Orwells Restaurant

Good food, good service BUT…
So my Fiancéé and I had a meeting in the area early in the day and once we were done decided to go to what used to be our favourite place (we used to live across the street pretty much). Well on this occassion my fiancéé had the chicken club sandwich with fries, I had fish and chips. While the food tasted great and everything and the service was good, both of us became both very ill from some kind of food poisoning. Up until we ate here we did not have anything else to eat that day so yes we do know it was from this place. Only thing we ate in common was the fries and the tartar sauce (she had some with her fries).
It is really hard to give a pace anything more than 1 Star when they make you sick.

After losing so many of my go-​to chicken wing establishments in Etobicoke over the years (The Office, The Prince Edward, Hollywood on the Q, Heads or Tails and more), I decided I had better give Orwell’s a try since some people had some decent things to say about it. (I am not a fan of ANY of the chicken wing restaurants and I believe that only bars have ever perfected wingery mastery).
Well it was exactly what I had expected. Passable. Mediocre.
Both my wife and I are wing lovers and these are your pretty standard «Buffalo» style wings. «Hot» is Frank’s Red Hot sauce and «Suicide» is Frank’s Red Hot Sauce with some cayenne pepper added. Nothing special. The price was reasonable as I think it was wing night. The place was quite quiet despite being a wing night, with only about 10 individuals, most who seemed to be regulars.
I don’t think I’ll be back only because I know there are better bar wings to be found out there and my search continues.

I feel bad about saying this considering the small, suburban pub vibe I got from here and the pleasant service, but honestly I was so unimpressed with the food. The French onion soup was incredibly bland and had raw scallions in it that added an unpleasant crunch and texture. I normally LOVE French onion soup but I couldn’t finish it. My boyfriend’s wings were also super dry but he still ate them. I feel like this is an okay place to grab drinks and apps at with friends but nothing to write home about. Wouldn’t eat a real meal here.

My boyfriend and I live in the area and have frequented many of the other bars and pubs in the area but we were never tempted to check this place out due to previous experiences my boyfriend and his family have had, as well as just the general look from the outside.
We decided to check it out to give the place a chance. We ordered 2 lbs of wings and had water and pop to drink. Not too hard to mess up, right? I am a weakling when it comes to hot or spicy food and I guess I should have just ordered mild but was feeling adventurous. I went through my pop really quickly. The annoying part was once we got our food we were not checked up on once and we were not offered refills. The bar was not too busy and had adequate staff so I’m really unsure why we were just left hanging. We had to flag down the waitress to pay. I should have said something or implied by leaving a lesser tip but I couldn’t be bothered
I will not be returning. However, this shouldn’t be a problem for them though considering they bent over backwards for their regulars.

I wish Unilocal allowed half stars so I could rate this place 3.5 stars. It’s a decent pub. The décor is about what you would expect in an old school pub. The service is nice, but not exceptional.
The burger was one of those meatloaf burgers with herbs, spices, and I believe binders since this patty was fairly dense. The flavour was good for a meatloaf burger, but it was overcooked and subsequently on the dry side.
The sweet potato fries were crispy and yummy and came with a really good pesto mayo.

How have I not written a review about this place yet? In an area with a complete lack of options including some really mediocre bars as you walk further east down Bloor, Orwell’s has become our local Bloor & Islington based watering hole.
Interior is everything (and nothing more) than what you’d expect at a local dive bar. Small tv’s over the bar, a Golden Tee arcade game in the corner, decently well lit to avoid too shady of a vibe, and a variety of different table sizes to work with depending on the size of your group.
Barking Squirrel and Mill Street Organic are the closest things to craft beer on tap, but they also have Moosehead and then the normal list of big brewers you’d expect at a neighbourhood pub. So very lager heavy, not a single IPA to choose from, but at least some options to work within.
Foodwise, also standard pub fare but I will say that it’s all been at the very least what I would define as «perfectly adequate», except for one occasion. From the nachos to the deep fried pickles to the chicken wings (which are $ 0.69 each on their wing nights — Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday) and whatever other bar munchies we’ve ordered, myself or my group haven’t found much worth complaining about. That said, my only let down was that their club sandwich was pretty lackluster with its main issue being that the bread on the menu was was listed as a ciabatta, and instead was some kind of pita meets focaccia type bun which really left something to be desired. Skip the club sandwich and go with the burger.
In the end, I’ll say that this is my favourite bar in this area of Bloor, but even despite that I’m having a hard time justifying a 4^th star for this review. It’s good, but not necessarily great.

This is a great little pub located right at the southeast corner of Bloor/​Islington (across from Islington station). It’s fairly small inside and the décor is simply your typical west end pub — no pretences. I, personally, have never experienced any of the staff being rude or the establishment being «dirty»; again, it’s a traditional pub. There’s never been music on any of my visits but there are many TVs around to watch any game. Prices are excellent: burger and fries about $ 10 and most entrees under $ 15.
As far as the food is concerned, all I’ve ever had were the suicide wings and they are REMARKABLE! I can confidently say that they’re right up there with the best. When it’s not «Wing Night», you can purchase 2.5 pounds for about $ 19 and/​or 1.5 pounds for $ 13, which is a great deal because you really get a lot. They are big, meaty, well-​cooked (but not overdone) and seasoned perfectly; the suicide are more like «very hot» but not to the point where you’re sweating — kind of like wings you’d get in Buffalo, seriously. My only complaint is that they only give two sticks each of carrots and celery per order and the blue cheese dressing is very reminiscent of KRAFT.
I would suggest going here if you plan to meet friends along the subway line or even if you’re from south Etobicoke (like me) as it’s very, very convenient!

