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The Kensington Cornerstone Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Restaurants Gluten-Free Canadian (New), Gluten-Free [Edit]
2A Kensington AveToronto, ON M5T
Neighbourhoods: Alexandra Park, Chinatown, Kensington Market
(647) 343-1597
- Hours:
Mon, Wed-Thu 12 pm - 8 pm
Fri 12 pm - 9 pm
Sat-Sun 10 am - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
14 reviews for The Kensington Cornerstone Restaurant
14 reviews in English
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Review from Madelyn S.
Toronto, ON
7/20/2011
****First a disclaimer to those who have called this place overpriced.
You are mistaken. Gluten free baking and cooking is expensive. There are few ways to cut costs. Our flours cost three times if not more than standard wheat flour. Also, we need to use a combination of flours to make bread and other items. Next time you are in a show look at rice flour, potato starch, amaranth flour, potato flour, quiona flour and x. gum. All of that goes into some flour blends. Ok, i am off my soap box now.
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Review:
A friend forwarded the BlogTO post on the KCR and we decided to try it out last night! It was the perfect night to be out on a patio eating delicious food!
As someone who can't eat wheat, gluten, dairy/ casein and soy, this cafe played host to all my culinary dreams. I could order most items without having to ask the restuarant a million questions that aren't often understood by those without dietary and allergy restrictions.
If you have a corn allergy, this place is not for you with items that are battered. All the batter is made out of corn. Also, the gravy is thickened with cornstarch, be aware. I didn't ask if they only have one fryer....hm, next time.
The bread is amazing and from Molly B's. You can purchase it directly from KCR as well. They had a greate selection of sandwiches. It was so delicious to bite into Challah bread that tasted like Gluten filled bread. It was fresh and so lovely. Note: the bread is wheat and gluten free. the bread is also dairy, corn and nut free.
** Celiacs, esp new ones, be aware to ask questions re: are items wheat free and gluten free.
The poutine is amazing. Seriously amazing. Eating fries without thinking or asking or fearing they are flour-coated is a magical.
All four gluten free beers are available here. Note: the Red Ale is gluten free but not wheat free. (buckwheat and millet in it - i am not here to debate buckwheat and millet's safety, you can decide for yourself and your body).
This resturant proves that Gluten Free can be delicious. I would suggest a different batter for the nuggets. the nuggets were kinda dry, but we could tell they were real chicken. BONUS! almond crust is a fave of mine, but it also quite expensive.
The restaurant boasts of fresh produce and ingredients. Staff were friendly and knowledgable. Also a sign of a great space!
thanks KCR!!!! i can't wait to bring more GF friends to your space! -
Review from So A.
Toronto, ON
11/6/2011
PROS: Friendly staff
CONS: Awful coffee (instant perhaps?), extremely stingy meat portions, long wait for cold overpriced food - I completely appreciate that gluten free baking and cooking is expensive, however the dishes we had for brunch did not consist of using any of these gluten free items. This place really upset me as I was hoping for so much more as I really love this area and was hoping it would become my new brunch go to spot - but I was completely let down.
Unfortunately in a city with a tremendous amount of fantastic brunch options, this place just doesnt cut the mustard. -
Review from Patrick M.
Toronto, ON
5/30/2011
What a pleasant surprise!
Popped in for brunch with a couple friends and had a very good experience, so much so that I'm eager to come back.
They've got a few options for seating: Outside patio (avoided due to smokers and impending rain), basic indoor diner tables, and a nifty, cozy lounge area (where we set up shop). Ambiance is casual and cool, maybe a bit unfinished but certainly inviting.
Of note, the washroom is oddly located and we watched easily a dozen people awkwardly try to find it (two of whom asked us if we knew where to go).
Anyway, on to the food!
I wasn't particularly hungry this time around, so settled on the "kid's menu" grilled cheese. My friends shared a pulled pork poutine (which they devoured, giving thumbs up to).
The grilled cheese (and fries that came with) was awesome, and more than most kids are really gonna eat. Very generous portion. Tasty cheese, nice fluffy bread with a good outer crunch, garlic butter (!!!)... damn. Gluten free? I call shenanigans! (Ok, not really, I believe them... but man, was that ever good bread!)
Of note, the poutine used actual, real, very nice chicken gravy. It's a classic. You can't really go *wrong* with it; Cornerstone used it to bring a whole world of *right*.
