Hawthorne Food and Drink

Bravo! I don’t have enough superlatives to express how much I enjoyed this place. RIght downtown but a little off the beaten path, I came here for a work function. We ordered a number of the appetizers including the Brussels sprouts with bone marrow, fries, chicken skin tacos, and croquette poutine, and they were all off the charts delicious. Perfectly seasoned. The main I ordered, which was the Christmas Double Down, was a vegetarian dish done RIGHT. It had a light sprinkling of chevre, sauteed mushrooms, cranberries, and two slabs of stuffing — the balance between all the ingredients was perfect. I find a good mark of a restaurant is how well they make the vegetarian dish, and in this case Hawthorne Food & Drink nailed it!
Our server was also very engaging, and had a great sense of humour to boot (a lady with glasses and an asymmetrical haircut).
Wine selections, all from Ontario, were all very smooth (a surprise to me that this exists in Ontario!) The Sangiovese from Prince Edward County was particularly pleasant. The Southbrook was great too, although frankly, we tried all of them and they were all great!
Also: one more thing — I really appreciate the ethos/​business model of the Hawthorne as well — supporting trainees in the hospitality sector, and also supporting local ingredients. Great idea and execution.
I hope to be back again soon!

Checked this restaurant out during Summerlicious 2015. I would have liked to see what the ‘usual’ fare is but they only had the Summerlicious menu going. I went with a friend of mine so we were able to try two apps, entrees and desserts. I thought the lamb gyro had some really good flavours and while the chicken skin tacos were a good concept, the execution just wasn’t right. The ribs were really good especially with the kozlicks mustard rub — will have to try that at home! I really enjoyed the aged cheddar ice cream with popcorn. Never thought it would taste good but now I’m adding popcorn to all my ice cream. The dinner was $ 25 fixed price.
The food was okay but I think I’d stop by to try their regular menu to see if it’s any different.

We were here for summerlicious lunch and the food is really delicious! Had the chicken skin taco which I thought was going to be greasy but it wasn’t and very crispy. The kick of spice from the kimchi was a nice added touch. Next I had the piri piri chicken which was crispy on the outside but so moist on the inside… and the sauce went perfectly with it. For dessert I had the aged cheddar ice cream with corn jam and popcorn which was hard to picture in my head but the flavour mixed so well! A little salty but a little sweet with the caramel sauce. Service was excellent all the waiters and host were very attentive and made sure we were enjoying our food. We will definitely go back just to try other items on the menu.

Came here for a summerlicious dinner on a saturday night at 7.30pm. There were still a few tables available when we were seated. They had a large wine selection on the chalk board and good cocktail choices too, their drink special that night was $ 6 for any classic martini. They only have 2 beer choices, one was steam whistle for $ 7
We got the lamb gyro and chicken skin taco for appetizer and both were delicious! The lamb gyro had lots of flavour with home fries like potatoes and their tzatziki sauce was great. Chicken skin taco had kimchi and some diced cucumber and radish on top of deep fried chicken skin as the base (you can’t go wrong with crispy chicken skin it’s always the best part when you eat fried chicken anyways)
The ribs for entrée was presented nicely, the corn bread wasnt dry and mealy, however the ribs were a tiny bit on the dry side. They also provided a bowl of water and lemon on the side to rinse your hands out (old school swiss chalet style!) The beef brisket entrée with grilled endvie was delicious. As a person who doesnt like peas — the mashed peas were amazing almost felt potato like. And the green curry sauce had a strong kick.
Got the cheese ice cream for dessert — which was fun — it came with popcorn and caramel sauce! Also tried the Eton Mess — sweet cherries and strawberries with fresh cream and meringue bits it was sweetly satisfying. All the portions were a good size and wasn’t left hungry.
The service was nice, a bit slow but that didn’t bother us, we were seated in a comfy 2 seat booth, it was quite enough to have good conversation as well. When we left around 9pm there were only about 2 – 3 other tables left restaurant. It was felt very casual and cozy in there, would love to come back to try their regular menu!

Came for the Summerlicious lunch with a friend. I was intrigued by the menu and was pleasantly surprised by the flavours presented. I had the chilled Tomato mole to start and my friend had the Chicken skin tacos. My chilled soup was well blended and had nice subtle mole complex flavours. The tacos looked plain but was reported as crunchy and good. Next we both opted for the sous vide Chuck burger. I’ve never had sous vide red meat so I didn’t know what to expect. The burger was very juicy but was missing that charcoal grilled flavours that the best burgers in the city have. However the corn relish and grilled peaches definitely added sweet and fresh flavours to the burger. An overall small but good burger. Finally we both had the Aged Cheddar ice cream with corn jam and popcorn. I was intrigued by this one on the menu but could barely taste any cheese flavours! It tasted like a bit pungent vanilla ice cream. Loved the corn jam and the crunchy popcorn. I definitely appreciated the corn toppings! So fresh and summery!
Overall, the menu was interesting and the food was tasty and cooked well. Service was nice as well. I also had a pint of Steam Whistle beer for only $ 5. I’d definitely come back for their regular menu.

