My friend and I visited Barnsteiner’s for Winterliciouis lunch. The minute we walked in we were greeted with the warm scent of cinnamon and apple, and friendly smiles from the staff. Their open kitchen concept is beautiful, and the rustic feel is nice and cozy. The owner Michelle sat us at a high table next to funky ‘knobs’ on the wall that could be used to hang our coats and bags — so cute! We were served crusty bread with hummus as a starter, which was a nice touch. We barely touched the hummus since our apps came soon after, but it tasted pretty good, but nothing too special. However, hummus with bread was a nice unique starter that definitely set it apart from most restaurants. My friend ordered the Garlic and Chili Grill Shrimps with crusty bread and salsa verde, and I had the Ginger Spice Carrot Soup with toasted almonds and whipped mascarpone. The shrimps were delicious and buttery. My soup had such great flavour. The ginger and carrot went very well together, it had a nice texture, and was a great dip for my crusty bread! 10⁄10 for the appetizers. I had the Crackling Roasted Cornish Hen with candied apples, root vegetables, spinach and pan jus. I LOVED this dish! The meat was so tender and moist, and the candied apples and veggies soaked in the pan jus made this a great balance of flavours that never got boring; I was always looking forward to the next bite. The pan jus? Yum! 10⁄10! Dessert was probably my favourite part… EXCEPT, they really looked like piles of crap on our plates. It looked so ugly that I didn’t even want to take a picture of it! The only time I was not impressed. I had ordered the Orange Spiced Warm Chocolate Cake while my friend had the Spy Apple and Cranberry Crumble. WOW! Dessert was SO delicious. The chocolate cake went very very well with the orange spice and bits of candied ginger. The outside was nice and crispy, while the inside was moist, luscious and warm. As for the crumble, it had the perfect amount of sweetness. I suggest to maybe have the crumble served in a ramekin with mint to garnish? Or a mason jar? Everyone loves mason jars. And perhaps have the cake served in a fancier dish or something of that sort. Nevertheless, I recommend a visit to Barnsteiner’s. The food is too delicious to pass up!
Charlie F.
Place rating: 2 Toronto, Canada
Went during Winterlicious for a Tuesday dinner. For $ 35, I had the carrot soup, venison stew, and apple+cranberry crumble. –PROS– The soup was excellent. It was creamy and at the same time still had enough of the carrot’s texture leftover. Wish they gave more though. The stew was good. Not as good as the soup, but decent. The service is as expected for an establishment under the ‘licious banner(except for the hostess). The atmosphere, décor, ambiance was good, although it has a few issues that could be fixed if they wanted to. My mom and dad had the cappuccino. She claims it was the second best cappuccino she’s ever had. Dont know how significant that is cause she doesnt usually drink coffee anyways, but she likes so posting it here. –MEH– The desserts are a bit small for my liking. But it is dessert. Owell. The place could be a tad brighter, but that’s probably just personal preference. And as a few Unilocalers have mentioned, the noise level is a bit too high. Probably something to do with the sound absorption materials of the ceiling, walls, and kitchen(dinning hall and kitchen are pretty much one room). Or the fact they tried packing in too many tables. –CONS– The tables were too crowded. I’m pretty sure if there’s a fire in the kitchen(beside our table), breaking the windows would be faster than heading for the doors. There’s a few spots where the waiters themselves needs to walk sideways to get through. Portions for the entrée was too small. My brother asked for McD even before the bill has arrived, and he eats less than me. I dont feel the price justified the small portions. I didnt expect it to be full, but certainly not a feeling of hunger still. Had to go get BK nuggets after($ 2 for 10). But my biggest concern was the hostess. I’m assuming it was one of the owners as she didnt serve any of the tables and mainly stood at the station beside the entrance. She saw us when we walked in, but no smile or eye contact and proceeded to explain the menu to another customer. Ok, fine, she’s busy, whatever. After she finished, she walks to the kitchen to do something for a bit, comes back and avoids eye contact with me and starts pressing the reservation screen. Glances at me and asks me the cordial«How are you?». I respond and asks the same, silence. Ok, fine, straight to the point then. I told her our reservations, she finds it, grabs some menus, turns around, and mumbles«This way»(which I can barely hear). Walks to a spot two tables away to the our tables and then just looks a me. Pauses for a bit, and then squeezes between the chairs of other customers to get to our table, places our menu on the table and walks off. We still havent received a smile or a feeling of a warm welcome. Ok, fine, she was busy and tired so had to half ass that, ok. Our entrée came and we’re enjoying it. She comes over and does the courteous«How’s everything so far?» No eye contact at all when asking that. None! Then walks off even before waiting for our response. What the heck! ==OVERALL== Based on overall experience, I would avoid because of the service of one person. The place itself isnt too bad and the food is actually quite good. Although the portions themselves could be bigger given the price. For $ 35 Winterlicious dinner, I’d suggest another restaurant.
