Actinolite Restaurant

Fantastic tasting menu where the vegetables are just as good as the meat, roasted carrots is a perfect bite.

Amazing dishes throughout and the wine pairing went very well with all of them. Some interesting tastes from all around the world.

Will definitely come back.

Delicious tasting menu! All of the staff were very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Great service as well! The ambience was very relaxed. There is lots of street parking available close by, and is free during certain hours/evenings.

The portion sizes are like my childhood kitchen set size, we were hungry after we came back home after paying for an expensive course, my suggestion would be to not go if you have an average to huge appetite. Also the service is average

Low key fine dining. Highlighting local fare. Extremely fresh and vivid, deep flavours. Went a few years ago twice and forgot to review.

For the price point this was very underwhelming. Ingredients were basic and menu was uninspiring. Pork was under. Staff was nice but inexperienced. Server was consuming wine on the job and could not properly describe the menu to us. It would have been ok if it wasn't priced on par with some of the better restaurants in the city. It simply isn't worth it.

We're coming here 2/3 times every year for special occasions, food is always great, service too, this is not a restaurant where you go to fill your stomach, here the culinary experience is the key, and it is always great.

The food, service, and atmosphere are all 5 stars. It is pricy so it’s more of a special occasion spot, but you get what you pay for. It’s a real hidden gem!

I don't take the time I normally should to write a lot of reviews but I would definitely recommend an experience at Actinolite. We went for the prix fixé in summer outside and it was so worth it. We dropped $520 for 2 people including 2 fixed menus, the wine pairing, tax, and tip so it's not inexpensive, but we came away feeling like it was money well-spent.
The only thing I would say is that although ingredients are fresh and the dishes are creative and interesting, they have to cater to everyone so if you're looking for ultra adventurous cuisine this may not be the place. It is, however, really fun to just sit down and have them take care of all the decision-making since there's no menu. They just bring good food and well-paired wine and explain what you're getting as it hits the table.
Overall a really great experience!

This was one of the best meals of my life. From beginning to end, each course was a showcase of simple but incredible ingredients made perfectly with impressive technique. Sublime.

The food tasted good and the staff were friendly and professional, but I didn't leave feeling that the price tag per head was worth it. Portions were quite small, and some of them were a bit simple given how much it was.

Avoid at all costs unless you want to be trolled by Actinolite. While the 7 servings may garner your attention, you will find yourself leaving unsatisfied. The plates are unimaginative including a plate of split carrots and half-prepared radishes accompanied by a dressing that is of lower grade than one you would find at a local Farm Boy. The restaurant may have at one time deserved the hype, but now you can see ingredients and plate selection that are less oriented towards providing you with a well rounded food experience, but more so in ensuring that large margins are kept intact. Another plate revolved around a rectangular shaped cutout of a glazed potato and you are left wondering why you are being served a filler that adds absolutely nothing to your dining experience. The service was good, but you can see that they are understaffed, and that the kitchen would benefit from more instruction from the head chef.

There are many good restaurants in Toronto, that should garner attention before heading to Actinolite. These include:
1. La Banane
2. Dreyfus
3. DaiLo
4.1 Kitchen

The special thing about Actinolite is their ability to make connections with farmers across Canada to pull together an exquisite, fresh and unique tasting menu. When you sit down there is only a drink menu, the food comes out one course at a time and they explain not only the dish but the story behind the ingredients. The farmers, the process, when it was harvested. Each course we had we were wildly impressed at how something seemingly so simple could be presented and prepared in such delicious ways. I would strongly recommend the wine pairings, having the right drink for each course enhances both the flavours and experience.

Chose a multi- course tasting menu with five different wines to match. Every bite delicious and unique in my experience. Sweet, attentive and informative servers.

Fantastic dinner for a special occasion. Original dishes that tend to showcase high quality local produce. Braised vegetables, interesting sauces, and seafood are often featured. The wine pairing with the tasting menu felt less synergistic and more its own thing, but that was great too. Don't expect much meat if that's what you're looking for, but you'll still be very full. Highly recommend.

They give us lobster soup without lobster. And call a piece of cabbage main course. I’m completely disappointed. Unbelievable!

Absolutely mind-blowing combination of flavours and culinary brilliance. This is best Chef’s Menu in town and the service is impeccable. Last night I would have sworn I was tasting a potato properly for the first time in my life. You can’t beat the freshness and quality of these ingredients. Great decor and relaxing vibes, too.

First of all, the food and wine pairing are phenomenal. Every dish was made with quality ingredients at the utmost freshness. The corresponding wines are selected from lesser-known regions and are made from indigenous grapes.
However, the tableware had visible damage, with chips on the rim of several bowls and plates. When we brought this to our server, he didn't seem to care and expected us to accept the fact that their dinnerware can have defects.
It's just a shame that the hardware and service weren't on par with such fantastic food.

Very interesting take on culinary. Most of them were experimental, sometimes not on a good way, but I appreciate the effort.

I wish there was more meat or seafood.

Little detail in service and servers did not know much about wines which was disappointing.

Good experience for the price.