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Hadley's
Categories: Restaurants Barbeque Restaurants Canadian (New) Barbeque, Canadian (New)
940 College StreetToronto, ON M6H
Neighbourhood: Dufferin Grove
(416) 588-3113
- Hours:
Tue-Thu 11:30 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 11 pm
Sun 11:30 am - 3:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
31 reviews for Hadley's
Review Highlights
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"The benny sits atop of a biscuit and pulled pork." In 16 reviews -
"I had the lemon tart made with cookie crumble crust." In 4 reviews -
"The mac and cheese was sublime." In 7 reviews
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31 reviews in English
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Review from Johnny H.
Toronto, ON
5/9/2012
I was here for Yelp event with several Yelpers.
The hamburger was nice. It was huge, and the ingredients were fresh. The fries were delicious as well. The meat was a bit overcooked, and had a bit of bland dry taste though. But with mustard and relish on the meat, the meat tasted slightly better with smokey grilled taste.
The bloody caesar was too spicy for me. Probably destroyed my tongue, and my throat was on fire the whole time.
The interior of the restaurant has a classic diner feel. But not a run-down atmosphere. It is actually quite clean. There are only several tables though. And it is a small narrow place. It is darkly lit as well. The server was attentive and nice. The foods came out at a decent pace.
They played lots of interesting music too - anywhere from Bon Jovi+MIA remix to classic Bryan Adams. I loved the casual relaxing atmosphere. -
Review from Brian K.
I finally had the chance to try the fried chicken here (Fridays only!), and sweet jebus it was out of this world. Seriously, some of the best fried chicken in the city.
Why that Hadley guy doesn't make this a permanent menu fixture is beyond me.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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3/1/2011
They've replaced that god-awful Coffee Porter with Cobblestone Stout, and have ditched the cider for… Read more »
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Review from Amy D.
5/4/2012
Like most people at Hadley's, i saw them a few months back on You Gotta Eat Here. After laying my eyes on the Remedy, i knew that that was what i would order. We went last week, i didn't even need to look at the menu. So it come with fruit salad, coleslaw, and the piece de resistance is the hash with baked bean, pulled pork, and two deep fried poached eggs atop. My sis ordered the breakfast plate with house made bacon. The two dishes side by side were pretty identical in the portion size, however mine was 14 dollars and hers was only 7. I liked the deep fried eggs, i was worried they would be hard, but the yolks were still runny. My fave was the pulled pork, it was smoky, tender, and really delicious. It was definitely the highlight, i found the beans and hash really bland. For my sis, she liked her hash, it was better seasoned than mine, however the house made bacon was cold and tough.
It also seems that the building has been around for a long time. We sat at the bar and we could see the chef the entire time, and the kitchen definitely needs an update.
Overall, Hadleys was packed so it is definitely one of the restaurants to go to at the minute, however their menu seems really good on paper, but fell flat for taste. -
Review from Magdalena R.
Toronto, ON
4/4/2012
Yum Yum. I came here with my sis-in-law for a random Friday lunch. It was busy but we were taken care of quite fast by a fantastic server.
The menu had a list of many mouth watering dishes making the choice hard. When we asked for suggestions, we were told to begin our journey with "The Remedy". Remedy for what? A hangover, hunger, life? Yes. It just really satisfied everything. A return trip is a must.
Also, amazing cappuccinos. Soooo good. -
Review from J N.
North York, ON
4/8/2012
I came here after seeing Hadleys featured on the Food Network's "You Gotta Eat Here!" tv show. I had big expectations. From watching the show, I knew the thing to order here was the pork items and mac n cheese.
The show also had rave reviews about the brunch items (The Remedy), but I did not try it since I was here for dinner.
Ordered Items:
- Pulled Pork Sandwich ($10)
- Pork Ribs, half ($17)
- Sides: Mac n Cheese ($3 extra if you order this side), Potato Salad
PROS:
Pulled Pork Sandwich
- The bun was fresh and soft. The pulled pork itself was plentiful, moist and tasty. It is a bit on the sweet side though. I would order this again.
