Perfect place to chill on a cold winter evening in Toronto- great neighborhood- friendly Irish pub with exceptional food, service and attitude. Too bad weren’t going to the music hall next door - but enjoyed it even more when it emptied out. Too many good options on food and drink to sample in 1 or 2 visits.
Love the casual pub-style atmosphere in this place. There's a good selection of beers on tap and the food is very good. The service is always friendly and efficient. In nice weather the patio out back is wonderful with your choice of sun or shade. Great place to lunch with friends. Once we even met the Irish Ambassador having lunch there!
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2016/12/31
Allen's was a very pleasant surprise. We stopped in for lunch on New Year's Eve. Actually we were aiming for the pub next door, but they were not open for lunch, so we thought we would give Allen's a try. We had never heard of it before and did not know what to expect. What we got was good food and good service in a slightly upscale restaurant bar that looks like it has been around for a while and has been very well maintained. Lots of photos adorn the walls, likely from musicians who had played next door at the concert hall.
There was a private party at the bar at the front of the restaurant, so we had to wiggle our way to the dining room in the back half. There we were promptly seated at one of the blue and white checkered tablecloth tables. The full menu was presented, but we stuck to the Brunch page.
SWMBO ordered the Buttermilk Pumpkin Waffles with Pure Maple Syrup, with a side of Smoked Ontario Bacon. Good waffles, where the pumpkin flavour was pleasant and not overwhelming. Very good syrup too.
I had the 3 Egg Frittata with Sweet Potato Hash Browns, with brown toast. On this day the frittata came with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and Swiss cheese. Fluffy eggs and fresh ingredients. The hash browns were lightly cooked, with sautéed onions, leaving the cubed sweet potatoes soft and only slightly caramelized. I would have preferred them to be a bit crispy, but they were tasty nonetheless.
Our server was pleasant, polite and attentive.
I love this place. The patio out back is my favourite in the city. It's large, quiet, and full of large trees, which makes you forget you're in the middle of Toronto. Most recently we went here for brunch and had an amazing eggs Benedict. Their burger is also amazing. We also tried the polenta fries and baked sweet potato appetizers and were not disappointed. This is my go to summer patio place.
Wile there are a number of great items on the menu, my choice for lunch at Allen's is the burger, done medium rare. Juicy and satisfying. Nice beer selection and a lengthy scotch list that would take a weekly regular customer several years to sample each one (although there are a few most scotch drinkers would be less than likely to try based on price - but nice to know that, for far less than the price of the bottle at the LCBO or other liquor suppliers, you can sample a single serving of extremely rare stock). Service is courteous and professional. A fine establishment.
Fantastic atmosphere... Feels like you are tucked into a corner in London or old New York. I can only speak to the burgers which are divine, the meat speaks for itself when they are willing to make it blue. I went for the rare and have no regrets. Sure the toppings aren't inventive, but the quality is second to none.
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This might be our home away from home when it comes to dining out. We barely even open the menu anymore. For years now we have been ordering the incredible Capon Wings which, with their tangy bbq sauce and blue cheese dressing are hands down the best wings in the city. The homemade ground chuck burgers can be ordered just the way you like with a great selection of farm fresh, local ingredients. I usually go for the Ontario goat cheese and double smoked bacon.
Other favourites include the beer battered fish and chips, made with perfect proportions of batter to fish. The shrimp red curry has a nice heat to it. The blackened potato salad is the only potato salad my husband has every liked. A delicious side option.
The wine list is all Ontario VQA wines. A large selection of by the glass, and surprisingly many older vintages by the bottle or glass.
The beer menu is vast and scotch list is widely considered the best in the city.
The service is okay (a bit moody) and the atmosphere is a tad bit noisy but that is part of the charm, and I always feel satisfied when I leave.
Thanks Allen's for being my second kitchen!
Have been to Allen's many times so I thought I would finally review it. We went last night and I ordered the salmon burger. The burger itself was good, but it came with a revolting pickle salad. I wish they would let you choose your side on certain dishes. My companion had what were supposedly award-winning ribs. They were okay, but we laughed at the thought of them winning an award. The salad combo plate that went with the grilled items is generous, but the problem is that the salads just don't taste very good.
What I like about Allen's is their beer selection and general atmosphere on the summer patio. And it is very inter-generational. You look around and there are 20-year-olds and 80-year-olds. There is something to be said for that! Plus, if you stay away from their BBQ menu, the food prices are reasonable enough.
But the food, frankly, is nothing special. Consider yourself lucky (very lucky) if you get served a great meal there.
Great food. Burgers and wings live up to their reputation. We had 3 burgers and fries with the works, one order of wings and three soft drinks and the bill came to just under $100, which for lunch seems a bit steep.Service was slow and no offers to refill our sodas that were empty by the time the food finally arrived.
Very solid. Ate at the bar - wonderful service from an experienced and courteous bartender. Grilled shrimp tacos were great, drinks generous. Recommend, would return. Only downside is decor could use an update.
Best Burger. Yep! I've only been once and have been craving it since. Their burger is amazing. You can order it how you want it (rare, medium rare, medium etc) simple yet devine!
We happened to go for dinner during the steak festival. I had the best steak I've ever had. The bartender was knowledgeable and very helpful. I would go back.
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