Last min advice.....Good restaurant on/near Esplanade

[jaxson18]

Hi there. Heading to Fionn MacCools Sat. night for a celebration. Looking to go out for a nice dinner, somewhere nearby......any suggestions? :-)

[LJS]

How about La Papillon? Its been a while since I was there for dinner but with the fireplace and all it used to have great ambiance at night. I CAN vouch for the service and the food: we were there for brunch two weeks ago and service was attentive and professional. My friend was on a low carb diet and he ordered a salad instead of the crepes that are the house feature.He claimed it was among the best he had ever eaten and he is very well traveled (It was a travel group meeting, in fact!)

[happycamper]

The quality has definitely dropped. Indifferent servers, chewy crepes, oversalted salad, lukewarm soup. Not your best bet.
I also second JK and Colborne Lane.
The oldschool Epic at Fairmont never disappoints.

[grilledcheese]

Jeeze this board can be fixated on JKWB.

How about Lucien:
http://www.torontolife.com/guide/restaurants/continental/lucien/review/
http://www.lucienrestaurant.com/

[Gary]

JK would definitely be your first choice, and also geographically the closest to Fionn McCools.

Other options within walking distance: Lucien, Beer Bistro, Eleven, Colborne Lane, Kultura and Veritas (formerly Eggplant).

Agree it is best to avoid Bier Markt and Papillon. Would also add C'est What to that list, at least when speaking of strictly food.

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Beer Bistro
18 King St. E, Toronto, ON M5C 1C4, CA

Lucien
36 Wellington St E, Toronto, ON M5E1C7, CA

Colborne Lane
45 Colborne Street, Toronto, ON M5E 1P8, CA

The Garden @ Eleven
11 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M5E1N3, CA

[TorontoJo]

JK Wine Bar.

Avoid the Bier Markt. Ick. Another place to avoid nearby: Le Papillon.

[thenurse]

Second JKWB suggestion. Absolutely can't go wrong (unless you don't make reservations). BeerBistro is a decent choice as well as Colbourne Lane, if the first doesn't work out.