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Bestellen Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Modern European Modern European [Edit]
972 College StToronto, ON M6H 1A5
Neighbourhood: Dufferin Grove
(647) 341-6769
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
9 reviews for Bestellen Restaurant
9 reviews in English
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Review from Liora I.
Toronto, ON
4/16/2012
I thought Bestellen was going to be a spatzle serving German eatery, or at least that was the rumour prior to opening. It's not -- it's better.
Part steakhouse, part charcuterier: the oh-so meat-centric decor includes a huge windowed meat locker and the mural on the opposing wall spans most of the dining room to the back where the open kitchen let's you peak at celeb cheff Rob Rossi's team at work.
We started with bacon wrapped dates (Devils of Horseback) and then proceeded to order a number of small plates in an attempt to try as much as possible without committing to a steak dinner. Everything was beyond amazing; the house-made charcuterie was perhaps the best I've sampled since the whole trend started. The steak tartare was served with a fried quail egg and salty olives (good combo) and the ravioli filled with ricotta and runny egg was rich and decadent.
We had a great night. Everything exceeded our expectations: the food, the service, the music we're suberb. They even made me an exceptionally good Amaretto Sour.Listed in: Dinner dates
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Review from Yvonne T.
Bestellen had been on my radar of must-try restaurants for awhile, but with so many new restaurants coming out of the woodwork - a food blogger really has to sprint just to keep up!
The namesake of the restaurant is German, meaning "to order" but don't expect any schnitzel here. Top Chef Canada runner up Rob Rossi and business partner Ryan Sarfeld stray far from being a typecasted restaurant. Rossi sites German, Italian and Spanish cuisines as influences for his meat-filled menu. Like the founders over at the Social Feed, Rossi hopes to bring communal dining to the masses. This is reflected in larger cuts of meat (unless you can take on a 32 ounce steak on your own) and lots of sharable options.
The focal point of the restaurant is the meat locker featuring all the aged cuts of beef and house-cured meats. The recollection of Mark McEwan's meat locker at Fabbrica had but crossed my mind when the celeb chef himself walked past me! Talk about coincidence.
The decor is interesting with its Edison-inspired lighting, wooden church pews, and mural of cuts of steak. Opposite that, you will find their wine list neatly scribbled on chalkboard. The only downer is the garish beam of fluorescent lighting that emanates from the open-concept kitchen towards the rear of the restaurant.
For starters we opted for the Small Charcuterie Platter ($13) for the table. It consisted of Coppa (a pork shoulder salami), Mortadella with black pepper and pistachios, Housemade Spanish Salumi and pickled Enoki, pickles and radishes. It was served with a few slices of their house-made brioche which was very good! Having your own meat locker really does make a difference as the charcuterie board was fresh, and the meats were all delicious.
We also sampled the Pork Belly Croquette ($12) which sat on a bed of lemon "tartar" sauce, topped with a fried egg and accompanied by a radish slaw. Pork belly is something that I'm quite particular with, seeing as Chinese restaurants have no shortage of them and they're all usually very juicy, succulent, and mouth-watering. The croquette, for me, had a rather dry exterior, with a protective barrier to the pork belly filling. The dish was beautifully plated, but for me, was lacking in pork flavour. I also found the meat itself was on the leaner side and therefore, not as tender.
Our server had informed us that to truly experience the goodness of their aged steaks, that the 16 ounce striploin or the 32 ounce côte de bœuf were the way to go. Unfortunately, my belly was already quite full so instead I opted for the Bestellen Burger ($18).
I was surprised when we were asked how we'd like it cooked. I recall having read an article not so long ago stating that Canadians are deprived because the "burger law" dictates that our beef patties have to be cooked to a level of doneness that pretty much ruins a potentially good burger. Further reading indicated that restaurants who grind their own meat in-house are clear of the "All burgers must be cooked medium-well and can't have any pink in them" nonsense. Phew!
I will tell you now, that nowhere else would I fork out $18 for a burger, but it is so worth the splurge at Bestellen! The house-made brioche made a repeat appearance as a hamburger bun, housing the succulent burger and caramelized onion raclette. The fries were equally delicious, and no doubt double-fried. I almost didn't need to dip them into the Smoked Paprika Ketchup. But for those of you who know me - I never say no to ketchup, and I definitely couldn't resist this one. The smoked paprika kicked things up a notch!
To finish off the meal, we couldn't say no to the Coconut Donut ($7) which was served on a bed of creamy and luscious lemon curd. Again, nowhere in sanity's reach is $7 a price I'd pay for a donut but for these - I'd promise my first-born. This pillowy-soft creation sprinkled with toasted coconut, coupled with the smooth lemon curd was dessert heaven! I definitely recommend you hold off and save a little room for this if you dine at Bestellen!
