Grand Bizarre - Supper Club

(3/3)

Past midnight, 15 Saskatchewan Road was packed to the rafters which was certainly a sight to see. I was amazed by that because news media reports have said that 72% of Canadian restaurateurs have increased hours worked by ownership and management, while 64% have reduced hours of operation. When adjusted for inflation, restaurants have seen a 12% drop in GDP from 2019 to 2022. In-person dining in Toronto has also declined by nearly 10% between May to September 2023.

And just to drive the point home, nearly one in four Canadians will need charitable services to meet their needs through the holiday season.

So what's the point in concluding the review with a pretty bleak painting of the economic outlook? Because despite the challenges, the night that Mahmut performed at Grand Bizarre, it was the biggest and most electric party that I have ever seen.

The Grand Bizarre experience really lived up to its promise of world-renowned House musical talent, even all the way from Türkiye.

But God forbid if you end up being "served" by Lauren because whether it's due to incompetence, or worse, the lack of care, she would be an unmitigated disaster without some serious self-reflection and improvement - put it simply, she would be a black hand at any venue of Toronto's oversaturated nightlife scene.

To wrap up this review, the following excerpt from Anton Ego's monologue (in Ratatouille) ties everything together with a nice bow: "In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends. "

Grand Bizarre invites you to be their guest as they pioneered the concept of social dining aka the Supper Club in the city. I only hope that they are committed to continuous and consistent learning and service excellence.

PS, open Saturdays only, but here's hoping to expanded days of operation.

I loved the food and the most loved thing by me and my friend was their cheese cake, all the things are soo good.

Grand Bizarre delivered an unforgettable night. The live music, cozy atmosphere, and friendly staff combined for a fantastic experience. Can't wait to return for more memorable nights!

(2/3)

We also decided to go with the Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial ($275) and Brut Rosé ($275). Our group hemmed and hawed about which tequila to go with, and Lauren suggested the overpriced swill of Clase Azul or Don Julio, and I politely said that no one could pay me to touch those tequilas. Ultimately, my friends said that I should have stopped overthinking it and just went with my favourite Casamigos Blanco ($400) and Bombay Sapphire ($275) for the others who wanted gin.

By the time the F&B arrived, it was 10: 55 PM—talk about a letdown to wait for more than half an hour after ordering. But this was where things continued to go downhill for a good chunk of the night.

With handheld food and shareables, none of us minded eating the food from plates on our laps, but the massive quantity of the order, which again could have been avoided if we staggered orders throughout the night, could not fit. There were not enough metal tables, so more corner metal tables had to be brought to our VIP Table to accommodate all of the dishes and two buckets—one to chill the liquor and one with ice and a scoop for mixed drinks. For the record, the buckets were on the floor for a few minutes. Alexander (one of the supervisors or managers) brought out another leather bench without any of us asking so that more of the group could sit down.

It was at this point in the night that Lauren disappeared for more than an hour and a half. An automatic gratuity charge of 20% demands the respective quality and level of service excellence, both of which were sorely lacking that night. It's become a bit of a tradition that on the rare occasion I decide to immerse myself in Toronto's nightlife that I end up serving—but no complaints from me.

Despite the fun special bottle service presentation, there were not enough disposable shot glasses, napkins, or water. We also had to ask for limes to go with the tequila and tonic water for the gin. We had to ask for those things repeatedly at the outset. It's important to note that there were two server assistants dedicated to our area, one of whom was Samuel, and he was laser-focused like a hawk to replenish ice, glasses, plastic shot glasses, and more. On top of that, the SAs never hesitated to clear out dirty tableware and even bent down to pick up garbage.

Alex and Sam brought everything that we had asked for, and Sam even suggested putting a slice of lime into the water carafes and a lemon slice for the tonic water to differentiate between the two clear liquids.

The food is not fine dining perfection, mind you, but it was executed to near perfection. I certainly wouldn't expect anything less from a kitchen staff led by Chef Rainford. Our only complaint was that the tortilla chips were overly salted, but it wasn't a big deal to mention.

Different spots of the floor were sticky, however, whether it's because of the congealed juice or soda pop residue.

After Lauren remembered to come back closer to midnight, I made a point to politely tell her that her lack of service was disappointing; after which, she would not leave our table for 10 minutes straight and then kept coming back every 5 minutes.

On a positive note, the bathrooms, while naturally crowded for a 2,500+ event, were exceptionally clean. The bartenders, for the most part, appeared outgoing, professional, and courteous, though it's hard to be sure just by looking at their body language and facial expressions from a distance.

