John & Sons Oyster House

Very enjoyable dinner at John and Sons. A bit hard to find if using a smart phone. Mine mapped the establishment to the wrong side of the street. No problem on a warm night but at –5 F, every minute counts! The restaurant is small with only small tables around the edge of the room and seats at the bar in the center. It would not be a good location for a party of more than 4. We made our reservation on
and were seated promptly at the bar. The wait staff were friendly and attentive. The ambience is warm but a bit noisy. The oysters were incredible. We had the staff choose a variety and we enjoyed them all. The grilled Octopus app. was ok, but the beans served with it were not fully cooked. The main courses (scallops with a butternut squash risotto and black cod in a light broth were both delicious. Very distinctive flavors from both and very fresh tasting. Portion sizes for the mains were a bit small considering the 30 $ price. (3 sea scallops = 1 main dish portion?) Wine list was limited but we found a very good Sancerre that was a perfect accompaniment to the seafood. Overall, an enjoyable dinner.

A perfectly lovely and intimate place hidden away. Great oysters! Full menu of good stuff but lacking anything green which is the only downer. Good wine list as well with decent variety.

I love the atmosphere and the oysters are great. However, I was quite disappointed by my experience. I have celiac meaning I cannot under any circumstances eat gluten. It’s not a dietary choice, it’s an autoimmune disease and my intestinal lining is destroyed when I eat gluten. I don’t go out to eat often but when I do I never never ever go to a restaurant without calling and checking that they are able to accommodate me… upon calling in the afternoon yesterday I was told by a very friendly lady who answered the phone that they can absolutely accommodate me and that there were several dishes on the menu that were gluten-​free or could be made as such… she even put me on hold to go and check with the kitchen. Well too bad she wasn’t working last night… I made a reservation and when I got there the waitress had no idea what gluten even was –she was trying to be helpful but really wasn’t. There was a guy working at the bar and I could see her continuing to go over to him to try to get my questions about the different dishes answered and he kind of barked at her «we can’t guarantee anything we are a small kitchen». Well, this is a completely different answer than what I got when I called to see if they could accommodate me… I was quite nervous about eating there after hearing the exchange between the staff. They were quite unapologetic. I never want to feel like I am inconveniencing a place and that is why I always go out of my way to double check before going… nothing bothers me more than when I do the legwork and the restaurant isn’t ready for me and hasn’t communicated my dietary needs to the staff working. All and all, pretty unimpressed… I would NEVER eat there again given the limited knowledge on the part of the staff regarding dietary restrictions and I probably won’t return for drinks /​oysters …
Ps they brought my ceviche out with crackers on the plate… REALLY??? Who in the restaurant industry doesn’t know what gluten is in 2015

A favourite for after work cocktails and seafood. Small space and can get busy but the staff is great and love the fresh oysters.

My first foray into Oysterdom was a rousing success! I never thought I’d enjoy the slimy little things but after a little liquid courage I jumped in and I’ll never look back. Apologies to the lovely staff that had to clean up the big spill I had when I slipped and knocked over a couple of glasses at the bar :/.

Great Oyster House and a much improved menu over the last few years. Always a nice selection of beers and wine.
Great staff and a really nice bar setting.
If I had to say anything negative its a bit expensive but on the other hand, you pay for quality.

I had to sit on this review for awhile before actually posting it here. And by «awhile», I mean at least 6 months. Why the hesitation, you may ask?
Well, it’s not the food. My go-​to are the crispy, fried smelts with addictive curry salts and the blistered shishito peppers which are like a game of a spice-​level Russian roulette. The rest of the cooked items were alright, though the star, of course, is the oyster.
With at least 8 or so different varieties available on ice at any given time; each oyster is pristinely shucked or promptly chucked if it doesn’t pass the freshness sniff test. The housemade sauces like cocktail, mignonette, hot pepper, or champagne shallot mignonette are thankfully on the house with your oyster platter. Might sound like an odd thing to comment on, but apparently sauces are not necessarily served without an extra cost at some other oyster places in the city.
Met the namesake John once — such a nice guy and made me feel welcome as a lone diner (I have friends! I swear!).
I think it basically boils down to the fact that I’m not the target clientele. Attentive service seems to focus on a certain type of crowd. I guess it’s just not quite the kind of place for me.

This was a cozy place with a bar area and a handful of small tables, with the diners ranging from casual to dressy-​ish.
We ordered the oysters, fish & chips and scallops. I would say everything was pretty tasty– the oysters were very fresh! (beware the hot sauce because a little bit really goes a long way…)
May return in the future to try the rest of their menu because I do like me some seafood :)

Amazing place. Quiet. Great service. Awesome oysters with custom made sauces. Beet salad rocks– warn cheese on yellow beets!

I recommend making reservations even for lunch. We stopped here while visiting Toronto and we love it. Great food and atmosphere.

Great spot. Great scene. Oysters are a little smaller than what you might expect from another great spot ‘Rodney’s’ on King, but more manageable and delicious.
At both you get the array of delicious dressings ranging from a delicious scotch bonnet sauce to an exciting vinegar drizzle.
On point!

We had our Xmas staff party here and it was awesome. Drinks were flowing and of excellent quality. Little fish and chip boxes were delicious and über cute. Oysters were plentiful and fresh and the service was amazing. Although it’s small, the vibe is really good and I wouldn’t hesitate to come back here for some after work drinks and oysters.

