Julie’s Cuban Restaurant

First of all, I have to say, I love the ambiance of this place with its cute patio right in a neighborhood… sadly not too much love to give after that.
We started with the chips and salsa. At $ 6, I expected a pretty nice salsa with housemade chips. Well, the chips come and I realize that half of them are Tostitos «Scoops»™ and the other half other Tostitos. Come on Julie, you’re not even trying to pretend that you put some effort into it. The salsa was spicy but boring with crudely cut large pieces of tomatoes and not much else… really just a pico de gallo.
This was followed by the ceviche ($ 10). It doesn’t come with chips or bread, but thankfully we had «Scoops»™ leftover to eat it. It started off well, but then we realized there were large bits of lettuce wadded up in the ramekin of fish. Basically, it was just filler to make it look like we’d received a larger portion. I kind of think the fish was the previously frozen type, as it had none of the charm of a fresh ceviche.
Other dishes were small, overpriced, and underwhelming.
The one nice spot was the platano maduro frito ($ 5) which was indeed tasty and sweet.
The half liter of sangria was indeed pricy, although it was alright in quality.
Service was pretty uneven and below average. Some amount of effort was required to get the bill at the end of the night.
Overall, I’m quite puzzled as to why this place is so popular. All but one of our dishes were substandard and service was poor. Julie is definitely phoning it in.

Julie’s is such a breath of fresh air. It’s tucked under a house and had such a family oriented homey atmosphere. Limited food selection but very extensive drinks and cocktail for relatively fair pricing. It’s not a very noticeable place because of the low key signage. Which makes this place feel like such a hidden gem! They have a nice looking menue for Cuban food and I’ll be back to give each a try! I will comment on their rum and whiskey list being very nice and they range from bitter to sweet tastes bound to please all taste buds! The kind I tried was sweet caramel taste w a kick which is right up my alley! This place is perfect for a casual night snack or night cap, when you have time to kick back and relax. Don’t go if your in a rush it’s not that kind of vibe and is very relaxed service and chill atmosphere.

Delicious. Tilapia
Plantain with Guacamole
Palm salad

Don’t let the charming, eclectic vibes fool you into thinking that the Cuban cuisine here at Julie’s is just as good. I paid over 18 dollars for a plate of very plain pulled pork and some fried plaintain. It wasn’t bad, it was alright for your typical «grubby food» but for the price that I paid, I expected a more authentic Cuban dish and a larger portion. We all know that pulled pork, beans, and plantain are cheap. The small plate should not cost over 18 bucks for the simplicity of the arrangement and flavors. I just don’t think this place has high enough cost-​value score in order for me to rate it any higher.
I was in love with the charming, Caribbean family atmosphere in the restaurant and I also love how it’s tucked away in the corner of a residential area. There are all these hipster knick knacks that you can take a picture of and instagram while you wait for your food. This is a hipster Cuban heaven for people who don’t actually know what good Cuban food (that has an appropriate price tag) should be like.
I would say it’s worth a try, food is one of the most subjective things in the world anywyas. Go with some friends and impress them with your hipster, underground taste in just about anything, including restaurants. You’ll definitely enjoy the vibes and the fried plantains are quite good if you can get past how soaked the batter is in oil.

This has been one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto for many years, before Toronto became the foodie city it is. Such a cute little place, amazing service and delicious food.

Went here with my partner for an anniversary. The ambiance is perfect. The food, however was just kind of okay. Had the guacamole tostones, the blue marlin ceviche and the calamari. All of it lacked a little seasoning and some love. Similarly, my cocktails lacked a certain yumminess and flare. I think I might try it again, but as for my original experience, it was just okay.

I want to say for atmosphere I would give it 4 stars. Great vibe, great music, eclectic and interesting décor.
Food however was mediocre, Fried Calamari is not homemade, and neither are the cocktail sauce and other dip which so clearly are poured from jugs. Terrible. If I were at a pub I might expect this and tolerate it– very disappointing. Quesadillas were small and no better than a 10 year old would make at home. Guacamole took over an hour to come out of the kitchen, we ordered it to eat with the quesadilla’s but I guess they expected us to eat it with a spoon. So we ordered the ‘chips’, which are literally tostitos brand from a bag. Thanks.
Chorizo in wine was bland, steak main turned out to be pulled random dry beef.
Chicken was dry and not cleaned properly. Ceviche was tough, very bland and made with frozen fish. Yuck
Nothing Cuban or homemade. Go to the frozen section of your supermarket or call Sysco foods if you want to eat this crap, do it at your home– not Julie’s home!

