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Local Kitchen & Winebar
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Nightlife Bars Wine Bars Canadian (New), Wine Bars [Edit]
1710 Queen St WToronto, ON M6N
Neighbourhoods: Parkdale, Roncesvalles
(416) 534-6700
- Hours:
Tue-Wed, Sun 6 pm - 10 pm
Thu-Sat 6 pm - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
23 reviews for Local Kitchen & Winebar
Review Highlights
"...I enjoyed an evening at the chef's table last year for our..."
(in 3 reviews)
"3) the gnocchi was like pillows from heaven."
(in 8 reviews)
"The pheasant ragu is delicious, delicately balanced with..."
(in 2 reviews)
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23 reviews in English
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Review from Natalie T.
East York, ON
2/9/2012
Where do I begin?! This was on my restaurant Resolutions list
http://nearafar.wordpr...
and I'm so glad it was! We were in holdover at Bar Salumi for about 15 minutes. I'd hate to say that the service was off there but Local is a different story. Now I'm wondering why I haven't been here before!
VIBE
Amazing. Intimate. Romantic. The reason you wait is because there are only 30 seats. The soundtrack in the background is fantastic. We were delighted to find out we had the chef's table and though it was jam packed inside (and a bit warm) when our friend came, they got him a stool so he could sit with us.
The decor in this place is out of control. Amazing hand crafted chandeliers adorn the place; chalk board menus; and vintage photos of Toronto adorn the back wall of the bar.
And the bathroom! One of the coolest bathrooms I have seen in the city. They have a screen playing Sideways which is in a beautiful frame. Plus, a lovely mention from En Route as one of their favourite restaurants in 2010. I can see why!
WE ATE
Oh, we ate. We started with the bocaccini cheese in red chilli peppers drizzled with olive oil on romaine. A nice little starter for $6. You can get a cheese tasting: one for $7 or three for $16. We chose one and got their focaccia for $3. This is a must! It's toasted, soft and chewy. We were eating the whole bowl in no time!
Then it was on to our mains. I loved that our waiter was the owner and we could also see the other owner and chef, Fabio in action. It's so fun to see how focused the chefs are but also multi-taskers. I'm fascinated by it all. I felt a bit rushed when deciding on what to eat but Michael answered our million and one questions.
I picked off the daily specials and got the Ragu gnocchi. Not your typical gnocchi, it looks like little circular wheels because in Sicily they roll it out. The ragu was steaming hot and delivered in this little pot (it looked like creuset). AMAZING. Someone had said "pillows of heaven." I would say this was accurate.
My dining companion had the Duck. Anatra + cannelini beans + fennel. She seemed to love it. I had a taste and the duck was very moist.
Our friend ended up popping by and he had the lamb tartare + crispy pig cheeks mint + quail egg I am not a big tartare fan but I was starting to eat the whole plate. It was delicious!
The guys also customized our wine to our meal and gave us something off the list. It was the Nerojbleo and it went down SMOOTH!
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
As local as you can get. Definitely one of my new faves.
These guys really do put their heart and soul into the food. We were even lucky enough to get a mini tour of the kitchen, where they're cooking a lot of the food on a FOUR BURNER STOVE. Crazy!
I even got a story lead out of talking to Fabio. It was quite incredible how helpful people in the city are if you just ask!
I'm game to try more of their pastas though I wish there were more meat/pasta combinations like the ragu.Listed in: Last Chance for Romance
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Review from Nayha M.
Toronto, ON
11/28/2011
Good: The place is cozy and romantic in a rustic way - fantastic if you're lucky enough to get a table. We called ahead for the chef's table and were seated at the bar close to the prep area, so we could see some of the kitchen action.
Better: The wine and cocktail list were fun and approachable, although a bit hit-and-miss. The Manhatten was excellent (described as "strong and urbane" by the BF. I don't know what that means either), while the other was not nearly as smooth. The wine list has many local choices, and some nice earthy reds from Italy as well.
BEST: The food! Hands down, this is the one of the best value chef's tables in the entire city. They didn't skimp on anything, and the food was rich. We were served incredibly sweet tomatoes in pulled mozzarella, a huge salumi platter with caponata, bison short rib ravioli with chantrelles... and by this point I was full. However, when a plate of chard and ricotta stuffed pasta with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and crackling pork cheek was placed in front of me, I obviously tucked in the gine and kept on eating. It was incredible! Those mushrooms are sinfully meaty. The main course was perfectly cooked lamb on polenta with tarragon and more hen-of-the-woods mushrooms (yay)! I lapsed into a food coma two bites in. Dessert is just a blur.
