Eastside Social

Amazing food and excellent service. I highly recommend the grilled octopus — you’ll end up coming back just for that dish alone. The cocktails are outstanding here. After dinner, saunter down one block west to it’s «sister» pub, The Thirsty Duck for an after dinner drink!

Went for our4th time last night. Previous 3 times were great but something changed. The menu is different. The plates are different. It used to be down to earth East Coast, it feels like they’re trying to be «Toronto» now. The chowder– previously perfect, is now bland and soupy. My main– the skate schnitzel — previously a hit was flavourless. Did they run out of herbs and spices?
Now the kicker… We didn’t get our food for an HOUR after we were seated. When i asked the waiter he said, «yes there is a 25 min waiting time for food.» No apology. No explanation. Not even acknowledgement we had been sitting with empty drinks and water glasses.
Sadly crossing off this one from our neighbourhood round. Let me know when you guys get your act back together.

It’s great to see that Riverdale is upping its game gastronomically with a very unique place like this. We had a great meal and a great evening here. Our waiter was a the perfect blend of friendly, wry, efficient and unobtrusive. The appetizers were exceptional. Clams were simply seasoned, delicious and meaty. The smoked trout and parsnip cake was the best fish cake I ever had (and now that I think of it, I’ve tried way too many fish cakes in my life. Hmmm.)
The missing star is deducted because the mains were a bit less interesting than the first course options and far fewer in selection. Pasta with salmon included well made and perfectly cooked noodles, but the fish was indiscernible from salmon from a can. The breading on breaded skate seemed to diminish the subtle flavours of the fish. I think a light sauce would have been a better approach. With a table of four, we really couldn’t find four different main options — partly because we had a late seating and a few items were sold out before we sat down. But also the menu itself seems a bit short on main options. A few more first course options and you could get away without mains entirely.
The restaurant is loud enough that you’ll need to project your voice to be heard across your table. However, it’s not booming music, it’s loud with people enjoying themselves! So despite my usual low tolerance for loud restaurants, we found it comfortable here and lingered long after our meal.
Fish tacos seems like the way to go. Although we didn’t get to try them, they look great. I look forward to eating here again someday. Avoid taking reservations after 8pm if you want to experience the full line up.

Along with the classic items on a brunch menu, the less-​ordinary ones are very imaginative! I ordered the roasted vegetable and hummous salad with roasted cauliflower, ratatouille, hummus, honey, crispy onion. The contrasts in flavours (salty lemony hummous next to sweet honey, crunchy simple cauliflower with wet and soft ratatouille) is interesting, and as demonstrated in this dish, very healthy. Lovely academic den-​ish atmosphere, perfect to spend a rainy afternoon. Was surprisingly not busy around noon when we came for brunch on a Sunday (ended up coming here because another– cheaper– brunch diner was full due to impending storms and no patio seating because of it). Other items ordered were as fresh and delicious, if more ordinary, which is fine. Slightly more expensive than other brunch places, but worth it.

If I could give them a half, this would be a 3.5.
Food and ambiance was amazing. We walked in at 8:30pm on a Saturday and were lucky enough to get a table for 4 right by the window.
Ordered:
Clams with Fries
Fried Calamari
Flank Steak
Caesar Salad
Fried Chicken
We were still hungry after our meal so we ordered the «hamburger helper».
The food itself was amazing. Beers were flowing. Cocktail was ok, ordered the Bourbon Sour.
The reason I don’t want to go 4 stars, is that after spending $ 300 (tax & tip included) between the 2 couples, I was still a little peckish, and by no means have a very large appetite.
So overall. Great location, ambiance, nice food and drinks, acceptable service. Just smaller portions if you’re ok with that.

Have had brunch, drinks and a snack like dinner here. The brunch is beautiful. Presentation is king and quality ingredients. Yogurt parfait was spread out like a paint palate on a wood board with beautiful fruit and granola!
Sadly this wasn’t what I ordered, my poppyseed kale salad was just ok.
Eggs, sausages and stuff were served in cast iron skillets and the like. Very rustic and cool. Had an awesome server when I went for brunch. Red head, hip and funny. Made me like the place more than before.
First time I went I had a mix of feelings. The bartender was rude frankly so I cancelled my food order and sipped my drink. But the apparent owner I believe sitting at the bar, let me sample his Awesome hamburger helper inspired Mac & cheese, beefaroni veal thingy OMG amazing
So overall need to go back, and I’m ordering that dish. And since I’ve sat at the bar once, the back patio once, it’s about high time I sat in the dining room. Third times a charm and it just keeps getting better.

