Brownes Bistro

Great food and selection. Atmosphere was great. I will say im young for their typical demographic. Busy at 5-6 slow after that

So, so quality. Update November 5/22: Like night and day. Service, food, atmosphere, much improved.

Love this place! Exceptional food and service. It is always consistent as well no matter how many times I've visited. Nice little local gem. Highly recommend

Very poor service. Did not get what I ordered, did not get ice when asked for, meals did not come at the same time and took an exceptionally long time to come. The waiter really did not seem to be with the program.
Wine is way too expensive. All in all nothing really good to say.
We will never return. Too many other better options.

Got together with some friends for a little reunion. It’s a quiet spot with an older crowd. Food was good, well made with good ingredients. Price is also reasonable for a bistro style dining experience. Service was also excellent with friendly and attentive servers.

Overall a good experience and good value compared to other Bistros.

Small and cute home style french restaurant. Food was splendid, our waiter was very friendly and attentive. Had the salmon which was cooked to perfection. Portions are small so you can conveniently eat all of the 3 course meal. The wine selection is also very good. Only negative is the washrooms are so cramped.

A cozy little spot tucked in off of Yonge on Woodlawn. It’s a gem of the neighbourhood that’s been a staple for family dinners for at least 20 years.

There’s no loud music to disrupt conversation (a rarity nowadays), so the vibe is immaculate.

They’ve got good specials and good wine selections. My Grandma always has the lamb-shank every single time we go and that’s a testament to the quality of their food. And always gotta finish with a creme brûlée. Don’t miss this spot!

Very friendly staff & tasty food.
They serve nice GLUTEN FREE meals.
We had a great experience.
Thank you.

Ordered leek and cauliflower soup which I had to return as it was served luke warm. I ordered a pizza and was given plate of sausage, potatoes and what I thought was cabbage. I was hungry and didn't want to waste another meal and said I would eat it, though the waiter did offer to get my pizza quickly. Again the sausage and potatoes were room temperature and the cabbage (?) felt it came right out the fridge, and this was supposed to be a hot meal. I immediately sent it back and was no longer interested to try something else. Thankfully, it was removed from my bill. I wished a restaurant open for more then three decades would have staff be aware of food temperatures, not only for comfort but food safety.

I sent them the following note about 3 weeks ago. They didn't even reply to me to apologize. So here is our experience.

"Hello there, this note is to give you our review after we had a terrible experience at your location. (since I could not reach you from your facebook account, your reservation email address was my only chance to send you this note. So I hope it will find the owners).

On the 16th of March at 7: 45 pm, we had a reservation for 8 people in your restaurant. It was a special gathering to celebrate one of our friend’s birthdays. Some of us had been there before, but for most of us, it was the very first visit to your location.

As usual, our waitress gave us the menu and presented us with the specialties of that day. We then gave our orders: 3 salads to be shared and 8 main dishes, including 3 striped basses which was the special of that day.

When ready, the waitress served our main dishes and some of us even started to take their first bites. Suddenly, one of our friends called the waitress and asked him whether the fish he served was really a striped bass or not. He then started to complain and accused the kitchen staff not telling him that the bass is sold out and he apologised for not telling us in advance, adding that he can change those 3 dishes…. Well, should we wait for another 15-20 minutes to get a new dish while others have already started to eat? We said, that’s okay but we were really upset about not being told in advance; even not at the time of serving but only after we questioned it. He must have thought that we won’t be wise enough to realise what we were eating, huh? What a rude misconception?

He then put 3 glasses of white wine in the middle of the table; saying that those are the courtesy of the restaurant. But that was another mistake, because we were all drinking red wine, not white.

We finished the main courses and asked 3 different desserts to share. We also told him that he can give those 3 desserts as a courtesy instead of those 3 glasses of white wine which were still standing in the middle of the table. What he said was another disaster: “you sure you did not take any sip from them, yes? ”

Finally, he brought the bill. The desserts were really free of charge but at the bottom of the bill, there was a gratitude (tip) of %20, included with a hand-writing. Well, well, well, trying to secure his tip, knowing that we would never ever give him that since he did not deserve it at all.

To cut it short, we were angry but said nothing to him, so as not to spoil our friend’s birthday happiness.

The next day in our WhatsApp group, we were not only sharing our photos taken that night, but also the terrible experience we had in your location as well.

I’m not writing to you this note for asking anything, no we really don’t ask anything from you. Because that bitter taste is something that we really don’t want to remember. I know that you’re serving there for many years, hope you’ll continue to do so. But for that, you have to choose your staff and educate them well enough to be able to continue your legacy. "

10/10 service at brownes. The food is always delicious. Jerry was excellent and gave great recommendations. They were very accommodating to my food restrictions. One of my favourite places to dine!

I have been here twice and both times, I was very impressed. The food is tasty. Once I had the venison and it was absolutely amazing for the price. Feels like a more mature crowd here and very welcoming. I love the cozy atmosphere.

It's actually on Woodlawn Ave, not Yonge, but well worth hunting for. I ordered their Winterlicious special: super fresh crisp salad, rigatoni that was over half wonderfully tender and tasty beef pieces with mushrooms and green beans, then a brownie with ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce. Both my companions were equally complimentary about their choices. Wonderfully expert and attentive service from Jerry as well.

Recently went with a friend. The environment was comfortable and relaxed. The service was great and responsive. We both had steaks and frites. They cooked my steak exactly how I wanted and the fries were nicely flavoured. I highly recommend checking out Brownes Bistro for a business or family occasion.

Wonderful food! Perfectly prepared, flavorful, well-plated.highest compliments to the chef. Positively delicious. Great ambiance and helpful service. A fine experience dampened only by the embarrassing wines offered by the glass. (I hope they get some professional help to match the fine work coming out of the kitchen.)

We just held our Christmas lunch at Brownes Bistro. The food was excellent and the service was top notch. All 15 of us enjoyed our meals.

Dined in. Wine menu brought to the table in torn and dirty plastic cover. Food menu was the same, stained and dirty. If I am spending $70.00 on a bottle of wine and $30.00 plus on an entree, then please invest in some clean menus. Food was fine, but no atmosphere at all.

We had a great time and it was a birthday dinner for my wife- she loved it and we will be back.

Our only comment is that with one more service person it would be brilliant. Not sure if it's the kitchen is overwhelmed or it's the 2 service people trying to keep up.