Truth be told, this is a 4.5 star rating, only because we didn't have any interaction from the chef aside from confirming our dislikes and this differed from the description on the website. Service was efficient but not particularly personable. But these are just minor 0.5 star worthy criticisms; I would definitely eat here again.
Dollars: Our bill came to $200 for two chef's tables, a big bottle of bubbly water, two cocktails, several glasses of wine, tax and tip. -
Review from mondayjane s.
Toronto, ON
11/22/2011
Lovely service. A nice, easy neighbourhood place. The food is rustic but refined, the smoked gnocchi is excellent and the wine list is pleasing.
A small place that does not take reservations, so if you want a table then hitting it at prime time on a Friday night is not your best bet. As a place down the street from me however, I would be happy to wander over and enjoy a casual but intimate dinner on any old Wednesday. -
Review from Paul K.
Toronto, ON
1/26/2012
So loud we could barely understand what the server was saying. It was so dimly lit we could barely read the menu. It was $140 for two people and I left hungry. The tables are so close together it is impossible to have a private conversation. And I swear that my vodka martini, straight up with olives had no actual vodka in it. I won't be back.
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Review from Linda M.
10/25/2011
For our anniversary, my SO and I decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner rather than buy each other presents. I heard about the chef's table at Local, and our decision was made. As I understood it from the website and other reviews, we would meet the chef who would then talk to us about what we like and don't like, and create an 8 course meal for us. It sounded amazing!
The restaurant itself is small and somewhat rustic. I loved the haphazardly-painted blackboard on the wall. There was seating for probably about 20 people. The chef's table is at the back of the seating area, at a little bar looking onto the chef's work table. The chef who was working there looked no more than 23 years old though, so I knew it wasn't Fabio Bondi. We were brought glasses of water, and after a little while another chef came to speak to us. I believe it was the other owner, Michael Sangregorio. He asked us if we have any particular ingredients that we dislike. We each named an item, and he confirmed that they weren't going to be on the menu. But that was the end of the discussion. I guess that's all that was needed, but not quite what was promised on the website.
The service was interesting. I can't say it was bad, but I can't say it was great. I'm not actually even sure who our server was - we seemed to be served by three or four different people. Some of them were friendlier than others. We never knew whether what the chef was creating was for us, or for another table in the restaurant. It was very cool to be able to watch the young chef do his thing, although it felt a little awkward since he was very quiet and never said anything to us.
The wine list, as expected, was extensive. It was also well priced, with most glasses in the $11-17 range. I was very happy with the glass I tried, which was at the lower end of the spectrum.
The food though...the food was fantastic. I can't even remember what all the courses were! I know that we had house-pulled mozzarella on a bed of arugula, raw fish with apple and pickled cabbage, bison stuffed pasta in a butter sauce, lamb shank, and for dessert little Italian donuts stuffed with nutella. It was all beautifully prepared, and I was especially impressed with the pasta courses and the mozzarella (although this was a VERY large portion, and we were unable to eat it all). The lamb was delicious, I just felt that it should have been cooked a tiny bit longer. The donuts were also fantastic, but after all that food, I would have preferred something lighter than deep fried dough.
All in all, the food was fantastic, the service was decent, and the décor is very cool. I would try it again, to order off the regular menu. -
Review from Daniel O.
8/7/2011 4 photos
There is no room in toronto for bad service anymore. with the multitude of new restaurants opening each month, chefs/owners have to be at the top of their game from day one. some would say that my comments are unfair, but thems the breaks kids, do it right, treat your customers as guests (as if we were in your house), and demand the same of your staff.
visited local kitchen & wine bar last sunday night for dinner to celebrate drey's departure for the 'peg (again). it was our second visit, first time was two years (almost three) back when they had just opened. meal then was good but not terribly rememberable. Arrived with a group of seven at 6:15pm, although reservations are not taken i called ahead to let them know we were coming. a table was put together for us in the window. drinks were ordered, i stuck to my typical summer drink & ordered a negroni. wine list was perused & a bottle of gewürztraminer was ordered. upon reviewing the menu, i noticed that it seemed to have gotten much shorter than our last visit. which is not surprising seeing that they opened a second restaurant a few doors down, bar salumi (seems like they split their menu between the two restaurants).
