Bar Isabel

Overrated, expensive and food with no flavour
Portions are small and are not good at all. Everything about this place is a gimmick.

Service, food and ambiance are all top notch! I’ve been waiting to go there and it did NOT disappoint. Got the meat and cheese platter, bone marrow and grilled calamari. All were amazing!

This place is great!
We ordered the bread (came with authentic Spanish olive oil which has a taste I’ve never had before) delicious! The ceviche crispy pig ears were tasty but a bit overpriced for what you got! The stand out dish was the bone marrow! Take the grilled bread… spread the delicious green sauce… spread the bone marrow and pinch the salt on top of that and you have an incredible unforgettable taste in your mouth Next time we’ll try the black sausage filled potatoes and the octopus!

We came here for a birthday drink on a Friday night and to share some appetizers for a group of 4. One reason we wanted to check out the place is that our birthday girl is also named Isabel so it was the perfect place! Bar Isabel has Spanish-​influenced dishes and it is definitely on the pricier side. We made a reservation a week prior but it looked like we didn’t need to as it was surprisingly dead on a Friday night. My friend and I attempted to go last year but it was far too packed. The décor is nice, round marble tables, wooden tables along with beautiful floors and a clean washroom.
Our group had no issue with the food, although we weren’t entirely satisfied with our drinks as they were ridiculously expensive for something basic, it was nothing to fret over which is why I’m giving this place a ³⁄₅. I’m writing this review because the service was awful.
This bar generally attracts an older crowd who probably have a lot of money to tip. When they saw a group of 20 year olds walk in, it looked like they were disappointed and not happy to see us. When we were seated, I couldn’t help but notice many of the servers staring at our table and to be honest, it made me uncomfortable. It took us a while to order since we were really indecisive. We decided on some glasses of champagne and one of the refreshing cocktails with a cured meat plate with a side of bread to share. Our drinks and food came quick and all was well, but our server was very stand off-​ish with us. The place was slow, but I think that’s all the more reason for your servers to connect with the guests that are there. Maybe our server had a bad day, but she had a blank face all through out and did not bother to recommend anything or wish our friend a happy birthday. She was not friendly at all.
It seems like Bar Isabel judges their guests based on appearance and what our income class looks like. I’m sure we have all experienced employees who pay extra attention to the people who look «rich» than the people who look normal because they think the rich will buy more and tip more. This mentality is incredibly stupid and it definitely steered me away from purchasing anything else. Sometimes the «normal» people want to purchase more or try more things but this stupid judgment prevents that. I am more than happy to tip well if I receive quality service but this place really disappointed me. I really hope that the establishment reads their Unilocal reviews and comes across this one so the servers can learn to become less judgmental.

This place is overrated.
I was excited to try this place as it’s rated by many (chowhound, magazines, publications) as one of the top restaurants in Toronto.
We ordered the following. Of the 14 dishes that we ordered the only standouts were the basque cake and the sweetbreads and raw tuna. All the other dishes were very mediocre:
–Selection of 12 Oysters (³⁄₅): This was average and nothing out of the ordinary
–Scallops & Mojo verde (3.5÷5): Basically scallops with special garlic sauce. It’s tasted slightly above average
–Galician Razor Clams (³⁄₅): Basically 6 clams with olives on top
–Adobo Pork & Quail Egg (³⁄₅): Seems like a lot of ingredients but it lacked any dimension and the ingredients didn’t go well together
–Sobrasada & Foie Gras (³⁄₅): Not very memorable. 2 small pieces on toast? You could probably get a whole slab of foie gras from other high end restaurants for the same price.
–Shishito Peppers (³⁄₅): This was okay
–Patatas Bravas & Boquerones (³⁄₅): Potatoes were hot but hard. For $ 5 more you get like 1 bite of boquerones. Just get the patatas bravas alone for $ 9 don’t do the upgrade (totally not worth it).
–Roast Bone Marrow (³⁄₅): Nothing too special if you had it before
–Sweetbreads & Raw Tuna (⁴⁄₅): This was one of the better dishes. Sweetbreads go very well with the raw tuna at the bottom and all kinds of flavour bursting in your mouth
–Basque Seafood Hotpot (²⁄₅): Worst dish of the night. Seafood (scallops, mussels, and clams) weren’t fresh. No wonder they put it in a sour-​tomato based sauce to mask the seafood.
–Morcilla & Foie Gras (3.5÷5): Seared foie gras was good but didn’t go well with the morcilla
–Half Octopus (3.5÷5): Octopus was tender but not spectacular taste wise
–Chocolate & Tarragon Ice Cream Bar (³⁄₅): Forgettable
–Basque Cake & Sherry Cream (4.5÷5): This is the highlight of the night but too little too late
I wished I had read more of the 1 – 3 stars reviews on Unilocal instead of concentrating on the 4 – 5 stars reviews.
For the price, please go somewhere else. You will be disappointed.