The security around the stage is very professional, but some stationed around the entrances of the venue are blasé and couldn't care less about their responsibilities.

Mahmut Orhan's performance was incredible, and the lighting was immersive, not flashy or obtrusive. The sound system certainly rivals the concerts that I have attended at Scotiabank Arena or Budweiser Stage.

TBC.

I have had the pleasure to work beside Grand Bizzare for many events including our fashion and swim weeks. It was organized, professional but also entertaining to build some very fun after parties and service to the public

Had an astounding time being apart of the apprenticeship cook program. Staff mentors and colleagues were amazing to work along side aswell as learning alot of knowledge. Would highly recommend being apart of this experience.

I was in Toronto, n had a chance to visit out there, everything was really good, highly recommended

Came for a work Christmas party. Seated at 7, first app was served at 930pm which was a salad. Main was served around 1030. Desert by 1130. You can see in the photos what I ordered vs what I was served. A few vegetables with plum sauce for 45$ the sushi I ordered as an app never came either. If I could give zero stars I would. They knew our menu weeks in advance. Please do not go here. The whole experience was just a joke

I would give 0 starts if i could.

Went here for a work christmas that was planned a month in advanced and it was very disappointing. The service was terrible. Dinner was planned for 7pm and the salad was served at 9: 30pm. The main course was given an hour later. Each part of the main course was given in increments of 30mins.

Since this event was planned well in advanced so they should of been prepared for our party but the food was not enough to feed the whole party.

Definitely something weird and funny going on at this place. Would not recommend, Save your money, go somewhere else.

Was invited for an event. I personally didn't go. The people that did attend said it was a good time. Please don't go to a place on a budget. Always upset with what yo will get.if you are looking for clout or pics for I
G pay and don't complain. They let you know how much per guest in advance, the tell you what the requirements are for the space, aswell as dress code, order minimum, acceptable attire.

I went to this place just one time and my jacket got stolen from the check-in room, I paid the fee I was there less than a hour and when I came
To get my jacket they gave it to someone else without a ticket…. They told me they would pay me back the value of the jacket I am still waiting this was a careless mistake from Grand bizarre staff, It was a expensive jacket this is unfair

Terrible experience. Be prepared to leave lighters at gate even though they will not ask or check for weapons. Owner will meet you with hostility and then tell you you're ruining his day when you questions the safety of their policies.
A big no to Grand Bizarre for this gal

All i can is save your money
Over priced food AND drinks
Service is decent if your looking your “bottle service” type service if you know what i mean.
You only get service if you are spending money on OVER priced bottles of liquor, if you are only eating and buying “a few drinks” good luck to you seeing your server after food arrives.
Needless to say i won’t be back.

Staff seems to have no clue what's going on. Pretty sad considering how many employees they seemed to have. Food was very lackluster considering the hype. Take out boxes and cold food.

Easier to just avoid this place and go to the real pool bar in Toronto!

Bad food. Horrible service.

Edit. I have emailed you and received no response. Further example of your horrible service. You simply don't care.

Bought a ticket for new years to celebrate new years. They change the timing meaning you couldn't be there for the count down but didn't refund or credit our tickets.

Omfg! One of the worst experiences I've ever had. This business straight up stole from my family! Double charged us for our meal and have refused to refund us. We will be looking into taking this company to small claims court. Disgusting customer service. Extremely rude and dismissive server. Rude, incompetent and lazy! We spend upwards of $600 at this establishment and were treated like absolute trash! Completely revolting! Terrible food (worse than you would find at a hospital cafeteria). This place blatantly disregarded covid rules and regulations. NO ONE were wearing masks, social distancing etc. Bathrooms were jam packed with patrons! Drinking in bathrooms which is totally illegal! Honestly, in my almost 40 years on this earth, I can whole heartedly say this is the worst dining experience of my life! Owners should be freaking fined through their noses!

Couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Amazing, attentive service and the food was spectacular.
The atmosphere is relaxed but elegant!

Venue was amazing - nicely decorated and impressive sound system. Washrooms are nice and there wasn't too much of a wait to use them given the number of people there.

The event staff were great, but the food service could have been better. Our waitress must be new to the industry as we weren't given place settings, wine glasses, and had to specify that we wanted enough cloth napkins for each of us at the table.

Our waitress was also absent when our food arrived, causing it to sit feet from our table for several minutes until what seemed like a member of management came by to serve us and bring us the cutlery.

The food was disapointing, with the fries feeling very Wimpy's Diner and the pasta dishes reminiscent of The Olive Garden.

Thankfully the party and entertainment made up for most of the issues with food service.

I would be wary to book a table again in the future, but wouldn't say no if invited to dine with friends.

