Forth Avenue Kitchen & Bar

The restaurant is beautifully designed– it really is nice… Unfortunately the experience and food wasn’t good. We were a party of 6. Our orders came out incorrectly — something that can easily happen, so no problem. Onions on the burger when we said no onions, fruit when we asked for potatoes… The hamburger was way, way under cooked and the man who ordered it said it was the greasiest burger he’d ever had. Then I found eggshells in the veggie eggs Benedict. The response? Not even an apology — just took the plate. Although the place wasn’t busy our coffee wasn’t refilled once. The check came and was incorrect. I really want this place to succeed as we need more great restaurants in the ‘hood but they need to focus as much on food and service as the décor. The good news? The Benny (minus shells) was good and the waffle was pretty good too (although you can see the Kirkland bottle of syrup in the kitchen which is advertised as «really good syrup» on the menu…)

This review is lengthy because this place is AWESOME! After seeing a few comments on how great this place is, on a local social media forum, my wife and I decided to see what all the hype was about, and are we glad we did. We were blown away. I just hope this place gets the recognition it really deserves.
The Service. As soon as we walked in, my wife and I were met by the lovely hostess, without hesitation, greeted us sincerely and warmly. After some feedback, she seated us in a nice cozy spot. Although the seating is a little close to other tables, I never felt like our personal space was invaded for a second. You’re close, and could have a friendly conversation with others (which of course I did at one point — to help a group with their photo) but for the most part, you’ll enjoy your space, guaranteed. This leads me to décor and layout. But before I get there, our server was a nice cool guy, very pleasant. It was awesome having the chef serve us our appetizer and explain its cheeses and meats too.
Décor. As soon as you walk in the restaurant, you’ll see two tables on the main level, just two your right, and two tables on one step (almost balcony-​ish), for a total of 4 tables. I have to admit, the way they placed them is interesting. Without getting into specifics, you’d be comfortable sitting at any of these tables whether you’re a couple, a group of three or a group of 4. And since we’re talking about seating, you could sit at the bar by yourself (or another table) and be quite content. The bar is long, and seems interactive and comfortable enough. My only regret is not seeing the back of the place, but it appeared that you could seat a nice large group back there. Even the downstairs where the washrooms are, are equally impressive and clean as the upstairs. The stairs connecting the main floor and basement are angled well too, unlike some other stores in older establishments. Obviously these people care greatly about décor and safety.
Food. Holy S – T. Like C’mon, what the hell? Did I just die and go to heaven? Ok the appetizer ‘Cheese and Carcutarie’ was great. Powerful tastes. The cheeses, cured meats, jam, and pickled vegetables with the toast (see my picture) is reason enough to dine here. Paired with a good alcoholic beverage, and you’d be set for a good after work day snack. We had a salad each as our main. My wife had the Beet salad. My wife says it was a hearty, flavorful and filling salad with goat cheese well paired with pistachio pesto. I had the Nicoise Salad, and have never had anything like it. I’m pretty sure it had an organic egg (most flavorful egg I’ve ever eaten — and I REALLY like eggs) along with a well vinegarred cut up potatoe, and of course the pan seared (melt in your mouth) tuna. We had their fries with dinner too. Well sized, not greasy and made me feel like I was eating a potatoe but it was fun, and tasty. There could’ve been more side sauce, but wife says «don’t be a greedy guts»!! Like she knows best pfffft.
Price point, I’d say this place is definitely fair to other places. Although I enjoy other local venues, I’d have to say this is my favourite amongst some other familiar places like Melanie’s Bistro, Local 1794, The Borough, etc. Whatever you do… enjoy yourself.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Cheers.

I was excited to stroll along the Danforth and see a new brunch spot in the neighbourhood! Today, we stopped in to check out the scene and try our brunch favourite: the eggs benny.
THE GOOD:
— Service was good overall. Our servers were very polite and we were served quickly.
— The place has a trendy, clean and upscale vibe — think Local 1794 (down the street) but less bar-​y and more restaurant-​y. It’s great to have more options like this in the neighbourhood.
— I would give my eggs benny a solid ⁴⁄₅. I don’t know what they put in their hollandaise sauce, but this was easily the best hollandaise sauce I’ve ever had: thick, creamy and all around scrumptious. If I could, I would dunk my head in a bin of this stuff or take a bath in it — it’s that good.
THE BAD:
— Probably my miss for not making note of this when ordering, but I prefer my eggs benny with very soft, runny eggs. I want the yolk to ooze out and mix with the hollandaise sauce to make a heavenly concoction all over the bacon, you know? These eggs were just a little overcooked.
— I thought the prices were a little on the high side — $ 15 for an eggs benny is high in this neck of the woods.
All in all, if you’re in this part of town and want to try the best hollandaise sauce of your life, be sure to check out Forth Avenue.

This strip of Danforth has been *dying* for more places like this. Good on the owners for realizing the potential here and taking a chance. We went a couple of weeks ago on a cold Friday night. Although the place was full, they were more than accommodating. We sat at the bar and they served us a couple of drinks. The bartender was very knowledgeable about the different beers they had on tap. I noticed that they also had a good wine list too. A table soon freed up and they helped us move. First dish. we had the jalapeño poppers — they were juicy and spicy at the same time — a fantastic start. For the main event, we each ordered the burger and WOW. it was truly amazing: Juicy, tender, tasty and done exactly the way a good burger should be. The fries were really good too. The service was spot-​on, especially given the fact that they haven’t been open very long. We were never made to feel rushed at all. Casual and trendy at the same time is how I would describe this place. The music noise level was decent and to my surprise, they actually played a really decent selection of music. We will definitely be returning — and this time with friends — because now we’ve really got something to brag about on Danforth East! :)