Outside of this, we had a pitcher of Hoptical Illusion (yum! nicely floral, hoppy, smooth, refreshing!). All told, with tax and tip, the bill came to... hm. I want to say $42. Totally worth every penny.
Oh, and the service was great -- prompt, quick, and a bit quirky. We liked the guy. He probably thought we were geeky and obnoxious, but that's ok, it's our opinion of him that matters in a review! -
Review from Erin B.
Updated - 9/30/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Went back to the Cornerstone for brunch today and was less impressed than when I visited for lunch and dinner. The service was similar to previous visits, which is to say that it was adequate and pleasant enough but no more than that.
I had the cornerstone eggs, which is basically eggs Benny served on their gluten free Russian pumpernickel bread (which I love - I've been known to buy loaves for use at home). It was tasty, but the presentation was a bit sloppy and amateur, the peameal was thin, and the bread was soggy - I would expect the bread to be toasted prior to being stacked with eggs and sauce. I like that the home fries are a combo of white and sweet potatoes, but they were swimming in a pool of oil.
My brunch date, Sam R., had poached eggs with home fries and fruit - the fruit looked tasty and it was served with cheesy bread. Yum.
Still good, but I won't rush back for brunch. I will definitely return for dinner.Listed in: Gluten free Toronto!, Great patios!, Dating myself!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/23/2011
There's certainly no shortage of gluten-free options in Toronto. What makes the Kensington… Read more »
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Review from Tanya N.
2/27/2011
I came here with my sister's family since she's been trying to be as gluten-free as possible for her 3 kids and this place promotes itself as "family friendly" which hard to find in the area.
We came here for a late lunch on a Saturday. While we waited for them to set up the table for us (there were 6 of us), we sat in the elevated 'lounge area' which was perfect for the kids to unwind & play with their new toys/books they got at The Good Egg.
The "Kids' Stuff" had the typical kiddy fare: mac n'cheese, chicken fingers, grilled cheese sandwich & fish n' chips. Being typical kids, they loved the fries. My nephew who's the pickiest of them all, just nodded his head, gave us a thumbs up with a mouth full of fries when we asked him if he liked it.
The adults had sandwiches - tuna, pulled pork & cheese-steak. The bread was surprisingly good and tasted fresh. It wasn't hard and didn't taste different from regular bread. My brother-in-law had the cheese steak sandwich which he liked but tasted more like roast beef than a steak. Pulled pork was delicious but could have been more "pulled" as there were a few large chunks of pork. The tuna salad was good - standard, but good.
I'll have to come back to try out their brunch.Listed in: Kensington Market, you give me…
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Review from geraldine g.
Toronto, ON
11/11/2010 1 photo
For those of you in search of place to eat that's gluten free but doesn't mean a non gluten free companion would be stuck eating salad and cardboard bread, might I suggest this place?
I'm neither a celiac or a vegetarian so it was nice to see that there was meat on the menu and a variety of Americana inspired dishes. In other words, I ordered the steak sandwich with fries and was satisfied.
What took me by surprise was the bread! My god! Gluten free or not it was freakin tasty!!!
The only thing I would have to say about our dishes (the soup and our sandwiches) is it was a little weak on flavour or at least salt. Easily alleviated by asking for some.
The coffee was better than average but not the best restaurant coffee I've had. It doesn't impede me from ordering it again. It is the kind of coffee I would have with eggs, hash-browns and bacon,
The atmosphere is comfortable, clean and unpretentious. Our host one of the owners was a wonderful. He was genuinely concerned about our thoughts on our meal. He, too, a celiac wanting to help those in search of a place to just order food off the menu like everyone else.
His job was the toughest, host, server and cook. This made it a little difficult at times when you wanted to ask a question or just ask for something else.
I highly recommend this place. It has so much for going for it not just it's food but it's location, Kensington market. In addition, if you know someone with celiac disease - so far this remains high up on the list of must go places.Listed in: Gluten Free Wonder Worlds!!
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Review from Melissa F.
Toronto, ON
7/19/2011
This place is great! I'm gonna have to go 3.5- not quite the 4 just because I'm personally not in need of gluten-free, but if I were it would definitely rate at a 4- 4.5 for me.
