Gare De L'Est

Wouldn’t return if my life depended on it. New Years Eve for 2, Pre booked. Told instantly we had to leave within 2 hours. No ordering off the menu because they enforced a pre-fix. Bar not stocked enough to make a (gasp) French Martini.
400 BUCKS for dinner (2 pre-fix, 2 cocktails and bottle of wine with tip). Dinner was mediocre at best and the menu confusing and pedestrian. The 'amuse bouche' was nauseating and the service alternately apologetic and pushy. We left after an hour. WORST NEW YEARS EVER. On the bright side, coat check did give us back the right coats. And it was free.
Look closely Leslieville. This is bad value for the money.

This place has become a favourite in our books. Service is consistently good and the menu as well. We love coming here for date nights and small intimate celebrations.

If you're there for brunch, order the "Oeufs Bénédicte Nordiques" (aka poached eggs and cured salmon with Bernaise on a crispy hash brown). Outstanding.

My wife and I recently celebrated our wedding reception at Gare de l'Est in Toronto, and we couldn't have asked for a better experience. From start to finish, everything was absolutely fantastic.

Juli Williams, the Director of Events, played a pivotal role in making our day truly special. She took my wife's vision and ideas and turned them into a reality. Her attention to detail and impeccable organizational skills ensured that every aspect of our reception went off without a hitch.

James Brown also deserves a big shout-out for his invaluable assistance in ensuring that our day ran smoothly. His professionalism and dedication to making sure everything flowed seamlessly were greatly appreciated.

Now, let's talk about the food – it was great Chef John did an amazing job, and our guests couldn't stop raving about the delicious dishes served. The quality and presentation of the food were top-notch, and it truly added to the overall experience.

As someone who has worked in the kitchen industry for years, I was genuinely impressed with how flawlessly everything was executed. The service was impeccable, the atmosphere was perfect, and our guests had an incredible time.

In summary, Gare de l'Est, under the guidance of Juli Williams and her team, exceeded our expectations in every way. Our wedding reception was a dream come true, and we are grateful for the exceptional team that made it all possible. Thank you for making our special day so memorable!
see you soon!

We had a lovely meal at Gare de L’Est last evening. Delicious food—best frites and mayo in town, I think. And our server Will was very professional and friendly and made us feel completely at home. Also, as it was an anniversary dinner, we got a free dessert and a $15 coupon to use when we go back, and we definitely will. Thank you!

Very Slow service, took almost an hour to serve food on brunch… and it wasn’t really busy even, so not sure what’s was the reason…
Food is okayish
Some Oysters weren’t super fresh, very sad…
Drinks are good
Asked for take out food, didn’t even pack the utensils or ask if we need any…
Very strange experience
Wouldn’t even recommend to my enemies

Friendly staff, top quality food, only problem was there was not much of it. Meat entrées seem to only come with potatoes or vegetables, not both. Portions are small, not even any bread to pick up the slack. I get restaurants have been hit hard with inflation and COVID, but for these prices, you shouldn't be leaving still hungry.

A special night out! The food was delicious and flavourful. The service was attentive and gracious.

Service was excellent.

The only real negative, atmosphere wise, was the table we were at was on an angel, parallel with the next table. The table positioning made it feel like I was shoulder to shoulder with the guy at that table.

The Soup of The Day was a wonderful Artichoke based offering. The flavour was not overwhelming, which combined with a touch of caramelized onion on top, left me wanting for more.

My entree, the Cod, was battered lightly, allowing the taste of the fish to still come through, and not leaving me feeling weighted down.

A definite 'Return To' is in order.

Classic Parisian bistro, with a great steak tartare and coq au vin. Scallops were a little too bitter - probably from the lemons - and so that was a bit disappointing, but the rest of the experience was fine. No complaints about the service, and the restaurant feels like an upscale bistro in the 8ième.

Amazing restaurant, everything was perfect! Oysters super fresh, tartar steak one of the best I ever had, and pork chop was to die for. Opera cake was the perfect ending and the service was more than superb. Will go back very soon.