Never a bad meal here. Always try something different and always impressed.
If you go before 6pm they have a happy hour with cheap drinks and food priced at $ 1, $ 2 and $ 3.

Great food, went for an early dinner on a Friday night before it got busy.
An impressive selection of cocktails and hearty dishes to share, makes it a great spot for a date or friends to hang out in a relaxed atmosphere.
Cute spot surrounded by residential houses, it’s a neat restaurant for sure. Will definitely be back

I’ve been to Julies maybe 4 times in many years. The food and menu have not really changed since the first time I went many years back.
By now if you’ve read at least 2 other reviews you realize this place is near Dundas and Dovercourt on the west side of Dovercourt in what used to be a house. Part of it’s charm is it’s location. The closest pay parking I know of is behind the 7 – 11 at the corner of Dundas and Dovercourt.
The food is decent but I’ve had better Cuban food in different places in Florida. I think one of the downsides to Julies is that the prices are pretty expensive because the tapas if you get a bunch they all add up.
The main dishes are larger of course but a combination of tapas, main meal and drinks will run you into the $$ price range trying to remember that if you order tapas to share, you will need a bunch of them because they are what they are, small portions.
I usually get a beef dish like the ropas viejo (sp?) but the menu does have a nice variety of different foods.
The service is satisfactory and the décor is very hipster type. It literally feels like you’re in somebody’s house more than it feels like a restaurant.

A friend booked her birthday dinner here and I was utterly puzzled as I walked pass Queen W and deep into a residential street to find Julie’s. It’s literally a residential house turned into a restaurant, really cosy and extremely hipster. We had an entire room for the birthday dinner and that made it really intimate. It felt like we were at grandma’s old house. There was a world map on the wall from the 80’s.
The server was really good with the rowdy group, which included a guy that kept making inappropriate jokes. I’ve never had cuban food before, but I would describe it as a mix of what I think is Polish and Jamaican… sorry if that’s really offensive. I had the rice and beans with veal cutlet, fried plantains and sour cream. It was delish.

I have been at Julie’s many many many times. I love it! The only reason of why I am not giving a 5 start rating is because I don’t understand why this place is sooooo over priced.
The food is good, I am Cuban so I know, but sometimes I think it misses the real final flavour.

Julie’s Cuban Restaurant is a place you could totally miss. We’ve been by it so many times and never saw it until my cousin invited me to join her family for dinner. I don’t really understand Cuban food (even after having visited Cuba) but I imagine it’s hard to do «fancy» Cuban and thankfully Julie’s doesn’t try. It’s a very nice and homey feel and I think a lot of their dishes would serve better family style instead of a la carte.
We were a large group and got almost all of their mains. I got the Bistec Empanizado which I thought was pretty good. The serving is just way too big for one meal, but that means yummy left overs. At first the piece of beef looks quite bland but biting into it you know a lot of flavour has been introduced to it by way of breading. The Bistec de Palomilla is similar without the breading but with onions instead. My guy found his piece of steak to be a little tough in spots. We ordered some appetizers which were just okay, can’t remember too much about them.
We ordered Tortilla Chips con Guacamole while we waited for a few stragglers to arrive. I thought it would be fresh chips, but when I went to the washroom I got a good look in the kitchen and unfortunately it was a bag of Tostitos. Yeah, kind of disappointing. I didn’t find any pineapple in the guacamole, which would make it authentically Cuban. Another disappointment.
To drink we ordered the Sangria — just okay, Mojito Cubano — yum! and a piña colada — made fresh and was so very delicious. Someone also ordered the 15 year Glenfiddich which was a complete UNDER POUR considering the price. The quantity was laughable.
We also ordered desserts but they weren’t memorable and I just remember thinking «way too sweet» so I’d skip dessert and opt for the piña colada instead ;)
Overall it was nice to try something new in a place that could accommodate my large family and still give us friendly and unhurried service. There were a few things that need to be improved. I’d suggest they remove guacamole and chips off their menu. The mains are quite large so you don’t really need to get an appetizer. And instead of dessert try their piña colada!

