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PicNic Wine Bar
Categories: Nightlife Bars Wine Bars Restaurants Canadian (New) Wine Bars, Canadian (New) [Edit]
747 Queen St EToronto, ON M4M 1H3
Neighbourhood: Riverdale
(647) 435-5298
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 12 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Thu
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
11 reviews for PicNic Wine Bar
11 reviews in English
-
Review from Vince B.
Toronto, ON
10/19/2011
A great atmosphere, a great date place for sure and a great place for a solo bar meal and a glass of wine.
Last night the menu, for me, was spot on. The menu changes every three months and that, along with friendly staff, music, food and ownership team keeps me coming back. Last night would have probably been my 15th visit and only once have I been disappointed and sent back a meal and the re-make was spot on.
Last night was a date night for me and after a couple glasses of consignment Viognier (not available at the LCBO), which was delightful, I moved onto an Aussie Chardonnay to enjoy with our 3 cheese plate. We had a blue, a goat and an aged cheddar and asked for a 4th chunk and opted for Beemster (12 year old gouda) which was excellent.
For me, I prefer simple fresh bread with my cheese (i read that someone wanted crackers). I actually like to experience cheese solo on my palate, so I eat it on it's own l and use bread to cleanse my palate in order to enjoy the pairing of each cheese with my wine. If I am having bread and cheese as a meal (French style) then I'll eat bread with my cheese.
After cheese my date and I shared 4 items from the tasting menu, two salads and two 'ocean' items. Salad 1 was heirloom tomatoes with basil marinated buffalo Mozzarella with balsamic drizzle and other fresh herbs and light greens, #2 was the california salad, arugula, watermelon, feta and red onion, drizzled w lemon vinaigrette. From the ocean; Baja Style Mini Crab Cakes accompanied with a caper aioli and Cajun Spiced Panko Prawns served with a lemon aioli. All items, especially the California salad, were spot on.
Crab cakes were nice and hot, the shrimp well spiced and all presented extremely well. The aioli with both of these items was to die for - so good.
After dinner we crossed the road and had a drink at AVRO - totally cool spot in Leslieville (which I also recommend).
Overall - excellent and my date loved it -
Review from Francis R.
Toronto, ON
12/13/2011
The place is somewhat pricey and has a boring vibe to it. I have been here a few times and find it lacks atmosphere....maybe it's just me.........
-
Review from corey l.
8/16/2011
My fiancee and I really wanted to enjoy Pic Nic, but they just didn't do us right the last time we visited.
I will provide the caveat that we were the last ones in the place, very close to closing time. I understand that some problems arise with customers like us. However, it should be the goal of any good restaurant to provide for every single customer.
We ordered a cheese plate, wine, and two main dishes.
The cheese was pretty mediocre, and the wine even more so. Back in the states, we can buy this wine by the case at any grocery store, very cheaply. I didn't realize this until later in the evening when I asked what our (recommended) wine actually was. Shame on me, or shame on them? Not sure.
The main dish was a very gamey lamb dish with too much spice on it, I couldn't finish it very well. My fiancee didn't enjoy her dish either.
The service was pleasant enough, I suppose. But for the price I've definitely had much better.
I hope PicNic is better for other folks, they have a really cute setup. Very romantic. But food takes precedence for me. -
Review from Edwin A.
11/9/2010 3 photos
Small portions, expensive, crackers would be nice instead of just bread.
Ordered a charcuterie platter with meats and cheese also the brie cheese loaf.
The place is similar to Salt in Vancouver.
go here for the wine and cheese experience only. -
Review from eric g.
Toronto, ON
5/29/2010
PicNic (why the silly capitalization, I have no idea) doesn't quite make it to four stars... though with a little more effort from the kitchen, it easily could.
The good: Great wine selection, all available by the glass. Beautiful interior. Very friendly service. Short, reasonably priced menu.
The so-so: the signature (we're told) charcuterie plate is oh-so-lame. For twenty bucks you get a few slices of two kinds of salami or sausage that the server tells us come from Kensington Market, two pieces of cheese that presumably have the same provenance, and some veggies or fruit. Only the cured salmon and onion jam are made in house. Well, you know what? I can go to European Meats and buy a bunch of sausage myself. When you're located across the street from Ruby Watchco, and in the same city as the Black Hoof and other places that cure their own meats, this just doesn't measure up.
And the mains? Dijon-flavoured pork stew was nice and hearty. Salmon was perfectly ok. But they didn't knock our socks off.
This is a great local joint to stop into for a glass of wine or three and a light bite. But I wouldn't make a special trip. -
Review from Richie S.
***3.5 Stars***
Stopped here again for a pre-pre-dinner cocktail and some nibbles.
Great wine list and loved the platter selections - 2 cheeses (15+ to choose from), 2 meats (15+ to choose from) and 3 sides (5-10 to choose from) for $22, or $11 on Mondays.
The combinations are endless and brings just enough for two people to enjoy as a nice starter.
We were left alone for quite a while and offers of water weren't offered until our second glass of wine, but we did show up pretty much at opening and one person was left setting up the place.
Good music and a nice'n'dark interior to make you feel cozy in the colder, wet weather. Would definitely try again for a complete meal. -
Review from Lawrence Q.
Toronto, ON
Excellent food , great service ... Fantastic place for a date night
-
Review from Christine C.