Brunch was so good.
We had cinnamon brioche, croissant, Benedict, Canadian breakfast, merengue dishes. All delicious. Service was great. Mimosa’s were generous.

Making future brunch plans.

Did the winterlicious menu but would go back in a heartbeat. It was exceptionally good. Service was fantastic and the atmosphere was great. They made my birthday celebration special. Did I say the food was to die for? It was. Thank you. Merci!

I find the mains are a hit and miss as well as the desserts sadly. Ambiance and service is great though. This is my 4th time trying the place different years and different seasons and I still walk away unsatisfied.

Passed by for a quick snack with my kids - love it here, great patio views, more food reviews to follow but following a traditional French brassiere, the steak frites doesn’t miss!

Had dinner with friends last night here. Servers friendly and dishes were served hot. Food on the whole lacked flavour. The escargot dish was not salted, cheese was sparse, no parsley and no bread served with the dish as is customary for the most part. I then had the daily special of pasta with seafood. Once again flavours were not pronounced. It did contain 4 nice sized shrimp with the shell still on (I prefer shrimp in pasta to be deshelled so you don’t need to dig through sauce to pull out and do it and then put back in the dish to enjoy with the pasta) but the scallops and muscles were very small pieces. The tarragon sauce lacked good flavour. I have lived in France and feel that the restaurant needs to pull it together better to be French. It has potential. Prices are steep but this is a continuing saga in this city currently. C’est domage.

It’s a really nice place in the neighbourhood, I liked the brunch. Staff are friendly. Salad dressing was really refreshing, only one thing could be better, the bread in croque madame was burnt.

I ordered the steak frites, braised lamb shank, and Basque cheesecake. While the service was great, the food was average. I had higher expectations for the taste of the lamb and steak. I think it could benefit from a little more seasoning. The portion size for the lamb was also quite small. I did enjoy the cheesecake though.

Every detail was well thought out and the food was amazing. Patrick our server was fabulous and thoughtful. It was my birthday and they surprised us with champagne and dessert. We got a couple of bad oysters, they immediately replaced them as well as comping them.

Had a wonderful dinner here! Beautiful cozy atmosphere. Food was delicious- one at our table said it was the best steak they'd had. Prices are reasonable too. Definitely will recommend and come back.

Had a delightful brunch last Sunday at this modern bistro in Leslieville. Nice casual space with a great brunch menu. Prompt and friendly service. All of the entrees our party of four ordered were excellent. A customized order, substituting the English muffin with potatoes rosti, was graciously accepted and delivered with tastefully. Highly recommended.

Outstanding wines, food and service! This is a classy, top notch French restaurant that never disappoints. We have been here many times and it is consistently excellent! Well trained servers provide friendly, impeccable service. Some of the servers even speak French. I feel transported to Paris every time I eat here! Delicious brunch and dinner items. Try the steak frites - ask for the peppercorn sauce. Fabulous desserts! Try the “Paris Brest” - it will blow your socks off! Love this place and will return over and over…

Service was friendly and excellent. Standout dishes were the pate and the caper. The fish were well seasoned, tomato based were delicious as well. Steak was juicy. Only let down were the fries, too greasy and there were no vegetable with the dish. All desert were good. If you have a sweet tooth go for the vanilla rum soak cake.

I came here for Sunday brunch with my dog on a hot sunny day (28°c). I waited for 10 minutes before the host came by to greet me. I mentioned that I was dining alone (with my little pup), the host looked around and said that they only had spots for 4 people, even though those spots had not been reserved and a table could have easily been separated out to make space for a single dinner.

Rather, the host suggested that we sit in the patio bar area that was not shaded. I promptly told him that it's very hot outside and that I don't see how we could sit there comfortably, he recommended we move the umbrella from other section to provide shade. That didn't seem like an acceptable seating arrangement so I decided to leave and go to Bonjour Brioche instead, where we were seated promptly without hassle.

Next time, instead of waiting for a potential larger party to arrive, I would recommend simply seating the customer who's there.