A few friends of mine and I went to Bar Isabel for a group dinner. We opted for the taste testing; recommended by our lovely server. We had the pan con tomato, the cheese/​meat platter, the spicy cauliflour, the octopus, sardines with jalapeños, clams (which were amazing), and a few other foods that were equally excellent. Although we found the portions a bit small for the 8 of us, the food was mouthwatering; there wasn’t a single crumb left.
The atmosphere is great; dim and romantic but fun and upbeat. The staff are wonderful, very friendly and outgoing — and they knew their stuff which is always a bonus!
The only reservation I have about Bar Isabel is the price, but that’s expected. You pay for what you get and what you get is lovely. I just wish the portions were a bit bigger!
Parking right across the street, very accessible.
Will definitely come back one day when I find a boyfriend and we decided to splurge on our anniversary or something.

We dined with Bar Isabel for our 1-​year anniversary. We were very excited as we were flying in from Houston and Alberta to see each other (long distance currently). The ambience was lovely, warm and cozy. The food was a major disappointment.
Between my wife and I, we started with the olives and garden pickles which were good. We then tried the cheese plate, which wasn’t impressive at all. We have found fresher products at Whole Foods and other such places.
We then proceeded to try the Patatas Bravas and Shishito Peppers. Patatas Bravas was good, nothing great. The Shishito Peppers was a major disappointment. Flavorless. We then ordered Foie Gras, hoping for some reconciliation. Disappointed again. The texture was on point, but the taste was off. I had to wash it down with a glass of water.
To top it all off, I got charged $ 150 for 9 roses that I had requested. The manager was courteous about it when discussed. However, when he saw the $ 150 charge, he apologised and said it was a mistake and the roses were only $ 50. Mistakes happen, no issues. However, a courteous gesture of offering to rectify that mistake beyond taking off the extra $ 100, would have been highly appreciated. We expected more from a place of this calibre and reputation.
Overall, great ambience, good service, but food isn’t as good as it used to be anymore — spoke to some friends who’ve been here a few times and they had similar experiences.
Disappointing!

Absolutely stellar birthday meal from start to finish. Must try the Canadian Absinthe experience.

Made last minute reservations and was surprised to actually get a table.
The lighting and whole environment of the restaurant was perfect for the tone of a Spanish bar. The lighting was dim with different colored pendent stain glass light fixtures. The floors were designed with random colorful tiles. I loved the jazz/​blues music playing in the back ground as well.
Our server was helpful in explaining the menu and suggesting drinks. I actually didn’t like one of my drinks and she was kind enough to switch it out for me. She was always there when we needed her and we never felt that she forgot about us in a busy environment.
The food… Was good in terms of quality but I would not say the BEST. The Cecina was sweet and tender, the patatas bravas was crispy and hardy but nothing unique compared to others i have tried. The bone marrow was my least favorite. It was prepared well, but lacked flavor; although, the coriander chutney was on point! The grilled octopus was done very well. It was nice and tender and grilled perfectly.
It was an enjoyable experience, but I wouldn’t return.