Best meal we had during our week in Toronto. Fresh, flavorful, very high quality ingredients. Friendly, attentive service. Bavette steak was perfect. Fries amazing, including the house made ketchup. Piri piri chicken quite flavorful. Bulgogi tofu crispy and delicious with flavorful slaw. Portions neither small nor giant. A perfect dining experience.

Excellent food, great service.
A wonderful social enterprise too!
The menu was very limited for vegetarians but what was available was amazing!
The quality of ingredients is palpable from the first bite.
They also serve some good Ontario wines from innovative wineries such as Southbrook.
The price reflects the quality, i.e., it is not too cheap.
It is also not open on Sunday, I believe.
Cannot wait to go back here next time I am in Toronto!

I returned here recently for lunch and although my original order came out looking lacklustre, our server quickly remedied the situation with a fresh order and a discount. I really want places like this to succeed because they seem to offer a great blend of educational opportunity, local food, and a pleasant dining experience. Burgers normally aren’t my thing, but the one I had here was A-​OKAY!

Joined 3 friends for dinner on the recommendation of one of the girls who was dining with us, who had been before and loved it.
I wasn’t so impressed. The menu changes regularly so they don’t post it on their website which is a little inconvenient but they did have a fair number of options written on their blackboard. Good thing I’m not a vegetarian though, because their only meatless/​fishless option was rice and beans… yes. Rice. and. Beans.
I started with the Diablo cocktail ($ 14 for 2.5oz) which was interesting, but good. made with Tromba tequila and ginger beer. It was nice without being too sweet. It was good enough to enjoy but not something I slammed back (which I usually do).
Anyway, the 4 of us split two orders of arugula salad and a starter of «bruschetta mussels.» I’m not a huge fan of mussels but they were pretty average, in a tomato and wine broth. They were a little fisher tasting than what I’ve had before and that kind of turned me off. Plus, they knew there were 4 of us but they only brought 3 small — SMALL, thin slices of toasted baguette. I asked for another piece, which they were happy to bring. I’m just surprised this wasn’t addressed before it came to our table.
We ordered: 2 x deconstructed shepherd’s pie, fish (I think it was haddock, but I can’t remember) and I had steak. The shepherd’s pie was chosen based on the recommendation of diners at an adjacent table and as far as I know, my friends enjoyed theirs. To be honest, I wish I had ordered that instead of the flank steak. My flank steak was ordered medium-​rare but arrived rare (which was fine… I don’t mind it that way) with roasted radishes and fries. It was pretty basic… expected. Nothing more to say there. The steak arrived already sliced which I think caused it to go a little cold, and my steak knife arrived after my meal was placed in front of me. The fish, which my friend ordered came uncooked or just very, very undercooked — cold inside and well, just raw inside. She had to send it back.
We opted not to go for the bread pudding, which did sound good or ummm… whatever else they had that night… and decided to go for just coffees and biscotti.
The biscotti was nice and the espresso was smooth and tasty — great way to end out meal.
All-​in-​all this was an OK place. Service was alright. Our server was very pleasant and knowledgeable and able to make recommendations. The busser was really sweet if a little awkward (could have been a newbie!) They did comp my friend’s coffee to make up for the undercooked fish. As we paid, our server presented us with free tickets to the Green Living Show.
As usual, company makes a meal so I don’t have any complaints about this place, although I have nothing outstanding to note either.
I would probably go back to Hawthorne and would recommend it as worthy of a try for people looking for somewhere different to eat. The price was fair and the meal portions were fair — not too much, not too little. Food was fresh and generally light. The cook should refine his/​her abilities given that my steak was undercooked and my friend’s fish was raw but meh… it was quickly corrected so no biggie.
I wouldn’t recommend this place for vegetarians. While there were 3 options for veggies (carrot soup, spicy or crusty tofu or something, and arugula salad) there was only one veggie option for a main, and as I said… beans and rice. What people feed their dogs in the Caribbean.

The food here is amazing. Really yummy and unique! It was a quiet place so good for when you want to converse.
I definitely want to go here again. Especially since the menu changes all the time with new options.

