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Caroline's - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Irish Restaurants Gluten-Free Italian, Irish, Gluten-Free [Edit]
554 Parliament StreetToronto, ON M4X 1P7
Neighbourhood: Cabbagetown
(416) 927-1593
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
5 reviews for Caroline's
5 reviews in English
-
Review from Angela L.
6/30/2011
On a recent sweltering evening, my friend and I passed by the very cozily filled tiny front patio, through the elaborate but empty first floor dining room (stopping only briefly to jokingly to consider joining the private fiesta upstairs), and into Caroline's hidden back patio. Lit with strings of lights and lined with neatly arranged sets of considerately padded patio furniture, the atmospherically dark space surrounded by high wooden fences almost feels like miles away from the bustling city.
Having heard so much about the gluten free options (which the restaurant was known for while it was being run as Big Momma's Boy), we both opted to try a gluten free beer. Despite the menu's many tantalizing options, we were feeling nibbly and chose to share an antipasto platter. Everything looked and tasted okay, but we could have used a lot more than the three croustini that it came with. It would have also been nice to have been told the names of the artisanal cheeses.
Our Irish server was friendly enough, but seemed awfully tired. Although there was still another table left at the time that we were getting up to leave, we couldn't help but feel like we were keeping them as we watched the back door to the kitchen swing open and shut with servers and cooks making plans for the night over smokes. -
Review from Karl R.
10/15/2011
*** CLOSED ***
Business is dead. Caroline's not pining for the fjords! Caroline's passed on! This restaurant is no more! It has ceased to be! Caroline's expired and gone to meet its maker! Caroline's a stiff! Bereft of life. Its business processes are now 'istory! Caroline's off the twig! Caroline's kicked the bucket, its shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT... errr restaurant!
Now to get that Groupon refund... -
Review from Denise S.
4/12/2011
So I don't know if the management has changed or not, this place used to be called Big Momma's Boy. I went here because everything on the menu can be made gluten-free and I was having dinner with a friend who has Celiac disease. Well, we kept walking up and down Parliament and finally I looked up the address and saw this place has changed its name to "Caroline's". However, the menus still said Big Momma's Boy and looked identical to the one on the website.
Anyways! Cute, laid-back and unpretentious place. We sat upstairs. The restaurant is in an old house, very warm with lots of random decorations. Service was pretty standard and we ended up staying almost 3 hours and were never rushed to leave. I had the appetizer size mac and cheese, which came in a tiny side dish but it was just enough for me. I just wanted to try what gluten-free mac and cheese was like. The pasta definitely had a different texture, and it could have been creamier, but all in all it was a-ok. My friend got the veggie lasagna which she said was great. I had the veggie burger (I had it on a regular bun, but gluten-free is available), which was kinda falling apart but quite tasty nonetheless! We were too full for dessert.
The menu has lots of symbols -- vegetarian, heart-healthy, etc. Definitely a guilt-free dining experience.
I'm pretty impressed that a restaurant like this exists. Pretty good spot in general and a nice change for people with gluten allergies. Before this, whenever I go out with this friend we usually go to Asian places where dishes are rice based. Some Italian places offer gluten-free pasta, but they usually charge extra for that.
Our waitress told us that in the near future (or maybe already?) they are going to have a late-night snack menu, so look out for that.Listed in: An Apple a Day...
-
Review from Jack W.
Toronto, ON
5/21/2011
We were looking for a nice pasta dinner and saw that Caroline's did same so decided to walk down and try it.
Green Salad: lettuce. Only lettuce.
Crab Cake: frozen.
Pasta: an attempt at aglio e olio, with *no* parmesan.
The waiter tried his best, and I would give him high marks. Unfortunately, this place belongs on Kitchen Nightmares. It's like the owners have tried saving money by taking out all the actual cooking or detail in the food without charging less. My green salad was literally just lettuce with a dressing. The Crab Cake I got had all the wonder of a fish cake out of the freezer at Safeway. My husband's pasta was *so* bland. And, as I say, it had no cheese, and darn little garlic, which... well, it's supposed to have a lot of these things, really.
I really felt the waiter was embarrassed. Someone has made some very poor decisions about this place, and one doesn't know if it's the chef or owner, but this has the feeling of a place that has lost its spark, if it had any. Food for people with failing tastebuds. -
Review from Stacey M.
Toronto, ON
9/29/2011
Worst brunch ever! Horrid overpriced food and god awful service. We waited over 45 min just to have our order taken and they screwed up our meal. My quiche was the size of my iPhone and the fruit salad looked and tasted days old. Waste of time and money. (was there in June but for some reason it didn`t post then)
Specialties
European comfort food and Winner of the 2010/2011 dine.to Best Pizza using naturally raised hormone free meat from Rowe Farms and sustainable seafood from Hooked. Socially aware as we use as many local products possible.