Bar Isabel is a popular restaurant known for their Spanish-​influenced tapas dishes. Its location on College and Ossington is easily accessible, and there’s a paid parking lot nearby (where Metro and Shoppers are located). I called about 2.5 weeks earlier to secure a reservation for three people for a Saturday. The hostess informed me that their small table might not be comfortable for three, and that they’ll need the table back by 8:15 pm. I ended up accepting the 6:30 pm reservation slot as I wanted to try out the restaurant.
The décor is supposed to resemble a Spanish tavern with its wood panels and decorative yet mismatched floor tiles. The atmosphere itself is very lively around 7:30 pm and onwards. I am not too fond of the red lighting that emits throughout the establishment but it’s not overly distracting.
Bread ($ 4)
–Sharable
— Came with olive oil and butter
— I believe that it was sourdough bread and sadly it was not warm.
Oysters ($ 32)
— Ordered 12 oysters
— $ 2.67 each
— Exceptionally tasty and fresh
— Each batch arrived on a bed of ice with two condiments and lemon slices.
The ½ grilled octopus ($ 34)
— Enjoyable dish
— Wasn’t chewy but rather tender, and had a nice charred taste to it
— There’s a whole octopus for $ 59
Spicy fried squid, crispy tongue & kale ($ 8)
— The outside texture of the fried squid was flavorful and slightly crispy.
The roast bone marrow ($ 11)
— Rich tasting but rather small (only two pieces of bone marrow)
— Try not to overload on the chimicurri sauce as it has a strong flavor to it.
Albacore tuna tiradito ($ 14)
— Was an okay dish
— The tuna was sliced fairly thin and quickly fell apart when I attempted to divide and scoop everything onto my plate
Bar Isabel doesn’t assign one server per table; I believe that they do work as a team. Our table of three was served by about 2 – 3 different servers throughout the entire dinner. They were knowledgeable of the menu, and our initial server provided some recommendations. Although the service was not exceptional; it was still rather good as our servers were polite, and quick to take away our finished dishes.

What a great find! We went on a Monday night and it was packed. The ambiance was fun and upbeat. Our waiter helped us find a great red wine to pair with our meal.
We were 4 people and we shared the pan con tomate (a simple yet delicious and refreshing dish), the cheese platter (yummy), the spicy cauliflour, the octopus, and a whole lot more. Everything was scrumptious. Down to the smallest detail.
The décor of the place is also quite ecclectic and cozy. The vibe overall was awesome.

Bar Isabel seems to have become the holy grail of Toronto restaurants, so obviously I was incredibly excited to try it and expectations could hardly have been higher. Long story short: It was very, very good, but not mind-​blowing, unfortunately.
There were three of us, so we ordered quite a few items. One of the first things we ordered was the bread, which consisted of some crusty sourdough bread and a small dish of olive oil. The bread was definitely better than usual, but it was the olive oil that really knocked our collective socks off. We also ordered the olives, which were definitely pretty tasty but nothing life changing.
Up next was the salumi plate, which came with a few different kinds of cured meats. I will admit these were all really spectacular, especially the chorizo. We also ordered a plate of 14 Arpents cheese, which ultimately turned out to be the highlight of the night for me personally. It’s a smooth, creamy, and just addictive soft cheese. I’ve since bought some separately from a specialty cheese shop.
The Anchovy & Crème Fraiche was next and again, this was very good but not great. The crème fraiche was kind of bland and tasteless, and it somehow managed to overwhelm the single anchovy. Likewise, the tartar did nothing to separate itself from the countless other variations on this dish I’ve had over the years.
The Jamón Croquetas, on the other hand, were pretty much perfection. They arrived piping hot and the cheesy, gooey filling was delectable. These were followed by the Patatas Bravas w/​Boquerones & Morcilla, and this might’ve been the most disappointing dish of the night. The potatoes were extremely generic and a few were even undercooked. The blood sausage was admittedly quite good, at least.
The centerpiece of the meal was the much-​lauded Half Octopus. It was served in a dish overflowing with a tomatoey, garlicky sauce that was incredibly tasty. But the octopus itself, plentiful as it was, was a complete letdown. It was irredeemably chewy in parts, especially around the thick base, and wasn’t as flavorful as I’d hoped.
The meal ended on a high note with the Basque Cake, however, as this was probably one of the tastiest desserts I’ve eaten in a long time.
Look, I know I’m nitpicking but there’s just so much hype around this place. Plus I wound up spending close to $ 300 (!!!) so I was expecting something much, much more revelatory than what I got.

Fantastic restaurant! Came for my birthday and was amazing. Food was all on point and waiter was very helpful on decisions on what to order. Even recommended we take out a few dishes because we over ordered!
Highlights include the jamon tasting. If you like prosciutto then you’ll love this as you get both types of cured ham to compare & contrast. Octopus because it’s what everyone gets!
Best dish was the basque cake with Sherry. So good even my boyfriend who generally doesn’t have a sweet tooth loved it!

