Joey's - Eaton Centre

[ylsf]

Going on Saturday for a friends birthday. I know it is a chain but wondering if there are any safe bets on the menu? Saw a recommendation for the burger in another general thread. Seems like the menu is on the pricey side in general, anything else good? I imagine that they serve similar dishes at the Don Mills location so recommendations if you have eaten there too would be helpful.
http://www.joeyrestaurants.com/eaton-...

[89_9C1]

I went to the Eaton Center one for drinks and it was pretty good vibe. Similar to Earls but more casual and less crowded.

[Chocaholic]

I agree the portions are not big enough for you to feel FULL.

But I enjoy their ahi tuna burger has great mix of flavors with yam fries -- which tthey can give me more fries that may make me feel more full.)

And ahi tuna salad .. give me more lettuce and other salad stuff ..

Also enjoy their bellinis. However; I went a couple of weeks ago it wasn't as good as it before and it didn't come in the large martini glass instead it came in a glass.

Yes, my friend had the lobster ravioli and said the same thing. Nothing special.

[JennaBean]

The first time I went I made the mistake of ordering a bellini and got this frozen fake tasting "beverage" that in no way reflected an actual bellini. I suggested that they might want to add "frozen" to the description on the menu. It was one of the worst "beverages" I've ever had.

[prima]

Heading to Joey in the near future. Besides the Baja fish tacos and the Ahi fish tacos, are there any other dishes Chowhounds would recommend over others?

I found their wings and fried calamari to be decent on a past visit.

Has anyone tried the Market Chicken Salad?

[1sweetpea]

I have been to the Don Mills location a few times with my parents, who enjoy it. I hate to be negative, but I have yet to hit on something I really like. I wasn't wowed by the tandoori flatbread or the one with the shrimps and pesto. I didn't care for the fish tacos at all. I thought the combo of cheese and fish made no sense at all. I asked the server to have the kitchen leave off the cheese and she convinced me that the cheese is important as a flavour component. Not really. The cheese adds nothing but extra calories and fat. The "hot" sauce is not very tasty. It has some heat, but not a lot. I also found the fish to be more greasy fried batter than actual fish. I had originally planned to have the tuna tacos, to avoid the deep fried, battered fish, but the server ALSO talked me out of those, telling me that they were just appetizer sized and thus, not enough to eat for lunch. Perhaps they would have been preferable to me, despite their size. The only other dish I ever had there is no longer on the menu. It was salmon in a miso broth with noodles, shiitakes and bok choy. I actually thought that was pretty tasty but alas, it's gone from the menu.

I will admit the fries are addictive. I've also had a bite of my mom's lobster mac and cheese. She loves it, but I was not impressed at all. It tasted like a grilled cheese with some mystery mayo sauce. If there was any real lobster inside, you'd never know it.

My dad likes the burger and the steaks. They may be fine, but I am convinced he just likes the scenery at Joey, if ya know what I mean.

[prima]

Thanks, 1sweetpea. Appreciate you running through the dishes you've tried.

I was thinking abt trying their current grilled salmon, but I'm not sure abt the maple beurre blanc. Looking at the menu, it seems they try to include sweet, salty, fatty and creamy in quite a few dishes, maybe to give the tastebuds a big whack? Thanks for warning about the cheese in the fish tacos. Agree that cheese does not belong on a fish taco.

Maybe I'll just stick w a burger.

I'll be dining at TSADM, but this thread was more current, so I decided to post here.

[ylsf]

I never reported back after my Eaton Centre experience at Joeys a while back. I ended up getting the fish tacos and they were decent .Overall, people seemed to enjoy the food and the atmosphere was nice from what I recall (except for the journey to the toilets... so far that they make jokes about the distance down the basement hallway).

[canadianbeaver]

There are secret bathrooms on the street level.....but I'll never tell.....

[ingloriouseater]

the ones by the west side of the bar? not much of a secret cb

[canadianbeaver]

Well it seems like ylsf didn't know about them, and the staff doesn't direct bathroom traffic that way.....I certainly only found out by accident

[ingloriouseater]

i found them on my first visit-the server told me about them, but i thought it would be a back hall that connected both the bar and restaurant side to the same washrooms-odd that it doesn't. but it was a new build and access ontario would require main floor handicap washrooms.

odd that we talk about washrooms and not the food-lol

[ylsf]

Thanks, I was wondering why they wouldn't have washrooms on the same level for a newly built facility. Sometimes it is good to get a bit of exercise in or have an excuse to be away from the table to check cell phone/etc... so, next time I will go to the closer washroom and pretend like I went to the further one :)

[prima]

Split the Baja fish tacos, Little Market Salad and the Szechuan edamame with a friend last night. To be honest, I couldn't tell that there was cheese in the fish tacos. Maybe they were lighter-handed at the Eaton Centre location. I'd order all 3 of those dishes again. I liked that the server split our Little Market Salad into 2 bowls for us, without asking, so we didn't need to attempt to split it ourselves at the table.