Through my workplace recently, I had the opportunity to dine for lunch at Hawthorne. I was excited because it had so many accolades and positive shout outs about it that I couldn’t wait. I’d heard so many good things about the place and checked out their site for the menu items. I was happy to learn that their food was made with local produce and meats and that they had a MealShare program where you buy an entrée and a they give a meal to a starving child.
Because our lunch was being paid for by the organizing group, we were a bit restricted to the menu options but I had thought that wouldn’t be a problem and since my lunch was being paid for, I had no right to complain. Besides, even on a restricted menu, I can usually find something I like to eat.
Out of our selection I chose the mixed local greens with beets salad over the onion soup because my stomach hasn’t been doing well with onion-​laced dishes lately. It was ok but nothing special really — just a mixed green salad with some large-​a** beet chunks which I cut into smaller pieces and some kind of basic dressing but I wasn’t sure what that was. I saw a colleague’s onion soup and it smelled/​looked delicious which she confirmed was.
Since I knew I wouldn’t do well with the ‘mushroom cream sauce’ in the pasta and I wasn’t in the mood to have the beef-​cheek Ramen, I opted for the Smoked Chicken Breast/​Turkey sandwich which I thought couldn’t really go wrong, right? Sounded great…
My ‘sandwich’ arrived and it ‘looked’ delicious although, from the start, the Texas-​thick toast didn’t impress me much (maybe a nice soft bun would have been a better choice) and I absolutely HATE cranberry sauce or anything like that on a sandwich. Since the description of the meals are very scant, I was not expecting this for my meal.
Regardless, I cut into it with a fury of an appetite because I was starving. The first thing I noticed (and made me want to spit it back out!) was that the «smoke» of the chicken breast was so overpowering, it was nauseating — I’ve eaten plenty of smoked food in my life and this was way over the top. Now pair all that with a smudge of cranberry sauce smeared onto the bread and a glop of gravy and, sadly, this did not go over well with my taste buds nor my gut. My colleagues around me (one of them who enjoyed the soup) also did not like this sandwich and they all had similar complaints to mine — there were about 6 of us who ordered this dish.
Needless to say, I didn’t finish the meal.
To end, it would have been nice to be able to order their Earl Grey brulee but due to the restricted menu, this was not an option for me. They did provide our two tables with platters of brownie tidbits and basic shortbread cookies. Again, nice but no WOW factor there either.
I did hear my other colleagues give positive comments about the Fife Pasta dish and the Ramen but having seen the dishes, there still was nothing really outstanding about their food. I’ve eaten at other ‘organic’ or ‘local food’ restaurants in the area — one just up the road from this one — and they really did have that ‘wow’ factor in their dishes.
Overall, my expectations from what I’d heard far exceeded the actual dining experience I had. I couldn’t figure out why this place was so packed. Have Torontonians really lost their ideals for actual good food?

Don’t understand where the negative reviews are coming from. Been here a bunch and the food is pretty good, staff are friendly and courteous, and the vibe is very Richmond East lolol. Have had the steak, Korean chicken wings and more — would only criticize portion size in comparison to price and quality, but overall pretty good and wholesome.

Friendly staff, seems to be off the busy beat of downtown but refreshing change to the hustle.
ordered grilled sardines as an appetizer, super good! Tomato basil soup was tasty but a bit thick for my liking, chicken salad sammich was not for me. Too much mayo and the saltiness was unbearable. Not sure if it’s from the butter on the bread and or content of the chicken salad mix. Loved the beer selection, they are committed to micro brewers for sure. Gave them a 4 star because of staff, décor, not crazy busy location and decent food experience.

«Hawthorne is the enterprise arm of the Hospitality Workers Training Centre. The HWTC is an independent non-​profit organization dedicated to skills training for new entrants and current workers, in support of a healthy industry and workforce in Toronto.»
Restaurant with a social conscience PLUS the food is good?! I’m a fan!
I enjoyed tasty Ontario bounty with the fam before a fun-​filled Fleetwood Mac concert night.
I recommend ordering all of the stellar sides with your mains if you’re stopping by with more than two people.
I also recommend indulging in this lesser-​known Fleetwood gem:

I didn’t like this restaurant too much. I was not impressed by its carefully curated menu of local Ontarian goods, its stylist menu brought in a cutting board. I was put off by the fact that the soup of the day was a cold Borscht one. A cold soup on a rainy day! Couldn’t they adjust the menu? There were only 3 tables having dinner. No one would have noticed the menu change!
The main dishes are pretty limited and there were items I had no interest in ordering (hamburger, pickering, red cabbage). I ordered the summer pasta which came with seasonal, summer vegetables. It was good except for the inch thick oil at the bottom of the dish! My tummy paid for it later in the night.
I had the lemon crème brûlée which was exquisite. A glass Cabernet Franc from Niagara (Between the Lines) accompanied my meal.
The service was great though. My friend and I stayed there until they started dimming the lights! We got the message and left. Good service, menu can be improved.

