Recommendations for Sunday Lunch for Group of 30yo Friends
Greetings Chowhounders!
Would appreciate any and all suggestions for this one:
Trying to decide on a good lunch spot in downtown on Sunday aft for a friends get-together. We're all in our mid 30s and looking for a hip, bright, decently-priced (i.e. $15 mains) resto with GOOD food and casual friendly VIBE. Please no diners or greasy spoons. A couple of these friends are Torontonians living abroad so would be nice to try something recently new or upcoming.
A few places I was considering are:
• O&B Canteen
• Earth (at Rosedale)
• Mildred's Temple Kitchen (but lunch mains are bit too expensive)
Thanks for any feedback!
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Mildred's Temple Kitchen
85 Hanna Avenue, Toronto, ON M6K 3S3, CA
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NoFixedAddress
Mar 27, 2011 06:35 AM
South of Temperance is GOOD!
Good vibe. Hip. Your style. Great staff. Nice Owner
and...........awesome fooooooooooood!
http://www.southoftemperance.com/menu...›4 Replies-
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re: NoFixedAddress
prima
Mar 28, 2011 11:08 AM
I didn't find the food to be awesome at South of Temperence. Agree with JennaBean's comment that the food is ok at best. The financial district on a Sunday isn't exactly what I'd think of when it comes to hip vibe, either.
The food at Canteen is ok at best, and not too hip.
The food at Earth tends to be decent but fairly conservative. I'd stick to the soups, meat or vegetarian dishes. I much prefer their steak to their burger. I am not a fan of the smoked ricotta they're using in the current beet salad and on one of their flatbreads. The lunch menu is only available midweek. The brunch menu is what they serve at lunchtime on the weekend.
Globe Earth brunch menu: http://www.globeearth.ca/Menus/brunch/tabid/9435/Default.aspxI like the brunch at the Drake, and it might qualify as hip. Might also consider the Cuban brunch at Delux on Ossington. I've been meaning to try it out.
Most Sunday brunch mains at Frank, at the AGO are around $18, and the food is usually ok, if not pretty good, in my experience. Probably not hip, but nice atmosphere. http://www.ago.net/frank-brunch-menu
Might also be worth considering Negroni & Paese, which are both open at lunch on Sundays.
Queen Mother or Beer Bistro also might work, although I find the food hit or miss at both.
Might be worth your while to check the availability on opentable on Sundays: http://www.opentable.com/opentables.a...
Bear in mind that food costs have increased substantially over the last year, and restaurants serving good food are feeling pinched right now, so you might not find that many restaurants with vibe and mains in the $15 range right now, or in the future. Most restaurants have to decide whether to increase prices, decrease portion size, cut costs (by using cheaper ingredients or investing less in vibe + atmosphere), or all of the above.
Let us know where you end up for lunch.
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Beer Bistro
18 King St. E, Toronto, ON M5C 1C4, CAQueen Mother
206 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V1Z2, CAThe Drake Hotel
1150 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CADelux
92 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J2Z4, CANegroni
492 College Street, Toronto, ON M6G 1A4, CAFRANK @ The Art Gallery of Ontario
317 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M5T I4G, CAglobe earth
1055 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2L2, CAPaese
333 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V, CASouth of Temperance
20 Adelaide St W, Toronto, ON M5H, CA-
re: prima
Great summary. As great as Toronto's restaurant scene is these days, I still think we're hurting for hip, cool, yummy weekend brunch spots. Hoof Cafe would have fit the bill perfectly, but it's closed now.
It's not new but I think The Drake is a great rec. Based on my dinner there, I would guess that Beast would serve up a delicious brunch and it's definitely new/up and coming - not sure how busy-vibey it is. Same with Delux. Another place on my list is Marben - haven't tried it yet.
How big a group are you and is this get together in the next month or two or should we be taking patio options into consideration?
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