Service
- Fast and friendly. The food came out within 20 minutes and we were checked up on a few times throughout dinner.
Sides
- Pretty standard side items. The mac n cheese was good, but it was annoying to have to pay an extra $3 to order this. It was nothing groundbreaking though.
CONS
Pork Ribs
- This dish was a big disappointment. From the other yelp reviews, I really wanted to try this and I had high expectations. Unfortunately, this was a big miss. The ribs were not hot, it was as if they were reheated and they sat out for 10 minutes, then served. The outside was warm, and the inside (near the bone) was room temperature. When I eat ribs, I'm used to fall off the bone ribs. These were a bit dry, not very tender, and stuck to the bone. Finally, there wasn't enough BBQ sauce on the ribs. If you don't ration your sauce properly, you end up eating the meat (near the bone) without any sauce, not so tasty.
OVERALL
The Pulled Pork Sandwich was amazing, I Pork Ribs were such a huge let down. If I never ordered the pork ribs, I would have ranked this a 3 or 4 star. I probably would not go here again. -
Review from Hedel T.
Toronto, ON
5/7/2012
I was here a month ago and wanted to check out the reviews to see what others thought of this place... Well... My dish was ok... Bit over priced for the quality... I would have given the place three stars had my date not found that long hair in her chicken...that made the night uncomfortable and the wait staff did not seem to empathetic...
Maybe I should have checked out the reviews first... Lesson learned.. -
Review from Shannon F.
Toronto, ON
3/21/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I'm quite fond of this unassuming place. It's proximity to home certainly earns it bonus points but more than that, the food is delicious and the price is right.
The decor is admittedly, confusing. There are only 3 huge tables set against a long curved bench and then two other big booths, an awkward couple of high top tables in the middle of the restaurant and seats at the bar. If this were my place I would get rid of the four top tables and make them two tops and put them together if you have a larger table. You can get lost at one of the tables now and it makes for awkward seating when you're looking for an intimate experience. What I do like about it is that it embraces Toronto with a beautiful panoramic picture of a streetcar station and some other TTC artwork on the walls.
The lights are too bright and the bathrooms are...old. But there's a nice window up front and always a really nice steady group of customers and staff that makes this place welcoming. I feel at home here, comfortable. Its like a cross between a diner and a pub but with quality food!
And all that really matters of course is the food. And it's good! A decently small menu with their creative takes on more traditional pub fare. They serve tasty little corn muffins while you're waiting for your food which is a nice touch. The half rack of ribs smells and looks amazing - as a veggie I still fondly remember ribs. The pulled pork sandwich has received good reviews from my friends. For me, the mac and cheese is delicious and the salads are very tasty. I tried the dinner special once too - local rainbow trout served atop pureed sweet potato and kale which was divine. The piece of fish was huge and perfectly cooked.
The kitchen is open so you can watch them work and the bar serves a few local beers on tap. The wine list leaves a bit to be desired but they make up for it by serving a 9oz for $9 - and I can get into my masi valpolicella side for that price!
Give it a try, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I'm curious about their brunch menu, I'll have to report back later on that! -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
3.5 star
I like to drink! I like bar crawl! But I need to eat and not to drink on empty stomach.
Thanks Eric the owner/chef at Hadley's for the inviting to "pig" out at his restaurant.
I drank: Hadley's Smokin' Ceasar ($7.50)
- It was a little off with the mix... no, not because it is spicy but I seems to have a touch too much of Worcestershire Sauce and not enough Clamato Juice
- Every single Ceasar served at the table looked like they all have a different shade of red
I shared: Pulled Pork ($10) with Potato Salad
- Wish for more pork
- the BBQ sauce definitely on the sweet side
- Potato Salad over seasoned!!! I could not even eat that!
I have a taste: Hamburger with Fries ($10)
- I just have a taste of the patty: which was overcooked and dry...
and 1/2 Pork Ribs ($17).
