Fabarnak Restaurant & Catering

Amazing food. Ask them what people come there to eat the most and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Walked past it many times; glad I finally made it in.
Restaurant helps train individuals and offers very good food!
Jerk chicken sandwich and soup; tasty. Excellent baked goods.
Will return. Prices very fair.

Been coming here awhile and though the food was not at all like the website and reviews it was pretty good. Looks like they’ve changed direction quite a lot. Service is hit and miss depending on who you get.

I’ll be honest. I am gluten free. They didn’t really help me find good options that would be safe for me on their menu. I have tried to eat there a couple of times as I’m a huge supporter of local restaurants. But they turn me away every time.

Not that great or anything special. The price is ok for what you get. I’m not sure if I’d bother coming back.
The restaurant charged us for a bad cup of coffee that they served that we asked to have replaced. That is very unreasonable, we won’t be back ever.

Horrible service. We came into the café and people just left a table of four. We waited few min for it to be cleaned which is fine. We were about to sit when a group of three came in. We said they could take our table of four and my boyfriend and I can sit at another table next to another couple. My question is why did they get served first, why did they get food first and why was our order taken 15 minutes later. Doesn’t matter if your short staffed which he told us half hour after, Take the order of those who came in first.
Cherry ontop. we waited for our breakfast for half hour. Still the food has not come and its because the chef is looking for one of the ingredients for 20 minutes as stated by the waiter.
We said its fine to leave it out and so the waiter told UA it’s just few more min. Another 5 min goes by and we just had to go. All we got was a sorry.

One of the few places I’d give 5 stars to. It’s hard to go wrong here because everything is so damn good!
As soon as I walk in, I go right to their bakery counter to get some treats and then sit down to order a hot meal. I just want it all!

Excellent food and good service sums it up. The only gripe is that the restaurant is beside a small parkette and there’s always sketchy people outside smoking or just stinking up the place. No need to use your bear spray, just have it handy. Cool and hip furniture, weird hours, and the food is healthy and tasty. Pro-​tip: Go for breakfast, brunch or lunch.

I wanted to give this ace a four star rating due to it being inexpensive and having good (not great) food, but the pictures on the website show a much more elaborate style of food that what’s on a very small selection of food for lunch, maybe 10 items which includes the apps.
The place is dressed like a fast food restaurant, and kind of hidden up some stairs. I actually walked by it and didn’t know it.
The service is friendly, but if it were packed it could be a challenge with one waitress for about 25 seats. We had a late lunch though, so no issues to report there.

Ordered the Square Peg on December 20, 2013.
Included: Duck confit salad with poached egg on top, roasted potatoes, sticky toffee pudding and garlic bread.
Price: $ 11+tax
Service: Meh
The deal with this place is that’s an oxymoron. it has a fancy name (Fabarnak) but it looks like a cafeteria. They have fancy dishes, but it’s served in a bento box. They are a restaurant, but located in the same building as a community centre.
So as for the food, I thought it was slightly above average. What I liked the most was the poached egg as it was perfect and the yolk came oozing out onto the duck confit. The duck confit was decent and the meat texture was perfect, but I found it slightly salty, as were the roast potatoes.
As for the pudding, this was good and I would have it again, although i really don’t like sweets. I think a lot of people would like it.
However, my biggest pet peeve about the Square Peg is that I felt it was the dessert that filled me up and not the entrée. I would have much preferred to have a bigger entrée and smaller dessert. I really don’t want to pay $ 11 for a big chunk of cake and a small entrée.
Maybe it’s just not for me, but I think this is an average lunch place and really a bit overrated. Sorry.

Awesome brunch spot, especially on Saturdays.

One of the best lunch spots in the area. Local produce with a subtly upscale slant. The square peg (a meal served in what looks like a bento box or cafeteria tray) had 4 well thought out food options, was fun to eat and was reasonably priced given the quality. The options change constantly! Look up the hours as they can be weird and check it out! You won’t be disappointed.