Excellent service!

Came in for a girl’s night out and we were very impressed with the service we received, I wish I got the name of our waitress.
Super friendly, very accommodating.
The food was excellent, drinks were great.
We will definitely be back.
Thanks so so much! ️

Amazing experience and delicious food!
Melt-in-your-mouth dishes to the amazing cocktails to the decadent desserts, make this a must-visit. Fabulous all around.

My mother in-law organized this event, for a bridal shower!
This was one of the most incredible, enjoyable, memorable and truly beautiful experiences we have ever had.
Everything was so perfect, it’s almost hard to describe in words.
The venue is romantic and comfortable, the ambiance was gentle and relaxing.

One of the best reasons to dress up and go out! Jenny, Laura, and co.are beyond amazing, making sure our birthday party for my good friend was a stunning event. 5/5 for sure!

Four stars because the roof leaked: (but always a great time at this venue everyone was vaxxed and the staff was attentive. Bathrooms were clean and the food was wonderful; not extremely overpriced for the quality. Overall a wonderful venue for a fashion show

The staff was amazing and very helpful!
I lost my purse and their team was able to locate it and return it quickly.
I had an incredible time overall, and even with losing my purse, they made sure I had a great time!

Everything here is ridiculously overpriced for average quality. Service is also horrible. I'm glad I looked at the reviews re: gratuity added while also confirming with the server. 2 stars for the beach chairs and pool I guess but definitely not worth it to come back.

Go-to place if you want to enjoy food, drinks and music. The staff were very helpful and always getting us everything we needed!

Warm and welcoming restaurant and some of the best food you can find in Toronto. Absolutely a must-stop while you are in Toronto.
Deliciously extraordinary.

Highly recommended! We spent a night there and enjoyed every second of the experience.
Don’t miss their delicious desserts.

We had reservations at 12pm noon, didn't get in and seated until 12: 45pm. The waitress literally messed up every part of the order- wrong drink, wrong food. We waited forever to get our bill only to find a 20% FEE added to the already ridiculously prices. Food was okay, Service was just Horrible, wouldn't go back or recommend to anyone!

Watch your bills very carefully! They automatically charge 20% tip and staff won’t tell you it’s on the bill ahead of time. If you ask for water they charge $8. Very sneaky practice. The service isn’t that great for the price. I will respectfully never go again.

Very nice place. Pleasant atmosphere and setting. Service is good. Food is amazing! Would definitely recommend tacos and sushi.

A great place to spend the night! Thumbs up for the great decoration, music, and delicious cocktails!

Excellent experience at Grand Bizarre!
Sushi was my favorite part, I highly recommend it.

Excellent restaurant.
The service and staff were very welcoming and helpful. Professional team and awesome vibes.

Service was great, food was awesome! Looking for a great night out this is the place!

Check it out you won't be disappointed

Wonderful and trendsetting concept. I am encouraged and excited as to what is come. Currently, working there and the staff is getting better every weekend. The potential unlimited and we will get better. I encourage everyone to come by and have a grand time.

This place is a joke- food and cocktails were TRASH. Happy to pay premium for premium, but this sure isn’t it. Go once if you have to try and I’m sure you won’t be headed back.unless garbage food and drink is your thing. I can not eat the bad food, but bad cocktails just leaves this place smelling of poser.

Those 5 star reviews are for sure fake. Overall energy of the place was weak- written on most of the crowds face. Could write you an essay on how off the mark this place is but I’ll leave it at that. Cheers

Loved it! I reserved a table for myself and 12 ladies for a Birthday celebration. From the moment I booked to the whole experience itself was incredible. They have such a wonderful group of people who work there, everyone is so kind and hospitable. Special thank you to Laura and Marie! Can't wait to come back!

This extravagant destination is both creative and unique. I enjoyed how they designed the ambience with an aura of musical and visual sensations. Well laid out setting with comfortable seating made for easy mingling. My friends and I agreed it was on the pricey side but the pizza was surprising exquisite. I like to mention the floor manager OV was approachable and courteous. Dedicated to his craft to ensure we were satisfied and always available to us. Live entertainment with eye candy dancers, need I say more. I have to recommend this establishment to anyone wanted a new outstanding experience with your closest friends at least once in your lifetime.

I’ve been to Grand Bizarre 5 times now, I absolutely love it. My boyfriend & I loved our meals.his fave =pizza & I LIVE for the salads. The social dining concept is so cool, we’ve met so many cool people here! And just the over all concept/ vibe is nothing like we’ve ever experienced. Definitely a good date location or even a night out with the girls would be perfect.