Bar Isabel is really a hidden gem
They are a Spanish tapas style restaurant and really nailed the Spanish atmosphere. The place itself is such a enjoyable place to have a nice meal with good company. I only been here once so I didn’t get much of a chance to explore the menu however from what I tried, the food is amazing. Some of the menu items in my opinion were on the pricey side.
They have a good bar, great selection of wine and cocktails. They have great service and all servers were attentive and seemed well educated on the menu.
The grilled octopus (full $ 65/​half $ 39) was tender and full of flavour, they have great fresh chimicurri however I found the roasted bone marrow (16) could have been a little more elevated in flavour. We also ordered the grilled mussels in red garlic sauce (14) packed with garlic and chips & boquerones ($ 9) and patatas bravas (9) also very good
I would go back, it was so refreshing to have something less common to feast on!

Food: 9.5÷10
Atmosphere: ⁸⁄₁₀
Service: ⁷⁄₁₀
Overall experience: ⁹⁄₁₀
I’ll keep this short and sweet since others have definitely covered the pros and cons of our beloved Isabel.
The food here is really fantastic. They change their menu every so often to keep you on your toes. Some dishes I always enjoy — the bone marrow, octopus, meat/​cheese board. For those that found themselves disappointed, it may be a symptom of having extremely high expectations. I think Bar Isabel definitely has one of, if not the best Spanish tapas foods in the city.
Overall, it is just a fun place to be any day of the week. It is always busy, the drinks and good and strong, and you just get quite comfortable and situated.
THE BOTTOM LINE: definitely worth going.

First thing to note, make RSVP. Second to note, the price. Third to note, worth a try!
Came here for dinner with couple friends. The server quickly got our drinks order and explained to us our menu. He suggested that we opt for $ 50 menu option where the house takes care of the options. Of course with consideration of your likes and dislikes, anything that you are dying to try. We got roughly about 5 tapas dishes, seafood platter and dessert. There is always at one piece for everyone and some dishes aren’t small so you get filled up by the end. Notable mentions are the seafood platter, octopus and of course the dessert. Drinks start at around $ 10, their highly recommended cocktails are around $ 15. I opted for GT and English pale ale draught, both were great. Definitely a place to dine for a special occasion or a night out treat!

With all the hype from friends and online reviews, I had high expectations for this place. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I was quite disappointed. This place is good but nothing special.
FOOD:
Roast Bone Marrow (³⁄₅) — Very disappointed in this dish. Tasted extremely plain and lacked seasoning. Their sister restaurant, Black Hoof, is the place you want to go
Grilled Cuttlefish & Sea Spinach (⁵⁄₅) — I absolutely adored this dish. The cuttlefish was cooked to perfection and very well garnished. The sauce was so flavourful that I was tempted to lick the plate clean. Highly recommended!
Sweetbreads & Raw Tuna (3.75÷5) — I felt this dish was pretty basic. It was nice but nothing out of the ordinary.
Octopus (⁴⁄₅) — In terms of taste, I would rate this dish a 3.5. It lacks seasoning and flavour. We did not bother finishing it. I ended up rating this dish a 4 due to the respect for how Bar Isabel is able to cook the octopus. It is chewy and not dry with no rubbery taste to it, which is a very difficult task to accomplish
Mussels Escabeche, Pork Belly, Broccoli (3.5÷5) — When this dish came, I was very surprised. The pork belly was in strips like bacon. Nevertheless, the overall taste of mussels, pork belly and broccoli complimented each other in terms of texture. Once again, it was nice but nothing amazing
DRINKS:
The Smoking Jacket (³⁄₅) — As a huge scotch fan, I was recommended this drink but I have to say that I was really disappointed. I have to admit that this is partly my fault for ordering a scotch cocktail since I like my scotch clean
A Doctor’s Orders (3.5÷5) — It was good but nothing great. Pretty average
My Favourite Ex-​Girlfriend (⁵⁄₅) — I loved this drink and the name suits it perfectly. It is very sweet and just plain delicious
Overall, for the price, I would probably not return to this restaurant. If I do, it would definitely be for the cuttlefish!