- The best choice of the night! Just the right touch of sauce and tender and meaty... Pork Ribs!!
Hadley's has this great friendly vibe and the services was excellent!
I think I need to come back for Brunch, maybe?Listed in: UYE Sends Me Here!, A Day in Dufferin Grove
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Review from Chris P.
2/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
The last and unexpected stop on the Yelp Dufferin Grove bar crawl landed us here.
As with most of us at the table, I had a caesar. Some complained that it was too spicy, but I found it to be average, though I enjoy a spicy caesar so go figure.
I debated between the ribs and the pulled pork. After seeing Vivek's plate of ribs come to the table I wish I had ordered them, but the pulled pork sandwich didn't disappoint. It's a tangy pulled pork, not a smoky meat like say, Lou Dogs. I prefer the tangy variety. For my side I went with the potato salad. I appreciated how salty it was but it was a bit over the top. If the portion had been larger I probably wouldn't have finished it because of the saltiness.
This was a great end to a fun Tuesday night. -
Review from Anup R.
Toronto, ON
1/13/2012
So my buddy was married in October, and we decided that we wanted to go somewhere interesting for dinner instead of the usual steakhouses. We settled on Hadley's as it was in the area of the clubs we were at, only because it was a BBQ joint.
The service was incredible from the start. We called ahead as we had 20 people, and they basically reserved the restaurant for us. At a flat rate, they had apps set out for us, and served a delicious shot called "Apple Pie Between my Thighs". It's essentially Vodka infused with apple pie spice (we learned that one of the owners is a trained pastry chef).
I had pulled pork, and it was fantastic. Everyone was happy with their chicken, burgers, and ribs as well. Awesome place, they really care about what they do, and the experience was amazing. Sauces were great, but not the best I've ever had, resulting in my 4 star rating...but they make it all in-house, so their ability to improve on them is there. Anytime I'm in the area (and have gone to the gym to justify the calorie intake), I stop by. -
Review from Jennifer M.
Toronto, ON
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
The BF and I needed a quick bite after a photo shoot, and having wheels, we decided to venture to the west end fro some diner fare. The BF had read about Hadleys on the Food Network Canada Site (shameful that I missed it) as they were just featured on one of our new shows, "You Gotta Eat Here!" (shameless FNC plug)
This is a tiny place and was completely packed when we arrived. Within a minute or two a couple at the bar got up to leave, giving us a spot nice and close to the action. The action being a boyfriend/girlfriend team and one additional waitstaff. We got to chatting over our exceptionally fantastic Caesars (spiced with Horseradish infused vodka and Sriracha!) and learned that their intention is to serve quality, local and house made food without hefty price tags. And House made it is. Meats and cheeses smoked in house, as are dressings and even the bacon.
We had a club sandwich with incredible fries and a simple salad. Not a bad lunch. Affordable drinks too if you are in the 'hood. Pulled Pork and Chicken Lasagna seem to be the specialities here. I cannot wait to go back for the brunch menu - where something called "The Rememdy" is said to fix whatever ails you, being that cholesterol is not part of your problem. Yum. -
Review from Lisa K.
Toronto, ON
1/8/2012
Did a take out order of a pulled pork sandwich with beans and coleslaw for the hubby, and fried chicken dinner for me.
Hubby said the pulled pork sauce was tangy but a bit too sweet. The pork was chewy and not smokey at all. He had a sandwich from Phil's Original BBQ at the same time and liked it much better. He also likes the coleslaw and beans at Phil's better.
The fried chicken crust tasted burnt and way too salty, but the chicken inside was moist and flavourful... but I eat fried chicken for the crunchy crust, so this was a fail.
The biscuit that came with the fried chicken tasted terrible, and I threw it out.
Hubby wants to go back for brunch to try the Remedy that he has heard so much about, but I doubt that I will join him. -
Review from Al M.
Toronto, ON
3/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
great ribs. There was not much to choose from. They ran out of pulled pork, potato salad and baked beans. Maybe next time there will be more to choose from.