V E R D I C T
Bestellen has definitely won me over with their unique decor, yummy food and stellar service. Chef Rossi is talented for sure, and the front-end staff are stellar. Our server was very attentive, helpful and knowledgeable about the menu.
I had actually ordered a cocktail (which I didn't like), and she was happy to take it back and bring me a new one (and I wasn't charged for the first one). I would happily recommend you try the Desert Mule cocktail. It is a refreshing quaff.
I live in the east end of the city, but would gladly hop in the car and drive on down to eat at Bestellen. -
Review from Golnar F.
Toronto, ON
4/9/2012
It hurts me to give this Rossi establishment a 3/5 but I have to!
The decor, casual and comfortable is definitely accented by gruesome meat drawings on the walls and the meat fridge on display that give it the accent it needs to have a personality. The chairs are super comfy and it's something all of us noticed immediately!
We were fortunate enough to be seated right near the kitchen, where I witnessed Rossi at work and eating quite often, so that was kind of amusing. His shy demeneaour won't get you the Chef that comes to your table to entertain you experience if that's what you're looking for.
I had to look this up because initially I was under the impression the server was his partner, but turns out that the person serving us was just some arrogant server who was just walking around the joint with owner's snobby aura.
Most of us were having cocktails at the table and I personally ordered and kept ordering the Sancho Sour - it was refreshing and delicious and the consistent feedback at the table was that the drinks were great.
Our table was clearly a mixed bag of foodies, we ordered from the bar menu and had fried cheese (very bland) and some prosciutto or bacon wrapped fig (the best thing I had the entire night), we also ordered the charcuterie board, which I thought was bland for home cured meats and surely when there are six people you can afford to at least bring six pieces of bread.
Bland is actually my consistent feedback on the food. I shared the steak tartar (lacking acid and flavour), grilled octopus (that was good) and some pork thing (not tasty either) while my friends seemed to gravitate to the Burger, which looked juicy with fries (those were the softer kind but good) and the rapini, therefore green, orecchietti, which didn't get any feedback at all.
We closed the meal with mini donuts and a chocolate pot. The chocolate dessert was excellent and other than the fig wrapped in prosciutto or bacon it was my fave.
My general feedback would be that the menu was lack luster and confusing. It would help to have the menu explained at the beginning of the meal and unlike what the douchebag waiter suggested, these meals are not family style, the Wellington options on the menu are likely family style but what we ordered was not.
Finally, we tipped generously and found the waiter to still be in a bad mood, kinda disappointing. I really hope they turn this menu around and infuse rhyme and reason for the content.
Rossi - I'm still routing for you but I'll wait til you pair with another chef and open something better before I come to your resto again. -
Review from Maddie R.
3/30/2012
I went to Bestellen last night with a girlfriend for drinks and snacks. We sat at the bar. The vibe of the place was lively and the decor gorgeous. The music was awesome (Deerhunter, Lykke Li, TV on the Radio) and piped into the bathrooms. (I really liked this at the time... I'm not sure why)
The service was attentive and the staff are all very attractive. We ordered the unexplained "devils on horseback" at the recommendation of the bartender, which are actually dates wrapped in bacon. Pretty good ($6 for four). The only downside to this place is that it is pricey- my vodka sodas were $9 a pop. I can't comment on the food, but I'd like to come back and try it sometime when I am feeling carnivorous.
Check it out! -
Review from Kent P.
Stopped by the soft-opening for Bestellen this weekend and was pretty excited. I've been waiting for months for the place to open, Rob Rossi's one of the hottest chefs in town, and the premise of the menu sounded very appealing.
The dining area is very spacious, no part of it feeling crowded (which is tough in most places in the city), with a large meat locker across from the bar where you can watch your meat age (if you've got a few weeks, I guess). Pretty cool. Open concept kitchen at the very back of the restaurant and that adds to the liveliness of the place.
The menu is pretty simple and straightforward (starts with about half a dozen side dishes... the most attractive looking like the fried cheese curds with gravy and the Brussel-sprouts with pork belly for 6$).
Next was on the menu was the sharing section which was a charcuterie board of all pork (terrine with pistachio, some cured cuts, three pieces of toasted bread, mustard, coppa, and a small bowl of pickled vegetables) for 13$. I believe on the menu it listed as coming with chorizo as well, but I didn't see it on our board.
It was a good starter to share and cover us while we were picking our mains, but nothing jumped out as especially unbelievably delicious.
I opted for the burger and fries, as several people polled said that those who had eaten it claimed it to be one of the best, and a side of the brusels sprouts. I would say there were maybe 5 or 6 brussels sprouts total...so it was a little bit of sad looking side plate/expensive- they were delicious though.