My wife and I found this place online ironically and decided to check it out. It was listed in a TO blog or some sort of article. I’m glad we checked it out as it was different from many other places we’ve dined at.
Entering East Side Social we were met by a bartender behind the bar with a smile, and the friendly hostess. Promptly we were seated. Luckily for us we got there around 6, being the 3^rd table to seat. Shortly after we sat, the place was booming. A small group gathered, several couples arrived, and a father with his young daughter were noted to be on a «date» night. Almost all the tables were taken. The diningroom is bright enough for dinner, but soft and low enough for comfort. I’d like to be able to describe the décor but it won’t do it justice. You’ll have to see the pictures.
Getting to the food, it was delicious. It was different. My wife had the fish tacos which were not too far off from some others she’s had elsewhere in the past, but the flavours were quite rich and filling. I had the grilled octopus, and although I found it quite flavorful, it was a slightly saltier, heavier dish filled with oil. I would get it again, but my wife and I agreed that getting only one of our two dishes to share and a salad would’ve been a better balanced lighter meal. Especially since we had the daily bread and beer as a starter. I don’t think it helped that we also had french fries with the dinner — but it was still great overall. Just beware some dishes are heavy and salty.
The staff are really nice and professional. They’re casual which fits into the coolness of the beaches (and my personality) but because they all wear black they easily pull off the professional style.
This place is on my list of restaurants I’ll be visiting again. Check it out if you’re in the area, you’ll enjoy yourself no doubt.

These guys know how to cook fish! Between us we had:
¤ bucket o’ clams in garlic, butter and parsley — perfectly cooked — not a single ‘bad’ one (crack/​broken or still closed), with a tender, flaky, buttery biscuit.
¤ very good fries
¤ tasty clam chowder — creamy and rich, but not flour-​thickened and stodgy
¤ the humus/​veggie platter went over very well.
¤ very good fish tacos (the corn tortilla shells needed to be cooked a little more, they tasted a tad undercooked) but otherwise great combination of flavours on perfectly cooked fish. They even went the extra mile and pan seared one of the pieces of fish without any breading for my daughter who can’t eat gluten.
¤ tender octopus with just the right hint of charring to bring out the flavour.
All-​in-​all I highly recommend.

Very nice. The server was excellent at the beginning of our dinner but then he got little rushed (or busy) and lost few points for not paying attention to us (but otherwise he is one of the best waiters we have had in a long time).
The food was great. We shared Salmon Tartare and Squid. The squid was very tender and the salmon tartar was fresh and very tasty. We really enjoyed the evening and food.

Amazing service, amazing food, really a delight all around.
We had an oyster appetizer (a decent special on oysters Tuesday and Wednesday I believe), a few glasses of wine, and mains. I can’t remember what we had… but it was GREAT.
The ambiance is terrific, and despite being swamped (I could see how quickly the dinner service filled up) the owner, and 2 different waiters all came by appropriately frequently to check up on us.
I’m a fan, and I look forward to coming back.

The place had great atmosphere and even better food. The food was all quick to come, and incredibly delicious.
Standouts were the fish tacos, calamari and scallop ceviche.

People may rave about dinner service in this latest new joint in the ever-​changing Leslieville restaurant/​brunch scene. But although the menu offerings are the same no matter what time it is, I find the experience at Eastside Social seems quite underrated compared to other places around here you and most others could go to for a weekend daytime stomach fill. Get past the emptiness; let’s get nautical, nautical.
Nothing’s fishy about it; the quaint nautical themed décor everywhere anchors the restaurant’s emphasis on light seafood and Maritime-​themed fare, without making you feel like it’s a seafood restaurant-​great for those like myself who aren’t big on choking on oysters, as well as those that do. Arrrrg, Eastside certainly makes for a decent choice for a classy date night meal setting, because who the hell wants to go to a greasy dump seafood joint for a date?
The freshly smoked trout (smoked in-​house) puts all those supermarket frozen smoked salmon stuff to shame and is a must-​have for any smoked fish fan-​the flavours are just smokin’ fresh and heavenly! The Yorkshire pudding poutine ($ 15) was fun to eat (a demi-​glacé is used in place of the requisite gravy, offering an different kind of beefiness). Service was very warm, all that is missing is more people to fill the seats on a Sunday afternoon.
{TTC: take the 72 bus or the 501−2−3 to Queen/​Carlaw}

