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Penelope Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Greek Restaurants Mediterranean Greek, Mediterranean [Edit]
225 King St WToronto, ON M5V 3M2
Neighbourhoods: Entertainment District, Downtown Core
(416) 351-9393
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 11:30 am - 10 pm
Thu-Fri 11:30 am - 11:30 pm
Sat 4:30 pm - 11:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
13 reviews for Penelope Restaurant
13 reviews in English
-
Review from Roxana R.
Toronto, ON
4/16/2012
I went after a Roy Thomson concert and it was not crowded at all. We had the calamari, which was delicious. It was served as a full piece, which was a good variation. It was soft and perfectly breaded. I tried the vegetarian moussaka which was also very good - it was fresh and very rich. The side dish was very plain though - rice wasn't good and the veggies were not fresh. I appreciate when the side dishes are also fresh and not frozen.
We did feel that the waiter was not too thrilled when we just ordered one main course. On the other hand, it was late and I understand that we may have been the annoying late customers.
What can you do - when it's two of you and you just order for one, haters gonna hate... -
Review from Johnny H.
Toronto, ON
5/10/2012
2 Words: Penelope Platter. It comes with lamb shops, some veggie lasagna, chicken, souvlaki, rice and grilled veggies. The portion is just massive. It can maybe feed the whole Greece. For around $50, it is hell of a deal. You get a lot for the money.
But the food isn't that amazing. You might find the meats a bit flavorless, though and dry. Sometimes, they are burned. The veggies are cooked nicely though. They have that aroma and texture of Mediterranean food.
There's also seafood platter. It comes with salmon, calamari and seafood souvlaki. It really wasn't that satisfying in terms of diversity, and the seafoods didn't really taste delicious.
The service is a bit slower than average, but it might be because I ordered platters every time I went there. But it can be much quicker judging by the service I got at other restaurants where I also ordered some kind of platters for 2. The servers are nice and courteous, and they are fairly attentive. Tables are small, and they are placed a bit too close to each other. Chairs decent.
The decor is quite nice. Modern with classical touches. Bright color choices with Greek structure replicas placed here and there. The pale-looking tiles don't really do much though.
Dine at Penelope if you don't have any other choices before going to the theater. If you tell the server that you have a show to catch, they will actually push the foods out at a rapid pace. I could have given this restaurant 2 stars, but fast service in such situation is enough for me to grant 3 stars. -
Review from Jody G.
11/30/2011
What a find!!! My son, a friend and I were wandering around looking for a place to grab dinner before the theater when my son exclaimed, "Look.... There's a Greek place". Note to self: Always take son's restaurant advice. This place was amazing!
The host was delightful.... promising us that even though we had to wait 5-10 minutes for a table (I love full restaurants.... empty ones make me nervous and sad) we would definitely be out within the hour needed for our show. We were... and yet we never felt a bit rushed.
We started with a Mediterranean dipping platter (hummus, tzatziki, meletzana, feta and olives) and an order of saganaki to share. FANTASTIC! The dips were all fresh and tasty and the saganiki was PERFECT. It was even flamed at the table (as it should be). The only complaint was there wasn't quite enough pita bread to go around. No worries though because those dips were so yummy that we finished them with our forks.
As entrees my son and I each had a Greek salad and our friend had the octopus. That salad was fantastic. Probably the best Greek salad I've ever had, and I've eaten LOTS of Greek salads in my 50 years. It was fresh and huge and the dressing was absolutely perfect. YUM! I was in salad heaven!!! The octopus was rated as "delicious'.
For dessert the three of us shared order of rice pudding which was creamy and full of golden raisins and lots and lots of vanilla. It was the perfect finish to our meal! -
Review from Poncy C.
Toronto, ON
5/10/2012
Great place for lunch. Good food and service. Be sure to as for Sophocles!
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Review from Lucas T.
9/10/2011
I was happy and impressed with my dining experiences at Penelope.
First I had the Saganaki. It has been 2 years since I had a Saganaki plate, and not all Greke restaurants do it. Penelope did an excellent job with there Saganaki plate. The Saganaki was delicious and full of flavor like it should be. A hint of fresh squeezed Lemon is the secret ingredient.
Next I tried the Greek Salad. The Greek Salad was ok, but lacked viengar on the dressing. It didn't taste much like a Greek Salad at all. It could become one, but the dressing needs more vinegar. Greek Salad have a bite to them, this one did not, still ..... I can't give this place 4 stars. Too many positives.
For the final course, I had the Chicken Soulvaki. The plate was delicious. Chicken was grilled to perfection with the authentic tzakiki sauce [ sorry if I spelled that wrong ] rice and fresh grilled veggies followed.
