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Barrio Lounge - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Nightlife Bars Lounges Canadian (New), Lounges [Edit]
896 Queen St EToronto, ON M4M 1J3
Neighbourhood: Leslieville
(416) 572-0600
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
11 reviews for Barrio Lounge
11 reviews in English
-
Review from Laura M.
Toronto, ON
7/16/2010
For Rent sign confirms it all.
Bye bye Barrio.
I'll miss you, even though you were never really open when I needed you to be.
Now where will all the Lady Marmalade rejects go?
For reals though.....I'll miss you. You had great servers and yummy food. You were the only place I could take my parents to brunch without them feeling old and cynical.
It seems you just couldn't keep up your edge.
I wish you all the best. -
Review from sarah l.
12/8/2009 1 Check-in Here
Barrio has no lines. This boggles my tiny mind since it's right next door to Lady Marmalade aka captain lineup for food place. Since there was a line as always, Zack S and I hit Barrio right next door for brunch this weekend.
The best:
- The hash browns here are the right texture. If they were seasoned like the Lancer (Hartzel Rd, St. Catharines ON) they would be perfect. They are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, they are only lacking seasoning which I can forgive in light of their perfect texture.
The good:
- The food was really good. I had the pancake special which was blueberry and blue cheese with a side of peameal bacon. The bacon was especially excellent - it was chopped up and fried, leaving it tender and juicy. The pancakes came with homemade creme fraiche.
- The hashbrowns were amazing. See the 'great' above.
- I ended up eating here on Sunday too because we had a large group and Barrio was like 'sure come on in!' - they even made me 'regular bacon & eggs' which is not on the weekend menu.
- The baguette came with homemade jams - apple brown sugar and kiwi coconut citrus. I didn't love the texture of either of these spreads but I was happy enough with the flavours.
- Decent drip coffee.
The bad:
- The menu on the door (why we went in) was different from the menu presented for weekend brunch. I was not terribly happy about that because I was wanting a sandwich. Everything turned out okay though with the pancake special.
- The toast with my 'regular bacon and eggs breakfast' was toasted baguette and it wasn't great.
- There seems to only be one guy working the front of the house and it takes a long time to get your food and your bill. Nikka's husband was getting really upset that other people who came in after us were getting their food before us (we had 6 people though).
- Expensive brunch. Average 20$ per person on both my brunch visits.
Overall - I would eat here again. The specials were good, the people are nice, it's casual and unassuming, but it's not divey like a diner. I would eat here anytime on a weekend, and might check it out for dinner.Listed in: Breakfasts
-
Review from Kat F.
12/19/2009
This was another case of "woke up too late to only have to wait a reasonable amount of time in line at Lady Marmalade" - I'd wager a lot of Barrio's brunch crowd is made up of Lady Marmalade rejects.
I was disappointed by my food, but I was mind-bogglingly hungry so I inhaled it anyway. Had I been less hungry I think a lot of my food would have remained untouched. I ordered eggs florentine, and I'm appalled to say that the spinach was the best part of the dish.
The english muffin was soft (don't we usually toast these as part of a benny?) and the hollandaise was boring - it had no zip to it at all. The eggs were nicely poached. My least favourite part of the meal was the hash browns - they were oily and crispy with no chew at all. If you're the person that likes the leftover burnt bits of french fries at the bottom of the container, imagine a plate of just that. They required heavy seasoning.
Service was good. -
Review from Dane K.
8/8/2008 1 photo
Barrio was recommended by the sous chef of JKWB, so we went... It was a trolley ride away, so it was good to get out of the norm.
The food was good but not refined enough maybe. Perhaps too trendy. i had a "surf and turf" which was a way-too-spicy crab cake (inedible spicy almost) on one side, and pork belly... it was good, but not great. Brian on the other hand was what made you realize why it was recommended.
Quail Schnitzel, with a fried quail egg on top... over a bed of jicama I believe it was. I tried some and it was indeed pretty fantastic.
The chef sent out complimentary desserts, having gabbed it up and mentioned we were sent here by his friend at JKWB. It was a burnt carmel grape with a peanut butter mousse.... tasted just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. pretty good stuff.
For what it was, the food was reasonably priced... the place was a lot of empty tables though, and I don't think it had much to do with the food. The service outright sucked. Still maybe worth checking out, could've been an "off" night... -
Review from Heather B.
Scarborough, ON
1/9/2010
My friend and I wanted to go to The Roy last night but the line was too long so we decided to give this place a try.
It was EMPTY in here for a Friday night which I was surprised, but we were greeted by the friendly staff right away and presented with menus.
The atmosphere is cozy, cushioned benches with pillows and tea lights on the table to make it more special than a regular restaurant.