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Review from Kent P.
Updated - 6/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Stopped by for a quiet burger solo at lunch. It was way better than I could make. The bun was fresh, the chuck was fresh, the salad that came with was a balsamic and maple syrup dressing which was delightfully sweet and light, service was quick, and it cost 10$.
Excellent way to have a loner lunch.Listed in: Brunch.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/15/2011
Hadley's was B-OK.
Went for brunch.
-Food all tasted good enough (highlight: pulled pork) but… Read more »
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Review from Bob C.
Toronto, ON
1/19/2012
Went there for the first time last Friday night, steered by some friends who'd been there for brunch one weekend. Tiny place, terrific staff - very friendly and willing to share cooking techniques. Obviously love and are very passionate about their place. I had the ribs and they were OK. Frankly, my home-smoked ones are better. I think it's because they use side ribs, not the juicier, more flavourful back ribs. My wife and friends had the fried chicken - available only on Friday nights - and oh, my - it was the best fried chicken I've ever tasted. Juicy and tender. The coating was light, almost-not-there. The chicken is highly, highly recommended. Oh, and they have Mill Street Stout on tap, which is a reason in itself to go there.
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Review from Melanie C.
Oakville, ON
Updated - 3/13/2011
I finally made it in to Hadley's for brunch. They only open at 11:30, which made it easy to secure seats as the first customers of the day. Although we could have sat anywhere, we chose to sit at the bar, nice and close to the owners - Eric and Lex. Lex was able to chat with us while preparing several spicy Caesars, brewing coffee and serve others. I love multi-taskers.
I was starving and decided on The Remedy for my first meal of the day. I knew it would be too much food for me, but was up for the challenge. The deep fried eggs were crispy and greasy, which is how I like my breakfast. The beans, pulled pork and hash it was served on were all delicious as well. What a combo! The slaw and apples on the side were refreshing compared to the heavy hearty core.
What a fantastic way to start my day! I wasn't hungry for hours.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/14/2010
I just can't get enough! I have been to Hadley's a few times now and have tried quite a few things… Read more »
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Review from Kieran S.
Toronto, ON
2/2/2011
I recently went to Hadley's for brunch. I ordered the eggs benny, while my girlfriend ordered the "remedy". Overall, we were both delighted with the service and the food.
The eggs benny came with hash browns, a light salad, a side of caramelized apples along with the eggs benny. The benny sits atop of a biscuit and pulled pork. However, Hadley's offers a bed of bacon underneath the eggs as well if one prefers bacon.
The eggs benedict was fantastic. The eggs were nice and runny and the sauce was delicious. The biscuit must have had a some cornmeal in it, as it had a strong cornbread flavour. As another commentator mentioned, the tangy pulled pork was delicious, and very moist. The combination of the three components was superb.
The sides were also very good. The light salad to accompany the heavy eggs benny was a nice touch. The caramelized apples were a tasty sweet treat at the end.
My girlfriend got the remedy, which comprises of two deep fried poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce, on top of pulled pork and beans. She loved the meal. Her only complaint was the fact that the deep fried eggs were not as runny as she had hoped for. The accompanying coleslaw was also tasty.
The service was fantastic. The server was attentive and simply very kind.
All in all, I definitely plan on returning, and would like to try their dinner at some point in the near future. -
Review from Melinda M.
Toronto, ON
2/8/2011
Super nice staff, great ribs. Hadley's in 5 words or less!
The place is small and casual. I showed up a few minutes before my man did, so I got to choose my seat. Went with the bar. The bartender, who may also be the owner/manager, was really personable and informative.
Kudos to the chef! We ordered and got our ribs and sides super fast. Between the two of us, we split a rack of ribs, cole slaw and salad and it was the perfect amount. The ribs had a nice kick to them and were very meaty and substantial. The dressing on the salad was delicious - maple vinagrette. I like.
Good beers on tap too.
