Freshwood Grill

First of all, go on a day when the doors are closed. I came in on a cool breezy day, which unfortunately wafted the smells of the two fish stores into the shop. I would also not recommend sitting in the back. Cozy as it looks, the washroom smells waft up right into the dining room, and there’s this big fridge like machine in the back with a giant fan, that I think adds to the wafting of the washroom smells.
As for the food. The wraps look good. My friend had the chicken club. She said it was alright, but nothing special. My burger was tiny. The meat itself was great though! How a burger should be. This is the best part of the experience. The organic beef burger was great. However, it was tiny. I’ve had bigger at other places.
As for the side, I had the greens. Which was wilted and wet salad. Nothing big. My friends had the sweet potato fries, however, they were soggy. I looked at the oil, looked like the fryer hadnn’t been changed in hours.
Overall experience was bad. It deserves some stars for the good beef burger, but wish it was bigger. I had more bread than meat.

Dried out, over salted burger. Nice service though. Can’t say I’d go back though, the burger was too bad. Cool music playing when I went, and it’s rare that I like the music at a place. And it wasn’t the usual Kensington market music either, which surprised me. Definitely wouldn’t go there for the atmosphere though. The bathroom is also really really small.

ok, i thought my two fellow diners who are Unilocalers would’ve written about this place by now. they’ve failed me!
i guess we can’t write a fair review since we didn’t get to taste the food. why? because two people in our party are vegetarians and they were out of veggie burgers. yes, they have a grilled veggie option but one of these vegetarians doesn’t like grilled vegetable sandwiches and the other doesn’t like goat cheese.
i’m not sure if i want to come back though because it smelled. my olfactory senses said «smells like a mildewy basement» while there were comparisons to a toilet and a fish.
hmmm…are the burgers that outstanding to warrant coming back with a plugged nose? someone convince me otherwise!

You think you’ve had some good burgers… that you’re pleased with the above average one you get every now and then at the pub down the street… and then you’re treated to one of those holy experiences like biting into one of the burgers at Freshwood Grill.
The place is rather unassuming, I stumbled into it between movies one night and nearly missed it sitting there at the end of a dark, tiny street. The lady working the grill and the tables was super nice, the music made me think I was back in high school and the venison burger made me think I was in shangri-​la. It had this texture and flavor that had my eyeballs rolling back in my head with every bite.
And the poutine was rather heavenly as well.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with judging a place solely on the quality of its burger — it’s like how a chef may get judged on how well they can cook an egg — and so Freshwood Grill should be tops on the list of any burger loving folk in the area.
(My only cautionary word of advice is that if you happen to be a tall gentleman, the basement bathroom can be a trying experience.)

I really like Freshwood Grill, I always wonder when I see it why I don’t go there more often. I think the answer is that I’m usually only in Kensington late at night when FG is closed. Which is a shame.
I’ve had a couple lovely lunches and one frantic brunch there, but overall I like the food and think that the place only suffers from how insanely tiny it is (which was the cause of the hectic brunch, as people milled in trying to steal seats that we were waiting on friends to fill).
The side order of fries is a great way to start any meal, even brunch, as I did (waiting for people makes you hungry). Besides that, I would definitely recommend the pulled pork sandwich and the breakfasts. I especially like the thought they put into all the side dishes, ensuring that they complement the main. The staff are also very good about making suggestions or offering up substitutions if someone requests. I think this place is really nice and now that I’ve read Connie’s review I really think I need to try a burger!

I am a burger snob and try to grab one of those heaven-​borne treats anywhere that lists it on the menu. Understand, then, that when I say this is one of my favourite burgers in Toronto, I freaking mean it. The fact that I can pair the organic beef or bison or homemade veggie burgers with grilled peppers, eggplant, brie, and pancetta just makes me salivate here just thinking about it. Plus, the sweet potato fries option makes a fantastic balance to the whole meal. (Sweet potato fries are the new black.)
And all this, right smack dab in Kensington. Mmm. Why am I sitting here still writing this review and not at the restaurant right now?
Bye.
Psst. Word has it that the brunches, albeit somewhat of a traditionally boring menu, are pretty decent as well. Go! Go!