Started with the steak tartare w crispy pigs cheeks & quail egg. the tartare was perfectly seasoned, hints of basil (i think) & the crispy pig cheeks added a much needed crunchy texture to the dish. it was a hit at the table, everyone sampled it & agreed that it was excellent. mark had the house-cured salumi starter (see picture below) which consisted of a spicy prosciutto & three salumi's. All were good, not as good as the tartare.
With tons of share plates making the rounds at the table (including a simple yet delicious ontario asparagus salad), i decided to order a small pasta as a main. fiddlehead season is upon us & with such as short season it was a no-brainer that i selected the rabbit & marscapone stuffed cuscini with lemon, morels & fiddleheads. the cuscini were delicate and fluffy, ragu thick & meaty yet surprisingly light. the lemon added just enough acid. another winning dish.
Rounded out our meal with two desserts to share (between all 7 of us), a bourbon maple panna cotta & a small dome-shaped cake with marzipan. the panna cotta was the clear winner, served in a small mason jar it was the perfect consistency, smooth & creamy with a kick of bourbon & sweetness of maple syrup. so delicious.
Its lovely when restaurants get things this right. from service to food to atmosphere, local kitchen deserves the praise & accolades they receive. can't wait for my next visit. -
Review from Avitania B.
Toronto, ON
5/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here a few days ago to celebrate the end of a seemingly endless school year with a couple of Rotman chums, and now that I've had my first taste of Local Kitchen, I can't wait to come back for more. The space, though a little cramped, is homey and chic (without the hipstery vibe that can permeate some places in Parkdale). I loved the clotheslined vintage tees as decor!
Food: Very good. We split the mozzarella and a charcuterie plate as an appetizer, and both were excellent. For our mains, all three of us ordered the rabbit and mascarpone-stuffed cuscini (ravioli-like pasta pillows). I really dug the sauce and morel mushrooms, but thought my rabbit/mascarpone was a little bit on the mealy side. We split the panna cotta and marzipan cake-thing for desseert, and both were freaking delicious. Panna cotta is one of those desserts that's super easy to make at home, but at Local Kitchen they top it with this sweet bourbon (?) sauce that was perfect. The only negative was navigating the wine list. They write all the descriptions themselves, which is nice, but it's a lot of words to read in a very dimly-lit restaurant. It's easier to just go with the suggestions from the servers. Which brings me to...
Service: Perfect -- friendly and attentive. I love that they use sustainable and local sources -- two things that I never mind paying more money for. Also, kudos to them for having a website that doesn't force you to download PDFs of the menu (My restaurant website pet peeve!)! Thank you, Local Kitchen!
Local Kitchen is great for a meal, but I'd hesitate to bring groups. It's on the small side. So bring a date or a couple of good friends, and cozy up!
Pro tip: No reservations, and they don't accept AmEx. -
Review from Andreas D.
Toronto, ON
5/22/2011
Where to start? The Local Kitchen is currently receiving so much hype, anybody would have a hard time living up to it. And live up to it it didn't, on our visit.
But let's start with the positive. Service. Utterly charming and well informed, super friendly without being in your face. If you're reading this, we loved you guys.
My wife and I arrived early and decided to celebrate the arrival of the warmer weather with a beer. They've got Mill Street wheat on tap, the perfect selection for the day. The beer arrived in a canning jar. That was the first sign of trouble to come. Now, you might think, what does it matter? It's only a beer, after all.
It matters to me because serving a beer that's been made by people who care about making good beer in a canning jar is disrespectful. It matters because the entire time you're drinking it you've got flashbacks to student parties where the host had run out of glasses and we had to make do with mugs and jars. It doesn't put me in the mood for an amazing dining experience. We all hated it, it spoiled an otherwise nice evening.
Dinner. Once our friends arrived we were seated - the Local doesn't take reservations, you arrive early and take your chances. I love the way the place looks, comfortable and welcoming, but our table was so close to our neighbors that it was impossible to have anything resembling a private conversation.
Before we move on to the food, let's talk meat for a minute. Justin, one of our dinner companions, and I have been curing meats for some years now. We write about, we shoot videos about it, we're not professionals but we're doing good - I am looking forward to channeling old Italien men sometime in the near future. I've got a cold smoker in my backyard where last year we made six pork bellies into pancetta and bacon. We've turned moose into sausage, we can quote entire pages of Michael Ruhlman's book 'Charcuterie' and we're in love with Jane Grigson. We're meat geeks and we're beginning to get reasonably good at it.