I came here with my dear gluten-free friend and it was pretty much like a good pub/resto place for me in terms of food, atmosphere, price, cleanliness (bonus in the sometimes dingy kensington area...or Toronto in general) and location.
We sampled quite a few things at the table which all came on cheese challah/egg bread (which was like, REALLY good bread for me- and probably AMAZING bread for my gluten-free friend).
At the table we had:
-Calamari- really nicely breaded and seasoned with homemade tartar (which was excellent and plentiful
-Poutine (GET THIS- with the MEAT gravey- we liked it so much at the table we asked the server for the recipe and she was the master-chef herself! She was kind enough to share the secret: about 9 different meat drippings + bacon + seasoning)- definitely nothing you can make at home unless you cook a lot of different meat and aren't shy about saving all that fatty goodness- whcih I certainly don't do)
-Chicken fingers- came with standard fries- lightly salted and peppered (nothing special but definitely satisfying)- came with some sort of zesty sauce
-a range of sandwiches, chicken, pulled pork and portobello mushroom. all standardly good but, again, if you are gluten free I imagine it was a dream to be able to have tasty bread again.
-the coleslaw that came with the sandwiches was made with dill and onyl second to the type of coleslaw you get with jerk chicken plates (which is my personal fave)
-the desert menu looked GOOD. but I was stuffed. My friends ordered the brownie and it came with a mound of nuts (pecans.) on top. It looked delicious, even for me who doesn't like brownies or pecans. And the deserts were really affordable too.
Two notes:
*bonus that they sell gluten free bread- comes frozen but after trying it at the resto it certainly is a delicious option
**be careful that you know notice the difference between gluten free and wheat free- the beer options are all gluten-free but they contain wheat- something I'm not too familiar with in terms of allergy, celiac? or other stuff but if you are any one of these i'm sure you'll know what you can or cannot have- ask to read the label before they open/you consume the beer.
***I cannot stress enough that the place was clean and the decor was really nice-Cleanliness can make or break a place for me. This place was definitely clean. -
Review from Danielle N.
Toronto, ON
7/25/2010
Move over Aunt Jemima. I just found the perfect pancake. It's not just any pancake. It's gluten-free and doesn't taste like cardboard. There's more to offer at this celiac-friendly restaurant.
Who doesn't enjoy a good weekend brunch? Very few would turn down a hearty breakfast after a long week. I've walked by this place at least 50 times and somehow its existence escaped me. It was during my research process for gluten-free restaurants that Kensington Cornerstone was discovered.
At first glance, their menu looks familiar with your average American restaurant fare - sandwiches, entrees, appetizers and brunch. Read a little further and you'll realize it's not average at all. Boldly printed at the bottom of the menu are the words that sold me - "Entire menu is gluten-free".
Brunch spots have fallen off my radar since this Elimination Diet started. I'd be longing for pancakes, french toast, yogurt and granola (everything I can't have) yet settling for eggs. Just eggs. Life changed for me this weekend - I realized I can still enjoy a real brunch. I inquired about the inspiration behind the GF menu and learned that the chef and owner is celiac. He struggled with restaurant options in the city and solved for it by opening up his own place.
OUR ORDER:
With brunch comes the recurring dilemma...pancakes or eggs? I'm always torn between the two and am forced to sacrifice, choosing just one. Kensington Cornerstone solves this problem (and breaks the breakfast rules) in what they call the Breakfast Bowl.
Signature Breakfast Bowl ($13)
The combination sounds bizarre so brace yourself. This bowl is layered with vegetables (spinach and mixed bell peppers), potato hash, mini pancakes AND 2 eggs done any way you like. The sorghum pancakes were something else. Perfect size, texture and quantity so you avoid suffering from carb overload. They are sweetened with a maple butter (not dairy-free) which is to die for. You can expect the syrup to find its way to the bottom of the bowl and intermingle with your vegetables and potato mash. This is intentional, albeit may not be acceptable to some. All in all, you get the best of both worlds with the Breakfast Bowl.
Garden Vegetable Omelette Souffle ($10)
If you find it offensive when your peas and carrots touch on your plate, then I'd play it safe and go for one of their traditional breakfast dishes. Or give this a go. Three eggs baked with cheese, green peppers, onions, ham (we customized the toppings, so I'm assuming you can too!). It really is an omelette served in a deep dish, but souffle rolls off the tongue much nicer. The souffle is complemented with a side of fresh fruit, CRISPY bacon (yum) and potato hash.Listed in: Gluten-Free Spots
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Review from S J.