The burger was served on a brioche (which is made in house and perfect), with some cheese, and caramelized onions (also perfect). The burger was made medium-rare. What I liked about it was that you could actually taste the freshness of the beef...not something you can really notice in most burger bites. I had eaten at Burger's Priest earlier in the afternoon, so maybe I was spoiled...but this one didn't really do it for me in terms of flavor...a little plain.
The fries were disappointing and only served tepid (and when I mentioned this to the server, he said "haha, oh that's how we serve them...it's the new cool thing" - Not exactly the response I was hoping for on opening night or ever).
My DC went for the ricotta nudi (similar to a very soft gnocchi) and was reminiscent of really good mashed potatoes. They were very tasty.
Beau's Lug Tread is on tap, so that's pretty good.
I think that this place could get pretty good - still hasn't FULLY opened, so this review should be taken with a grain of salt...but overall it seemed awfully pricey for an only OK overall experience.
Excited to see how they develop over the next few months.Listed in: Meat.
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Review from Jennifer M.
Toronto, ON
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was (thankfully!) invited to preview Bestellen at the soft opening last weekend. I have been looking forward to checking it out since chef Rob Rossi told us that he was leaving Mercatto.
Bestellen (which means "to order" in German) Is the new venture of Top Chef Canada finalist Rob Rossi and his parter Ryan Sarfeld. They are both young but have some decent experience and apparently quite the eye for design. The space looks gorgeous. Rustic reclaimed wood, a "peek-into" meat locker, chalkboard walls and an impressive mural comprised of meat bits along the wall of the dining room. Part apocathacary, part lumberjack shack and at the same time very modern, the decor is thoughtful and was well received by my party. A large harvest table (seats 12) sits adjacent to the open kitchen along the back of the space.
My friends and I rolled in at just before 9 and had a seat at the bar. Being a soft opening we had a choice of 2 beer and 3 wine, or two cocktails. I chose the house red and it was a good choice. Once seated, we perused the menu (a condensed version for the occasion) and basically ordered one of everything.
Charcuterie was fantastic. Really Really good and a steal at $13. We will definitely be ordering this regularly. For starters, the other stand out was the fried cheese curds with smoked ketchup, that were so great we ordered a second round. Caramel popcorn was decent but more of a bar snack.
Also ordered by the party were the burger and fries which came cooked medium on a fresh baked brioche. A little under seasoned, but really good none-the-less. Benefited heavily by the smoked ketchup we had sent from the kitchen. The brussel sprouts and duck fat potatoes were tasty sides. For the non-meat eaters, there was a delicious pasta dish and (on special that eve) a trout which was perfectly cooked.
Even though we are all completely stuffed, we tucked into two bread puddings baked in mini mason jars for dessert. Bottles of wine ran us $45 a piece.
Service was exceptionally good. Prices were extremely reasonable. The one $40 main (an aged steak), we were assured, was large enough to feed two people. The others were all in the $18-25 range. We ate and drank like complete fools (wanted to try everything!) with several bottles of wine, beers and cocktails and the bill was about $150 a couple.
This is just the beginning for Bestellen which is amazing. If mediocre "hot spots" like Enoteca Sociale can be completely full every night I can not even imagine how popular Bestellen will be. I am really excited to see how this goes.
This place reminds me very much of my favourite restaurant in Montreal La Salle À Manger and that is a very good thing.
Highly Recommended.Listed in: Best of the Best
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Review from Eva T.
Toronto, ON
4/7/2012
We were at Bestellen for dinner on Saturday, April 6, 2012. It was busy but not full and it had an energetic vibe.
Second place on Top Chef Canada 2011, chef Rob Rossi's Bestellen did not disappoint! Only open a month or so, the kitchen did not seem to exhibit any of the growing pains new restaurants are so famous for. The wait staff are friendly, professional and courteous and seem genuinely happy to work with Chef Rossi. Our waiter spoke very highly of Chef Rossi.
The décor is warm and comfortable with a huge meat mural on the west wall; there is a windowed meat curing room off to the right as you entre through the bar area. We were seated at the back near the kitchen, usually not my flavourite place, but we were curious on the workings of the kitchen; they were serious yet smiling, seems like a good place to work. Chef Rossi ever present checking and cooking! My only complaint would be the fluorescent bulb in the kitchen (yes I know they have to see what they are doing) which poured disgustingly bright light into the dining room; had they lowered the bulkhead between the kitchen and dining room about 30-40cm, it would have completely missed shining right into my eyes. Perhaps it still can be corrected! They played a great mix of the old jazz crooners and some cool old fashioned rock.