Naturally we both ordered the Local Kitchen's signature dish, the maple cured, cold smoked, slow cooked pancetta. We also wanted to taste the home cured fresh anchovies - if there's a second love in our lives, it's fermented fish - and a small salumi platter.
The girls tried the home made mozzarella, gnocchi and lamb ravioli.
The anchovies arrived first. Two tiny fillets on a crustini, with baby arugola underneath. Good, competent, but not in any way better than what any good Italian deli will sell you. The price/portion ratio (high/tiny) was a sign of things to come.
The salumi platter arrived next and again was competently executed without being memorable. Both textures and flavours were too similar, the flavorings too subdued to make any real impact. Nowhere near the Black Hoof in ballsiness and impact. Again, tiny slivers of cured meat, at a surprisingly high dime.
The home made mozzarella on the other hand was lovely. Creamy, soft and full of flavor. Very nice.
The much hyped pancetta, when it arrived, was probably the evening's biggest disappointment and the reason I am giving the Local Kitchen 2 stars only.
Let's start with the price/food ratio again. Now, in no way am I a fan of huge plates of food. I will always prefer a tiny morsel of something intensely flavorful to a heap of mediocracy.
But I also don't like to walk out of restaurants hungry.
The Local Kitchen served us ten paper thin slices of pancetta and charged $25 for it. Allow me to do some math. You and I can order an entire organic pork belly, Berkshire, locally raised by Monnonites, for about $60-70.00. Add curing ingredients, salt, pink salt, sugar, herbs, maple syrup and even if we're being utterly extravagant we should come in at about $100,00, $120.00 top.
Curing pancetta is neither hard, nor expensive. All it takes is time for the cure to do it's work, then you take the result and either hot or cold smoke it before cooking it low and slow.
No e of the above would have mattered, had the results been stunning. But they weren't. The maple cure drowned out the bacon flavour, making it sickly-sweet. The addition of a fried egg as a side created additional cloyingness. It was a huge disappointment. Ten tiny slivers of mediocracy served at a price I found impossible to justify.
The lamb pasta was ok but lacking in flavor - it was hard to tell the meat was actually lamb, the gnocchi were lovely, probably the best dish of the meal.
We ended up sitting round the table with a huge feeling of 'this was IT?'. Still hungry, not impressed with the food we had just been eaten and a bill of close to $300.00.
In the end we called up Parts & Labour up the road, where they had space at one of their chefs tables. Yes, we went for dinner after just having had dinner.
At P&L they fed us spicy elk tartare, fried veal brains that melted on the tongue and salty, savory bone marrow on toast. Happiness, finally. -
Review from Nicole C.
3/26/2011
I loved this place. I don't have too much more to add on top of my fellow yelpers so I'll share this one tidbit.
If you're going there for a romantic evening for two, call ahead and reserve their chef table. For $50pp you are served an 8 course meal (which I convinced the chef should really be a 10 course meal) all the while learning about the local food and preparation methods of the restaurant. It was a truly unique experience and the food was to die for. I haven't sat out in the rest of the restaurant, and after having this experience I probably never will, the chef table is the way to go.
I seriously rolled out of there I was so full, which is near impossible for a person who was 8 months pregnant at the time. -
Review from erin s.
Toronto, ON
3/26/2011
1) it was like my itunes was on shuffle. (my itunes is some GOOD SHIT).
2) the décor was right out of my dream fantasy nightmare. (that is a good thing. btw).
3) the gnocchi was like pillows from heaven. for my mouth.
4) the ricotta/marzipan something cake was a memory served by my deceased oma with a smile.
5) i was having dinner with in-laws AND I DIDNT MIND.
6) im still a bit tipsy off an amazing something something chardonnay something. -
Review from Jeremy C.
10/9/2010
SLOW-CAL KITCHEN should be the name of this place!!! Although our appetizers came out in good time and were pretty tasty, our entrees of pasta did not come out even after we have waited an HOUR after ordering. Fed up with waiting so long, we kindly asked our waitress to check on our pastas and they were still not available to be served. In the end, we just asked our waitress to pack up our food to go since we had to head out. Ended up leaving with three boxes of food...never had the chance to eat our entrees in the restaurant... :(
CON: not great for bringing children, no seating for kids, no high chairs
PROS: Nice gritty-yet-chic decor...like the ambiance -
Review from Joe H.