Toronto, ON
10/18/2011
We have been going to this awesome restaurant that is entirely gluten free for quite a while, and I thought it was high time for a review.
It's nice to have a place that celiacs can safely eat gluten free - no gluten in the kitchen means no risk of cross contamination, while still serving up the meat. The staff are very knowledgeable, accommodating and friendly. I also really love the atmosphere-- unique copper-glass artwork adds to the charm.
My fave is the poutine with their homemade gravy. You must try this. I also love their challah bread. Though all of their sandwiches are tasty, my top recommendation goes to the maple-glazed pulled pork sandwiches. I also highly recommend the mango salmon fillet. Their chocolate cake is really tasty, I always wish there was more of it... if you are still somehow hungry at dessert time, you should probably get one of their pies. -
Review from Emily V.
Toronto, ON
7/18/2010 4 Check-ins Here
During a lazy Saturday afternoon stroll through Kensington, my partner and I spied a sign that said "11$ pitcher of mojitos". We immediately agreed that we DO WANT so we took a seat on the colourful and intimate patio of Kensington Cornerstone. 2 hours, 3 pitchers of mojitos and a delicious gluten-free dinner later, we were both big fans of this place. The mojito pitchers were light (not syrupy sweet), and contained plenty of fresh mint leaves. While neither of us have a gluten intolerance, you'd never miss wheat in the food at Kensington Cornerstone. I had a rare, melt-in-your-mouth steak, with feel-good cheddar cheese and bacon mashed potatoes (the highest priced entree at $22). For dessert we had homemade chocolate banana frangelico ice cream. 3$ for a healthy portion.
We also noticed that they serve a lot of other tasty mixed drinks in incredibly cheap pitchers-- like hard peach lemonade or spicy caesars for 10 bucks a pitcher. Try getting one non-standard mixed drink for less at most places!
While I don't have many food allergies, I know so many people that do, and it's nice to know I could suggest Kensington Cornerstone for dinner and know that my gluten-free friends could eat anything on their delicious, well priced menu without a second thought. Our waiter mentioned that the kitchen will also accommodate other allergies, so just speak up and KC will sort you out!
I highly recommend checking this place out, if only for the cheap, delicious drink pitchers. You won't regret it! -
Review from Mick M.
Toronto, ON
8/17/2010
For a number of years now, my wife and friends have had to hear me constantly complain about my stomach problems (I feel bad for them, although I feel that being able to eat whatever you want whenever you want gives them some small comfort). I am still not sure what it is that gives me such trouble, but am pretty sure it is food related. I know I am not Celiac in the strict sense but I feel that I may have a slight intolerence to gluten/wheat. I am most definitely lactose intolerant to boot.
That in mind, my wife was very excited to tell me about this place. Everything on the menu is gluten-free, good start. However, most of the items on the menu that sounded good have cheese in them. Now I love cheese but it does some awful things to my inner workings. So I was hoping (as I knew the owner suffered from allergies himself and indeed opened the restaurant for this reason) that there would be some good lactose-free or vegan alternatives, man that cheesesteak sounded good!
I was disappointed to find that this was not the case, especially as there are a number of well stocked cheese emporiums in the market that offer excellent examples of said product.
We settled on 2 of the items which did not contain cheese, the pulled pork sandwich and the turkey bacon avocado club sandwich. The pulled pork had an excellent flavour, but the club was dry and bland and needed some more mayo or other sauce to pep it up. The fries were good and the salad was ok. The gluten-free bread was pretty good, so a shame about the lack of flavour in the one sandwich.
We had a pitcher of cocktail (tequila surprise I believe??), which did not taste like it had any alcohol in it and made us feel a little nauseous due to the very sugary nature of the juice used in it. I would avoid the cocktails as I don't feel they are worth even the $12 they cost.
The service, while friendly, was a little green. I don't know whether it was the guy's first night or week, but he didn't seem to know much about the menu. We got the impression that the whole operation is a little "fly by the seat of the pants", and maybe it is a new place and just ironing out the creases.
On the whole underwhelmed and overcharged (although we understood there would be a premium for GF products), almost $50 for 2 sandwiches and a pitcher of green sugary water!
