Bad restaurants

[Hipster Duck]

Instead of paying for a meal and getting burned, I thought we should share our subpar restaurant experiences before we make hasty reservations.

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Mambo Lounge
120 Danforth St.
Cuisine: Tapas, Spanish/Cuban
Price: $20 mains (4 tapas); $55 for 2, without wine.

What was wrong with it:

- Tapas lack any decent flavour; cuts of meat and seafood used are mediocre
- "Award winning" Mojito tastes like Club Soda.

Note: do not confuse this restaurant with Embrujo Flamenco Tapas across the street which is vastly better, although more expensive.

 

[Roy G Biv]

Fuzion on Church. Over-priced.

 

[Tewder]

^ Does that mean bad food? I mean, lots of restaurants are overpriced.

 

[Redroom Studios]

Panorama
Manulife Centre - 51st Floor
55 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON

We went here for mainly for the view but the menu sounded good on paper too. Unfortunately the entrees really didnt live up to the description or warrant the prices, especially as they advertise the food is "created by Executive Chef Scott Doust". The worst example was the rice that my sister got with her black tiger shrimps. It was literally a solid lump that she could stab and pick up with her fork - we have pictures! Her husband also complained that his pan roasted chicken was dry. I had the filet mignon which is the most expensive item on the menu at $29 - it was acceptable but didnt seem to be freshly or well prepared. Our server had the rice replaced and promised free desserts for everyone for the problems with our main course. In the end we only got 2 free desserts and a fairly significant bill of $235 for 4 people though that did include a bottle of wine and appetizers. Before we left the server admitted to us that the food here is not very good but the desserts are what they are known for. I would probably still return here to enjoy the view and drinks but I'd definitely stay away from the high priced entrees.

 

[buildup]

Worst places I've been in the last 20 years:

- That "French" restaurant immediately east of 100 Yorkville, north side. Its abuts the wall of the development. Memorably awful! Occasionally during the summer some matronly 60+ waitress/owner in a long black skirt dances on the curb as some enticement. At other times they prop an empty bottle of Cognac on a flimsy table on the sidewalk to get your attention.

- Also, that restaurant/club on Yorkville at the North/East entrance to "old York Lane" or whatever that pathway is called linking Cumberland and Yorkville. Clearly the owner just doesn't care since it's an obvious money laundering enterprise - Remi's!!

 

[confusion]

Funny you mention Yorkville, I typically get sub-par service in most places in that area, while places south of that and closer to Yonge I always get great service at restaurants.

 

[gabe]

So true!^

The only outstanding meals i have had in the Yorkville area was at Opus on Prince Arthur.
Most places in Yorkville are pretty dissapointing.

Flow: 133 Yorkville. Bad service over priced mediocre food, very noisy atmosphere but the decor looks nice!

"ONE" at the Hazelton Hotel. Menu is set up so you share the side dishes with the rest of the table, i don't like that idea. Our group was seated next to a group of "Paris Hiltons" blowing daddy's money our waiter gave them great service while he totally ignored us, we had to ask for drink refiles as well as the bill, eating once at "ONE" is more than enough, I much prefer the food at Mark McEwan's other restaurants North 44 and Bymark.

Dimmi Trattoria and Bar on Cumberland st, the servers are snobs and rush you like crazy not a spot to go for a relaxing meal but the pizza is good tho

MBCo (Montreal Bread Company) MMBCO is an over priced cafe! lousy service, most bland tasting tiny omelet i have ever had, and every table on the patio was filthy.

If you're stuck eating in the Yorkville area there is a few places that aren't too bad like Annona Restaurant at the Hyatt. Annona is not too badly priced for yorkville, always had good sized portions and friendly service.
Truffles at the Four Seasons is Toronto's only 5 diamond restaurant i believe. It isn't as good as it was when Lynn Crawford was Chef, there is many better 4 diamond restaurants in the city to go to. If you want a true 5 diamond dinner experience drive to Blair outside of Cambridge and visit Langdon Hall, it's outstanding.

 

[tangoplus]

Instead of paying for a meal and getting burned, I thought we should share our subpar restaurant experiences before we make hasty reservations.

---

Mambo Lounge
120 Danforth St.
Cuisine: Tapas, Spanish/Cuban
Price: $20 mains (4 tapas); $55 for 2, without wine.

What was wrong with it:

- Tapas lack any decent flavour; cuts of meat and seafood used are mediocre
- "Award winning" Mojito tastes like Club Soda.

Note: do not confuse this restaurant with Embrujo Flamenco Tapas across the street which is vastly better, although more expensive.