Went to this little restaurant on a suggestion from a friend. Local kitchen is a cozy ittle italian place on the west end with a constantly changing specials menu.
Upon walking in you'll notice that the whole place will remind you of something between a deli and a meat locker. I think the meat locker curtains were a nice little touch. There are a lot of little things that also add to the experience. Mason jars for beer, water from refrigerated swing-top bottles and meat hanging on the ceiling.
I ordered the salami platter right away and followed it up with a N'Duja crostini, the gnocchi and a black pepper linguini with bacon.
The salami plate was quite interesting. Really similar to the black hoof if you'd ever been. They cure all their meat in house which is pretty cool. After trying them all I found myself not completely impressed with their selections. The shoulder salami was quite tasty. Perfect consistency, flavour and almost melted in your mouth. However the hunter salami was probably my least favourite. It had the consistency of a stick of lard with pieces of meat in it, gross. The procuitto that they had on there was not made in house and was okay, but not "mind blasting".
My friends ordered the two different salads and I had a tiny sample. One of the salads was a leek salad with some olive oil and an egg on it. If you're wondering how this looked, it's exactly how it sounds. 2 leeks with some olive oil (flavoured) and an egg. I was really unimpressed with this. It seemed like something I could have pulled together after an exam in university.
The other salad was actually quite nice. It had a bed of candy cane beets, a nice sweet dressing and Parmesan regiano slices ontop; a great paring.
The pastas were probably the best things about this place. Both the gnocchi and the linguini were hand made pastas. In my opinion a world of a difference. One thing that I found really delightful was the fact that you could actually taste the potato in the gnocchi.
The bacon linguini was pretty good as well, not the best I've ever had but pretty good. The bacon was thinly sliced and actually very light. Went really well with the linguini.
One thing that I didn't order but kept seeing people order (we sat at the bar) were Caesars. These did not mess around. Clamato juice, vodka, jalapeño, shaken and then topped with fresh grated horseradish. I'm really surpised I didn't order one but it'd be on te top of my list if I'd return.
Definately a place to check out if you can. Get the Caesar and tell me how it is. I overheard a person saying it was "too spicy". Silly rabbit. -
Review from Vanessa G.
Toronto, ON
6/1/2011
This is by far my favorite restaurant in the city. The space may be small and unassuming, but the flavours are not. Handmade pastas and sauces sing to your tastebuds like Greek sirens, no joke you can actually picture Nona crushing the tomatoes when you close your eyes. The wine list and the cured meats are out of this world, so don't be surprised if you find yourself knee deep in grapes and salumi. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly unlike another Italian restaurant I wont mention (COUGH! COUGH! TERRONI! COUGH!). Decor is shabby chic and the music is great, definitely a good date place and definitely worth the drive to Parkdale.
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Review from Christine C.
Etobicoke, ON
12/28/2009 5 photos
Local Kitchen and Winebar is based on the philosophy driven by the slow food movement and inspired by the foods of Italy. For those of you not familiar with the SFM, this isn't about chewing your food 100 times before you swallow or making sure you keep to the 10 km. speed limit when going through the drive-thru. This is about hard core, right from the roots to our table reverence for the bounty we live on.
Basically put the SFM is"a fundamental respect for our food, where it comes from, and the people who help cultivate it." In other words, don't fuck with the food, use it in its purest form, don't waste it, don't add nitrates to it, don't mess with the earth it's grown in or raised on and least of all don't diss those who show it all the TLC it needs before it hits our tables.
LKW opened just this past September and is a matchbox sized spot on Queen St. in Parkdale. It seats a modest 29 bodies and for sure one can say they didn't sink their setup deniros in the decor because this is Parkdale shtick in its purest form. The menu is tiny, very tiny. Ruled by what is available by season and at the market.
The wine lists are Ontario based which is ok, if you like Ontario wines. Me, I can take 'em or leave 'em, more so to the latter. While I understand the philosophy of supporting the locals, including the wine makers, I'm broken hearted knowing that I can't have a glass of Barolo or Barbaresco to enhance the lovingly prepared Salumi (this is the Italian equivalent of Charcuterie) board. The bite of a peppery Barbaresco would have been the perfect compliment to those little bowls of Caponata and mouthfuls of Soprosetta. We settle on wines from Daniel Lenko, one chardonnay, the other a white Cabernet Sauvignon.