Suffice it to say, I am glad to have Hadley's in the neighborhood - yum.Listed in: MEAT, Places on College Street
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Review from Liora I.
Toronto, ON
Hadley's taunts me every time I leave the YMCA, so it was about time I checked it out. I had stopped several time before to read the menu posted in their window but it's not until we step inside that it hits me: this a BBQ restaurant... albeit one with some nice variety on the menu.
The service is kind and prompt, all 6 (or so) of the tables are busy so we're escorted to the bar where we just have time to look over the menu before another table leaves and we claim a booth.
Our server is quick to bring over the absolutely enormous caesars we've ordered and informs us that the ribs and smoked chicken lasagna just came out of the smoker/oven. Sold! We order one of each plus corn meal hush-puppies and sides of coleslaw and mac n' cheese.
The hush-puppies are okay, fried on the outside and dense in the middle, served with some sort of spiced mayo and an unidentified green sauce (tomatillos? I don't know...)
The ribs and lasagna arrive -- both are delicious. The mac n' cheese is awesome but the coleslaw is shredded to oblivion... simply not my thing.
On the way out the YMCA stares me down and it doesn't help that for the rest of the night I swear I smell like a BBQ smokehouse.
UPDATE: Brunch is absolutely the best meal Hadley's does, if only they served it all day. The pulled pork benny is amazing, sweet and tangy with perfectly poached eggs on biscuits no less.Listed in: Best Brunch
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Review from Bryan G.
Toronto, ON
10/3/2010 ROTD 10/22/2010
Hadley's is a brand spanking new Southern style joint that boasts a pulled pork sandwich that should immediately challenge for the title of Toronto's Best. Unlike the other contenders (Smokin' Bones, Lou Dawgs, Reggie's to name a few), Hadley's pulled pork takes a less is more approach, choosing to pile on a still significant, but more reasonable amount of pulled pork on top of coleslaw.
The effect is...effective, and made even more so by the fact that the bun it is served on is just perfect. Funny that a pork sandwich could be defined by its bun but I found myself constantly mentioning it when talking about it with friends. Apparently it's from a little Portuguese bakery down the street and is softer than Carlo Colaiacovo.
The mac and cheese was absolutely delicious, seriously the best mac and cheese I've ever had and a great compliment to the sandwich especially if you're worried about the sandwich not being enormous enough for your ridiculous appetite.
Hadley's also features a solid beer and cocktail list and a small bar area in which to consume such things. Sources tell me take-out service is coming soon as is a cut-back lunch menu. Should be exciting to see this place develop. I'm predicting it will attain "local favourite" status within 6 months to 1 year.
MENU RECOMMENDATIONS
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Ribs
Mac and Cheese
Coleslaw
SERVICE NOTES
Super friendly and well-informed staff that are good with recommendations.
LOCATION NOTES
College and Dovercourt. Look for the very iconic looking Hadley's signs.Listed in: Best Sandwiches in Toronto
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Review from Christopher A.
Toronto, ON
11/27/2010
I had been scoping out Hadley's for a couple of weeks, since a friend mentioned a new BBQ place in the 'hood.
I was quite impressed by both the food and the service. Started with a beet salad that was a-ok in my books and, given what was to come, it was good to have some vegetables.
Had the half rack of ribs as the main, and I am glad I did. These guys really know how to BBQ. I often find ribs are drowned in sauce. These ribs had an excellent balance between the meat, the rub, the smoke and sauce. The rub was peppery and the garlic didn't overpower. The hickory smoke flavour was intense and penetrated right through the meat. The sauce was tangy, but allowed the other flavours to come through.
The macaroni was an excellent side. VERY cheesy. The coleslaw was a bit on the dry side for my liking, but provided the perfect crunch in the pulled pork sandwich that my wife ordered.
The service was friendly, and enthusiastic about the menu.
All-in-all a great experience. I would definitely go back. -
Review from Leslie-Anne W.
