The Monkey Bar & Grill

I recently hosted a couple of guests for Winterlicious — it’s a good choice for the neighborhood and price point. The panko-​crusted brie with cranberry orange sauce was my favorite started, closely followed by the celery root and apple salad with candied walnuts, parmesan cheese and lemon thyme dressing. Solid choices in the mains categories were the grilled rainbow trout with lemon arugula pesto sauce, vegetables and garlic mash potato and roasted chicken breast with mexican mole sauce, vegetables and sweet potato mash. I was sure that dessert was going to be the best part of meal (eton mess — lemon curd, whipped cream, meringue and pineapple), but it was a bit unwieldy on the plate and quite sticky. Still, it did taste good!
The staff were very attentive and accommodating with food intolerances (i.e. gluten) and easily made recommendations. Service is very good.
One of the best aspects of this restaurant is the low noise level. Even filled on a Saturday night, the noise level was low enough to speak at a low volume without needing to shout. That’s a rare feature nowadays. The bathrooms, on the other hand, were kind of scary. Classic Toronto basement-​style restroom down steep stairs and low-​hanging ceilings and a bit grimy.

Great restaurant.
We had the duck confit and the steak frites. Both were cooked to perfection. We shared the Eton mess for dessert. Wow wow wow!
Reasonably priced too… with alcohol the bill to $ 150 all in.

Food: BBQ ribs were warm but not hot, with tiny portion of coleslaw and beans. My friend’s chicken salad was dry — yuck! Will give them credit for making some sweet cocktails though.

We went here with a reservation over winterlicious on a Saturday night. I’m not sure where the name came from because it is a rather small and non descript restaurant. Still very nice and matches the yonge and Lawrence area. I think most other patrons there were in the 40+ age range so I felt a bit out of place. They seated us quickly but it probably in the least comfortable spot. The food was good, no complaints, and the service was timely. nothing exceptional however.

Went with friends tonight for winterlicous. That on a Monday night a restaurant can be so full is a testament to the quality not only of the food, but also of the service. The menu was excellent and the wait staff attentive and personable. We all had a hard time choosing what to eat it all looked so enticing. I chose the tourtière with braised red cabbage and a chicken spring roll starter. The rolls were hot, fresh out of the deep fryer, but not a drip of oil on them. Tasty. The main was so delicious. Comfort food for winter. The portion was so generous I couldn’t finish it.
For dessert again the choices were difficult. I had the banana muffin with chocolate cream cheese icing. De-​lish-​ous! We lingered a long time after our meal was finished and the wait staff continued to fill our water glasses and ask if we wanted a top up of our coffees.
Our friends now have a new place on their list to go for dinner. I love sharing great places to eat. The only downside for me is will I be able to get a reservation next time?

This place is a great «higher end» neighborhood spot.
My family has been going for years. The food is consistently good. They arent trying to be anything they’re not.
This is essentially the only place I ever order chicken on a menu. It’s pecan crusted, über juicy, hearty and comes with this creamy mustard sauce that is rich in the best way.
The dude who owns it is also just the kind of guy that you want to route for. He always comes out in his pajama pants (his uniform) and says hi.

Pleasant and friendly service. We had the calamari appetizer (great), vegetable soup (not good), pistachio goat cheese (ok), chicken penne (tasty but small), Eton mess and molten chocolate desserts (just ok). Expected more because of the other reviewers but it was just an average meal for the price.

I’ve been here a few times and honestly this place never disappoints.
Tonight was another amazing dinner. I had the Calamari salad to start. Sooooo juicy and yet had the wonderful char marks that one would associate with grilled calamari.
Following that I enjoyed a seared to perfection blue rare 10oz New York striploin (I like it rare) and it was like cutting through butter. My hubby (it’s his bday ;)) had the veal chop. OMG. Both dishes had the beefy flavor without the stink. Although the rub is slightly on the salty side (personal tastes) I have to say the quality has always been amazing.
Again what is dinner without amazing service? Well the staff here are stellar. Absolutely amazing. Friendly, personal and smiling. (Even with a few screaming kids) common you have to be an saint.
No wonder they’ve been here for 15yrs and counting.
Here’s to another 15

Everything about this place was amazing, from the service, ambiance, drink and FOOD! I had the Chinese pancake as an app, maple glazed salmon for a main, and the eton mess for dessert. I was with a table of 4 and each of us got something different and we were all impressed. Will make the trek back!

Good place for special occasion. Ontario beer is good. Try it. We had fish, shrimps and chiken.

Really nice service and a good place to sit with friends and char for hours (which is what we did). I had a delicious rainbow trout entrée with a super pineapple salsa and creamy mashed potatoes. Sooo good!

Friendly, excellent service
Wide variety on the menu. everything is great!
Nice décor and ambience
Great location
I just hope it remains viable… most nights it’s quite empty.
A excellent restaurant… deserves better attendance.