You guys are spoiled in Canada with all that great food. Our food sucks the big one compared to yours ... this is definitely a 5 star place. -
Review from Peter S.
6/4/2011
Did not like this place at all. The food was *very* expensive for what it was and completely lackluster. The service was top-notch and the atmosphere was splendid. The food was just not good.
Appetizer
=======
Kalamari: C+
Very lightly breaded and lightly fried. There was really no flavor. No spices. Like eating grilled rubber. The cream cheese (yes, cream cheese) that was served with it simply didn't go well with the food. Too many O's and not enough tendrils. For the price, there should've been more tendrils.
Entrees
======
Grilled Salmon: B-
It pains me to give any salmon less than an A. However, this salmon, while very tasty and having great grill marks, was vastly overdone. Dry as paper. At least it had great flavor.
Seafood Giovesti: C+
Could have been great but it had the oddest cinnamon flavor. Why did they do that?!? I couldn't finish it -- the odd cinnamon flavor was overpowering and ruining the dish. -
Review from Sergey S.
1/13/2011
Sometimes I just have this feeling like: "I don't want fish... And don't really want meat, too... Hey, I don't know what I want - maybe it's time for that Greek stuff?" Immediately followed by some jokes about Opa Souvlaki and food courts, the idea usually transforms into: "Ok, so let's just go to that Penelope place - you remember, next to the theatre?"
So we drop in, and there is always a free table (that place is huge), and we usually end up sitting on a sort of a podium in the middle of the restaurant. And start waiting...
Service is, as far as I can understand, authentically Greek - no one is in rush, they do it all at their own pace. I've seen people exploding and leaving the restaurant after waiting for the server for like ten minutes, making signs and still not receiving any attention.
Patience guys, eventually they will arrive! Than you may take your time, because the menu is quite ample. For drinks I like to go for the authentic Greek wines, just ask your server - they are helpful in that. Food is good - I tried many different plates, never disappointed.
A bit on the pricey side, mostly due to the location and size of the restaurant, I guess. Not a place where I could go weekly, but once in a couple of months - for sure! -
Review from Janine D.
11/13/2011
I had the calamari and shrimp salad it was really good. Im not much a fan of greek food but honestly it was really good.
-
Review from Rita C.
Saanich, BC
7/6/2009
Maybe I was spoiled by living in a Greek neighbourhood growing up, but I found Penelope utterly forgettable. Literally. I can't remember feeling any particular way about the food, which I barely recall-- I had gotten some chicken dish? Not souvlaki? I suppose this isn't a very bad thing; I'd have remembered it if it was horrible. But sitting here now, I remember little more than 'this was sustenance.'
The decor and atmosphere are nice enough, and I'd imagine it an excellent choice if your relatives were in town or you're seeing a show nearby. It's not by far the best Greek I've ever had but-- from what little I remember-- not the worst. -
Review from Todd V.
Toronto, ON
9/25/2008 1 photo
My memories of this place are always favourable. When I worked at Canadian Stage, opening night was the thing. I would put in the show, get all my bookkeeping out of the way, and then head across the street with the rest of the company for a cocktail and some Greek appetizers. They've since moved to King Street inside the theatre district, but the flavour remains the same.
Targeting the theatre crowds and downtown lunches, Penelope offers finer Greek dining without the need to drive out to the Danforth. The décor is simple, and the staff give the place the feeling of a family-run business. The platters that were put before us never failed to impress and of the items that I've had recently (pork souvlaki), it still holds up. I'm sure there's way better places on the Danforth, but you'll never eat there and make it down the DVP in time for an 8:00pm curtain.
Enjoy this place for what it is. If it's decent enough for opening night, well, really... -
Review from John G.
Toronto, ON
9/15/2009
If your looking for a reasonably priced greek meal in the core this is a good choice. The decor is classic greek, service is ok, and food is ok with a reasonable number of wines on the list. They are consistent time after time. I had the roast leg which is always good. Portions are good and price is reasonable. Two including wine and tip was 70.
-
Review from Patricia P.
7/22/2010
The atmosphere on a Toronto summer night was Super! The portions were plentiful and delicious. I had the roasted lamb, with green beans, rice pilaf and potatoes. the reason they get 4 stars instead of 5 is due to the rude or not very pleasant waiters and the food while delicious made me feel gassy.
-
Review from John G.
East York, ON
12/24/2009
Went here prior to a Roy Thompson concert. It is very busy and one does tend to feel a little rushed because of that. Special was a Veal Rib which was very tasty but had a lot of meat on it so one had to very hungry. Because I love Greektown, I guess I have become very picky about Greek places away from the Danforth, so would rate this as just okay Service is very friendly. Has a small bar area, if one just wants to have a drink before a show or concert.