Now the food. A decidedly meaty menu, I started with the grilled octopus; delicious, and perfectly cooked with a touch of char. I would have complimented it with a bit more sauce, as it was scarce, the little black olives (usually my favourite) were tasteless. My husband had the salad and said it was just OK. My main was the steak tartar! I exclamation marked it because it was most likely the BEST steak tartar I've ever had, and I've had a lot! Nicely seasoned and did I taste a bit of chopped pickle? A very European addition. The deep fried quail egg did nothing for my particular taste. My hubby had the burger and thought it was incredible! They served it with sweet potato fries (YUM) with a smoked paprika catsup that was TO DIE FOR! We will be back, particularly when I'm in the mood for a perfect tartar, but next time, we will ask to be seated more toward the front out of the fluorescent glare. -
Review from The Vong Choice I.
Toronto, ON
3/17/2012
Top Chef finalist's Rob Rossi and co-owner Ryan Sarfred have opened Bestellen (which means 'to order' in German) the College and Dovercourt strip. The space, a former IGA grocery store, has been transformed completely with reclaimed wood and exposed brick to give it an intimate rustic feel and a glass encased meat locker for patrons to gawk at all the cuts. Towards the darker dining area, there is a wall dedicated to meat with different cuts and whole suckling pig painted on it. At the back is an open kitchen so you can watch all the food porn you would like being prepped and cooked for you.
Ryan, who manages the front of house, brings us over their house made charcuterie board to enjoy over our cocktails. All the cured meats are their labour of love and they all have different flavour profiles which is great. On the board were salumi, sausages, terrine, thin slices of lard, and pickled vegetables. We especially enjoyed the terrine with pistachio as it gave a good crunch and texture and I loved the lardo for the 'melt in your mouth' richness factor.
We move to our table in the busy and noisy dining room. We find it harder to have an intimate conversation here as it's hard to hear each other For our main, we decide to go for it and order the piece de resistance - their $105 serving of a 32 oz cote de boeuf with bone marrow with an order the duck fat fingerling potatoes. We are already a bit stuffed from the board but our main arrives and is well presented. We asked for the chef's recommendation on how we would like the meat cooked - this was my friend's suggestion as I would prefer all meat cooked as rare as possible. The boeuf came mostly medium rare with some pieces on the medium side. I found it tough to tell as the dining room is very dark so it's difficult to see what you are eating on your plate and was disappointed with it as there was a lot of fat in the boeuf as well. I know the fat is there for marbling and more flavour but it was extremely fatty. The bone marrow was more gristly and greasy than I had expected and add the duck fat fingerling potatoes and you have a very decadent meal. We thought this dish was sub par for the value of it but we realize that this is their first month of opening so they are just working out the kinks.
Anyway I hope to come back and try a few more items in the next months as they do have a great wine list and it has all the right ingredients to be the next 'hot spot'. -
Review from Joe L.
Richmond Hill, ON
1/30/2012
I was graciously invited to the soft opening of Bestellen Friday night and walked away thoroughly impressed. Situated on a derelict strip of retail on College just east of Dufferin it's definitely got that "out there" and "first" kind of vibe that the restaurants on Dundas and Ronces have--if that makes sense. Anyway, its cool. Let's leave it at that.
I walked in at 6:30 to a full house, they had two cameramen shooting promotional footage and I thought that was pretty swag. The restaurant is pretty big and deep in comparison to the site of the storefront. I'd say its about 60 seats. The decor is what you'd expect from a new restaurant in this decade: lots of found wood. We got reclaimed wood ceilings, reclaimed wood tables; it's all reclaimed. I dig the look, I always do. The menus, which are mounted on wooden boards reminiscent of a gussied up cutting board, tie the whole meat+wood aesthetic together.
We were told the menu was limited because it was the soft opening and the reviewer below me has done a pretty good job at describing the standouts. I personally split the 30 day aged striploin with a friend ($40) and ordered a side of duck fat fingerling potatoes with it. If the meat locker in the restaurant is any indication, this place is going to be a serious spot if you like beef. The striploin was easily one of the best pieces of meat I've tasted...I'll go ahead and put it above BONES in Atlanta (best steakhouse I've eaten at personally). Other standouts were the fried cheese curds with smoked ketchup ($7, and be sure to save the ketchup for your frites!), the brussel sprouts and pork belly ($6), and even though I didn't have it I saw a lot of burgers ($18, dry aged beef, carmelized onions, raclette cheese, brioche bun) on tables.
Wines are divided into three price levels (nice and easy) $45, $65, and $85. Beau's on tap (swag).
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal wish Rob and Ryan nothing but the best--they've got a real winner.
