close to $400 on a meal and being told that we could go upstairs by our server, we walked away both embarrassed and frustrated. Can't say that either myself of my guests will ever be back. VERY DISAPPOINTED. read more

Well I was bound to eat mediocre food at some point and this was it last week. So much potential for the space that is decked out like a Restoration Hardware Store. We arrived there at 7 pm and the first thing we noticed was the smell of burnt oil/grease from the kitchen that was floating in the air like a fog and hazing the lighting. Well they got their special effect. The food , mine was the hanger steak at $26. For that you'd expect at least 6-8 oz of meat. But not on your Nelly. We got maybe 4 precut slices of meat with a leather like quality. Luckily we were men in our prime with full set of teeth. I have made better steaks on my own crappy bbq. To help wash it down we had some wine and local beers that were nothing special. Standard fare. There was also a musician playing guitar and howling some tunes. Hopefully it was not his career as he would not fare well. Maybe if he gives a hand to the chef, he'll be doing everyone a favor. Next time will try the rooftop bar , so at least will have a chance to throw myself off the top should the experience be the same. Don't waste your time or hard earned dollars. read more

Beautiful restaurant, delicious food but poor and very slow service. They should consider having more staff.

Excellent dinner from start to finish! The lobster was divine and so was the elk. Sides were excellent including the beets, potatoes and carrots (to die for). Lemon tart was fabulous too. Service was also top notch. The room is beautifully restored. 5 stars all the way. read more

2 out of 5 is due to a couple of big, unnecessary fails. Firstly, I love the tones of the interior. The attentiveness of the wait staff is good, although our waiter, for whatever reason (possibly a nasty boss and/or shyness and/or being overworked) made a few mistakes. I checked the menu online before going in, as a walk-in, with my cousin. I asked about the basket of pastries - thinking of something along those lines that I had at Collette - and the waiter said that they were only for brunch. And that's all he said, which we found odd. After the meal, we were curious and asked him whether it was normal for no bread to be served with the meal and he said that by coincidence the chef had stopped the usual bread offering that day because it didn't meet with his expectations. But our expectations for 'service' include being told that when bread was first brought up. Not to mention that, as brunch involves giving customers a basket of pastries, Did they all disappear after brunch?, in which case, You stop the bread offering and can't bring yourself to substitute with the basket of pastries? Huh? The espresso, for $3.50 was abuse. Then again, It seems to be a rule. You can't have decent coffee in a restaurant. The main plates? I had cod, on a bed of shredded cabbage and something else. I know that the Civic honors local foods and customs, but that shouldn't be at the expense of quality. The cod itself was perfect. But I would have preferred something besides a bed of shredded cabbage. Okay, That might be a preference thing. Perhaps others would like it. My cousin had the steak and the only option in the steak department was rib-eye. I don't know meat because the only meat I eat is seafood. My cousin said the steak was good, but chewy. He would have preferred anything else. Again, Was that item a result of an effort to honor local customs and regional tastes or something? I'd revisit that or bump up the menu selection. The bar, for such a class interior, is uninviting. And I find it simply awful that a class, pricey resto like The Civic would play bad pop music. What the heck! At least it wasn't deafening, the way it was in their cafe next door. The value isn't there. But, I am still happy to see restos replacing a strip club. The neighborhood is better for it. Others, especially those who have money, will perhaps love The Civic. To each his (or...) own. read more

A little pricey but outstanding. Food was fantastic. Oysters in particular. The atmosphere and service were just excellent. Very glad we tried it. Good cocktails, too. read more

The restaurant has very nice décor. Ambience is ok, shame there was no cool music playing. The bar area is inviting. We ordered the Milk Bun appetizer special. First of all tiny little milk buns were stale and not even warm. Ungenerous portion. They made them the day before and thought people wouldn't notice? The waitress was lovely and removed them from our bill...rightfully so....this type of thing should have been a complimentary item sent to all tables. Waldorf Salad was nice but dressing was lacking in flavour even with the stilton involved. Again it seemed the kitchen went cheap and only used a fractional amount of stilton in making the dressing. I only got three walnut halves on mine. Hardly the right proportion for the amount of lettuce. Again chef being cheap. We also had the Winter Tagliatelle. At $20 for this there was a tiny amount of actual roasted squash which is a main component of this dish. Squash is cheap to use and you can afford to be copious with it. There were about two tablespoons of unseasoned squash on this dish. The poor vegetarian in your group goes hungry..... Duck confit was prepared nicely but the chef invented some sort of burnt lemon puree which I'd reckon he hasn't tried because it was odd and bad and didn't really go with anything on plate. Beef tenderloin was just good. Good as beef tenderloin is. The waitress was lovely and service was friendly and courteous. read more

Ambience was great, attentive server, waiting for our table we were left lingering in the lobby, a bit odd. Very loud, poor acoustics, so not the place for intimate conversation, more of a place to be seen. We had the cod, scallops and rabbit, very pedestrian, poor presentation, no wow factor in both flavour and plating, the rabbit was tough and stringy. Don't go for the food, go to see and be seen. read more

My husband and I had dinner at The Civic for our Anniversary. Food was okay but definitely overpriced. Service was decent until we paid our bill. Minutes after paying for our dinner the waiter rudely asked if we could finish our wine in the bar area bc there was another reservation. I could understand if we had been sitting there for awhile but that certainly wasn't the case. Annoyed we said we would leave shortly but didn't feel like moving and finding a seat at the crowded bar area. Soon after the manager Eric came over to our table and asked if we could move to the bar. Now irritated that the end of our dinner totally ruined we said we would just leave. Terrible customer service. Word of advice if you want to enjoy the last drops of your drink wait to pay your bill otherwise you will asked to leave . Never going back! read more

Beautiful venue but overpriced food. My boyfriend and I went over the weekend. I loved the decor and service was overall fine. We had a salad and the croquettes to start. Both were very good. For mains I had the steak and he had halibut, sides are ordered separately (which always bothers me when you pay 30$ for the entree alone). My boyfriend didn't like his fish too much. My steak was ok, the sides were a bit of a disappointment (potatoes and the carrots). Overall and okay experience, but prices seemed over inflated for the food. You are definitely paying for the ambience. For a better food experience go to Maple Leaf Tavern just a bit further east. read more