It is so easy to walk by Fabarnak without realizing you’re passing by one of the best brunch spots in Toronto. Actually, AWESOME is the word I’m looking for.
What’s not to love about eggs benedicts? I love them even more on pulled pork! I’ve never had this combination anywhere else, and I’m in love. I don’t think I’ll have my egg bennies any other way now.
Service was just as awesome as the food. The place is small, so only two of the staff were shuttling about and surprisingly, my cup was always filled. Wait for the food wasn’t too long — we were munching on complimentary scones from the kitchen anyways.
They were sold out on the buttermilk chicken and the peg box when I visited, but I’m 100% sure I’ll be back to try them out!

FINALLY, ABBAS GOT TO HIT ONE OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN THE CITY.
On Saturday morning, I woke up hungover as ever, and craving food. When thinking about brunch options, Church St Diner and the Smith were discussed, and then I came up with FABARNAK. I’ve been dying to go to this place FOREVER.
Finally, I had my chance.
We got there, and boy was it packed. We ended up having to wait about 45 minutes to get a seat, but all that didn’t matter once I got my face full of that noms.
We ordered (to share)
1. The Pulled Pork Eggs Benny — OMFG. SO GOOD. peppers, chunks of pork (isn’t supposed to be shredded/​pulled?) on a cheese bun with a beautiful hollondaise, and a leafy green salad. MUST GET.
2. Duck Carbonara — my FAVOURITE. Fresh made pasta, with duck pieces, mushrooms and delicous duck egg. TO DIE FOR. Only qualm, it was such a small portion, I could’ve eaten like 5 orders of it.
3. The Beef Brisket Hash — also really good. Not my favourite though, because I thought it was a bit to sweet, but it was my dining companion’s favourite.
Notes:
In total, the bill was 20 each + Tip. WHAT SO CHEAP?
They were out of the bread baskets :(
The deserts at front looked so good.
Kudos to the employment program servers! They did a really good job!
Also, loved being seated at the same table as others… love listening to other peoples convo’s and seeing what they’re eating (I’m kinda a creep like that)
Now that I’ve had the brunch, cant wait for the full on dinner service meals!

I have returned to Fabarnak several times since this review and each visit was more disappointing than the last. Also, the menu is constantly changing, so if you enjoyed a dish in the past, do not expect it to still be available the next time you visit. Today I visited them one last time and I ordered their ricotta gnocchi and I disliked it so much that I put it aside after 3 bites. The texture was unappealing and the flavor unappetizing. I offered my friend some to try and he also could not have more than one bite, and he eats everything! Arghh $ 12 down the drain.

This restaurant is absolutely amazing. I was here for saturday brunch and I ordered their pull pork benny. It’s the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had and I’ve been to many restaurants for brunch in Toronto and NYC. Words can’t describe how good it was.
I’m definitely going back and I can’t wait to try their dinner menu.
Tips: They don’t serve dinner on Tuesdays.

*3.5 stars
Fabarnak is a super casual eatery located inside a community centre in the Gay Village. According to their website, at least 60% of their menu is sourced from local farmers and producers and they want to establish a menu that is «delicious, adventurous, fun and ethical». On this occasion, they were very kind with accommodating our party of 11.
Now onto the food!
Braised range-​free chicken ($ 12 for some and $ 17 for more) — house pasta, white wine, stewed tomato, baby leeks, caponata, pecorino. I had a couple of bites of the pasta and I liked it very much. The pasta was slightly on the softer side, but by no means mushy. The tomato sauce was also very tasty.
Beef brisket ($ 12 for some and $ 17 for more) — field mushroom potato hash, caramelized onion, and fried egg. I can’t remember whether this was the some or more version, but the flavours were very bold, especially the curry-​like sauce on the potatoes.
Most of the party opted for their signature square peg, which is Fabarnak’s version of a bento box. The square peg comes in two sizes ($ 10 for «some» and $ 15 for «more») and the offerings change on a daily basis. For that day, we had duck liver parfait on toast, seared beef with pickled cucumber, potato salad, and finishing with devil’s food cake for dessert. I was already sold upon hearing duck liver! Pictured here is the bigger size.
Starting with the duck liver spread on toast– I thought the bread was slightly stale, and I would’ve liked it better had it been toasted some more. The potato salad was tasty, though perhaps a little too heavy on the mayo. The beef had great flavour, but I had difficulty chewing through it, so I ate one piece and gave the rest of my friend (and traded him for some pasta). The chocolate cake was also too sweet for me, and I gave most of mine away as well.
I really loved the whole concept of Fabarnak, but sadly I wasn’t a big fan of my square peg that night. That said, the prices are very reasonable, so I would definitely give this place a second try, but I’d probably order a sandwich instead next time.