Since my last encounter with Hawthorne a year ago, I have always been dying to come back again. Chef Eric Wood’s 4 square meal was delicious, creative, and memorable. All in all, great experience from food & beverage to service!
On our recent visit in January 2014, my friends and I have decided to drop by Hawthorne for a quick, light dinner before heading out to our board game night at Castle. I was very surprised to find out that Hawthorne has changed ownership! They have taken out the famous 4 square meal and no longer had the Unilocal app check-​in offer for free house made pop. #shocked #speechless.
Luckily, I saved a check-​in offer a while back that I never used for Hawthorne. The server told me that the Unilocal offer was taken out a long time ago, and was confused why I still have the offer hehehe… It was very nice of the server to still honour the free house made pop :) and so, we each received a free drink on the house! We all ordered their Ginger pop, which was sweet and refreshing. Sigh, but I do miss having my drink in a glass boot (see old photos!) lol.
Moving on, we ordered a few dishes to share:
— Smoked Salmon Crisps (2pcs) — tasted alright, wish there were more pieces!
— Buttermilk Fried Chicken (3pcs) — the coleslaw and aioli were a nice touch
— Mushroom Gnocchi — decent dish, flavours go well together :)
— Pulled Pork Poutine — loved the fries, but not enough meat, meat was a bit jerky-​like
— Flourless Chocolate Torte — delicious cake, but the marinated salty (?) Hawthorne REALLY threw me off
— Lemon Crème Brulee — SO sour. RAWR. but one of my friend loved the tartness.
Overall, I felt that I did not enjoy it as much this time around, even though the food was not bad. I guess I was just a bit upset that the highly anticipated 4 square meal was taken off the menu. Service is still excellent — very friendly and accommodating, thank you so much! I believe there are still lots of room for improvement. Keep up the great work, Hawthorne. I shall be back :)

Being a fan of Fabarnak, I wanted to check out what Chef Eric Wood was offering at Hawthorne.
I think it’s great that Hawthorne is involved with the community through it’s association with HWTC promoting workforce training.
It’s one of those places where the food is good and you feel good eating here.
The menu is crafted with fresh local ingredients in mind, supporting local Ontario farmers.
The restaurant is about a 5 minute walk east from the Eaton center.
We came here on a Sunday evening for dinner and it was pretty quiet.
There were a few tables of tourists and groups.
The décor was simple, warm, and comfortable.
I liked the two seater booths, the noise level was good so that we could chat without shouting.
The Unilocal special for a free soda did not pop up on my phone when I checked in (sadface). The server we had was newer and he did not know about the special.
That’s okay, I ordered a beer, they had a decent list.
There was a fixed price menu available for the evening which was a good deal and it included wine! However, I wanted to try the fried chicken that was not on the menu, so we ordered a la carte.
To start I had the roast squash salad ($ 9) with apple, kale, and a curry dressing. It was more squash than kale and the curry sauce had a little kick and complimented the sweet squash.
The smoked salmon cakes ($ 8) were light and tasty.
There were two small cakes that were perfectly crispy but I found them slightly bland.
For my main, I was tempted by the buttermilk fried chicken ($ 13).
When the chicken arrived, I thought the plate looked sparse.
The chicken served was wing and thigh and a small portion.
The slaw served with the chicken was asian vinaigrette dressed…
and I didn’t love it.
Now, I really liked the french fries ($ 6) which made up for the slaw.
Thyme, malt vinegar, and aioli. OMG, so crispy and delicious.
Overall, the food is good and our meal was pleasant.
I’d come back for lunch, I want to try one of these four-​square meals mentioned by others. :)