A new restaurant in the East end at Queen and Carlaw. We believe it was the owner who came by our table quite often who was one of the nicest people we met. He was telling us about the décor and where he buys all the plates and cups etc. Our server was also great and gave us some great recommendations. Our group shared everything and our server told us when we would need more or less. The food was delicious and well priced. Our top two choices was mushroom on toast and hamburger helper (make sure you share this or your stomach will not love you later ;)). Huffington Post got it right, one of the top places to try in 2015. Thanks East side Social!

Lovely, Lovely Evening!
How often is it when every aspect of an evening out meets all the criteria that diners are looking for? It’s rare and this place comes through in spades.
This was my first visit to Eastside Social. The place itself is charming and sophisticated, but has that down to earth East Coast feel about it. The lighting is just so that it creates an aura of calm.
After looking over the menu, my friend and I chose the following. For starters, the salt cod balls … mushrooms on toast… sea salt & herb fries… then for the mains, Hamburger Helper (wild boar & rapini) and a Kale salad. Our waiter Russell, in the nicest possible way, told us that we were ordering too much food. That the portions were very large. So, we removed the cod balls and the herb fries. Guess what. He was right and more to the point, I don’t think I have ever had any waiter actually looking out for my vested interests like that.
The timing of bringing out the dishes was impeccable. Like a symphony. Our evening lasted 2 ¾ hours. Our waiter… I don’t know if words can convey how good he was. I guess it’s a professional instinct for knowing just when to come over and when not to and always being solicitous.
The food? It was excellent. Period!
Lastly, I am almost embarrassed to say what this evening cost along with 2 glasses of wine, dessert and tip. Still under $ 100.00 For this kind of ambiance, service, and quality of food? It can’t last forever.

Two words: Customer service.
You walk in and are always greeted at the door… usually with a handshake by the owner, Joey. As you leave, you get the same treatment. Seriously, you don’t see this often enough.
Living around the corner for a half year, I had the privilege of many a dinner here and have probably tried the whole menu. The fried chicken is my go-​to, as Chef Chris knocks it out of the park with both the chicken and the sides every time. Your mouth will thank me later!
The beers on tap aren’t exhaustive but cover all bases, as does the wine list. With some new rotating signature cocktails, the classic cocktail list is starting to take a turn for the creative. The whiskey sours are one of the best I’ve had (behind my own of course)!
If you want a great, friendly vibe that really feels like you’ve taken a step to the east coast, stop in to Eastside any night. You will leave full, and inebriated (both on great energy AND great booze)!

Eastside social is a fun, tasty, affordable little gem in Leslieville.
The interior is decked out in a classic nautical theme. A nice dinning room on the east part of the space and a lovely large, deep bar on the west side of the space.
The staff is very welcoming and friendly and the owner serving as host was sincerely and genuinely present and chipper.
The dinning room has a nice communal high top which can fit up to 10 people if you have a fun rowdy group to bring.
We had the ceviche, fish tacos and smoked trout salad. I can recommend all of them especially the trout salad.
We didn’t partake in any of the specialty drinks or desserts, so I can’t comment on them.
Overall two thumbs up — and I think it’s pretty safe to say you can stay here a bit later after dinner drinking dark and stormys singing I’s The B’y.
!