I dont think they have much of a menu because there was no actual menu, just a piece of paper with what they had to order from.
There was a good mix from fish, to risotto, porkchops and such.
The food took some time to get to us BUT I didn't mind because I was enjoying the company of my friend anyways and there was no rush, AND the food was prepared fresh which I love in a restaurant!
When I was presented with my meal I was alittle disappointed with portion size.
The menu ranged from 15-26 dollars. For some of the items on the menu you could also choose between small and large size plate which obviously would cost more if you got the large.
I had the pan seared scallops.
For $16 I got 3 scallops with a small bed of green beans and 2 slices of egglant which was then drizzled with a curry sauce that had a kick.
I really enjoyed it and would have liked more haha.
My friend had the Porkchops with apples for $18
Came with pretty much the same size sides of egglant and spinach I believe.
*note as for a steak nice to cut your chops -- the server gave her a butterknife and she had the hardest time trying to cut through it.
Im sure this is more of a 'fine dining' place - but I think for the amount of money they want for the meal they could be alittle more generous.
To top off the evening we shared a Creme Brulee which was devine.
I don't think I would go here again just because of the portions - we were both still hungry and I think that people go here more for brunch and by the look of the pictures posted you seem to get more.
Good place for a date if you want somewhere quiet and intimate. -
Review from Zack S.
Toronto, ON
12/6/2009
Popped in here with Sarah Lindsay the other day for Brunch.
Very interesting inside decor. Doesn't really work with anything.
This place is solid for brunch. Chef's Omelette special is what i had. Not gourmet, but damn it was well prepared, and the Hash Browns was damn delicious.
Also the black coffee came in those glass pots, all 60's diner style.
This place is unassuming. A Bit pricey, but worth a good full breakfast.
Nice and casual, and just unexpected in a very casual way. -
Review from Nolin L.
Toronto, ON
6/16/2009 2 photos
**update** Barrio has closed, and by the sounds of the more recent reviews it was only a matter of time once the chef left. Anyone know where he ended up? /update
We've been for brunch a few times, and lunch and dinner once.
I find the food here to be creative yet simple, and the flavours and portions are right on the money. Kevin told us on our last couple of visits that they would soon be re-launching the dinner menu to be more tapas-style, true to their name.
The value for your money is also very good. Portions are more than adequate, service is terrific, and the atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable.
Someone appears to have answered No to the "Good for kids?" question, but I beg to differ. Bonus points from me for the kid-friendly space and children's menu!
One of Leslieville's most underrated eating establishments in my opinion. And my vote for the best Eggs Benny in the city FYI.
EDIT: figured out the photos. -
Review from Caitlin L.
Toronto, ON
8/22/2008
We came in with a small group (4) to listen to a friend who was DJing and were enjoying our drinks. A table opened up so we decided to scoop it up while we could. The server was none to pleased that we had sat down before he'd had a chance to clear the table.
So we were not starting out on the right foot with this guy. After ordering another round of drinks he asked if we wanted any food, and none of us did. His attitude turned from bad to worse in less that 5 seconds. I guess he was looking to score a big tip off us and when he realized he probably wouldn't he couldn't be bothered with us.
Needless to say, after that we finished our drinks and split as fast as we could. Making our way to another bar, with much better service! -
Review from Vveerrgg E.
Toronto, ON
8/29/2010
Horrible service. Salty and cold food. The floors haven't been swept in what looks like a long time. The new owners must've forgot the important part of a restaurant is actually providing a good experience.
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Review from Ryan F.
Toronto, ON
5/4/2009
We were with a group of eight trying to find a table nearby and chanced upon Barrio. Expectations were low but Barrio did not disappoint. I had a Caesar salad with a generous piece of chicken for $15. Very good and the price was justified. The rest of the table was happy too so we would definitely go again.
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Review from M M.
East York, ON
4/18/2010
My friend and I happened upon Barrio while walking in Leslieville. We saw the menus and decided to try it. The menu was not as shown in the front, which I'll admit, I didn't like. So we both ordered the smoked meat sandwiches, sweet potato frites and chef salad. Well, the smoked meat was raw! Not just rare, but raw. I couldn't bite through, and had to pull the entire piece out and eat it whole. The bread was burnt and so crispy it cut the inside of my mouth. Both my friend and I couldn't finish it. The salad was drenched in some heavy, fishy oil, which left a terrible aftertaste. The sweet potato frites were mostly cooked, and they were the best part of the meal. The ambiance was only so-so, but the young woman who served us was quite nice. They took one of the sandwiches off the bill, but it was still $40 for a bad sandwich and salad, two soft drinks and 12 sweet potato frites. Sorry, will not be going back!