After an awful meal at the Village Idiot, overpriced, mediocre take-out from Amaya Express, very salty shawarma at Paramount, and very salty falafel at Milos, I'll go so far as to say I'm happy that Joey is located within walking distance of the AGO. While there's also The 3 Brewers/ Les 3 Brasseurs, Milestones and Jack Astor's nearby, I've been more content with my last 2 meals at Joey than any relatively recent meals at Milestones or Jack Astor's.

Next time, I think we'll give The 3 Brewers a try. Are there any dishes you're willing to admit you like at The 3 Brewers? I've only visited L3B in France. Thanks for any suggestions. http://www.les3brasseurs.ca/eng/3b_me...

[burlgurl]

the food isn't horrible..i've been for a few lunches and it's standard fare...i likes all the meal salads/ sandwiches/tacos i've had there..no complaints on the food I've eaten.
It's exactly what it's marketed as..a higher end chain good for groups/ after work..

[ylsf]

Thanks for all of the feedback. Will likely play it safe or "safer" and get a burger.

[flyinggonzo]

You don't really go there for the food...

[prima]

I haven't eaten at a Joey in Ontario, but I used to like the tandoori chicken flatbread when Joey was still known as Joey Tomato's in Alberta. Tandoori chicken flatbread is still on the menu: http://www.joeyrestaurants.com/eaton-...

[kingsway]

Don't get fooled by the lobster grilled cheese either. They push it harder than an Orlando timeshare...it is very underwealming.

The apps are generally good, fish tacos are good too.

[caitlink]

Ha ha kingsway. What a hilarious post. Thx for the laugh.

[caviartothegeneral]

I've had the burger a couple of times, with and without bacon/cheese -- prefer it without. For a $15 burger it's alright. They put a 1000-Islandish dressing on it that gets kind of sloppy. Fries are skinny and addictive.

[JennaBean]

Go for the drinks and company and consider the food a necessary evil! In these instance I eat as little as possible without drawing attention to it and then have a bowl of cereal when I get home.

[justsayn]

LOL

[justxpete]

Or, pre-eat before you go...

[prima]

JennaBean, agree, in these kinds of situations, it's better to go for the company.

I choose my restaurants when I'm organizing a restaurant meal, so it's only fair that my friends choose the restaurant when it's their turn to organize. Lately, I've been interested to see which restaurants my non-Chowhound friends choose, without my input. Turns out, they usually will choose Joey at TSADM, Biermarkt at TSADM, O & B Grill at Bayview Village and greasy spoons (for breakfast).

I realize I'm on a different page when it comes to restaurants than most of my non-Chowhound friends. What I didn't realize until I looked at Joey's menu this week, is that the prices Joey is charging for mains ($24 for grilled salmon) are approaching the prices being charged at better restaurants like Biff's ( $26 for Roasted Arctic Char) or Le Select ($26.95 for roast salmon).

Next time you face the necessary evil of eating at Joey, I recommend the fried calamari at Joey. It was better than I expected, and better than a bowl of cereal at home.

[Shorttyred]

Been to the Eaton Centre location a number of times, for drinks and food. I quite enjoy their fish tacos - there is a rare tuna and a fried white fish. Everything is pretty pricey and the tacos won't fill you up. I usually eat a sandwich before I go and just get the tacos. The calamari is a large serving and good for sharing.

sorry, haven't tried the burger.

r

[caitlink]

Good atmosphere but would not call it fine dining. I have had lobster ravioli, overpriced - hardly any lobster. More of an appetizer - since I did not feel full.
Also had the black peppercorn steak. it was good - the accompanying 'potato' was cute. It was more like a long potato spring roll. But once again, overpriced.

[justsayn]

I've been to Joey's at Don Mills a couples times. The vibe was fun both visits with sports on the screen and good people in the very large bar area. We had snacks/apps that are probably on par with a Milestones.