Eric R.
Place rating: 4 Toronto, Canada
Recently tried Barnsteiners which opened a few weeks ago in our neighbourhood. We went during Winterlicious which is sometimes not the best time to sample a restaurant but in this case it worked out very well. It’s a comfortable, bustling bistro. But it’s not overly loud. We sampled several appetizers including the Smoked Chicken Salad, the Marinated Beets and the Garlic and Chili Shrimp. The shrimp and the beets were hits. Flavourful. The shrimpy were perfectly cooked. The smoked chicken was okay but paled by comparison. For mains we had the Roasted Black Angus striploin, the grilled Atlantic salmon and the Venison stew. They were all very good. The salmon was requested rare and came just as ordered. The striploin was tender and flavourful. The venison stew was excellent. For dessert we sampled the apple crumble, the orange spiced chocolate cake and the lemon panacotta. They were all very good. Winterlicious pricing was $ 35 for the 3 course meal. Excellent value. Regular prices are a little higher but reasonable if the quality stays on a par with our Winterlicious dinner. Service was professional — attentive but unobtrusive. Wine prices seem to average a 300% mark-up compared to LCBO prices.
Steve G.
Place rating: 4 Toronto, Canada
Great meal. Really great. I would say one of the best bistro meals I’ve had in the city in ages. The only thing that held it from 5 stars was the price. I felt it was a bit overpriced for what we ended up with. I know Toronto is expensive but $ 50 a head with no booze and only two starters and two desserts was a bit much. Great place for date night but I but pricey for family night out.
James G.
Place rating: 4 Toronto, Canada
Really great food and good service. It’s a great addition to the neighbourhood. Recommended for sure. Could do with better selection of beer and maybe a standing bar area but really that is just being fussy — it’s good value, good food and worth it.
Frederick F.
Place rating: 4 Toronto, Canada
I went to Barnsteiner’s, the new contemporary/eclectic restaurant that opened where John & Sons used to be. First of all they have done a great job renovating and the new interior is much warmer and more refined. It was a Wednesday night and it was VERY busy so come early or make a reservation. Like John & Sons they serve oysters. We ordered a dozen large from the East Coast and they were excellent. It took a while I guess because they were very busy. We also had the rosemary flatbread and the tuna tartar main both of which were also very good. They have a reasonable selection of beers on tap as well. I have to say the service was a bit slow probably because it is still very new and they were very busy.
Melanie C.
Place rating: 5 Toronto, Canada
It’s finally open! The former owners of The Corner House have a new home. Defined as «contemporary European», I would just call it «delicious food». We took a chance and walked in with no reservations, and lucked out. The place was packed, but Michelle found room for us. We didn’t have a huge appetite so we only tried a couple of dishes: venison stew, knodles(bread dumplings) and a side of brussel sprouts. The venison stew was the winner of these three — soft, melt-in-your-mouth meat full of flavour. One of those meals you’ll remember(and crave) for a long time. The bread dumplings were interesting, as I’ve never had anything like it before. I chose them because they were in a special section of the menu called«Chef’s Homeland». Three different types/flavours: beets, spinach and bacon. Like a soft meatball, but more interesting. I was worried they would be too doughy, but not the case at all. Loved the beet and spinach dumplings, the bacon one was just okay. Brussel sprouts were good, but the portion was kinda small and(never thought I would say this, but…) a little too much bacon compared to the sprouts. We couldn’t pass on dessert. I was impressed to see a fairly long list of offerings, plus the back of the menu had several cheeses. We decided to split the mango passionfruit pannacotta, topped with granola. It was light and refreshing, not too sweet. Granola was crispy. A great way to end our meal. Things I can’t wait to try: — the wine(extensive list, every table was sharing a bottle) — the lobster bisque — Bavarian mac ‘n cheese — schnitzel — oysters — fish & chips — lemon tart — apple strudel (that’s all I can remember right now) The waiter explained that they were testing out their new menu and will eventually add some specials or tweak the menu. Can’t wait to see what they offer next! Service was good. Quite noisy — could be because it’s the holiday season, or just that it was a busy Friday night. We’ll be back to try more items on the menu!