Etobicoke, ON
1/7/2010
While my Yelp kin were busy stuffing their maws on the breast of Motha India at a UYE, I was on the other end of Queen Street taking flight, wine flights that is at the PicNic Wine Bar. I was meeting up with a past employee who I was trying to lure back to my agency and when I asked her where she'd like to meet up she suggested PicNic since it is her her hood. Immediately I routed the Yelp reviews and noted that all of them were four stars so this was a good sign.
It was a great evening. We just kicked back and took in the atmosphere. I love the vibe in this room and considering that we were sitting next to the front door that is really giving a big thumbs up to this spot. Usually sitting next to the front door on a frosty winter's night is a chilling experience but for whatever reason the glass across the front of this bar is air tight and not even remotely draughty. If you do get a chill there is a basket of rolled up pashmina's/wraps sitting by the front door. Such thoughtfulness on the part of this establishment.
There is a good selection of wines by the ounce (3 or 6), half bottles & full bottles. Or you can go with a wine flight and get 3 glasses of wine with 2 ounces each in them. So we started with a Chardonnay flight and I must say the sommelier, Matt, is a great guy. He puts the glasses down on the table, pours right at the table and tells you what each wine is. No way were these a two ounce pour, easily a generous 3 ouncer. Tasting wine in this manner is a great way to learn about how different chardonnays from Chile, California, Canada and Australia can be. The legs, the nose, the body....no this is not me describing another Dexter episode.
We ordered a cheese/meat/condiment plate to start. There is a blackboard on the backwall giving you the choices so you build your own charcuterie plate. Our only requests were that one cheese be creamy and rich and the other be stinky. The plate came with a heaping basket of very fresh, crispy baguette. Along side we had a fruit condiment, spicy olives and some slatherings of olive oil on the plate. As far as charcuterie boards I've had way better and this was the only reason I yanked a star off this rating. Still though, it was good but when you've had great (Black Hoof/Splendido/Local) it's a tough act to follow.
We ordered the Tuna Tartare which was sooooo delicious with black sesame seeds in it. It was sided with these really cool lotus chips and wakame salad. We also ordered the chicken satays that showed up sitting atop a bed of couscous with lentils and bulgur. It was delicious and had a real madras of flavours. Both plates were beautifully splayed with their food and garnishes.
Our second flight was with reds and we tried a great Ripasso from Italy (our fave), a Carmeniere from Chile and a Cab Sav from the Cali coast. In both tastings we found one wine we liked more than the other and opted to have a second tasting. It was a booze' em up night in Riverdale and we loved every minute of it.
Downside to PicNic, no desserts. (insert pout here) I'm going to have to work on them! It would have been nice to finish off with something chocolatey and rich. Alas, it was not to be. The other comment I have to make about PicNic is that the room is fairly consumed by a large communal table, which is ok but I don't care for backless chairs. If you are going to sit for a while slurping up the grape I like to have a chair I can lean back against.
In total there were 16 small pours with all the food and the bill came to $120 which I felt was very fair. It was a great evening, music was fab, service was attentive and respectful and the room is super comfy for wine libations. Oh by the way, my ploy worked. My former staff is coming on back! Thank you PicNic for helping me seal the deal! -
Review from chris s.
Toronto, ON
9/27/2009
Pic Nic is my neighbourhood go-to spot.
Although the entrees are good, your best bet are the platters where you choose 2 meats and 2 cheeses and 3 garnishes for $20. The cheese is especially good, with an ever changing selection.
The martinis aren't great, but it's a wine bar, so that's fine. -
Review from Melissa F.
Toronto, ON
12/6/2009
A nice affordable wine bar.
This is the type of place I miss from westcoast dining- wine bars. and picnic simulates that experience really well.
Small place that balances intimate with potential for med-large party events.
Individual couples tables and a large communal table with stools in the middle of the room.
Highlights:
-The charchuterie is an exccellent option for a light dinner and an evening of wine. The selction is nice and definitely try the JAM with your plates.
-The food menu is a short list of more substantial offerings that all taste amazing. Filling portions but not overdone- definietly something you could order as a single person or order a few things and share
-Great date place: this place is obviously one of those places where intimacy is created int he dining experiencce, with the small tables, dim lighting, foggy windows and share plates
-Great party place- although it was far from packed, I could imagine this place being a really great venue to host a larger party if you want tot rent a place out for a night.
Low points:
-The serving staff could know a little more about wines, pairings- don't get me wrong- they were gracious and nice, but ME personally, I love when I can tell the staff the flavours I enjoy and have them mix somethingp for me and really impress me in that way (This is the way it is done ina lot of charchuterie and wine bars inthe west coast)
-If you have a large-ish party you will inevitable get seated at the picnic table in the middle which is nice, but it makes it slightly awkward if you're party can't appreciate the long narrow picnic table/stool type seating- and it makes it difficult to talk to anyone beyond your immediate surroundings.
I had an excelent time here and would definitely reccommend it. My friends, all Torontonians, had never tried this place or this neighbourhood and called it a :"hidden gem" -
Review from Kyle P.
Toronto, ON
6/1/2009
Great setting and décor...wine selection decent for the price point but it would be nice if they had a few more high end options. Perfect spot for a post dinner drink with a date or nibbling on cheeses and sharing a bottle or two with friends. For anyone who has been to the 'Salt' wine bar in Vancouver, the setting and menu selection is very similar, with cheese and charcuterie choices for snacking.
I've been there 3-4 times and haven't yet had dinner so I can't really comment on the food, other than the cheeses, which have been tasty.