LOL thanks..!! I **almost** went there one evening.. like the ING guy said, I should just save my money.

 

[Towered]

Toula, at the top of the Westin Harbour Castle. Not only does it no longer rotate, but the service was awful and the food was totally mediocre - bland, undercooked, tiny portions, yet a high price. Even McDick's is more satisfying. Don't ever go there.

 

[Roy G Biv]

^ Does that mean bad food? I mean, lots of restaurants are overpriced.

The food is not bad, but each entree should be $10 cheaper. It's hard to enjoy your meal when you know you're getting ripped off.

 

[unimaginative2]

I'd add all of the Irish pub chains to this list. I really cannot understand the infatuation with Irish restaurants in this city. Worse than that, the menu tends to include such "Irish" items as "Irish bread" (bruschetta) or "Irish chicken curry" (butter chicken). It seems like many people are drawn like moths to a flame to these places if they want to go drinking. It's not like their atmosphere is all that pleasant either, the food is rarely good, and the prices are as high or higher than many decent independent bars and restaurants with good food.

 

[Eug]

The worst restaurant I have ever been to in the GTA is Spicy Dragon in Scarborough.

If you're interested, here is my blog post on it. A snippet:

Me: What's the Manchurian Tofu?
Waitress: It's dofu with red sauce.
Me: What's the red sauce?
Waitress: It's red.

I'd add all of the Irish pub chains to this list. I really cannot understand the infatuation with Irish restaurants in this city. Worse than that, the menu tends to include such "Irish" items as "Irish bread" (bruschetta) or "Irish chicken curry" (butter chicken). It seems like many people are drawn like moths to a flame to these places if they want to go drinking. It's not like their atmosphere is all that pleasant either, the food is rarely good, and the prices are as high or higher than many decent independent bars and restaurants with good food.

There is a pub on Niagara west of Bathurst where I stopped by for brunch one day a few years back. The food was phenomenal. I was shocked. I haven't tried their dinner though.

But yeah, I don't get the fascination with having a bazillion Irish pubs either.

Panorama
Manulife Centre - 51st Floor
55 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON

We went here for mainly for the view but the menu sounded good on paper too. Unfortunately the entrees really didnt live up to the description or warrant the prices, especially as they advertise the food is "created by Executive Chef Scott Doust". The worst example was the rice that my sister got with her black tiger shrimps. It was literally a solid lump that she could stab and pick up with her fork - we have pictures! Her husband also complained that his pan roasted chicken was dry. I had the filet mignon which is the most expensive item on the menu at $29 - it was acceptable but didnt seem to be freshly or well prepared. Our server had the rice replaced and promised free desserts for everyone for the problems with our main course. In the end we only got 2 free desserts and a fairly significant bill of $235 for 4 people though that did include a bottle of wine and appetizers. Before we left the server admitted to us that the food here is not very good but the desserts are what they are known for. I would probably still return here to enjoy the view and drinks but I'd definitely stay away from the high priced entrees.

Yup. I used to live right near there and was told by everyone not to eat dinner there. The view is great and the desserts were nice. The other problem (when I went at least) is it seems to be a teeny bopper haven (almost). Lots of 20 year-olds trying to impress their dates.

 

[unimaginative2]

There is a pub on Niagara west of Bathurst where I stopped by for brunch one day a few years back. The food was phenomenal. I was shocked. I haven't tried their dinner though.

Absolutely! That's the Old York Pub. It's a great neighbourhood place. Best of all, it's not all faux-Irish.

 

[ShonTron]

The worst restaurant I have ever been to in the GTA is Spicy Dragon in Scarborough.

If you're interested, here is my blog post on it. A snippet:

Me: What's the Manchurian Tofu?
Waitress: It's dofu with red sauce.
Me: What's the red sauce?
Waitress: It's red.

LOL! I've been to Manchuria. The food itself is nothing to get excited about - very plain and bland - the diet up there is not so much rice, but grain-based, butlots of rice noodle and street barbecue - which does bring a truism to the term "street meat". I prefer southern Chinese cuisine much more, and I've been to both Northern Chinese and Southern Chinese restaurants both in China and here in Markham and Scarborough.

 

[sandragirl]

One of the restaurants in China Town, I do not remember the name. The server was unable to explain to us certain items on the menu and once we ordered, the food was brought out randomly, while some of us had our main course already, others were still waiting. When a friend ordered a simple bowl of rice to accompany his meal, he had to wait 40 minutes for it! It was a very bad experience and I would not be going back...hence I don't even remember the name anymore.