Toronto, ON
If your olfactory senses expect to be hit by a wall of smoke upon entering Hadley's, you will be disappointed. The air is startlingly refreshing, albeit, freezing. We seat ourselves in a burgundy vinyl booth and peruse the sturdy menu easily; the lighting at Hadley's is operating room bright. Pots and pans clutter the messy open kitchen. Yellow walls are bare but for one Toronto streetcar photo. First impressions should not always be trusted.
Green Goddess salad, a California classic of crunchy romaine, topped with creamy herb avocado dressing, is refreshing. Hush Puppies, the often-forgettable deep fried Southern cornmeal fritters are outstanding at Hadley's with pakora-like seasoning, a crunchy outer coating, and moist cornmeal centre.
Ribs and pulled pork fill out the requisite BBQ niche on the menu while smoked chicken lasagna and smoked duck risotto pique curiosity. Sides are standard fare: coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, potato salad, fries and salad. Succulent, lightly sauced and caramelized, these pork back ribs are a hickory-smoked testament to how delicious a pig can be. Rotini-shaped, three-cheese macaroni and cheese is a playful variation on the norm and a well thought-out antidote to spicy ribs. Tangy, sweet, pulled pork comes on a fresh Portuguese bun topped with a variation of shredded coleslaw that lacks flavour but provides a satisfying crunch. Slow-cooked cumin spiced baked beans heat me up surprisingly well, perhaps this is their cure for a drafty restaurant?
House-made desserts change daily. Standouts include a pucker inducing lemon tart and a comfortingly gooey pumpkin bread pudding. -
Review from Eric M.
9/29/2010 1 Check-in Here
I was told that this place was originally a Portuguese sports bar. Several elderly men would come and sit and drink coffee all day. My hope for the owners of Hadley's is that an equally dedicated clientele make this their home away from home soon.
Minus some opening night kinks things came off in fine style. Hadley's has a good solid menu for drinks and food. Expect fresh baked bread, meat and cheese smoked on the premises and good service.
The food is darn tasty with my only piece of criticism being perhaps the meat was too smoked. The meat on the ribs was tender as can be and fell off the bone but the smoke flavour was certainly at war with the sauce. Their fries are giant lovely cuts of crisp potato that were fluffy and soft on the inside and a lemon tart that was just fantastic. It was tart and fruity and had a mint leaf that looked like it had just been picked with a pile of fresh raspberries. Fantastic.
Hadley's bar tender (I apologize because I didn't get his name) has had a good number of years in the service industry under his belt. That's a big deal to me because I like to know that I'm in good hands when placing an order. He's full of good suggestions on what to drink with your meal and just seems to smile all the time. It's infectious.
If you're looking for a good pulled pork sandwich, super tasty club or diabetes friendly tart go to hadley's.
Also, stock ale on tap. Wow!Listed in: It's pronounced "Sangwich"
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Review from Jon O.
10/6/2010 11 Check-ins Here
I was given the opportunity to attend the "soft opening" of Hadley's and I was thoroughly impressed. When we arrived the place was already packed with a combination of friends, family, and random walk-bys. There wasn't a table for us yet, but the layout makes it easy and enjoyable to stand or sit at the bar and wait for a table.
The bartender, Dixon, is a character. Full of energy, it's like every customer has been a good friend of his for years. He has created a delicious list of cocktails including a few of his own sweet concoctions. On tap is my favourite Ontario micro-brew: Mill Street. Organic fans (like myself) won't find it at Hadley's, but the Stock is a perfect replacement and they also have Tankhouse, Coffee Porter, and Belgian Wit on tap. In bottles they have three of Unibroue's bold choices, which are always winners.
But what about the food? All I can say is "wow." I had the smoked ribs with sides of mac and cheese and coleslaw. The ribs were tender and the homemade sauce made my mouth water before I even took a bite. I loved the smokiness. The mac and cheese was sublime. Each order (even if it's a side) is made fresh - tossed, fried, and served to order. The 'slaw was crunchy and fresh - I can't wait to try it on a pulled pork sandwich.