I came here around afternoon to pick up three Square Pegs to go.
I can’t say much, since it’s all already been said. Refer to other Unilocalers. They do not lie and the rumours are true.
Also came for dinner, with a few friends, for my birthday.
Fabarnak rotates their menu (fairly) often, so it’s always nice to have a fresh list of choices… and not get stuck in a rut. Luckily, too, all the choices are always delicious and wonderful.
THEY ALSO CHANGE THE UMBRELLAS! YES! I NOTICE THE UMBRELLAS!
I’m not a foodie… but if I were, I’d be able to describe this place with mouth-​watering succulent detail. As such, I can just urge you to come here yourself and experience the mouth-​water with your own eyes… er, mouth.
PS, service is a bit slow. The wait is worth it.

I changed my mind about Fabarnak!
After my last visit to Fabarnak with 2 Unilocalers and ended up I have a chance to order some real entrees… (Nice Unilocalers were forced to shared theirs with me!)
Sorry, Square Box I no longer love you as much as before…
Entrees, you are my TRUE LOVE. You are so well prepared and with class and great flavours. You are the REAL DEAL… and a real deal at that price too!
Now I have to come back to try the Fabarnak’s Brunch Menu (the morning after meal)!

Are you a foodie who also happens to be cheap? (Or «thrifty»?) Well say hello to your new favourite lunch spot; FABARNAK.
I read about Fabarnak on Toronto Life and decided to hit it up for lunch with fellow Unilocaler Jennifer M.
The restaurant is operated by the 519 Church Street Community Centre and all profits are reinvested back into the community centre itself. Most of their food is locally and sustainably produced.
The lunch menu is fairly extensive but the real pièce de résistance is the «Square Peg» bento box ($ 9!!!), which is a bento box filled with four smaller portions of their daily specials.
Today I dined on crispy pigtail w/​horseradish aioli, roasted asparagus w/​toscano cheese, mini yukon potatoes w/​basil pesto and rosemary shortbread cookies w/​dolce de leche for lunch. FOR $ 9!!!
I’ve never eaten pigtail but it was served battered and pan-​fried like a schnitzel, the meat inside was fatty, tender and succulent with a texture similar to pulled pork. The mini shortbread cookies topped with dolce de leche nearly had me drooling. Portion size was by no means huge but it was certainly the right size for lunch.
The rest of the lunch menu includes salads ($ 4-​$ 7), soups ($ 4-​$ 7), daily quiche ($ 5), variety of sandwiches ($ 10) and an extensive list of delicious sounding entrees: «deconstructed chowder», «peruvian flank steak» and «white bean pappardelle» to name a few ($ 10-​$ 12). Good selection of vegan and vegetarian options.
Service was a bit slow when we first arrived, but a few minutes later the entire staff was literally bending over backwards to ensure we were well taken care of and enjoying our food. This is quite commendable considering they don’t even pocket their own tips — it all goes back to the community centre.
The Square Peg and other specials are updated daily on Fabarnak’s twitter account (@FABARNAKresto)