My foodie friend, Lauren Wilson and I order a Salumi board as well as butter & lemon soaked crostini topped with a fresh anchovy. The crostini is sublime and the anchovy has barely any fish taste which catches us off guard. When you expect that big salty whack from an anchovy and you don't feel like you've been smacked in the face by Luca Brasi (who sleeps with the fishes) it's a surprise. The thyme in this dish only serves to enhance the lemon.
The salumi board, served atop a piece of petrified wood with butcher paper is put together by Mike Sangregorio, one of the owners. His partner, is Chef Fabio Bondi and he is at the helm of the kitchen. Together these guys produce the bulk of their own salumi for their charcuterie boards and he proudly fawns over the board as he does his GPS of the layout of meat. Of the five meats on the board, strangely enough our least favorite is their own cured Prosciutto. Lauren nails it perfectly when she sniffs the meat and says "I smell ammonia". Something in the taste of the prosciutto is off but the rest of the cured meats are excellent. Black walnuts on the side offer up almost a moss like taste to offset the meat.
The menu is minuscule and even more limited this evening than usual, probably due to the holidays and fresh supplies being limited. I opt for Smoked Potato Gnocchi with Tallegio & Rapini. I asked Mike about the smoked potatoes because this dish has an unbelievable flavour. He tells me that they have a coal smoker out in the back of the building and that they smoke the spuds before turning them into the mixture for gnocchi. The gnocchi are large. The tallegio is like melted butter and the slight bitterness of the rapini make for a good combination. This is an odd trilogy but it works. The smoke flavour isn't forced but rather gently infused into the dish and the more you eat it the more it grows on you. My only criticism of this dish is they would be better off to make the gnocchi just a tad smaller. Their size makes them feel heavier than they actually are.
Lauren chooses the Parpardelle with Pheasant Ragu and Swiss Chard. I can't seem to see the swiss chard in the dish and since the pasta is verde I'm wondering if they use the chard to make the pasta. The pheasant ragu is delicious, delicately balanced with tomato sauce. The wide ribbons of pasta are perfectly cooked, silky in their consistency, folded on to the plate, embracing the chard and the ragu.
I like LKW. I like what they stand for and I like what their food philosophies are based upon. I pitstop at Mike's prep station to talk about Northern Italian cuisine and for a moment I gloat over the fact that I've ventured into the heart of the Slow Food Movement in Bra, Italy. We talk about wild foods and Forbes and then that bastard tells me he is drinking a Barolo as he is prepping food!
LKW is also the home of Foodie Meets (for all you twitter fans). The hard core foodies often meet and partake of tastings here. Rumour has it that LKW is the place where the chefs such as Michael Stadtlander, like to dine on their days off. That is a true testament to LKW. Another Parkdale food haven is born. -
Review from The Vong Choice I.
Toronto, ON
6/22/2011
The Local Kitchen not to be mistook as the pub around the corner on Roncevalles or the restaurant on the Danforth was celebrated as one of the hottest new restaurants for 2009. And it definitely lives up to it's reputation - I will possibly go on record to say it has been one of my favourite places that I've tried so far!
As you walk into the intimate 29 seat restaurant, you are transported into instant comfort like you're walking into someone's house. There is no pretension here - just a very chill and laid back atmosphere. It was the perfect spot to enjoy conversation, wine and relax. Sam and I head for the chef's table tonight and we are greeted with gusto by chef Fabio Bondi who is one of the owners- he was already busy crafting and creating dishes as we took our seats at the bar overlooking the kitchen. The perfect vantage point to watch food porn in the making!
We didn't know what to expect as our menu is Fabio's vision for the evening and even so, the menu in the restaurant changes with the seasons as everything is locally sourced or made in house. -
Review from Lorian H.
Toronto, ON
5/25/2011
Overall, I was underwhelmed, given all of the hype surrounding this place. The service was okay, but somewhat slow. The meal began with olive oil/sea salt baguette slices that were delicious and far better than the average restaurant bread (just don't expect them to bring you seconds). The charcuterie plate was good, particularly the bison (which has blueberry in it). As one of the other reviewers stated, the portion: price ratio is off. I obviously don't expect East Side Mario's size portions at a decent restaurant, but I also don't want to leave hungry. On food alone, I would have given this restaurant a 4, but the service was only a 3 and the value (taking into account the quality) is only a 2.