But that's not it! There's also Lex, the accomplished pastry chef, providing decadent homemade desserts. I had the lemon tart made with cookie crumble crust. My knees wobbled just thinking about it.
I can't wait to go back and try everything on the menu. See you there! -
Review from Sarah M.
Toronto, ON
12/16/2010
I've only been to Hadley's once and very close to when it opened. Some of my experience may be different from how it is now.
We live fairly nearby, so we were excited when I read that a new bbq joint had opened in town. We headed out one evening to give it a try. The place was busy, but not bursting at the seams. We had a seat fairly soon after we arrived.
drinks: apple cider and ice tea/lemonade mix.
apple cider was good. not too sweet, not too dry. The half-n-half/arnold palmer/ice tea-lemonade mix was a disappointment. Either the tea or the lemonade, maybe both, were fairly weak, so the drink really had little flavor to it. The lemonade also appeared to be very lightly sweetened, so the drink was also fairly unsweet.
I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. My husband the half-chicken platter. We also ordered some hush puppies.
there was an amuse bouche from the kitchen of 3 small corn muffins. pretty tasty.
Hush puppies: tasty, although some of the dipping sauces could use some work. They weren't seasoned enough, so I often felt like I was just eating a creamy dip of vague flavor.
pulled pork sandwich: this is the reason this review is getting 3 instead of 4. The meat in the sandwich was drowning in the bbq sauce. Not necessarily an issue, but I just did not like it at all. The pork seemed juicy, the coleslaw ok, but I just couldn't get past the sauce. The next time we go I will just ask for my sauce on the side so I can control how much, if any, goes on my sandwich. the fries that came with my sandwich were great. Crispy and tasty.
chicken platter: great chicken. very tender and juicy. I can't recall what sides my husband had with his chicken, so I won't comment on them.
service was ok. Fairly slow, but the staff was very friendly when we talked to them. Some of this is probably due to the just opened status. This may be better now.
Overall I am willing to go back, the mac and cheese looked great, but I will be more careful about the bbq sauce on my food. -
Review from Brent B.
Toronto, ON
4/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really wanted to love this place; the style of food, the vibe, the staff, it's my kind of place. Unfortunately, I couldn't.
Everything started off great, the soup of the day was awesome, and the hush puppies were pretty enjoyable too.
Then it went downhill. For mains, my group had the pulled pork, the steak frites, and the smoked duck risotto. The pulled pork was very cumin-heavy, to the point of being distracting. The steak was overdone. The duck had great flavour, but was dry.
Near the end of the evening, it seemed like they were trying to quickly train someone, so maybe they just lost some staff and that explains why our experience was so different from the other reviewers'. -
Review from Duncan R.
Toronto, ON
10/24/2011
Hadley's is our "go to' place when we want a great meal out, don't want to spend a ton of money, want friendly service and don't want to feel rushed. My wife is extremely partial to their chicken lasagna and I love their smoked chicken and ribs. I have only had their fried chicken once (it is available only on Friday nights and we tend to go to Hadleys during the week) but it is the best fried chicken I have ever had in Toronto.
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Review from Jay M.
Toronto, ON
11/8/2010
not sure what happened to my original review, but here we go again.
given the resoundingly high reviews this place is being given I feel like I should weigh in.
I went on a weeknight in October and wasn't as impressed as everyone else seems to have been (which makes me downright question the validity of those people contributing already).
I had the pulled pork sandwich and french fries. The pulled pork, while earning points for originality with the tangy flavour and coleslaw right on the sandwich. Not bad overall, but with Phils Original BBQ or the Auld Spot Pub further down College St, I'll be going elsewhere for my pulled pork. The fries were alright, but despite what appeared to be some seasoning, they were still pretty run of the mill blandness.
That said, the drinks were tasty and a reasonable price, and my girlfriend had the Chicken Club Sandwich and had no complaints.
Overall, this place isnt bad but is it the 4-5 stars everyone else thinks? Questionable. -
Review from Michelle A.