Sorry Bar Isabel. Wasn’t a fan. We arrived here after months of Unilocal stalking and raving recommendations but unfortunately we left feeling like the place was overhyped and overpriced.
The menu was much smaller than I had anticipated and we decided to go for:
1) Sweet bread and foie gras — the advertised sweet bread turned out to be small crostinis and I’ve had foie gras before but I felt like I was eating a stick of butter/​lard lacking in foie gras taste.
2) Mixed meat and cheese plate — the meat and chorizo we liked but the cheese all tasted the same with little variation.
3) Halibut ceviche — fresh and acidic but the flavours were just alright and the portion wasn’t big enough to warrant $ 28
4) Half octopus — I was super excited about this one and it looked really promising with all its crazy looking tentacles. The octopus turned out to be really tender and well prepared. It could definitely use more flavouring but if I had to recommend one thing it would be the octopus.
5) I liked their sourdough bread and olives. Freshly prepared and the olives were huge!
For $ 40 per person tapa meal. We left still hungry and went for gelato after.
Last thing I wanted to mention is that we had someone with a nut allergy and our server didn’t seem too knowledgeable about the exact kind of nuts in the kitchen and whether the bread would be okay for someone with a nut allergy to eat. She told us that ‘we should be fine.’ Not too reassuring. They should really make sure their staff has better training to meet the needs of people with dietary restrictions.

I have always wanted to go Bar Isabel since I lived in Toronto, it did not disappoint.
We made a reservation 5 days in advance for a Thursday night. The food was amazing from the start to finish.
Service: The staff there is amazing and one of them is hilarious and made our meal delightful. You will be very well hydrated and they are very knowledgable about the menu.
We start the meal with Oysters Escabeche. It was a great start, it was refreshing and delicious.
Cheese and Meat Plate with Sourdough Bread: the Bread was so good, I’m not a fan of sourdough, but I enjoyed it. The cheese and meat selection was great as well! Their olives were delicious and warm!
Patatas Bravas with Boquerones and Morcilla: I feel like this is their version of a poutine. It was fried cubes of potatoes with sauce on it and green onions along with anchovies. and blood sausage. I was craving for more!
Ceviche: It was Creamy with the avocados and there were so many chucks of fish. Probably one of the better ceviche I have had in a while. This is a must!
Octopus: You cannot go wrong with the octopus. It was cooked to perfection. It was not rubbery at all.
Basque Cake and Sherry Cream: This was recommended by the server and boy did it not disappoint. It was a warm cake with cream on top but it was amazing from start to finish. I sometimes dream about it! This is a must!
Overall, I would come back! The food and service were great!

I’ve been wanting to try Bar Isabel ever since I paid a visit to the Black Hoof. I feel like it would’ve wowed me more if I wasn’t so impressed by the Black Hoof, but this is no question one of the foodie gems in Toronto regardless
Ambiance: I love the way this resto looks and feels. The décor, the plates. Mucho amor.
Service: Servers made sure I was never thirsty and let us keep a wrong plate of food that they accidentally served us. :) Wish we had one server throughout though, but they were all so pleasant :) They dressed to match the resto’s décor too, makes the experience all the better
FOOD
Got the special of the day for my drink, a margarita of some sort that I liked because it was not too sweet but not too strong either, vodka-​based, think it was kinda peachy. Mhmm.
Bread — …LOL. Not sure why some of the reviews I read as I was ordering talked about bread. Nothing special really…
Pan Con Tomate — The dish we didn’t order but got to try — tomato-​y breads. Crispy and flavourful, pretty good not outstanding.
Spicy Oyster Esabeche, Whitefish Roe & Dill — AMAZING. These two pieces of oysters were the best oysters I’ve ever had. Foodgasm. Is it really just whitefish roe and dill? Tasted like a whole kitchen of delicious to me.
Patatas Bravas — Imperial — Of course we’d get the imperial. Has blood sausage and jalapeño, loved these taters. A more filling dish and a good addition to your Bar Isabel meal
Pan Con Jamon Iberico de Bellota — Best cured meat I’ve had. Apparently brings you back to Spain, but this is just better than any store-​bought cured meat I’ve ever had.
Smoked Sweetbreads, Raw Tuna, Pickled Green Tomatoes & Brown Butter — Alright. I admit I didn’t know what sweetbreads were before ordering this dish. I assumed it was tuna on sweet breads … but they are throat or pancreas of lamb or calf. I’m sorry, this was a much raved dish among Unilocalers but it just tasted a bit strange to me. Tuna was VERY good, smooth fresh, but overall… the sweetbreads didn’t do it for me.
Basque Cake & Sherry Cream — …I usually am not a big fan of cakes. In fact, I avoid ordering cakes whenever I go to a nice resto for dessert, and always go for a crumble or pie. But this was the creamiest smoothest and probably the best dessert I had at any resto. It was covered with a milk custard and the combination of the basque cake (made with almond flour) and sherry cream was just perfection.
Save this for a special occasion and book a month in advance, but definitely worth the experience.