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Review from Ella B.
Toronto, ON
7/26/2010 1 Check-in Here
Local has a great neighborhood atmosphere and a friendly staff. Fun drinks and a good charcuterie, it's no black hoof but it's pretty good. I found the decor, and sharing a big table with some other diners to be a really nice and social experience.
The steak tartar with a quail egg was excellent. My gnocchi was excellent, however my partner's daily porchetta pasta was below average at best. Dessert was cheesy and yummy. I would definitely go back for food and atmosphere! -
Review from Ami S.
Mississauga, ON
8/8/2010
Loved this restaurant - felt right at home and loved how the owner was able to squeeze us in and be so nice about. The food was delicious - sooo fresh, I loved it. I had the cheese plate, which I would recommend, and the pastas were fantastic. They tasted as if they JUST made them in the back.
Great atmosphere - very laid back and felt as if I was just relaxing at a friend's place. Highly recommended. -
Review from Laura M.
Toronto, ON
3/19/2011
My partner and I enjoyed an evening at the chef's table last year for our anniversary. We had a fantastic time! It's definitely a meat lovers paradise, but the salami is so good it could turn any vegetarian into a carnivore.
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Review from Jeremy P.
Toronto, ON
8/12/2010
Local Kitchen:
The Good:
- For an appetizer: Caprese salad (they don't call it that on the menu, but that's what it essentially was). It was served with three slices of cheese with sliced tomato and was dressed with some balsamic vinegar. The cheese was mild and firm and there was just the right proportion of vinegar. It was a good start to the meal.
- For dessert: Chocolate mascarpone tart for dessert. The chocolate was very rich while the crust was just right in thickness and flakiness.
The Bad:
- The Ziti. Bland tomato sauce. Small portion. Not worth the $15 charge.
- The menu. The breadth of the menu is rather limited, so I'd suggest checking it out before visiting.
The Ugly:
- The setting. The restaurant is pretty much a hole in the wall. Actually, speaking of holes, I did notice a small hole in the floor next to our table, but I digress. There was only seating for around 30 people (including around 7 at the bar). Despite the small amounts of people, I found the noise level to be quite significant. There were many times where I felt I had to strain to hear the conversation across the table.
- The heat. This was a hot summer day. Interestingly, it was warmer inside than outside, which speaks volumes. They must be trying to save on electricity costs.
- The service. My girlfriend's colleague had arrived at 6:30 with her two year old child in tow. The rest of us were running a few minutes late. As a result, they would not seat her and her daughter at the table. They made her wait at the bar, which is not cool. Also of note to all you parents out there, there are no available high chairs, so unless you want to eat with your child sitting in your lap, I'd suggest going elsewhere.
Other notes:
- I had read a few other reviews about Local on Yelp and a few had commented on the gnocchi. I had a taste from someone else's order. I found it to be rather undercooked and to be way too heavy on the white wine sauce. On the upside, you could definitely taste the smoke in the potatoes (they smoke the potatoes before making the gnocchi).
- I had a taste of my girlfriend's fish entree. Aside from the portion being extremely small, it tasted ok. Also tried her order of cheesecake for dessert and that was also acceptable.
Total cost before tip for a table of four was $125 (everyone each had 3 courses, no drinks were ordered). -
Review from Nick P.
Toronto, ON
9/11/2010
Excellent Food. Let me say it again....Excellent Italian Food. However, they are a little expensive and the decor is weak and small. I love the concept and the food. A welcome addition to any neighbourhood. They need a bigger space and new decor, just my opinion.
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Review from Rob H.
Toronto, ON
2/14/2010
I recently had dinner there with 2 others. The night before we'd eaten at Terroni on Queen, so the comparison was fresh in my mind.
We started with shared charcuterie. It was nice, but unremarkable.
One of us had the gnocchi in a white sauce and two of us had pasta with a tomato-based sauce - I can't remember the details. The pasta was watery and overcooked. The gnocchi was mush - it wasn't just slightly overcooked - it was a disaster. And the white sauce had virtually no flavour. It was like skim milk.
The raves I read about this place must have some basis in fact, so we will go back - perhaps it was an off night. But I'm dubious. -
Review from Scott C.
Toronto, ON
4/19/2010
Way better than its average rating. Great food great people. Grab the table at the front, you'll meet many new people.