Toronto, ON
2/12/2011 ROTD 12/11/2011
After hearing so much about the excellent pulled pork here, I was shocked to find they also cater to vegetarians with a delicous roasted vegggie sandwich on a big Portuguese bun. The sandwich comes with olive oil and balsamic, goat cheese, zuchinni, peppers, eggplant, onions. The bun was nice and soft, not too dense. I got the green salad on the side with balsamic and pecans (but you can also choose fries, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw or mac n cheese). The rest of the brunch menu looked pretty good. My dining companions had the Eggs Any Style, and they come with some fun-looking sides like English-style baked beans, apple/pear slices, roasted potatoes and either bacon/sausage or a scoop of pulled pork. It wasn't too busy on a Saturday around noon, and the service was very fast. The sandwich was $8 and the egg dishes were $7 - very good value.
-
Review from sarah l.
12/14/2010 1 Check-in Here
Disclaimer: I did not grow up in Oakville and I have never met Eric Hadley. Friends and I stopped in here based on the many recommendations of the Yelp! Elite Oakville crew, but unfortunately we never thought we would have to bring one of them along to enjoy the same meals they have been writing about.
Hadley's. Home of very large tables. Why are your tables so big, anyways? (I actually know the answer to that... it's because a Portugese man made them for a great cash price, presumingly out of parts he already had - like GIANT table tops. Literally... an IKEA Jerker desk is a 2-top here).
What went down:
- My group of 4 arrived at an inopportune time... There was only one empty table (suitably sized to seat a SWAT team in full riot gear) and we sat down. Someone came over and said it was reserved (although there was nothing to indicate that when we had all sat down).
- We asked how long for a table and heard "not long at all, why don't you wait at the bar and we'll get you going with some drinks," which was fine, except....
- We waited for over an hour for a table, and the "reserved" table remained empty for the better part of 45 minutes while we waited at the bar watching no less than 4 other groups get shoo'ed away from that lone empty table.
- They would not let us carry a tab at the bar, or transfer drink charges to our table. We had to pay at the bar whenever we ordered something.
- Finally a table opened and we were seated, but it was over an hour wait. If we had known EVERYONE had just sat down, we would have gone somewhere else instead of waiting that long. It was lame to say it would be just a few minutes when they knew that no one had even gotten their food yet.
- There are only ~6 tables here, and they could easily fit 10 if it was more thoughtfully designed.
The good:
- Everyone at my table had the pulled pork and it was good. The pork was good, the bun was excellent, the sauce was okay... that equals good.
- They have Mill Street Stock Ale on draught. Rare... and great news.
- Really good selection of bottle beers.
- The beer is reasonably priced.
- The fries looked good (but none of us tasted them).
- The coleslaw was good.
- The server was friendly.
The bad:
- Of the 4 sides we got (2 mac & cheese, baked beans, salad) no one loved their side dish. 2 People didn't like them at all and they went untouched.
- Both the mac & cheese and the salad had upcharges as a side dish... this is clearly on the menu but I thought it was lame ($2-$3 additional charge),
- The mac and cheese eaters both complained that it wasn't great - there was no crust on top; it was spiral pasta tossed in a cheese sauce.
- Aside from ribs, there was nothing else I would have really considered getting on this menu.
Overall, this is not the best pulled pork in Toronto but it is better than Smokin' Bones (which I hate). It was definitely acceptable, but the inappropriately advertised wait time and cash-bar-situation was not.
I am 100% not in a rush to go here again. If I was closer to my house I might get takeout to give it another try, but it isn't, so I'm not.
Thinking back on the beer selection though I might be pretty happy to drink here sometime when I wouldn't care if I had to sit at the bar. -
Review from J D.
Toronto, ON
5/4/2011
5.50 for a pint!! Mill street on tap. Friendly, efficient service and a simple, well done menu. The fish of the day was perfectly done and the pulled pork as good as everyone has said. The fries were fantastic! I'll be back again and again, it's a perfect neighbourhood restaurant.