This was my first time trying Cuban, and instead of looking at Unilocal for reviews, my friends and I heard about this place through word of mouth. I had to say, I now am a fan of Cuban food.
The atmosphere was wonderful. It was homey and friendly, and it felt like you were in someone’s house while the host was cooking your food. I especially liked the way the bathroom was downstairs.
We started off with the tapas. They were all amazing, especially the plantains. We shared their chicken entrée and it was extremely flavorful and full of interesting spices.
The only reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5 was the desert. When we saw Tres Leches on the menu, we immediately ordered it. What we got instead was a lot of whip cream, some weird cookies in it, and a too sweet cake mixture in a big cocktail glass. Not our dream idea of moist tres leches cake.
While this place is cute and nice, I may not actually come here again unless I’m in the area. But it did make me a fan of Cuban food now!

«Very disappointed with the main Entrée»
I was in Toronto on business and looked up Cuban cuisine off of Unilocal.This restaurant and another came up. I reviewed the the ratings. It wasn’t very high on the star chart, but I still gave it a try. First let me say that I’m Puerto Rican and also specialize in Puerto Rican cuisine. Okay– Now, I ordered the Yuca al Mojo and a breaded Steak with the Cuban version of rice & beans.
When my Yuca arrived it looked delicious! Well, that’s all it did.looked. I took a bite… wow! the amount of vinegar I took in nearly chocked me. Okay, not a problem. I have a breaded steak with Cuban Moro coming.
My plate arrived and it looked good… As I began to salivate and the taste buds were spazzing out. I took the first bite and,… Lets just say that the Yuca had less vinegar.
Folks– I’m sorry. As a cook, I found this place totally out of touch with Cuban cuisine and in desperate need of a major overall with the menu, presentation of the food and seasoning… In my country of Puerto Rico. Sofrito and Adobo goes a long way for the Sazon of the food being served.

Julie’s snack bar opened in 1954 and used to be a convenience store of sort. She (Julie) eventually even started selling fresh made sandwiches. After Julie passed away, her daughter Syvlia took over. Her and her Cuban husband turned the place into a mini homestead Cuban restaurant.
The place is warm, inviting and ambient. The servers are unbelievably personable. Tucked in the residentials off the Ossington strip, it’s a welcome little surprise for those who wander.
Now truth by told, i tried with every ounce in body to fall in love with this place — just the one thing missing the mark is the food. The prices are reasonable but can be questioned in terms of value on certain dishes like the drinks and desserts.
Overall, my opinion is that the small plates are the way to go. Some of the best yuca i’ve had in a long time was here. But if you meander into the mains, that’s where the disappointment begins.
So in my opinion — if you’re heading down to Julie’s, expect a warm inviting, almost romantic atmosphere. Order a few drinks as opposed to cocktails and a few tapas style plates as oppose to mains. Then you’ll have an amazing time and you’ll get the charm of Julie’s.

Julie’s can easily be confused for a craptastic corner store at first glance if the patio isn’t set. Fortunately for Toronto, it’s actually a quaint 6 table restaurant with lots of flavor and an extensive cocktail list.
When I think of Cuban food I think of the bland crud one gets at an all-​inclusive resort. This is not even close to reality. Real Cuban food has spice, and has a lot of ground meats, plantains, hot sauce and fresh peppers. I tried it all here, like, one of everything with friends, and really enjoyed most of it. I’m not a plantain person*, but other people were into those dishes. Their guac is fresh, their chips are warm, their fritters are heavenly and the quesadilla-​like-​things are cheesy with a kick. The servers are delightful and make mean martinis, decent dark and stormys and a-​ok caesars.
A delightful night was had by myself, Matt M and Michael N. In a funny coincidence a friend lives upstairs and has a small orange kitten. The servers knew the kitten and asked me what it’s name was. I said Evelyn. This really made my night. (I don’t really know the cat’s name.)
PEPPER POINTS: For those addictive corn fritters. They’re as good as everyone says they are. Get them, and slather on the sour cream.
*Cooked small bananas? Gross, Cuba. Gross.