Had a great lunch here today!
I would recommend making reservations as it gets quite busy during the lunch hour. My sister and I arrived at around noon; without reservations, we were seated in an awkward area along the bar. Luckily, a table opened up and we were able to relocate. On Temperance, it’s tucked in so you might have trouble finding it. I love the décor here; it’s homey and cozy. I especially like the open concept where you can see oysters being shucked.
As for the food, my sister and I were happy with what we ordered. The shrimp tacos are so simple yet delicious. It comes with three tacos so it’s a perfect portion for sharing. The fish and chips were also great; it wasn’t too heavy and it wasn’t overpowered by breading of the fish. We also ordered the lobster roll (w/​salad); this was another winner. Full of lobster chunks, this sandwich was a hearty one.
Lastly, I wanted to mention the service. It was excellent; staff came often to fill up our glasses and see how we were doing. Can’t wait to return !
Good for: seafood, drinks, lunch/​dinner

Amazing oysters. We were craving oysters after work — where else would we go but to John & Sons! As with all eateries in the Financial District, it’s pretty busy during the weekday lunch hours. We got a table immediately on a Friday evening though at the bar. Service was quick. Oysters were fresh. The company was great.

Great oysters, very fresh. Had Malpeque, Raspberry Point and Faxbury. Beet salad was a great combo with watermelon and goat cheese. Loved the choco brownie for dessert. Cozy atmosphere and decent service. Would recommend!

Great little find downtown. Came in for lunch. Oysters were on the money. Great presentation w fresh horseradish and nice champagne shallot mignonette — one was a but funky as oysters will be sometimes and the server happily gave me another without me asking. Had the black cod which was nicely presented and tasty. Hip atmosphere and good service. Recommended.

This place oozes class, in a playful, casual, modern way. The décor is classic, the food is simple done perfectly, the service was friendly, attentive, top notch.
Had fresh, amazing oysters and crab legs, a slightly-​spicy shrimp dish that felt almost stir-​fried (in a yummy, comfortable way), the lobster sushi pizza was awesome, and tuna tartare 3 ways with fried wontons — each way was delicious. I cleaned my plate and yearned for more. Finally, the black cod was cooked to perfection. I wanted a bit more seasoning, but it was melt-​in-​your-​mouth good.
I am so glad I ate at John & Sons and highly recommend it. I will DEFINITELY be back.

This was my third time going for lunch at the downtown location of John & Sons in the past month or so, so I obviously like the place!
The oysters are fresh and there is a good selection on a daily basis, and the varieties have changed for each of my visits, except for a couple of staples. Today however was a bit of a let down. The supplier ran into delivery issues and the usual variety was not available for the lunch rush. The Kusshi and Kumamoto’s that were available were good.
I started with the clam chowder because it was very cold and windy today. It had a healthy serving of clams in it and was not overly salty.
My buddy and I shared a few appetizers, including the grilled shrimp, the crab cake and the grilled octopus. Each dish was well put together and were flavourful, however for the price I found the portions to be small.
The staff were very friendly.

A hidden little oyster bar on Temperance and Bay, it’s across from Sweet Lulu. Easily missed, but beautiful people manage to find it and eat here.
Beautiful people as in. customers were nicely dressed.
We came at around 5:30, and there were lots of tables to pick. My gal and I knew we were staying here for a drink + long talks, but the restaurant never got 100% full. There would often be 2 – 3 tables empty, so we didn’t feel so bad staying there until 8.
Oysters range from $ 3 to $ 3.75 in price per. Their list of fresh oysters that day was only 5 items long. You order as many as you want, there are no half-​dozen or dozen specials. We opt for the kushi’s and the kunamoto’s. They offer 5 condiments: from vinegar, to cocktail, to very spicy cocktail.
Also we had the Moules et Frites $ 16: steamed mussels in a creamy white wine soup (with shallot, bacon, fennel). The fries were quite salty but very generous in quantity.
We enjoyed our mojito and the service was fantastic. $ 27 (with tax, tips) per person for this dinner.
I love that it’s a quiet location with lots of people but it’s not overly crowded (unlike King Street patio bars on a hot summer day. Wow! 1h wait!!?).

I’ve been here before when it was Rodney’s and I recently came here for an early supper with some colleagues but found that I wasn’t as impressed with the food this time around.
The place always seems to have a friendly, unpretentious vibe and the service was great. The wait staff were very friendly, always checking to make sure we were happy with the food, to see if we were good for drinks, explaining our dishes and all the different accoutrements.
We ordered a bit of everything so I’ll keep the food portion of this review short and to the point:
1. Lobster Roll (Hand pulled warm lobster, lobster bisque, tatsoi green)
— Small, but chunky lobster meat seemed to have gotten muddied by the lobster bisque which I found to be rather bland and you couldn’t really taste the lobster. ²⁄₅
2. Lobster Poutine (Claw and tail meat, lobster bechamel, Yukon gold frites, Bromont white cheddar cheese curd).
— The little lobster meat was cut very small and there was a scare amount, the bechamel had no depth of flavor (couldn’t even tell it was made from lobster stock), the cheese curds were unproportionally added to the amount fries, and the fries themselves were rather oily. ²⁄₅.
3. Calamari (Grilled calamari, montanini olives, tomato and
garlic cont, rapini)
— cooked and seasoned really well, and very tender. ⁴⁄₅
4. Black Bass Ceviche
— fish was very fresh but lacked brightness, and acidity. ³⁄₅
5. Oysters Rockefeller
— I think I’m going to skip eating baked oysters from now on. Maybe it’s just me but I find that baking them changes the texture and flavor in a bad way. ³⁄₅
6. Half shell Oysters (Low tide local, acadian gold, green cable, glacier bay, pemiquid, kumomoto, wellfleet)
— The oysters were fantastic, fresh, served at a good temperature, and highlighted nicely by the condiments. ⁵⁄₅
Overall, food wasn’t spectacular for the price and I don’t think I would order any of their hot food if I were to revisit.