I have gone to this pub twice. The first time we just noticed the place and decided to try it out. We ordered burgers which were really good and the service was average. I made a note to go back to try their breakfast.
The second visit was not nearly as good as the first. The waiter was abrupt and unfriendly from beginning to end. We ordered the breakfast special and the eggs benedict and let me just say… they should not be serving breakfast. My fried eggs (which were supposed to be poached as I ordered) were tough and tasteless; no amount of salt or pepper could fix them. The eggs in the eggs benedict dish were completely raw. I mean I’m all for runny eggs, but there is a difference between runny and uncooked. The «hash browns» consisted of white potato pieces that did not look as though they had touched a frying pan. All we needed was some milk and butter and we would have had great mashed potatoes.
Needless to say, we did not tip. After throwing my friend’s debit card across the table to her, the waiter then proceeded to ask whether the service was that bad. I did not justify it with an answer but yes… yes it was. I thought about giving a second star with this review, but not even the amazing burger from my previous visit could make up for this experience.

Been going here since the 80’s… Some staff are still there. Wings are superb most nights. The service… there must be a punch clock in the backroom. In the USA bars like this go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Here they have the vibe that they are working at Walmart. They have not redecorated since the 80’s but I continue to go for the wings and (new) Rolling Rock on tap.

I love Orwells! It’s our local pub. The food is fantastic, fast and inexpensive. The atmosphere is usually fairly cheery. Sure the waitresses wear too much make up, tend to linger a bit too often and generally seem like they’re a bit rough around the edges in terms of how they present themselves but they are kind and genuine so that is another reason I continue to return.
The food is definitely the star of this place though!

SO CONVIENENT!
right across from the subway, this friendly local sports eatery gets a decent after work crowd from the commuting hoards and fairly solid base of local regulars. Hockey is on above the bar and you can hear the «sports chatter» throughout but it is without large screens so it never gets too bad. great WINGS on special MON, TUE, WED., super friendly «lifer» staf and a clean kitchen make this a repeat destination. Positive: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. If your east end friends don’t have to take a bus, it is so much easy to get them into the west end.
Negative: No patio, no dedicated parking

A friend and I ended up here after realizing the nearby coffee place where we used to meet had closed down. We popped in and seated ourselves. A few minutes later, the brunette version of Dolly Parton came up and asked if we’d like any beers. Neither of us are huge beer drinkers, so we just asked for waters and menus. We ordered nachos which were not nearly cheesy/​salsa-​y enough. The rest of our time spent there basically consisted of repeated prompts to order beers, eye rolls when we said no, and an insincere «How’s the food?» at one point. We left exact change. Parton threw us a parting eye roll and sarcastic «thanks» on our way out.

It is a brightly lit room with very little coziness.
The server was friendly and the bartender was unengaged (she spent most of her time checking her cell phone for messages and yakkin’ on the phone).
There were quite a few people there … it looks like a comfortable spot for locals.

This pub is an Etobicoke staple… which is odd because in the ten years I lived in Etobicoke I only went twice. As a pub the atmosphere is weird, and reminiscent of an alcoholic grand-mother’s living room but the waitresses are usually pretty fast and attentive. The food is surprising good. I ordered the pesto gnocchi and wasn’t disappointed

I’ve been going to Orwell’s for years. Location is awesome: right across the street from islington station, which makes it SUPER easy to get home if you’re from etobicoke.
The bar isn’t huge. It’s nice and cozy. Not too many young kids, moreso an older crowd. In the summer they open up a tiny little patio in front. I usually smoke in the back with one of the bartenders; the staff is awesome!
They have TVs around the bar and usually have a game or two going. I absolutely love their calamari and chicken wraps.
This isn’t a place to go to if you want to have a drunken, party night. Very low key bar and is perfect for the nights you just want to grab a few pints and some food.

Orwell’s has been our after-​work pub of choice for many moons now. It has lots of great beers on tap, friendly staff and flat screens scattered about for the sports fans. Reliable pub grub — The best wings in Etobicoke, (I think wing nights are on Sundays, and Mondays?) Answer their «question of the day» & win a prize.
It is a mid-​sized pub with mostly stools, and a couple tiny booths along the wall. If it’s free, there is one large raised booth, good for groups. A couple video games and dart boards are in the corner.
In the summer they open the windows to the street, and added a smallish patio, perfect for those still determined to smoke. There is one step to get inside, but the bathroom is down a flight of stairs, so it’s not truly wheelchair accesible.
If you go, be sure to ask them why their WiFi is locked. I want the option of sending drunken emails if I want to!