It’s a bad sign when the highlight of your visit is the kick-​ass parking spot you snagged right out front.
Julie’s is one of those residental chameleons, tucked away at the corner of Foxley and Dovercourt. You might even miss it as you walk by, it blends into the neighbourhood so well. There is a concrete patio out front with plastic furniture and umbrellas that is perfect for a summer night. I only glanced inside for a moment, but it seemed to be a dim and cozy space, decorated with shelves of bric-​à-​brac and a red-​and-​white checkered theme. Fortunately, there was room to dine on the patio, which was illuminated by candles and Christmas lights, i.e., bring a date here.
Their laminated one-​pager is one-​side drinks, one-​side dinner. Noting that the bulk of the menu’s real estate was dominated by tapas options, my date and I took a hint and ordered four dishes to share: chorizo sausage in red wine, postones rellenes (plantain «cups» filled with avocado salsa), papa rellena (a potato puff filled with beef), and just for the hell of it, coconut shrimp. The server recommended a fifth order to make sure we were full, so we tacked on one of the specials: a beef empanada plate.
The food was disappointing. The chorizo lacked the expected spicy smokiness; the potato puff was really low on filling and flavour; the coconut shrimp was OK — but just OK — and that’s more Thai than Cuban, no? The real killjoy for me was the postones rellenes. Really dry and bland. The avocado salsa was not enough to save it and we left two out of four uneaten. I wish I had just ordered fried plantains. Why didn’t this food have any flavour?
I don’t want to tear this place apart. The restaurant itself seems charming, and the service was friendly. But as mentioned a few times, Julie’s has a higher price point than most Latin American eats in this city, and the food really doesn’t deliver at that level. I wish I could say I would return for drinks on their stellar patio, but at almost $ 10 for a watery mojito, I probably won’t.
Obligatory Title Pun: This CUBAN’s missed the MARK.
Menu Readability: Pretty clear and simple. And you can’t go wrong with canary.
Need to mention: They serve Coke in tiny bottles. Yay.
What this place teaches me about myself: When I hear Cuban I think ‘flavourful’! And ‘Mark’! Am I wrong?

I almost walked passed Julie’s Cuban Restaurant… as it just look like another house in this residential area… or it kind of look like a convenience store?
Nice, dark and dim… decorated with Christmas night and tons of Cuban’s memorabilia of its glorious era.
The waiters here are some of the most friendliest and knowledgeable ones I have encountered. and yes Cuban people does have the heart of gold!
Chips con Guacamole tasted awesome. One of the best I have in Toronto… Freshly homemade and with a great spicy kick!
The other items we order are just so so… Cerviche was a little disappointing because it either sour/​limey enough and the fish texture is quite funny. Enchilado de Camarones was overpriced with that just 4 shrimps and didn’t taste spectacular!
I think Julie’s Cuban Restaurant is good place to share some apps and chill with your friends. but if you going to have a full meal with drinks it does get quite pricey… and you wondering if it really worth it!

This place has 4 star potential but what really ruined it for me was the pricing! WTF?
Some of the other reviews are SPOT ON in mentioning that the price point is too high. The food is tasty, but it’s pretty simple and somewhat bland. They are charging too much for the food. I don’t mind paying good money for fine dining, but not for what they are serving. It was like paying $ 12.99 for a McDonalds happy meal.
They do have a «quaint» little patio with plastic chairs and Christmas lights. Service was good.
My friend and I shared a salad and 3 appetizers. Drank water. It came to $ 46 including tip, yikes!
And the drinks…$ 9.50 for a mojito? Really? Aye, carumba!
The food here is overly greasy too. Our corn fritters were basically just deep fried pieces of gloopy batter. The fried plaintain was more oily than I’ve ever seen it prepared, even in Cuba. Avocado & mango salad was decent. Ceviche was OK but really plain and chopped into really big lazy pieces.
Anyway, next time I want to drop that much money, I’ll go somewhere schmancy fancy!
Lower your prices please, Julie.