After being spurned at Beerbistro because they were «too crowded», I looked on Unilocal for another highly rated place nearby and discovered Hawthorne. It was early on a Saturday evening and I was freezing cold and it was nearby so I made the scary trip down Richmond Street a couple of blocks past Yonge to the restaurant.
I sat at the bar and was promptly greeted by an enthusiastic young lady (who I took to be a manager of some type). I ordered a cocktail, which she prepared expertly. It was called Sexing the Cherry or something like that and it was quite good. I asked what the cut of the day was for the steak frites and she didn’t know and she asked two line cooks and they didn’t know, but finally found out. Several minutes later when one of the guys came up and told her the cut, she was kind of snarky when she told him «You’re 20 minutes too late with that». As I was sitting right there and witnessed the exchange, it made me uncomfortable.
The food was okay. I see people raving about it but I’m not there. The steak that night was more like roast beef, which is fine but I would have preferred something like a skirt steak. It was cooked well but the sauce/​gravy on it was sweeter than I would have liked and tasted like a mass-​market bottled sauce that had some extra spices thrown into it. Fries were fine although the accompanying sauce was also very sweet.
For dessert I had the Elvis, which sounded good on paper but was only so-​so in execution. It consisted of banana bread, three tiny squirts of some fruity sauce, powdered peanut butter and some carmelized bacon-​banana brittle. That last part was outstanding. However, the banana bread, which was grilled, in combination with the powdered peanut butter and the inadequate amount of «jelly» left the dessert feeling very dry. Luckily I had another bottle of their wonderful seltzer with which to wash it down.
Service was on point the whole night, but it seemed very scripted. It was as if someone had read a book by Danny Meyer or something and then tried to re-​create that. It was textbook good, but it seemed to be missing warmth and sincerity. The right things were said and done because those were the right things to say and do, not because they were actually felt. It’s hard to explain but the whole thing left me a little cold.
I think this has potential to be a four-​star place, but when I looked back at other restaurants of this ilk which I rated four stars, this just isn’t quite there yet.

Free Unilocal Soda at Hawthorne Food and Drink?!
Just make sure use Unilocal App and check in and you will receive a complimentary House made Pop that serves in a cute little boot! We enjoyed our Pear Cardamom and Lemon Lime Ginger Mint both really refreshing! Burp!
Since we were here during lunch time, so we decided to order:
Soup of the Day — Mushroom ($ 7)
Paella Bomb ($ 9)
— Nicely plated and it tasted as good as it looked! Clams, Mussels were so tasty with just a hint of spiciness and so much flavours!
— Rice was cooked perfectly al dente with great bite!
4 Square Meal ($ 16)
— changes daily so best to follow them on Facebook or Twitter for updates
— I found 2 of the squares were very similar taste and ingredients (Beans)
— Though light and healthy but just something lacking
Hawthorne has this really laid back vibe. And I love the social responsibility and helping the community concept!
Hawthorne is definitely worth repeat visit!

Hawthorne refers to an English hedge plant which has large sharp thorns. The only thing sharp here is Chef Wood’s cleaver that he uses to debone a duck!
The restaurant has officially opened for lunch but hopes to be open during the holidays for brunch. Full dinner service is expected to be full swing in January.
The décor is very Jamie Kennedy with all sorts of preserved goodies lining the walls. Apart from being a kitchen, chef Eric Wood hopes to make this a training ground for aspiring chefs and servers alike.
For drinks you can opt for housemade soda served in cute boot-​shaped glasses, a selection of craft beers or a generous glass of wine.
We started with a plate of Edamame with ponzu molasses, chilli and peanuts. While I felt they were a tad overcooked, the flavours were amazing.
We then moved on to the Fish ‘n Chips (fried smelts with Kennebec frites, MALT VINEGAR DUST that I would snort if nobody was looking — it was THAT good), tartar sauce and ketchup.
There ain’t no fried chicken here, but there is fried quail in a buttermilk batter drizzled in honey. Not as crispy as fried chicken, but definitely tender and more delicate.
The signature 4SquareMeal ($ 16), imported from Chef Wood’s square pegs in his Fabarnak days see the same format. Think jazzed up bento box. Today’s selection included:
Whole Grains Salad with Squash and Kale — Delicious AND nutritious? Apparently these words CAN co-​exist!
Chestnut Gnocchi with Vanilla-​infused cherry tomato — The gnocchi for me was a bit starchy — not sure if it is because of the way they are shaped (thick, round slices). The vanilla-​infused cherry tomato was bursting with flavour.
Lemongrass Ribs on a bed of Cannellini beans — I want the recipe for these ribs now! Wet rub with hints of fish sauce. These were nicely caramelized without being too sweet. The beans were really fresh.
Chocolate Oatmeal Brownie — If you are a slow eater, the gelato will have melted by the time you get to dessert. I felt the oatmeal brownie was a tad dry. Whenever you’re using oatmeal, it sucks out a lot of moisture, so definitely more wet ingredients in the mix could solve this problem.
Chef Wood is extremely down-​to-​earth so you are in good hands at Hawthorne. I like that he is creating employment for the community and that he is hoping to add an educational experience for his staff outside of the normal scope of running a restaurant. A great addition to the neighbourhood!