- Nicole and Chad

I celebrated my birthday here and I had an amazing time. The beautiful scenery was amazing! The food was amazing. You get to choose from delicious sushi, tacos and cheesecake; everything you crave at night! The staff made my birthday really special! I really loved the poker chips you get to buy as a form of currency, really cool idea!

Fantastic staff and a beautiful venue. Love the the fact they have a Cheesecake Factory, and starbucks!

I love this place. I have been back 4 times now and each time I bring a new friend that also falls in love with this amazing new concept. I have travelled the world and havent seen anything of this sort. Exceptional service, food, decor and not to mention a very good looking crowd. The live entertainment is so amazing - really cool vibe having acrobats and caribana dancers around you while you enjoy a great dinner.

These guys have changed the nightlife scene completely! We are so sick of going out to clubs where we can barely stand because of the lack of room while we stare at eachother as the DJ plays the same songs and every bobs their head.
Grand Bizarre is soooo spacious its amazing - I can actually breathe freely and don't have to smell the persons breath next to me (YAY). The live entertainment they have is marvellous, food is pleasant tasting and they change up the menu every month.as the night goes on it turns into a.big party and people actually get up and dance on the dance floor!

Toronto needed this place:) I'll be celebrating my birthday here for sure

Went with a couple of my buddies and had a great time. The music was good and the bottle service was great. Definitely would recommend this spot to anyone looking to have a good night out.

I have to say.this place is incredible. I go out to diff steakhouses and end up spending thousands of dollars just in dinner and drinks - then I head out downtown and spend more at the club. Grand bizarre is the one stop shop! The least amount of money I've spent on a night yet and had the most amount of fun. No cover charge, complimentary coat check, crazy fun entertainment (the dancers are my fave) I basically only paid for food and bottles. GB is changing Toronto's night life game.

This was by far the worst experience I had at a restaurant bar club whatever the hell they are attempting to be. The service was horrible for our party even though we had a designated waitress/server for drinks. The drinks took about 45 minutes each to come to us after ordering them. There's no menu for drinks either, they expect u to eat and order a full bottle of liquor with ur food. Drinks are extremely over priced and very poorly made. They are trying to be too many things at once, a club, a bar, a restaurant, circus show. It was extremely bad, the music was horrible the DJ doesn't know how to hold a crowd. The main attraction which is basically the use of the chips to get food had one booth to buy chips. The line for that was so long. The chips can't be used for anything other than food which is horrible because if u have chips left over you can't even use them towards a drink. All in all, this place is a waste of money, they don't give u the correct pricing for drinks, the server tells u something else and when u go to the bar the price is something else. It's a rip off in terms of pricing for literally everything, food and drinks. The only plus side to this place is that coat check is free.

Great place yo have a party. Mostly adult crowd so its would better for older adults to go and ha e party. Drinks are really expensive. So better to have predrink before you go. Variety of food stalls available. But taste wise not so great. Girls get some coins if you regsuter early and get in before 10pm.if you are looking for something different venue in Toronto its a better place to go and have a great night.

I am so happy i was introduced to this place! Great food, great service, great vibes, classy crowd and the concept is absolutely amazing! Something about holding "bizarre chips" just makes everything MUCH more exciting.

Fabulous Venue! Must Go.
I've been to Grand Bizarre a handful of times with a different group of friends each time and everyone raves about this place. They love the supperclub concept of disco meets lounge restaurant vibe and service is superb. I love that the food selection changes often and is so tasty! The music is great, its a swanky club with great energy. I also love that it isn't overcrowded, each group has their private table section and they make you feel like an elite. Perfect spot for an evening out with fun people, bring your dancing shoes and enjoy!

It is the place that meets all expectations for our unique needs and our clients preferences. An enormous space, friendly and well trained staff, professional management, a top of the line sound and lighting system and variety of entertainment. Food service and quality is a plus.

Amazing place, the food was great and the customer service was outstanding the manager Ovee is a very nice person made the whole experience great would definitely recommend people to check it out.

I have worked with grand bizarre for several months now and I can honestly say this has been the best company I have worked for.they have implaced strict rules of no drinking on the job and ensuring that we as servers are responsible enough to follow the rules. The company also encourages employees to contact the labor board regarding any questions they have.all in all my pay has been on time unlike other bars I have worked at and I have had an amazing experience with management. I would recommend this place to work to anyone.

Went with a few friends for a birthday party. Nice atmosphere. Was convenient to not need to carry cash or take out my credit card every time I wanted something. I would recommend visiting at least once for sure. The scene is different from anything else I've ever been to. I will go again for sure!