Place is just awesome.
It’s almost as if they have a metal-​detector-​type thing at the door that creates a force field that keeps anyone under 30 outside.
Which is amazing.
There’s a warm social environment at the bar. The place fills up nicely. Feels busy but not obnoxiously packed. Service is excellent. Seafood dishes are as good as you’d expect from a place that has wooden boats in cases on the walls.
But it’s all about the mushroom toast, no treble.
A really really good idea. A very welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Popped in here around 8:30 on a Thursday night for a night cap after dinning elsewhere. I was asked if we were having dinner and I explained that we were just going to have a drink. I was rather curtly informed that this is more of an eating place. I was kind of confused as I saw a lot of people just with cocktails. And I mean business is business and it wasn’t THAT busy! My look must have said it all coupled with the fact that I was okay with sitting at the bar; the tune quickly changed. I was a little miffed at the reception, but he must have just been having a bad moment because from there on out he was lots of fun.
We had a couple glasses of prosecco and I tried a classic vodka martini a little on the dirty side. I didn’t find it dirty, but it was a clean delicious cocktail with no hints of wateriness which ruins such a classic beauty.
I am looking forward to returning to sample some of the food. I have heard the calamari is divine and I plan to put that to the test. A more extensive review will soon follow.

There’s been a lot of hype about Eastside Social but I was definitely a little skeptical seeing the menu items from the initial reviews (Torontolife, BlogTO) and the pricing associated with it. I’ve come to learn that sharing plates are generally a little bit more expensive for the portion size so you really have to appreciate the flavours, the people you’re with and hope you’re getting an overall great experience.
When I walked in just after 6pm, I was greeted by really friendly people and I was surprised that the place was empty, hearing that reservations have been filling up quite often and it was hard to get a seat. However, I got my table of choice, by the giant window, with the opportunity to people watch :)
After my guests arrived, we all ordered glasses of wine. which showed up in rather odd little cups– the kind that your kids would drink grape juice out of, or very small glasses of chocolate milk at a breakfast restaurant (from my recollection of working at one). Very unconventional…
We ordered a few items to eat and share —
— Devilled Eggs
— Sea Bream Ceviche w. Taro Chips
— Market Salad w. Smoked Trout
— Cod Fritters w. two types of sauces
— Surf & Turf Tacos
I didn’t get to try the devilled eggs, but I was told that compared to the ones at County Snack Bar, this really didn’t compare. I’m a pretty big fan of Tacos and didn’t get to try these either… but no one really raved /​talked about them after eating them, which is never a good sign.
I had the Market Salad w. Smoked Trout and was pretty disappointed. The Smoked Trout was extremely salty and was really dried out like it was over smoked, to be honest. The pieces of trout was minimal, and within the salad, there were pieces of pepper that I was NOT ready for… so be aware of the spice. The light pieces of «pepper» are not what they seem. Overall, a dish full of unpleasant surprises. The Cod Fritters were dry, and did not have much flavour at all… another subpar dish.
We could not stress enough how much we didn’t want Cilantro in our dishes — one of our guests really did not enjoy it and even the slightest bit would lead to avoidance. Yet when the ceviche came out, at first sight, she noticed it and questioned whether there was CILANTRO?! And the waitress thought for a second and claimed. yes there may be a slight bit… I don’t know how much this was stressed so the lack of detail was extremely off pudding. There was no effort to make this right. I was okay with eating it and thoroughly have really enjoyed ceviche… but this was way too tart from the overwhelming amount of grapefruit. There was nothing to balance out the sourness of flavours, and the hardness of the taro chips did not help.
After writing this review… I’ve changed my rating from 3 to 2 stars. Our friends paid for the meal and I’m sure it wasn’t cheap so I hope they enjoyed our company, because I enjoyed theirs much more than I enjoyed the overall meal.
Sadness :(

We have very much enjoyed the «gentrification» of our «Leslieville «neighbourhood
in the past few years. Added to this are the new bars and restaurants that have
opened on Queen Street East making the area a «go to» dining destination. With
the recent opening of «Eastside Social» our dreams have come true ! This place
has it all ! Great food, friendly, professional service and a most «sympatico», laid
back atmosphere. We have tried most of the menu items and some of their «delish»
cocktails. We highly recommend this place to anyone who may enjoy the small
plates menu for sharing. Our only fear is that it’s’ popularity may increase to the
point where it will become difficult to get a seat ! All good ! We will be back !
Congratulations ! Arthur