Monkey Bar is a modern upscale restaurant with a homey atmosphere, serving a variety of ‘honest’ food — the meals weren’t overly fussy or trendy, the ingredients are fresh and explicitly stated, but there’s a slight twist that just adds something special to the classic dishes.
DECOR: The décor is modern and intimate, with a long narrow layout that can be a bit awkward to walk through if you’re seated at the back but overall i think it keeps the noises down as it’s not your average large square dining room with everyone bustling about.
SERVICE: The sever was friendly, took the time to chat with us, and was knowledgeable about the chef’s techniques. She made recommendations and wasn’t overly obtrusive.
MEAL: Our starters included the calamari (which others said was fantastic), and an asparagus soup that was flavourful and creamy, despite being dairy-​free! I’d eat my vegetables every day if i had this recipe. The main dishes were the crispy duck legs with shoe string fries and hoi-​sin jus vegetables, seared salmon with vegetables and a sweet potato mash, and the pecan-​crusted chicken breast with vegetables and a mustard cream sauce, and sweet potato fries. Everything was just perfect. The duck legs were crisped to perfection without having that greasy Swiss Chalet taste which is easy to overdo when it comes to legs. They were seasoned nicely and the shoestring fries were a great light complement to the heavier meat. The salmon was a generous portion size, and the potato mash had a great texture and body. The vegetables all still retained their crunch, and were presented nicely rather than a slapped on side dish. The chicken breast was large and moist, and the mustard cream sauce was a perfect pairing with the crispy coating. The bonus was how nicely the meals were plated. It was a different spin on the classic chicken, duck, and fish dishes you’ll usually find, and I’d certainly recommend any of the dishes to a friend.
DESSERT: For dessert, we shared the apple strudel. WOW. The portion size was very generous, two large strudel rolls and vanilla ice cream to top it off. The pastry was thick yet flaky, with a unique flavour that was almost reminiscent of baklava with a hint of honey. The apples weren’t too syrupy nor too dry, and the pastry to apple ratio was on the money.
BOTTOM LINE: I couldn’t get enough of this place! Would definitely recommend to others and return again.

Modern cozy restaurant of smart casual dinning. My experience this evening was wonderful. The restaurant wasn’t too busy which made table chat a breeze. The server was gracious, knowledgable, and kind. The food was so authentic and full or flavor. It made me feel that the food I have come accustomed to eating at restaurants is of a much lower quality in comparison to this delicious wake up call. The prices with that said are in line with the quality of the food. Our table average per head was $ 40 which included desert, drink, tax, and a nice tip. Go visit it sometime and don’t be intimidated by the «fancy» dress code Unilocal says it has, the establishment still has that warm, locally run feeling which is so welcoming.
Yumm.

This is such a romantic restaurant! I wish more guys took me to hidden places like this instead of fancy expensive joints on Wellington. This Italian restaurant is as authentic as it can get. The menu contains diverse dishes to satisfy most people. You can get lamb, duck, liver, veal, steak, pasta so on and such. I had shrimps, which was delicious. The sauce was so tasty! I had an ice cream for dessert, which was amazing too. Men. Listen to my advice. Take your lady here and you will have a date to remember!

Our go to restaurant in Toronto
Unique caesar (little Potato anyone
Rack of lamb
Best burger in Toronto (bison burger)
Consistent quality in 20 plus visits over 10 years my wife has never sent a meal back which is almost an impossibilty

First things first, this place is on the pricey end. Don’t let the word «bar» fool you. I got a groupon daily deal $ 30 for $ 60 worth of food (if I remember correctly). It is best to try to reserve a spot because it was pretty crowded although it was Friday around 8. We ordered one set course meal ($ 35) and one entrée ($ 19).
The set course meal consisted of: one salad, one entrée and one dessert. We got the brie salad which was 2 lettuce with 2 fried brie pieces which was nice and gooey, entrée was bison meatloaf which was a bit salty for me but still very very tasty and lastly and the best we got eton mess for dessert. Eton mess was lemon curds with maccaron layer and strawberries, it was the perfect sweetness and tartness. The other entrée we got was angel hair tiger shrimp pasta which was delicious and the shrimp was huge.
The reason why I gave it 3 stars is because although it was tasty, I wouldn’t go again because its just a once in a long while thing cause it was just too pricey for me (I’m a student). I would rather get a steak at the price. I went for the experience but I would recommend it to someone with a fatter wallet!

The name, which is certainly not synonymous with «The Rain Forest Café», doesn’t do justice to this restaurant’s no-​nonsense service and great food. Trust me, I hate fish. After one meal, this chef has convinced me that there’s hope. I loved the atmosphere and that certain coziness that comes from have having dinner on a cold Saturday night in a restaurant with a full window view of Yonge St. This restaurant is one of up-​towns hidden treasures.

The name lured me there, thinking it was an upscale Rainforest Café type deal. Monkeys, exotic appetizers, fine wines, more monkeys. Surely a night to remember, because of the monkeys. Alas, it was your standard white linen joint with standard white linen cuisine. Other than the name, monkeys appeared to play no part whatsoever in the theme, menu items, or décor. To say I was crushed is an understatement. Anyway, acceptable mid-​town cuisine, but monkey lovers should not be confused by the name.