I hear the breakfast is good, although we most likely will not be back. -
Review from Maria R.
East York, ON
4/17/2011
After reading some great things about this place, myself and my boyfriend decided to check it out one Sunday morning. I'm also planning on opening up my own breakfast cafe in the near future, so visiting and comparing various breakfast places is also helpful for my own market research.
Our first impression when we arrived was comfy. It wasn't very busy so we were seated right away. The service was friendly and fast, although when we asked if the heater beside our table could be turned on (it was chilly), we were assured that it would be, but unfortunately this did not occur. So we were pretty much glued to our cups of coffee to keep us warm, which was very tasty. The waitress was even kind enough to inform us of where their coffee came from, a nice touch of table side romance.
Little things I noticed (I'm all about the small details) is the table sugar was stored in a container used for salt, which when poured streamed out at a snails pace. I liked the menu though, only one page and very simple, although a bit pricey. But seeing as the location is a prime one, I guess this makes sense.
We ordered the Breakfast Platter ($13) and were told that it was quite filling for once person, so for two it would hit the spot. And seeing as I always ate less than my boyfriend anyway, we thought this would be the perfect choice. As an add on to the dish, we could also choose a side of beef for $2, but we substituted for bacon and sausage.
Our meal was delivered approximately 25 minutes after ordering, which was quite a wait considering it wasn't a busy morning (two other occupied tables). The pancakes were nice and fluffy, although our sausage and bacon were quite disappointing, with one and a half strips of bacon and two sausages the size of a pinky finger. The sausage was good with a spiciness to it which was lovely. Our eggs came out fried even though we asked for poached.
All in all, the Breakfast Platter didn't hit the spot at all, as we were still quite hungry afterwards.
The bill was $27 in total, although we noticed we were charged $3 for the one and a half strips of bacon and $3 for the two pinky size sausages. When we questioned this discrepancy (as it said $2 side on the menu), and our surprise at the ridiculous price, we were given an embarrassed shrug from the waitress.
Even though the food was good, we will not be coming back. -
Review from Leslie G.
Toronto, ON
5/1/2011
Being entirely gluten-free does not entitle you to charge way too much for mediocre food.
Yesterday I had the turkey club, having not eaten a proper sandwich in two whole years, and was still disappointed. Sure it was nice to eat bread, but the sandwich was boring and no better than I would throw together at home in three minutes. But it's twelve dollars.
The fries were slimy and soggy - more like noodles than fries. It was embarrassing. You can't have horrible fries in a city like Toronto, where the fries are so good!
I was completely disappointed in the lunch I had at this place. I'll give them another chance on breakfast, but really, come on. Gluten-free food isn't so rare that I'll accept any quality in order to eat.
Leslie -
Review from Annaliese R.
8/10/2010
During a day trip to Toronto with a Celiac friend of mine (among others) we literally looked around Kensington Market for an HOUR looking for this restaurant. After accosting everyone within a good distance and pestering other restaurant waitstaff, we were about to give up hope! We were starting to believe this gluten-free place was much like the Jackalope or Tooth Fairy, only a myth. On our way Queens street, we look to our right, and there was the mythical creature we had been chasing. With a big, huge sign surrounded by lightbulbs. Doh!! My group went into the restuarant and fell in love. I had the pulled pork sandwich with this cheese, potato, and bacon (the three food groups) soup and a tropical margarita. My gluten intolerant friend had a cheesesteak with fries and a gluten free beer. She was esctatic because this was the first place she'd been to in ages th't have to worry about how her food was bring cooked and she could actually eat off everyone's plate if she so felt. My soup was amazing, with cheddar on the top and crunchy snap peas in it that gave a refreshing crispness to the soup. The pulled pork was to die for and suprisingly filling considering it wasn't a HUGE sandwich, it wasn't small, just very filling. The cocktail, well those could be dangerous. You couldn't taste the alcohol in it, in fact, I had to ask because I was sure there wasn't! Deffo getting a pitcher next time!! All in all the food was amazing and not overly priced, the waitstaff was friendly and talkative, and (unless you're directionally challenged like I am) it's easy to find. It's literally, on a corner. In a group of four with only one person who has Celiac, all of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals and we will be making semi-routine trips from Buffalo to Toronto in order to go to this place.
